* Caron Lindsay is Editor of Liberal Democrat Voice and blogs at Caron's Musings
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A TIPPERARY company has nailed its colours to the mast in support of the Limerick to Cork motorway upgrade.
McHale Plant Sales, based in Birdhill, lodged a submission backing the project with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
It was written in response to a public invitation issued by the Minister involved, Paschal Donohoe, and in support of efforts being made by local senator, Kieran ODonnell. The submission cites numerous reasons why the existing N20 should be developed as a motorway in the public good.
Key amongst the arguments made by the construction plant and machinery distributor is the urgent need to relieve traffic congestion, a problem they contend is stifling communications and trade along this key south western corridor.
They say it poses risks of all kinds to those who live near it and have no alternative but to use it.
The N20 is described as a crawling bottleneck that promises nothing but delay, frustration, inconvenience and hazard to those communities who must contend with the numerous threats and drawbacks that heavy traffic brings.
Declaring its own interest as a company whose customers could benefit from a decision to undertake the work involved, the submission goes on to list benefits that it believes a motorway would bring.
Supporting arguments made under various headings include cost savings, environmental and health benefits, including faster hospital and other emergency access, job creation, economic benefits, safety, and the diversion of traffic flows away from minor roads locally.
In light of efforts being made to promote the Wild Atlantic Way to tourists, at home and abroad, they say that an M20 motorway would be a vital new link in a western corridor that would open up the Atlantic coastline and its numerous attractions to an even greater number of visitors.
Moreover, it would significantly improve travel time to and from Shannon Airport and between major population centres from Cork to Donegal.
Michael McHale, the companys managing director, said he was mindful of the old saying that time is money.
It is to be expected that business users would translate savings in journey times into economic benefit through reductions in transportation and distribution costs, while private users would make significant annual savings in fuel consumption and in other ways, said Mr McHale.
A YOUNG man who threatened to shoot a woman if she did not hand over her handbag and phone has been jailed for eight and-a-half years.
In addition to pleading guilty to robbery, Craig ODonnell, aged 20, of OMalley Park, Southill, also pleaded guilty to charges relating to a spate of burglaries at student accommodation in Castletroy.
During a sentencing hearing last month Limerick Circuit Court was told the defendant and another man approached the woman as she was sitting in her car outside her home in Castletroy shortly before midnight on August 1, 2015.
Detective Garda Pardaic Quirke said the woman was on the phone when the car door swung open.
He said ODonnell, blocked her from getting out of the car and demanded that she hand over her valuables.
A pellet gun was pointed at the womans head by ODonnell who said he would shoot and kill her if she did not cooperate.
She thought she was going to die, Det Garda Quirke told Cephas Power BL, prosecuting.
The culprits escaped with a Michael Kors handbag which contained around 170 in cash and a variety of bank and identity cards.
While the handbag and phone were recovered by gardai, the cash was not.
In a victim impact statement, the woman, who is in receipt of disability allowance, said she was treated in hospital for post traumatic stress following the incident and still wakes in the middle of the night.
She said she has had to leave her home on a number of occasions since as she does not feel safe and is constantly double-checking the locks.
Judge Tom ODonnell was told that during one of the burglaries the occupant of a house at Cambridge Close was woken when a male entered his bedroom at around 4am on December 3, 2014.
When he followed him, he encountered a second man (Mr ODonnell) who was armed with a knife.
After the culprits escaped with his phone and wallet, the student, who is from Ennis, got a taxi home and his parents raised the alarm.
Brian McCartney QC said his client was absolutely stoned out of his head when he committed the robbery and the earlier burglary offences and that his motivation was to get money to pay for drugs.
Imposing sentence on Friday, Judge Tom said the incidents had been very frightening for each of the victims and that the use of a weapon and the threats of violence were an aggravating factor.
He noted the defendant a father-of-one was addicted to drugs at the time and that none of the victims had been physically injured.
The judge said ODonnell was living a chaotic lifestyle in the past but that he is now more mature.
He imposed consecutive sentences totalling ten years suspending the final 18 months.
The judge directed the defendant be given credit for any time he has already served in custody.
A LIMERICK city centre secondary school is set to pioneer an innovative entrepreneurship pilot project after getting the green light from the Department of Education.
The eN Centre for Entrepreneurs is now in development phase, which will be located on the site of CBS Sexton Street, and was launched by Minister for Education Richard Bruton.
The facility will act as a learning hub delivering entrepreneurial studies to young people, and will also be a co-working space for start-ups.
Led by former Secretary General at the Department of Finance John Moran, the project has been developed with the support of the Department of Education, the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, CBS Sexton Street, LIT, the Entrepreneurship Academy, Innovate Limerick and the pupils themselves.
Minister Bruton said that a strong focus on entrepreneurship works with the Governments Action Plan for Jobs.
As the project evolves the school can act as a model for boosting and nurturing entrepreneurship in both primary and post-primary education across Ireland, as well as providing a platform for alumni of those schools to start their own business, he said at the launch.
John Moran has announced he is committing over 100,000 to the start-up costs of eN in memory of his father, a local Limerick entrepreneur, who passed away last year.
Ireland needs more start-ups. It is now time to teach Irelands future generations that instead of just looking for their dream job they should look for their dream clients and learn how to take control of their own destiny by creating a business for themselves and others, he said.
Minister Bruton also visited Gaelcholaiste Luimnigh, which was awarded Irelands first ever Apple School of Distinction, for its excellence in ICT education.
May 14, 2017, 10 AM
The H.R. Harmer sale of the Richard D. Miggins collection of the Philippines includes this top margin block of the 1881 red overprint on the 2-real blue revenue stamp, the only recorded multiple of this issue.
Also offered during the H.R. Harmer auction: a set of 15 complete imperforate sheets from the 1934 issues, each signed and personalized in the margin by Postmaster General James A. Farley.
One of three signed mint arrow blocks of the United States 1934 National Parks issue from the collection of Harold L. Ickes, Secretary of the Interior during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. The imperforate stamps are from the original printin
By Michael Baadke
The H.R. Harmer firm in California will offer its next auction series May 31-June 3 in the Newport Beach Room at the Hilton Costa Mesa, 3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, Calif.
The auctions are described in two catalogs, with the first presenting United States, British Commonwealth and foreign stamps, covers, and collections. The second offers material from the Richard D. Miggins collection of the Philippines.
Together, the two sales include more than 3,800 lots of material.
Both catalogs have been posted online on Harmer's website and can be viewed on the website or downloaded as complete PDF documents.
Several lots among the United States issues bring together material from the original imperforate stamp sheets presented as gifts in 1934 by Postmaster General James A. Farley to friends and political figures, including President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Farleys own three children.
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When collectors protested these gifts, Farley stopped providing the signed sheets and ordered a new special imperforate printing of the sheets that had been presented, so that collectors could have similar material for their own collections.
As described by H.R. Harmer, the items offered in this sale are not from those 1935 special printings identified as United States Scott 752-775, but from actual sheets of the original 1934 printing given out by Farley as postmaster general.
An example is one lot offering mint arrow blocks of imperforates from Scott 740-749, including three blocks that are each hand-signed Harold L. Ickes/Secretary of the Interior/Aug. 30, 1934 in the sheet margin (a 2 block of eight, 3 block of eight, and 5 block of 12).
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing applied gum to the back of Ickes imperforate sets at his request.
Details of the issue, including some small faults, are noted on 2015 certificates from Professional Stamp Experts for each block in the lot.
The start price for this lot as determined by H.R. Harmer is $2,000.
The show stopper among these offerings is a single lot of 15 intact imperforate sheets of Scott 738-751 and CE1, consisting of 200 stamps each with the exceptions of Scott 750 and 751, which each comprise 20 six-stamp souvenir sheets. All of the imperforate press sheets are margin-signed by Farley to Third Assistant Postmaster General Clinton B. Eilenberger. Each is dated 1934, distinguishing them from the 1935 special printings.
The original Farley gift sheets are rarely seen intact, and this particular grouping presented to Eilenberger was last offered at auction 41 years ago. H.R. Harmer estimates that this single lot comprises about 15 percent of the entire number of imperforate sheets distributed by Farley, many of which are now in museum care or have been cut into blocks for sale.
The start price for bidding on the Farley sheet grouping is $50,000.
Additional lots bring together groupings of imperforate commemorative singles, margin blocks and more, including material from the collections of Ickes and Roosevelt.
Other U.S. material in this auction includes 19th-century and 20th-century stamps and postal history, proofs and essays, back-of-the-book, territories and possessions, Confederate States postal history, airmail covers, collections and accumulations and more.
The auction also includes an intriguing postal card essay possibly dating from around 1974, which uses a nondenominated design very similar (but not identical) to the 1974 10 It All Depends on ZIP Code stamp (Scott 1911).
H.R. Harmer calls it an unadopted design proposed for international mail, very fine and rare. The start price for the postal card essay is $900.
More than 200 stamps and covers from Great Britain and the British Commonwealth will be offered during the second session, scheduled for June 1.
The offerings include classic as well as modern material, with a number of handsome items from Canada and British North America.
The scarce 1851 6-penny yellow-green stamp of Nova Scotia (Scott 4) is one example, an unused very fine sound example with clear to full margins. The stamp is accompanied by a 2008 certificate from the Philatelic Foundation declaring it genuine with no gum (the Scott catalog notes this issue is rarely found with any remaining original gum). The Scott catalog value is $6,000, and the H.R. Harmer start price for this example is $1,200.
The Richard D. Miggins collection of the Philippines offers material gathered during the course of 40 years and displayed in Miggins award-winning exhibits.
The offerings, numbering more than 1,000 lots, span from the Marianas Islands period through the 1942-44 Japanese occupation period and the 1944 Victory handstamped overprints.
Among the stamps of the Spanish Administration period are numerous Habilitado por la Nacion overprints, including one of the rarest: the 1874 5-centavo orange (Scott 24A) in the form of a used single with rich color, ample to full margins all around.
Only three or four examples of this stamp are known in any condition, according to the H.R. Harmer description, and this one is accompanied by a 2012 certificate from the American Philatelic Society Expertizing Service.
The Scott catalog value for this stamp is $8,000, listed in italics (which denotes an item that can be difficult to value accurately). The auction start price for the single stamp is $5,000.
Another rarity is found among the 1881-89 surcharges, and in this case it takes the form of the only multiple recorded for the 1881 red overprint on the 2-real blue revenue stamp (Scott 127A).
A single stamp carries a $900 value in the Scott catalog. This 20-stamp imprint block has some small faults, including a small punch hole in one of the stamps, but it remains one of the gems of Philippines philately, H.R. Harmer notes.
This block is also certified by the American Philatelic Society Expertizing Service, and has a start price in this auction of $10,000.
Online bidding is available with registration on the H.R. Harmer website for both the U.S. and foreign auction and the Miggins Philippines auction.
For additional information, contact H.R. Harmer, 2680 Walnut Ave., Suite AB, Tustin, CA 92780-7052.
Get back
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
A human mother carries a growing fetus in her womb for approximately nine months, but even after the baby is born, the helpless newborn still needs to be carried. In fact, many animal mothers transport their young, sometimes many dozens of them at a time, and sometimes lugging them around for years.
Animals tote their babies in a variety of ways marsupials like kangaroos, koalas and wallabies have specialized pouches that cradle their still-developing infants, while fish, crocodilians and certain mammals often transport their young using their mouths.
But a surprising variety of animals carry their young on their backs, and for Mother's Day, Live Science took a closer look at some of these "piggybacking" mothers (but despite this behavior's nickname, it is not practiced by hogs or pigs).
Chimpanzee
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Great apes gorillas, chimpanzees, bonobos and orangutans are our closest primate relatives, and all are known to carry their young on their backs. In most primate species, newborns are unable to walk or care for themselves, and are not protected by nests. Their slow development requires that their mothers keep them close, for frequent nursing and for transportation and protection. Infants are usually transferred from the front of the mother's body to her back when they are strong enough to grip her securely typically when they are few months old, according to a study published April 2008 in the journal Naturwissenschaften.
Chimpanzees are the most social of the great apes, and they also demonstrate a long period of dependency between mothers and offspring. Infants nurse for up to five years, and frequently stay close to their mothers for several more years after they are fully weaned, according to the nonprofit conservation organization Center for Great Apes.
Horned marsupial frog
(Image credit: Alamy)
The term "marsupial" typically conjures images of mammals that tote their young in furry pouches, such as kangaroos, koalas, and other denizens of the Australian continent. But the rare and endangered horned marsupial frog (Gastrotheca cornuta), which lives in the forests of Panama, Columbia and Ecuador, also bears a stretchy baby-bearing pouch on her back.
Inside her pouch, the mother frog incubates a small clutch of the largest known amphibian eggs, which measure about 0.4 inches (10 millimeters) in diameter. To put that into perspective, the mother's entire body measures about 3 inches (77 mm), herpetologist Jay M. Savage, an adjunct professor of biology at San Diego State University, wrote in "The Amphibians and Reptiles of Costa Rica" (The University of Chicago Press, 2002).
After a male fertilizes the females' eggs, he guides them into her pouch, where the embryos develop into froglets. The pouch is a permanent structure, but it changes greatly during reproduction, with separate chambers forming to encase each tiny embryo. It is thought that air circulates to the developing froglets' gills through a network of veins in the pouch, Savage wrote.
Swan
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Swans, the world's largest waterfowl, are widely recognized for their loyalty to their mates and are known to pair up for life. But swan mothers have also been observed providing especially devoted attention to their young known as cygnets by serving as a temporary flotation device to help the little ones as they learn to swim.
Of the six knowns swan species, orange-billed mute swans (Cygnus olor) are the most common sight, visible in ponds and lakes in Europe, northern-central Asia and in North America, where they were introduced in the late 19th century. They were brought to the U.S. as "decorative" birds in zoos, parks and private estates, but feral populations spread to the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, and Pacific Northwest regions, according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Female swans typically lay five to seven eggs, which incubate for 36 to 38 days, according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology. Cygnets are covered in white or grayish down, and can swim and dive about 24 hours after hatching. Their mothers and fathers share parental care, frequently carrying the cygnets on their backs, with their wings curled protectively over their babies.
Wolf spider
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Wolf spiders practice a form of infant care that is unique among spiders. As soon as the spiderlings emerge from their egg sac, they immediately clamber onto their mother's back, where they remain for up to two weeks, researchers reported in a study of several wolf spider species, published in 1964 in the journal Arkansas Academy of Science Proceedings.
The scientists observed that the first spiderling usually hesitated as it poked its head out of a hole in the egg sac. But it soon scrambled out, crawling over its mother's body until it settled on her back, and all of its siblings followed shortly thereafter and crowded aboard. As many as 1,035 spiderlings piled on in the wolf spider species Lycosa rabida, the scientists discovered.
Once the spiderlings were settled on their mother's back, the scene could be quite chaotic, according to the researchers.
"The egg sacs usually emptied within 3 hours, and the spiderlings have stacked themselves on top of each other over the "mother's" abdomen, and may be spilling over onto the sides and onto her phalothorax which keeps her busy, occasionally, brushing them out of her eyes with her palpi," the study authors wrote.
Surinam toad
(Image credit: Natural Visions/Alamy)
The grey, tongueless, triangle-headed and curiously flat Surinam toad (Pipa pipa) is almost entirely aquatic, living in lowland rainforests in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, the Guianas, Peru and Trinidad.
During mating season, the male helps the female to position up to 100 fertilized eggs on her back, where they are overgrown by skin, according to the Encyclopedia of Life. While encased in her back, the embryos develop within the eggs as tadpoles for around three to four months, finally bursting out of the mother's back as tiny froglets that measure about 0.8 inches (2 centimeters) in length. After the leggy little ones emerge, the mother sheds her skin in preparation for the next mating season, the San Diego Zoo explained in a species description.
Opossum
(Image credit: ShuNerstock)
Opossums are North America's only native marsupials. There are about 75 species in this family living in both North and South America, and one of the most widely distributed species is the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana).
Females give birth to litters of approximately 4 to 25 young that are "honey-bee-sized," following an extremely short gestation period of 12 to 13 days, according to a description published by Animal Diversity Web (ADW). The newborns drag themselves into the mother's pouch with their muscular front legs only about eight of them will survive the journey. Those that do, develop for about two to three months and then transfer to the mother's back for another one to two months, as they gradually wean and become more independent.
Scorpion
(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Keeping track of up to 100 babies is a daunting task for any mother, and female scorpions do so by carrying their scores of young called scorplings on their backs until the scorplings' first molt, according to a study published in 2011 in the European Journal of Entomology.
The scorplings are born alive, and their bodies, which look like tiny versions of adult scorpions' forms, are soft and pale. They leave their mother's back after about 10 to 20 days, when their exoskeletons harden and darken.
Scorpion mothers sometimes enjoy an additional benefit from bearing their babies on their backs easy access to a quick snack. However, this type of cannibalism typically only happens when the mother can't find any prey, the study authors wrote.
Giant anteater
(Image credit: Ken Bohn/San Diego Zoo via Getty)
For the first year of their lives, giant anteater young known as "pups" frequently ride on their mothers' backs, according to a species description published online by the San Diego Zoo.
Giant anteaters (Myrmecophaga tridactyla),usually bear one pup at a time. Newborns weigh about three pounds (1.4 kilograms) at birth and emerge covered in a full coat of hair. They stick close by their mothers for four weeks, nestling under her to nurse and clambering up onto her back for a lift whenever she moves around. Pups grow more independent after about one month, but are still frequent passengers on their mothers' backs, the San Diego Zoo explains, adding that the pups will usually wean by the time they are nine months old, and leave their mothers at about two years old, when they are sexually mature.
Whip spider
(Image credit: Newscom)
Also known as tailless whip scorpions, whip spiders are not true spiders, but rather belong to an arachnid group known as amblypygids, which contains over 155 species. Though they have eight limbs, only six are used for walking, while two whip-like appendages which can be several times as long as their bodies act as sensory organs.
Females lay between 6 and 60 eggs, which they carry around in a leathery sac for around three months until the eggs hatch. When the babies first emerge, they are white and very soft, and cling to their mother until after their next molt, according to a species description published online by the Cincinnati Zoo.
Banded horned tree frog
(Image credit: Alamy)
The banded horned tree frog (Hemiphractus fasciatus) has a distinctive triangular "helmet" adorning its head, and is found in parts of Ecuador, Panama and Colombia. It does not have a tadpole stage in its life cycle. Instead, fully-formed froglets miniature versions of adults emerge after developing from eggs attached to the skin on their mother's back, according to a study published in 1974 in the journal Occasional Papers Museum of Natural History at the University of Kansas.
Females can grow to be nearly 3 inches (69 millimeters) in length, and their eggs measure about 0.2 inches (between 5 and 6 mm) in diameter. After the froglets have emerged from the eggs, depressions remain visible on the mother's back, the study authors wrote.
Its weather can be depressing, the beaches uninviting and it lacks a mining industry to generate wealth. Yet Melbourne is growing at the fastest pace in Australia as employers vacuum up workers to meet the southern city's booming demand.
Melbourne, which served as Australia's political capital and financial center from federation through to the mid-1920s, is undergoing a renaissance. Its population is forecast to overtake Sydney's in the decades ahead now that the former rustbelt region has reinvented itself as a hub for education and high tech -- attracting firms such as Geli, a software maker that chose the city for its first office outside the U.S.
The city has refashioned its center. Dirty laneways have been turned into clusters of cool cafes and restaurants, and small bars have opened that would just as easily be at home in Paris. Central Melbourne reeks of fashion and has a feeling of being on the cusp of new ideas.
"Melbourne and San Francisco share a stylistic and ethical vibe, and we believed the employees in our Melbourne office would immediately identify with the norms we have here at Geli," Chief Executive Officer Daniel Loflin said in an interview from his company's headquarters in San Francisco. "That gave us confidence that we were launching somewhere that was quite akin to our home base."
The rejuvenation has occurred in a state bereft of a mining industry and whose manufacturing was hammered by a strong currency during the resource boom -- including the shuttering of its car makers -- testament to Melbourne's capacity to innovate. It has opted for services like education and become a leader in health and the associated sectors that spill off it.
"This is a very diversified economy," said Ian Harper, a Reserve Bank of Australia board member and senior adviser at consultancy Deloitte Access Economics who is based in Melbourne. "Across agriculture, professional services, higher education -- Australia's higher education industry, particularly its exports of higher education, are based here in Victoria. So we have a significant broad base: health, education, high-end manufacturing, agriculture, financial services. It's not surprising that this state is very, very strong."
It is also experiencing a housing boom. Melbourne prices have almost doubled since 2009, but it's important that properties in the city sell at a 26 percent discount to those in Sydney, where first-time buyers are close to being priced out of the market. Victoria's government also said in February it's planning 17 new suburbs around Melbourne's fringe, with the rezoning of 100,000 housing lots within two years, to help accommodate the new arrivals. Indeed, five of the 10 fastest growing suburbs in Australia are located around the city.
Victoria "invested earlier and better in infrastructure than much of the rest of Australia," Deloitte Access Economics said in a report on Australia's states. "In turn, that made house and land packages on the outskirts of Melbourne rather more affordable than their equivalents in Sydney and Brisbane and Perth."
To keep the city moving, and to cope with the population spurt, the government has begun a massive infrastructure construction program to ease traffic congestion. Deloitte estimates the city has A$48 billion ($35.4 billion) of engineering activity planned or underway.
"It's obvious that the secret is out," Geli's Loflin said of Melbourne's attractions. "If it was a secret then, the congregation of these companies and people shows you that it's not anymore."
Lisi Niesner, Bloomberg
Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern said his country is headed for early elections in the fall after the conservative People's Party effectively abandoned the government coalition on Friday.
"I assume that there's certainly going to be an election this fall," Kern told Austrian public broadcaster ORF in an interview on Sunday. "It was most evident, in front of running cameras and broadcast live, that the designated head of the People's Party told us that the pact is over. Everybody could see that."
These days, the gods appear to be blessing Egypt's floundering tourism sector that hinges largely on its ancient past as a cradle of mankind.
Virtually every week, it seems, new aspects of Egypt's history are being unearthed. Literally.
The country's antiquities ministry announced Saturday that at least 17 well-preserved mummies were found in a necropolis in the village of Tuna al-Gabal, about 135 miles south of the capital, Cairo. The discovery surprised many because the ancient burial site on the fringes of the western desert was mainly known as an area where thousands of mummified birds and animals had been discovered over the years.
"It's the first human necropolis to be found here in Tuna al-Gabal," Egypt's antiquities minister Khaled al-Anani told reporters at the site.
"2017 has been a historic year for archaeological discoveries."
Judging from their elaborate preservation, the mummies likely belonged to officials or priests, he added. Also found at the site were six limestone and clay sarcophagi, two clay coffins and a number of other artifacts, Anani said. The discoveries likely date back to the Greco-Roman period, which lasted for nearly six centuries after Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC.
The findings were the latest in a series of discoveries in recent months. Among the new treasures: a dozen cemeteries that date back around 3,500 years, the ancient tomb of a nobleman that could be more than 3,000 years old and a giant colossus believed to portray King Psammetichus I, who ruled in the sixth century BC.
Even Cairo's crowded neighborhoods have proved fruitful arenas for new discoveries. In March, a German-Egyptian archaeological team uncovered a 26-foot-tall statue believed to be of Ramses the Great, who ruled more than 3,000 years ago and is widely considered ancient Egypt's most powerful ruler. The statue, made of quartzite, was found in several pieces in Cairo's Matariya enclave.
Last Tuesday, the antiquities ministry announced the finding of a 3,700-year-old burial chamber near the remains of a recently discovered pyramid at Dashur, south of Cairo. The chamber is likely belongs to a daughter of King Emnikamaw, and contained a wooden box engraved with hieroglyphs, said the ministry.
Last month, archaeologists found more ancient artifacts at Dashur, where the pharaoh Sneferu built Egypt's first smooth-sided pyramid about 4,600 years ago. His son Khufu built the Great Pyramid of Giza, one of the country's best-known tourist attractions and a wonder of the ancient world.
The discoveries come at a crucial time for Egypt. The tourism sector, a vital source of hard currency, has struggled to recover since the country's populist revolts of 2011 ousted President Hosni Mubarak, triggering political turmoil. Since then, a string of factors have kept many tourists away, including a slew of militant attacks, punctuated by the bombing of a Russian passenger plane in 2015, as well as attacks and abuses by Egypt's own security forces.
Egyptian officials hope the new discoveries will change the tourism industry's fortunes. Tourism Minister Yehia Rashed said last month, according to Reuters, that the new finds could raise tourism levels to about 10 million, an improvement from the 9.3 million visitors that came in 2015 but still far below the 14.7 million from 2010. Figures for last year are not yet available.
Meanwhile, the work continues at Tuna Al-Gabal, where Egyptian officials predict much bigger discoveries remain to be found.
New York State has opened an investigation into the real-estate dealings of President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, deepening the already intense legal scrutiny of the young administration.
The probe by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, one of the most outspoken critics of the president, is in a preliminary stage, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the investigation isn't public. Manafort, who ran Trump's campaign from April to August last year, has owned property in the Hamptons and Trump Tower in Manhattan.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is also in the early stages of an investigation into Manafort's transactions, a person familiar with that probe said. Representatives for Schneiderman and Vance declined to comment.
The inquiries by the two Democrats could pose added legal peril for Manafort if investigators find evidence of a crime. Unlike a probe by the U.S. Justice Department and FBI, the president and Attorney General Jeff Sessions have no authority over New York state investigators scrutinizing whether Manafort broke state laws. Schneiderman is responsible for enforcing New York's securities laws under the Martin Act, which gives him broad powers to pursue white-collar crime.
"If someone's leaking information about an investigation, that's a crime," Manafort spokesman Jason Maloni said in a phone call on Saturday.
The Wall Street Journal on Friday reported on the state investigations. The newspaper also said the Justice Department had requested Manafort's banking records from Citizens Financial Group as part of its inquiry into whether Trump's former campaign associates colluded with Russia during the 2016 election.
Manafort stepped down amid sinking poll numbers and controversy over his past work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine. He has offered to speak with the House Intelligence Committee about his ties to Russia and denied any improprieties in his contacts with Russian officials or intermediaries.
Manafort's business dealings have featured prominently in discussions of links between the Trump campaign and Russia. He used Cypriot bank accounts to receive money from Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska and Ukrainian clients, according to court records and former executives at the bank where the accounts were kept. Manafort and Deripaska have said the accounts were opened for legitimate business transactions.
Two congressional committees, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, are investigating the Trump campaign's ties to Russia and Russia's interference in the 2016 election. Mike Flynn, Trump's former national security adviser, was forced to resign after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about conversations he had with Russian officials, and Sessions recused himself from any decisions related to the Russia probes after he failed to reveal his talks with Russian officials during his confirmation hearing.
President Xi Jinping laid the framework for Chinese-style globalization and his ambition to lead it during a speech inaugurating his cornerstone diplomatic trade initiative for a new Silk Road.
Grounding the plan in China's history, Xi described the Belt and Road Initiative as a "project of the century" that had its inspiration in the ancient trade routes linking the country with the world. He pledged an additional 100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) for China's Silk Road Fund, 380 billion yuan in new lending for participating nations, and 60 billion yuan in coming years to developing countries and international organizations that join the program.
Xi repeated his call for multilateral trade, describing his initiative as a force for peace in "a world fraught with challenges." He told the almost two dozen world leaders gathered at the forum that countries should "uphold and grow an open world economy."
The speech built on an image of Xi as a champion of global free trade that he's sought to hone since President Donald Trump's election, most notably in a January speech in Davos. It set the tone for a major two-day forum starting Sunday to discuss the Belt and Road plan, which aims to connect China with Europe, Asia and Africa through infrastructure and investment.
"They see an opportunity to fill the vacuum and take advantage of perceptions globally," said Andrew Gilholm, director of analysis for North Asia at Control Risks Group, referring to changing perceptions of U.S. leadership in the Trump era. The presence of major leaders in Beijing to hear China's plans "fits with the kind of image China has been trying to project."
Assembled delegates included representatives from more than 100 countries and heads of state including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Representation from India, however, was conspicuously absent as were all Group of Seven heads of state except Italy's.
During the opening ceremony, the first speakers to follow Xi were Putin and Erdogan, who pledged support for China's initiative while showcasing their own regional projects. Putin called the initiative "timely and promising" while highlighting the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union. Erdogan told delegates that the world's economic center of gravity was shifting to the East and said he would like Turkey's planned infrastructure expansion to be linked with the Belt and Road.
Other world leaders lined up to praise the project. U.K. finance minister Philip Hammond called the initiative "truly groundbreaking," stressing the country's desire for new global trade ties as it prepares to leave the European Union. Pakistan's Sharif called the forum a "historic event" that would "tear down barriers to trade and commerce."
Addressing concerns that the initiative will become a bonanza for Chinese companies or a strategic play for regional domination, Xi declared that the plan would be open to all countries and would complement each nation's development goals.
Other leaders hinted at potential problems in their remarks. Matt Pottinger, senior director for East Asia on the National Security Council and special assistant to Trump who is representing the U.S. at the forum, urged transparency and "fair process" in his comments. International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde called for high-quality infrastructure that respects the environment while also welcoming the Chinese initiative.
Xi's speech also drew implicit contrast between Chinese-style development objectives and those of the West, saying the initiative won't resort to "outdated geopolitical maneuvering." He stressed that China doesn't seek to export its development model to other nations while also calling for mutual respect of one another's sovereignty, territory and "core interests."
Eighteen countries including the U.K. agreed Sunday on the guiding principles for financing development of the initiative. The Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Investment Bank, New Development Bank, World Bank, and China's Finance Ministry signed an agreement on promoting Belt and Road, Finance Vice Minister Shi Yaobin said.
China will also encourage financial institutions to conduct an estimated 300 billion yuan ($43 billion) in overseas business using yuan, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Xi proposed the initiative, then known as the Silk Road, in 2013. China's investment in Belt and Road countries has surpassed $50 billion, according to Xinhua. Credit Suisse Group AG estimates the plan could funnel investments worth as much as $502 billion into 62 countries over five years.
The speech set the ambitious plan against the sweep of Chinese history. The first nine minutes of Xi's remarks traced the Silk Road's genesis 2,000 years ago with ancestors trekking across Eurasian steppes to the opening of the $100-billion AIIB in Beijing last year. He evoked treasure-laden ships, the ancient cultures of the Nile and Ganges, and Buddhism's spread from India to China and beyond.
But present-day concerns also intruded on the event. Hours before Xi spoke, North Korea fired a ballistic missile, its seventh such test this year, just days after South Korea elected a president who vowed to engage with Kim Jong Un's regime. The launch defies United Nations sanctions and Trump's warnings that military action is an option to prevent Kim's regime from developing an ICBM with the capacity to carry a nuclear warhead to North America.
While Xi didn't address China's irksome ally, his remarks referred to geopolitical difficulties along the Belt and Road route. "The ancient silk routes thrived in times of peace, but lost vigor in times of war," he said. "The pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative requires a peaceful and stable environment."
China's foreign ministry later issued a statement opposing missile launches by North Korea that violate United Nations resolutions. China urged restraint from all parties on the currently "complex and sensitive" situation on the Korean peninsula, the statement said.
The real challenge, though, for the initiative will be implementation. "To get a procession of leaders coming and saying nice things in Beijing, to have the vassal states gathering in the ancient center of the world is very nice," said Gilholm, "but to actually implement a gigantically expensive and ambitious project and vision to remake how a large part of the globe interacts is a lot more difficult."
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--With assistance from Xiaoqing Pi, Kevin Hamlin, Andrey Biryukov, Miao Han and Yinan Zhao
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A Boerne lawyer who formerly was a state district judge in Harris County has received five years probation, surrendered his law license and must attend a rehabilitation program under a plea deal that resolves one of two felony drug cases against him, officials said Friday.
Kendall County District Attorney Nicole Bishop said Kevin D. Fine, 50, pleaded guilty Tuesday to attempted possession of a controlled substance, a third degree felony.
He was arrested Jan. 8, 2016 by Boerne police in an undercover operation initiated in response to tips that Fine was soliciting sex and drugs in return for his services as a criminal defense lawyer, she said.
Fine was free on bond in that case when he was arrested May 2 on the same charge in Kerrville for allegedly trying to obtain drugs from a legal client, officials said, resulting in the revocation of his bond in Kendall County.
Before moving to Boerne, in 2008 Fine was elected as a Democrat to the bench in Harris County's 177th District Court.
As part of the plea deal, Fine agreed in court Tuesday to enroll in an in-prison rehabilitation program, to be followed by a residential aftercare program, said Bishop, who called addiction an evil and ugly condition.
Mr. Fine was given a fair and just plea that will provide him with the highest level of treatment available to us in the criminal justice system, she said, noting the loss of his law license also will preclude him from violating what was his sworn duty to his clients.
Fine is free on $25,000 bond on the charge in Kerrville.
zeke@express-news.net
DENVER (AP) A chairlift malfunction at a ski resort northwest of Denver caused a lurch that toppled a Texas woman 25 feet (7.6 meters) to her death, state investigators said Thursday.
A final report released by the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board said recent changes to a control system, as well as rapid speed changes made by an operator, caused Kelly Huber, 40, and her two daughters to hit a support tower and fall onto hard-packed snow at Ski Granby Ranch on Dec. 29, The Denver Post reported https://goo.gl/a5jkvA .
The San Antonio woman was killed, and her daughters, then 9 and 12, were injured.
The lift's drive control system was listed as the main culprit, and investigators said it might have created pulses of energy along the rope line and "could explain the rope instability."
"No one on the investigative team has ever witnessed or heard of a similar event. Likewise, literature does not describe such an event," according to the 151-page report.
The drive control system at the center of the accident, typically housed in the operator's shack and which handles a lift's power and operator inputs, had been installed less than a month before.
Witnesses said they saw the lift make several sudden accelerations and decelerations, and state investigators said those speed changes were a secondary cause of the fatal fall.
Ski Granby Ranch, which is about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Denver, has said work by an independent contractor on the lift's electrical drive control system before the start of the ski season likely led to the conditions that caused Huber's death, adding that the resort "had followed all prescribed protocols in operating the lift."
On Thursday, resort officials released a statement saying they were reviewing the report. The Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board declined to comment.
The findings have been forwarded to the Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs for further review. Once that probe is complete, the tramway safety board will determine if the state's tramway safety act was violated.
According to an October report by the National Ski Areas Association, the last death on a U.S. chairlift attributed to a malfunction was in 1993. The trade group also said that from 1973 to October, only 12 deaths were attributed to chairlift malfunctions.
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Information from: The Denver Post, http://www.denverpost.com
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed for a declaratory judgment in federal court in Austin seeking a ruling that the Legislatures sanctuary cities ban is constitutional.
This is a ploy that might not have the effect Paxton intends. At its core, it is an attempt to limit the voices of those who want to challenge the shaky constitutional grounds on which this measure sits. The state is still stinging from court rulings that its legislation on voter ID and redistricting were intentionally discriminatory. It wants to avoid another rebuke on sanctuary cities.
The lawsuit seeking the declaratory judgment names only three defendants. But other possible plaintiffs abound, as evidenced by lawsuits already filed by the League of United Latin American Citizens and elected officials from two Texas border communities. Others will not be discouraged from suing even if Paxton gets his declarative judgment. While other judges in the Western District where the lawsuit was filed may reason that the judge hearing this case should hear all such cases, there are other federal court districts in Texas.
Moreover, the judge presiding over the state lawsuit might reasonably refuse judgment if he ascertains that Texas is premature in filing the suit. Where is the standing since there has been no injury? The law takes effect in September.
Among other things, SB 4 would prohibit local officials from barring officers from inquiring about immigration status following mere detention, a traffic stop possibly. The only concrete injury here, then, will be to local jurisdictions whose officials are subject to criminal sanction if they dont comply with the measure and to the Latinos who might be subject to racial profiling because of it. And there will be communities less safe because immigrants will not step forward to report crimes.
And there is this: One of the defendants in the state lawsuit seeking declaratory judgment is the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund. It is an organization of civil rights lawyers who cannot legally be enjoined from representing parties that challenge the measure.
So, whats Paxtons point: Stopping lawyers from representing plaintiffs? This is constitutionally dubious.
This suit should be dismissed, at the very least, as premature, but also because serious constitutional questions do indeed exist. The more voices to challenge this law the better.
An Iconic fashion store on Main Street, Longford is celebrating 25 years in business.
Aine Farrell first established Aines in Longford in May 1992.
The past 25-years have been fantastic. We saw some hard times but weve come through them. I have loved styling customers for weddings, big events and fashionable day wear, said Aine.
Im looking forward to the next 25 years and would like to thank all my customers for their continued support. I would also like to thank my staff for everything.
To celebrate, Aines is throwing a two day event in-store.
Join Aines on Friday, May 12 and Saturday May 13, for what will be the fashion event of the year.
This two day event will feature special VIP guest, Alannah Beirne - a finalist on Britain's Next Top Model.
The Kildare native has Longford connections as her father, Gerry Beirne, hails from Edgeworthstown. Her mother, Brenda Hyland was a former Rose of Tralee winner.
Alannah will appear in store on Friday, May 12.
Theres also a chance to win a voucher for 500 with every purchase over the two days. There will be an outside broadcast with music, champagne, branded freebies and much, much more.
The event will run from 9:30am to 8pm on Friday, May 12 and 9:30am to 6pm on May 13.
If you need fashion inspiration, eye catching pieces or just want to celebrate a thriving Longford business, get down to Aines.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Indias Kashmir Policy: Way Forward
by Ram Puniyani
The turmoil in Kashmir, which got intensified after the fake encounter of Burhan Wani (July 2016), does not seem to abet. It has been worsening as reflected in the ongoing violence leading to low turnout of voters in the by-poll (April 2017). Shockingly, there was a turnout only of 7.14 per cent of voters. The by-polls were also marred by violence in which many a civilian and security force person also died and lately one witnessed with great horror a Kashmiri youth being tied to a military truck to prevent stone-pelters from throwing stones on the vehicle.
Those pelting stones dont seem to be stopping despite the lapse of a period of time. These young men are being looked at in various ways. Farooq Abdullah had stated on the eve of the elections that those young men throwing stones are doing so for their nation. This statement of his came under scathing criticism from various quarters and a section of the media and was dismissed by many as a pre-election statement.
Another way of looking at those pelting stones, as gleaned from a section of the media, is that these are pro-Pakistan elements. They are being instigated by Pakistan and that they are doing this for money. As such stone-pelting has been used as a method of protest in Kashmir since ages but has become glaringly obvious for the last few years. Intimidated by the terrorist-militants on one side and the security forces on the other, these young men have been resorting to pelting stones as a form of protest and anguish. One can see the clear pattern in the worsening repression and an increase in their activities. As such after every major act of hanging-murder, the protests have become more intense, for example, after the hanging of Maqbul Butt (1984), then after the hanging of Afzal Guru (2013) and now after the killing of Burhan Wani (2016).
Who are these boys who pelt stones? Are these merely Pakistan-inspired and funded youth? In the aftermath of the state crackdown, hundreds have died, thousands have been wounded and many more have lost the eyesight! A section of the TV and other media is going hammer and tongs about the role of Pakistan and the funding they receive. The question, which needs to be introspected, is: would the young people risk their life, loss of eyesight or other harm to the body just at someones bidding or for some money? Many of them are teenagers, tech-savvy and they are so much full of deep hatred that they are willing to risk their lives, not caring about their future. The degree of frustration among them must be horrific.
Only a small section of the media has gone deeper into the issue and interviewed some of them. The stories of their experiences and feelings shatter ones perceptions about law and order in Kashmir. Many belong to families which have given up hope of any type. Most of these young boys have experienced torture, beating, harassment of sorts and often humiliation. For many of them stone-throwing comes as a sort of catharsis, a feeling of having taken revenge for what has happened to them. It is the only strong way of protest they must be feeling is left for them. Many of them are pro-Pakistan for sure but the basic point remains political alienation which is seeping in, deepening their resolve. This in turn is due to the suffering and pain to which Kashmir has been subjected to due to the prolonged military presence in the area.
Post-Burhan Wani murder, the Kashmir- based PDP, or even the National Conference has been able to see the intensity of the situation. Mehbooba Mufti, the Chief Minister of the ruling coalition, wanted to go for a dialogue with the dissenters, but her coalition partner, the party leading at the Centre, the BJP, shot down the idea. Mehbooba Mufti felt that dialogue is the only way out but the BJP feels that dialogue is a way to befool the people. It seems the ruling BJP wants to take a hard line to deal with dissidence, thinks that dissidence is there only due to Pakistan or the ISI and so repression should be intensified.
What about earlier efforts for peace? These need to be recalled in the present damning times. In one of the most significant moves the UPA-II had appointed a team of interlocutors to understand and suggest the way out. The eminent team suggested that the autonomy of the Kashmir Assembly, which is part of the treaty of accession, be restored, dialogue with dissidents be initiated and also talks with Pakistan be undertaken along with repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.
Today there can be two approaches: recall the treaty of accession and gravitate towards that and take the recommendations of the inter-locutors seriously. Nearly seven decades after the accession of Kashmir to India, there is a need to recall that forcible merger, repression of dissent was never the idea of the founders of the Indian nation. Lets see what Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had to say on the matter way back. Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel said at a public meeting in Bombay on October 30, 1948: Some people consider that a Muslim majority area must necessarily belong to Pakistan. They wonder why we are in Kashmir. The answer is plain and simple. We are in Kashmir because the people of Kashmir want us to be there. The moment we realise that the people of Kashmir do not want us to be there, we shall not be there even for a minute... We shall not let Kashmir down. (The Hindustan Times, October 31, 1948)
The situation in Kashmir is critical, and worsening by the day due to the high-handed dealings from the Centre. Even the Chief Minister of Kashmir and the people like Farooq Abdulla need to be listened to if we want peace in the green Valley, peace which is crucial. The deeper peace can only be won through winning the hearts and minds of the people of Kashmir. Ultra-nationalist formulations dont work in the long run.
The author, a retired Professor at the IIT-Bombay, is currently associated with the Centre for the Study of Secularism and Society, Mumbai.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Kashmir and Conscience
From N.C.s Writings
In the brochures and posters of Indian tourism, Kashmir still figures with its enchanting attractions. In reality, however, the picturesque Valley of Kashmir is becoming out of bounds for the peace-loving citizens of this country.
In a sense, Kashmir today represents the gravest challenge to Indian democracyperhaps much more than what happened at Ayodhya on December 6 and all that followed. If the bomb blast in Bombay on March 12 and the blow-up of the bomb storage in Calcutta that came in its wake, announced the arrival of the mafia to disrupt our democracy, dont the bloody clashes in the Kashmir Valley presage the departure of its most significant part from our Republic?
The crisis in Kashmir has been worsening year after year. Without going into the protracted history of neglect, high-handedness, corruption and systematic subversion of the democratic order which the Centre has perpetrated in that State for forty years now, one may take the unseating of a duly elected government in 1984planned and carried out with cold-blooded precision by people some of whom today claim to be specialists in the subjectas the last milepost along the dismal trail of progressive alienation of the people of the Valley from the rest of this country.
This 1984 coup by which Farooq Abdullahs duly elected government was overthrown by the minions from the Delhi Durbar blatantly arranging defection of MLAs with a Governor specially sent out for the operation, shattered the confidence of the common people in the Valley in the Centres commitment to democratic functioning in Kashmir. And it was during the rickety administration of the Centrally-propped-up regime of Ghulam Shah that the first outbreak of communal violence took place in the Valley.
While this monstrosity of a Ministry could not hold out for long and the Governors Raj resumed in this sensitive frontier State, a patch-up between Farooqs National Conference and the Congress brought into office a coalition Ministry which could neither forge a unified front nor win the confidence of the people. Inevitably the militant groups gained in influence and the first serious threat of secession could be discerned. The illumination on the Pakistan Day (August 14) and black-out on the Indian Independence Day (August 15) in 1989 should have opened the eyes of the political leaders, but the Kashmir crisis was hardly examined in detail by either the Congress or the Janata Dal governments. By the time of the Republic Day on January 26, 1990, the crisis had reached the boiling point, and the only thing that could be achieved was the hoisting of the tricolour. Meanwhile, no elected government could be restored as the State Assembly itself had been dissolved, and since then the Governors Rule has continued uninterrupted requiring enabling constitutional amendments being periodically passed by Parliament. In other words, it has turned out to be an open confrontation between New Delhi and the people in the Valley, with the militants assuming their leadership.
The last three years has been one of unrelieved unwisdom in the Centres dealing with Kashmir. Even when the Pandit families began to leave their native place in the Valley, there was no waking-up on the part of the Centreneither at the government level, nor at the political party level. The accretion of strength of the militants was ascribed to the Pakistan Governments generous backing of them, and at one stage, the Central leaders accused Pakistan of waging a proxy war against India in Kashmir. But what steps were taken by the government and the political parties to retrieve the fast-dwindling faith of the people of the Valley in the Indian leadership?
The only tangible evidence of New Delhis concern and interest in Kashmir was the despatch of forces, more and more in greater numbers. The para-military forces, as they are called, are for all practical purposes engaged in waging a virtual war in the Valley. For sometime, the public in this country was made to believe by the government that all the strident outcry by the human-rights activists was inspired by interested circles in the West which back Pakistan and run down India. But when many of the atrocities began to be exposed in the Indian media by a whole body of intrepid Indian journalists, that official alibi could hardly hold water. Isolated cases of exaggerated reporting were highlighted by official circles to desperately cover up the shocking state of affairs in the Valley.
Today, the government seems to be living in a pathetic world of unreality insofar as Kashmir is concerned. At the beginning of this year, it was given out that the government would be coming out with a new set of proposals for Kashmir. In fact, the Prime Minister had earlier hinted on a package for Kashmir. It was given out that Farooq Abdullah was being brought back as this might help to win over at least a sizeable section of the public which alone could be turned into a foothold for resuming the political process.
Farooq Abdullah himself stated on March 15 that there was definite rethinking in Delhi for a solution to the Kashmir problem. It was largely at his suggestion that the Governor was changed and General Krishna Rao was brought back to hold the post from which he had stepped down in 1990. Farooq might have been useful in establishing contact with the militants, as he is known to have had personal rapport with some of the JKLF leaders abroad. But New Delhi did not wake up and Farooq Abdullah got fed up and just within a month of his optimistic statement, he withdrew from the scene bitterly attacking the Central Government for being unable to understand the gravity of the situation; and even if they do, they are clearly incapable of taking any firm decision. It is worth noting that statement by Farooq Abdullah came three days after the Union Home Ministers assurance to the press in Chandigarh on April 15 that the government was in the process of framing a definite policy on Kashmir.
Farooq Abdullah might have slunk away to hibernate abroad, but what is the record of the government since then? The security force bosses in Srinagar have been claiming that their relentless operation had crippled the militant outfit and soon there would be a turn for the better in the situation. The crackdowns are being conducted with a degree of ruthlessness never resorted to before by the Indian forces, not even in Nagaland. Young and old, men and womennobody is spared as Indian reporters have reported in recent weeks in our media. The criminal record of the para-military forces in Sopore in January would have inflamed the wrath of any people anywhere in the world. And in the very week of the Home Ministers statement promising a definite policy in Kashmir, in that very week the security forces indulged in another round of beastly incen-diarism destroying a good part of the historic Lai Chowk in Srinagar.
This had its inevitable repercussion within the administration itself. The State Police force revolted when one policeman was killed in custodial death by the Centres paramilitary forces on April 22. The police took out a protest march to make a representation to the UN office in Srinagar, and the next day the revolt of the policemen was joined by their Kashmiri officers. Could there be a more glaring proof of complete alienation of the people from the Central authorityalienation assuming the character of active antagonism?
We, all of us, have to hang down our heads in shame for all the follies and crimes that are taking place in Kashmir today. Not only the government but, it is amazing, the leaders of different parties in Parliament have not cared to demand even a full-scale discussion on the grave situation in Kashmir. What do we gain by pleading with the USA to declare Pakistan a terrorist state when we ourselves have forfeited the trust of the people of the Kashmir Valley who on the very morrow of independence had fought with bare arms to push back the armed marauders from Pakistan?
Indias democracy can never sustain itself by stamping the jackboot on the people in any part of this far-flung republic of ours. Kashmir summons us to heed the voice of our conscience.
[Mainstream, May 1, 1993]
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Ultra-Nationalists on Anti-National Spree
by M.M. Khajooria
A section of self-styled Hindutva zealots have decided the fate of Kashmir. They have dumped all Kashmiri Muslims in the lap of Pakistan and similarly branded the youth of the Valley as stone-pelters. Having made this determination they have decreed that Kashmiri students studying in educational institutions in the country must be made to pay for the sin of humiliation and injuries inflicted on our brave Jawans by the stone-pelters. After all, they were chips of the same block, it is argued. Though prima facie absurd, the perception is gaining currency on account of exertions of a section of the media and elements on the extreme Right.
All this is sweet music to the Wahhabis and Pak ISI. It needs to be emphasised that the self- proclaimed ultra-nationalists indulging in harass-ment of Kashmiri students are actually serving the cause of Pakistan, washing out the national gains in Kashmir at tremendous financial inputs and huge sacrifices of our security forces, of course including the J&K Police. Because of their suicidal conduct Pakistan is able to argue in the international fora that Look, even the Indians dont want Kashmiris who are making huge sacrifices to get rid of Indian occupation. So what is the Government of Indias rationale for sticking to Kashmir by force and cause so much unnecessary bloodshed? The argument obviously carries weight with the international community. I need not go into many other obvious advantages that are offered to Pakistan on a platter in the realm of psychological warfare. This madness has to be stopped right here.
Safety and security of Kashmiri students studying in universities and colleges in the rest of the country has therefore come to top the list of national concerns especially in reference to the ongoing disturbance in Kashmir. The recent instances of harassment of Kashmiri students in Rajasthan and appearance of obnoxious anti-Kashmiri student posters on the walls of a UP town provoked Home Minister Rajnath Singh to direct the concerned Chief Ministers to ensure their safety. The matter was also taken up by J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti with PM Modi who has endorsed the Home Ministrys directive.
I am afraid this is not enough. Only a personal appeal by PM Modi to the students and teachers and warning to those who fail to fall in line may yield the required results. Obviously, the district administration and university authorities will have to devise and operationalise a mechanism for the purpose under which the responsibility and accountability of the officials charged with specific responsibilities of maintaining regular liaison with Kashmiri students and ensuring timely effective response are clearly delineated. Provision of instant communication facility with responsible police and university officers in case of urgency is the bare minimum require-ment. This done, the core issue of providing a relaxed and friendly environment in which the students can study and socialise as young boys and girls normally do still remains to be addressed.
Here the student organisations and teaching community have to contribute. All political parties, including the ruling BJP, can provide immense positive inputs by directing their cadres to lend a helping hand in this critical national project. Socially and emotionally integrated into the national mainstream, the returning Kashmiri students can and will prove a huge asset and have the potential of altering the entire discourse in Kashmir concerning national integration. I have seen this happen.
What about the stone-pelters tag on the Kashmiri Muslim youth? Is it not true that the stone-pelters have created havoc in Kashmir and harassed and wounded hundreds of our brave soldiers? Why should they not be punished? Hold on. Are you aware that at the peak of the ongoing Wahhabi-mobilised and led street violence about five thousand policemen sustained injuries? Of these four thousand odd belonged to the J&K Police and over eightyfive per cent of them were Kashmiri Muslim policemen? Talking about the Muslim youth, over thirty thousand policemen in J&K Police are Kashmiri Muslim boys and girls.
Recently we have recruited ten thousand Special Police Officers to add to the then existing strength of over twentysix thousand. More recruitment in the police force is underway. At a rough reckoning, about seventy per cent of this will again be Muslim youth. Have you heard of the famous and highly decorated J&K Light Infantry? A sizeable segment of this regiment hails from Kashmir and amongst them a large percentage comes from Tral, the home town of Burhan Wani. Recently, the J&K LI held a recruitment rally in Baramullah. The ratio of aspirants was, I am advised, more than ten to one post. The preferred profession of the Kashmiri youth is J&K Police/any uniformed force.
Yes, there are Muslim youth on the streets throwing stones and jeering at security personnel. But they represent a noisy, violent minority, some ideologically motivated, some out for kicks. many materially inspired and a large chunk simply alienated. They certainly do not represent the bulk of the youth of Kashmir which resides in the grey area. Overall my assessment is that the situation in Kashmir is indeed very bad but not beyond redemption provided effective remedial measures are determinedly taken both at the political and strategic levels without wasting any more precious time.
Yes, the daunting task of reclaiming the materially inspired and alienated stares us in the face. An even bigger challenge lies in insulating the youth from the creeping cancerous alienation. These challenges merit structured, focussed and compre-hensive responses rising above petty party interests.
At the grassroot level the critical role should be assigned to the SHO of the Police Station, the Tehsildar and the concerned Education Officer. Their ability to succeed will obviously depend on their public relations quotient, apolitical character and determination to make a go for it. Competent authorities must ensure that only officers possessing the necessary skills, reputation for integrity and impartiality endowed with a positive and sympathetic mind-set are selected for these jobs. They must enjoy the full support of the security grid and rest of the administration. The district heads should cons-tantly monitor the progress on the ground and tender advise where absolutely necessary taking care that the working style of the group is not cramped in any manner. Problems and diffi-culties encountered by them should be quickly, positively and effectively responded to. This should cover the operational dimension.
What about the key ideological dimension that inspires, drives and sustains the entire movement? The battle must be joined at the ideological front without wasting any more time. A group of specialists in Perception Management, equipped with excellent communication skills and well versed in theology, local culture, history and heritage, must be put together at the earliest. Name it as a Mission or a Commission, as you wish. The outreach to neo-converts to Ahil-i-Hadith and otherwise alienated youth must become an ongoing process, planned and pursued with vigour, commitment and conviction. Persons qualified for this crucial assignment are available in Kashmir.
The outdated and humiliating system of seeking the surrender of boys fallen under the spell of terrorists must end. This could, in fact, be some kind of Ghar Wapsi with the stigma washed out. It is gratifying to note that the Jammu and Kashmir Police are already reaching out to the parents and guardians with a view to motivate them to take necessary precaution to secure their wards from terrorist influence and exercise family and peer pressure for reclaiming the youth gone wrong. This push could be integrated in the suggested format.
The political leadership, the administration and ideologists should get cracking with conviction and determination to win back the confidence of the alienated sections of society, get the youth back on the rails and instead channelise their energies towards the pursuit of a bright future wherein avenues of job-oriented education, progress and upward mobility are guaranteed for all. In due course all young boys and girls of Jammu and Kashmir. should be included in the target zone and become recipient of the benefits. This may seem somewhat utopian but given strong political will, clarity of vision, unwavering determination and sustained focus, it can be and has to be done.
M.M. Khajooria retired as the Director General of J&K Police. As an administrator with wide and varied experience, he had the distinction of being the first IPS officer to be appointed as the Commissioner of a Division (Poonch-Rajouri) in 1979. After the 1971 Indo-Pak war, he was the State Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner. Besides being associated with the Centre for Regional and Strategic Studies of Jammu University he is the Chairman, J&K Ex-Policemens League and heads the Centre for Good Governance and Public Accountability.
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > Yogi Adityanath being simultaneously: UP CM and a Lok Sabha Member is (...)
The mysterious rise of Yogi Adityanath as a centre of power contenders amongst the BJP/RSS leaders seems to baffle the public. It is a wrong assessment that he has been installed at the instance of Modi/Amit Shah. They are too politically astute not to create another power centre against themselves.
Though Yogi was no doubt a Thakur (the Bollywood perpetual tormentor of the weak, and ruthless in accomplishing his aim) he was a Mahant for a long time thus establishing easily his credentials to the Brahmanical family leadership of the RSS. Yogi has proved this by openly announcing immediately his aim of a Hindu Rashtra (against all sense of realism and which is a constitutional monstrosity) that is pleasing to Mohan Bhagwat and his coterie.
A win in 2019 could throw Modi beyond challenge and simultaneously weaken the hold of the RSS. Modi has succeeded in creating an illusion of a development man who, by his oratory, conceals his total communal stance and anti-minorityism. But Yogi, on the other hand, flaunts Hindu fanaticism and that is why the RSS is keen to keep him as an alternative. It is a clear signal by Bhagwat and his coterie to Modi that an alternative is being created to him, if he is too neglectful of the RSS bosses.
However, there is a serious legal challenge to the continuance of the existing position of Yogi as a Chief Minister and Member of Parliament at the same time. This is a constitutional conundrum which ill-befits a Chief Minister of the biggest State in the country.
Article 164 (4) permits a non-member of the State Legislature to remain a Minister for six months without getting elected. This anomaly is explained by historical necessity when in early periods the institution of the parlia-mentary system in UK was brought in and especially for colonies which were being given legislatures for the first time. As a matter of fact Ivor Jennings in his Cabinet Government has pointed out that the House of Commons is however critical of such exceptions.
Article 75 (5) makes a similar provision for automatic vacation of a Central Minister at the expiry of six months unless he is elected to Parliament. This shows that these are two distinct bodies and separate provisions are applicable to each. This has no applicability for a situation like that of Yogihow then is it possible for Yogi to continue as a Chief Minister of UP and Member of Parliament at the same time? And if someone argues for it, then it automatically means that he can simultaneously be a Chief Minister of UP and the Prime Minister of India (by getting elected as an MLA of the UP Assembly as he is already a Member of Parliament). How ridiculous and a constitutional monstrosity.
The suggestion, if any, that Yogi can retain his parliamentary seat for six months [seeking the analogy of six months from Article 75(5)] of being elected as a Chief Minister cannot stand scrutiny, because there is no such provision in law on the subject. Either the position in law can be that he cannot both be a Prime Minister and Chief Minster at the same time and thus ipso facto cannot be at the same time a Chief Minister of UP [may be by factually treating him as an MLA under 164 (5) of the Consti-tution]; but how does he save his position as a Member of Parliament at the same time, because there is no such provision to this effect under the Constitution? In my view, the Consti-tution does not permit a person to be a member of two legislatures of the State and Centre at the same time. The defence to Yogi is not available that he can continue as a Chief Minister after getting elected within six months and therefore can continue as a Member of Parliament for five years or at the minimum for six months. This is perverse logic and destroys the very spirit and purpose of a responsible democratic government. If this argument of Yogi is to be accepted, we can have a laughable queer mixture of the same person being the Chief Minister of a State and the Prime Minister of India. Can any more quixotic illustration be imagined?
Under our constitutional scheme one can take advantage under either 164 (5) or 75 (5). You cannot invoke both, and therefore ipso facts once elected as a Chief Minister he ceases to be a Member of Parliament. Yogi is being asked to do this ill-befitting role of keeping his parlia-mentary seat so that he could vote for the BJP in the forthcoming presidential poll since Pranab Mukherjees term would be over soon. This hardly befits the office of a Chief Minister of the largest State apart from the legality of holding both offices at the same time.
The argument that is being put forward is that there is no specific prohibition against Yogi holding both the State Assembly seat and parlia-mentary seat. To me this argument is totally destructive of what Dicey has pointed out in the law and convention of the Constitution, namely, (pg. 430) That the conduct of the different parts of the legislature should be determined by rules meant to secure harmony between the action of the legislative sovereign and the wishes of the political sovereign. This would mean that all laws must be to effectuate the will of the people who are sovereign under our constitutional set- up. The conduct of the legislature should be regulated by the understanding of which object is to secure the conformity of Parliament to the will of the nation. That is why Dicey termed conventions as strong as law.
I am of the view that the moment Yogi became the Chief Minister, his seat in Parliament automatically stood vacated and his continuance as an MP is therefore illegal. I feel that if Yogi does not resign his seat in Parliament forthwith his right to be the Chief Minister of UP would come to an end.
If, however, a lenient view is to be taken because of the somewhat uncertainty of law, the least that Yogi should do is to appear before the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and offer an apology for having attended the sittings (after taking over as the Chief Minister UP) wherein the Speaker, Lok Sabha and Chairperson, Rajya Sabha may take a lenient view and only admonish him and impose a token fine of Rs One, and thus close the matter. Would Yogi take this graceful initiative and at the same time maintain the prestige and dignity of the office of a Chief Minister and that of a Member of Parliament?
The author, a retired Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, was the Chairperson of the Prime Ministers high-level Committee on the Status of Muslims and the UN Special Rapporteur on Housing. A former President of the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), he is a tireless champion of human rights. He can be contacted at e-mail: rsachar1[at]vsnl.net/rsachar23[at]bol.net.in
Home > Archives (2006 on) > 2017 > French Presidential Elections: Ultranationalism Rejected, Europe Heaves a (...)
by Purusottam Bhattacharya
In a way the outcome of the French presidential elections is a vindication of the belief, held by many perceptive observers of Europe, that the prospects of Right-wing populist leaders and parties capturing power in that continent were grossly overrated. This was already proved in the Austrian and Dutch elections held last year and in March this year respectively when voters in those countries decisively rejected the far Right, anti-Islam, anti-immigrant and anti-European Union parties of Norbert Hofer in Austria and Geert Wilders in the Netherlands. Norbert Hofer had campaigned on strengthening the countrys borders (Austria was virtually the gateway of Syrian refugees on their way to Germany in 2015), its Army, limiting benefits to immigrants and favouring Austrians in the job market. Geert Wilders and his Party for Freedom wanted to ban the Koran and close mosques. However, the voters in Austria and the Netherlands would have none of it and preferred to stay the course of liberalism and tolerance that Europe has embraced following its gory, imperialist past, some would say by way of expiation.
The results of the French presidential elections were a crucial test if the trend of rejection of ultranationalism, set by Austria and the Netherlands, in contrast to the victory of Donald Trump in the US and the Brexit referendum verdict in the UK last year, was going to be sustained. It may be recalled that, apart from being the land of the great French Revolution which (in many ways) changed the course of human history with its gift of liberty, equality and fraternity, France was the country which took the initiative leading to the Schuman Declaration of May 9 in 1950 that proved to be the precursor for the birth of the movement for European unity culminating in the creation of the European Economic Community (EEC), subsequently renamed the European Union in 1993. (See my article on the EU in Mainstream, April 1, 2017) There is no doubt that a victory of Marine Le Pen of the Front Nationale with its anti-immigrant, anti-Islam and anti-EU agenda would have spelled disaster for the European Union. A Frexit (French exit from the EU) would have sucked the oxygen out of the organisation, perhaps paving the way for its progressive dissolution. Some would argue that the prospect of such a thing happening has not yet gone away altogether until the German elections (scheduled for September this year) confirm (as is expected) the return of Angela Merkel for an unprecedented fourth term. Todays Germany is virtually the nerve-centre and the guardian angel of the European Union. Only Angela Merkels return to power can secure the future of the EU albeit with guarded optimism.
The sweeping victory of Emmanuel Macron (66.1 per cent) over Marine Le Pen (33.9 per cent) has been welcomed overwhelmingly not only in France and Europe (except for the hypocritical congratulatory messages from Donald Trump, Theresa May and Vladimir Putin who would love to destroy the EU) but also across progressive circles all over the world. It is a victory of liberalism, rationalism and tolerance (which seems to be in short supply these days) over xenophobic nationalism, racism and an attempt to turn back the clock of history. According to one writer, This, after Britains dismal decision last year to leave the European Union, and in the face of Trumps woeful anti-European ignorance, was critical. (Roger Cohen, French Election Verdict a Victory for Europe too, The Times of India, May 9, 2017) In contrast to Le Pens ultranationalism and racism, Macron stands for a liberal tolerant society, as he stood by the refugees and Europes shared currency, the euro (Le Pen had promised to disengage France from euro and revive the French franc); Macron was brave enough to tell the French that they cannot turn their back on modernity and prosper.
However winning the presidency (though an unbelievable feat for a man whom no one knew before 2014, who founded his own party only a year ago and who was trailing in the third position in opinion polls only four months ago) is only half the story. According to experts, the hard part begins now. As a Centrist independent, Macron has blown away the political tradition of the Fifth French Republic (established by Charles De Gaulle in 1958) which always elected either a Centre-Right Republican or a Centre-Left Socialist as the President. His own party En Marche (Onward) is just a year old and he now faces the challenge of the parliamentary elections scheduled for June. Though France has a presidential system of government, the National Assembly (parliament) is also quite powerful and the President is dependent on its cooperation for approval of his legislative business.
These presidential elections were the first time that no candidate from the traditional parties (Centre-Left or Centre-Right) could make it to the second round. However, these parties are expected to put up a much better show in the parlia-mentary elections now that the spectre of a far Right presidency is out of the way. So the challenges for Macron are two fold. Either he ensures an absolute majority for his fledgling party (an uphill task given the time and organisational constraints) or he cuts a deal with like-minded groups in the National Assembly to pave the way for smooth governance. Some experts think that as a Centrist independent liberal Macron has a unique opportunity to create a niche for himself and his movement in French politics thus breaking the strangleholds of the traditional parties. But it is a fact that many voters voted for Macron not out of loyalty for him and his policies but out of fear for Le Pen. The number of abstentions or spoilt ballots in these elections was a record 16 million. If one adds to these figures the 11 million polled by Le Pen (as opposed to 21 million who voted for Macron) 27 million people did not vote for Macron.
So a clear majority of people did not support him in spite of the fear factor. Even after the election results were declared there were demonstrations by trade unionists against Macrons proposed plans for labour reforms which would make the labour market more flexible making hiring and firing easier in order to make a dent into the unemployment situation (10 per cent; it is 25 per cent among the French youth). Any student of French politics would know that this issue will be a hard nut to crack. Also to be noted here is the fact that for the first time in French electoral history the far Right took more than a third of the vote (note the figures given above). Marine Le Pen has declared that with 33 per cent of the vote the Front Nationale is now the real opposition to mainstream French political establish-ment and she will be preparing for the next elections due in five years time. (Macron himself told a Left-wing news website: If I fail to solve Frances problems or fail to offer a solid start to solving them, in five years it will be even worse. What nourishes the National Front will be even more virulent.) Observers believe (confirmed in television interviews with ordinary voters) that this was a reflection of the anger in the country at lost jobs, failed immigrant integration, economic stagnation and above all the repeated terrorist attacks on France, specially in 2015 and 2016 which show no signs of abating any time soon.
Macron has a challenging job on his hand that he and the French nation canlike the Germans, the Dutch, the Swedes and the Danespreserve the essence of their welfare state while implementing the labour market reforms he has in mind.
As mentioned, Macrons victory, notwith-standing the domestic pitfals ahead of him, has breathed new life into the prospects of a revival of the EU and European idea through a renewed partnership between France and Germany, the real creators of todays Europe. It has also demonstrated that France is not a country where racism and anti-European jingoism can triumph unlike in the US and the UK. The revival of the EU, however, will not be easy. The high idealism that gave birth to the European movement at the end of the Second World War can no longer be sustained if people across Europe find the EU to be a failure in delivering what matters most to them: jobs, housing, healthcare, education, social security, democratic accountability, a halt to environ-mental degradation, protection from terrorist attacks and, above all, a high quality of life.
The Rome Declaration of March 25, 2017 to commemorate 60 years of the EU adopted an ambitious agenda to revive the Union. (See my article in Mainstream, April 1, 2017 for a detailed analysis) It remains to be seen if it remains just a declaration like many previous ones without any meaningful will to implement it in practice or one which makes a real difference to peoples lives turning the EU into an instrument for peace, prosperity and security for all its citizens.
Dr Purusottam Bhattacharya is a former Professor and Head, Department of International Relations, and an erstwhile Director, School of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
BEDFORD Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts involved in a community service project picking up trash along the Concord River in Bedford found a human body near the boat ramp on Route 225 Saturday morning.
The Middlesex District Attorney and police said the death of the individual is considered suspicious. The remains were transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner to determine the cause of death.
The scouts were participating in the annual Beautify Bedford cleanup day when volunteers help clean up public and conservation areas around the town.
The scouts were working along the Concord River when they stumbled upon something they felt was "out of place."
Police were called at about 11 a.m. and confirmed what the scouts found were human remains.
Authorities did not release any information about the remains race, gender or approximate age. The investigation is ongoing, they said.
surveillance camera.JPG
Here is a surveillance camera Holyoke installed in the city several years ago.
(Republican file)
LONGMEADOW - The Police Department is starting a program to register outdoor surveillance cameras to help fight crime.
The program is voluntary, confidential and will not give police direct access to any recordings.
Residents or business owners who have an outdoor surveillance camera can register it with the Police Department. If a crime happens in the area where the camera is located, a police officer will then ask the owner to check the footage for a date and time to see if it recorded any pertinent information in that crime.
Those interested in participating can register on the Longmeadow Police Department website. People can also contact Officer C. Jurkowski to register or to find out more information. He can be reached at cjurkowski@longmeadow.org or 413-567-3311 ext. 310.
Worcester Police began a similar program in 2015. Those cameras also do not stream to the department but when a house break, car theft or other crime occurs, police check a map of registered cameras and contact the owner of the camera.
A Maine man was sentenced to serve 14 years in prison after he pretended to be a teenager online and traveled to Massachusetts to have sex with minors.
Dillan Letellier, 32, of Saco, Maine, was sentenced in federal court last week after he pleaded guilty to two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor, one count of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, three counts of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct and one count of possession of child pornography.
Letellier will be on supervised release for five years after he is released from federal prison.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Letellier pretended to be a 17-year-old when he met two 14-year-old victims online. He was able to get both victims to meet with him for sex, authorities said.
"On separate occasions, Letellier traveled from Maine to each of the victims' Massachusetts towns, met each victim, and brought the victims to locations in Massachusetts where they engaged in sexual intercourse," the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Letellier was arrested on Oct. 3, 2013. Investigators checked electronic devices seized from his home and discovered child pornography. Thousands of images and videos were found on the devices.
GREENFIELD - A renowned photographer, known largely for his portraits of naked adolescents, is facing a statutory rape charge after being accused of raping a woman when she was only 14-years-old, according to The Recorder.
70-year-old John Sturges, better known as "Jock Sturges," pleaded innocent to statutory rape of a child and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or over in Greenfield District Court on Friday.
The charges stem from accusations made by a woman in June of 2016, who told police that Sturges had sex with her when she was a 14-year-old High School student and he was a 28-year-old counselor working at Northfield Mount Hermon School (NMH) in the mid-1970s.
The alleged incidents are said to have occurred between August 1975 and June 1976, according to the woman.
NMH, a private, co-ed preparatory school located in Northfield just north of Greenfield, apparently employed Sturges for a year during the window in which the crimes allegedly occurred.
The school's records show that Sturges' contract was not renewed "because of some dissatisfaction with his job performance," according to NMH spokesman Stephen Porter.
Porter confirmed that Sturges had worked at the school during that period as a photography instructor and a dorm head, and that the school's records do not state in any specific way why his position was terminated.
"We don't really know why he was let go. That's all we can determine from the historical records," Porter said.
Sturges's work has been featured in numerous high-profile museums, and he has published multiple volumes of photography, much of which consists of black-and-white prints of naked adolescents.
His work has not been without controversy, however.
In 1990, FBI agents seized thousands of photograph negatives, camera and computer equipment from the photographer's San Francisco home. The Bureau later justified the raid, stating that hundreds of the images confiscated focused on the "the genitals of pre-pubescent girls and fit the definition of child pornography."
The raid led to a Federal grand jury on Sturges' work, which eventually failed to indict him on child pornography charges.
Sturges has a case status meeting scheduled for July 6.
HOLYOKE Water roared over the Holyoke Dam as though stopping would never be an option. The water plunged in curtains off the 30-foot-tall dam and continually exploded up again in puffy white leaps from the Connecticut River while a distance away the churning current occasionally tossed up a rainbow against the blue sky.
Inside the Robert E. Barrett Fishway at the Holyoke Dam last week, churning of another sort proceeded: The official count showed that 5,653 shad and 14 gizzard shad were assisted that day by the facility's elevator system to continue their migration up and over the dam. They're heading upstream to spawn.
The dam and triple-canal system that runs through the city exploits the terrain's elevation and uses the Connecticut River's flow to surge through turbines and generate electricity for 18,000 home and business customers.
"It's just like, where else can you be and see fish swimming by in an aquarium and see a hydro-power generator, and it's right here in Holyoke," said Kate C. Sullivan, marketing coordinator at the Holyoke Gas and Electric Department (HGE), which owns the fishway and dam.
Sullivan gave The Republican a tour that showed the fishway at the dam off Bridge Street near the South Hadley-Holyoke Bridge offers practical contact with beauty, science, nature and the powering of homes and businesses.
Visitors can watch it happen for another month or so.
The annual and free fishway viewing season began May 3 and runs through June 11, Wednesday to Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sullivan said.
The 52nd Annual HGE Shad Derby began last weekend and will continue May 20-21 with a grand prize of $1,000 in cash for the first-place winner in the senior division. For derby rules visit HGED.com.
Glass viewing stations and an observation deck overlooking the Connecticut River let visitors watch the fish migrate.
Fish are drawn into the lift system by an attraction water flow that the system gives off and which migrating fish instinctively seek out. A gate closes and the fish are lifted to exit at a flume, passing by large windows in the public viewing area and into the counting and trapping areas. Then they are released to travel upstream.
The fishway is open for self-guided tours during regular business hours and an HGE guide provides tours on Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. during viewing season.
Over 250,000 fish pass through the fishway each season before they are released to continue their journey upstream. The counting room keeps daily tallies of each species as required by federal licensing rules.
The 250,000 total apparently is an average. A fish count that Sullivan provided, showing totals from when the fishway began in 1955 to last year, showed the total began with 4,899 and hit a high in 1985 with 1,154,806.
The fish count in 2016 was 422,649.
The overwhelming majority of fish counted at the lift are American shad, which accounted for over 91 percent of last year's recorded migration.
The Connecticut River runs from northern New Hampshire near the Canadian border 410 miles south to the Long Island Sound. Migrating fish swim from the Atlantic Ocean up the river each spring.
The fishway is named after Robert E. Barrett, who was president of the former Holyoke Water Power Co. from 1945 to 1974. Barrett wanted to aid the survival and spawning of migrating species such as American shad, blueback herring, shortnose sturgeon, sea lamprey, gizzard shad and striped bass.
According to information provided by Sullivan (see below), efforts to help the fish had been tried for decades. A timber fish ladder in 1873 didn't work nor did a ladder made of concrete in 1940.
In 1955, the first fishlift was built on the area of the dam known as the tailrace and 4,899 American shad were lifted in 35 days manually hauled with buckets, pulleys and ropes.
Now, the mechanical elevation system can lift 500 to 700 fish at a time with 2,857 gallons of water for a total weight of 12 tons, according to information from Sullivan.
Many of the shad that swim through the elevator are repeat customers, said Liz Austin, HGE coordinator of public programs.
Fish that have been tagged by scientists are known to swim to the ocean off North Carolina for the cold months and return north in the spring headed to the Bay of Fundy between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, via the Connecticut River, she said.
"They find their way back to the Connecticut River," Austin said.
Shad imprint on the mineral and chemical composition of the river, she said.
"Every river has its own composition," she said.
Sullivan praised Austin's work at the fishway: "This would not happen without her."
The fishway offers presentations to public school fourth-graders, whose curriculum includes learning about fish, Sullivan said.
"It's right in our backyard and people don't even realize that it's here and available to them to learn about hydro-power and fish migration. Some people have been coming for years and years. We try to gear activities to fourth-grade classrooms," Sullivan said.
Plotted by city planners in the 1840s, the current dam was built between 1893 and 1900. It is made of granite from Vinyl Haven Island, Maine, and is filled with local stone and mortar, according to information from Sullivan.
The dam is 1,000 feet long and is not a flood-control dam, the information sheets from Sullivan said: "After heavy rains or melting snow, water pours over the top,"
How Does Fishlift Operate by Mike Plaisance on Scribd
Fishway visitor center presentation: by Mike Plaisance on Scribd
SPRINGFIELD-- Federal Court Judge Mark Mastroianni delivered the keynote address to more than 1,500 graduate and undergraduate students from American International College at the commencement ceremony on Saturday.
Mastroianni, who served as the Hampden County District Attorney before being appointed to the federal judgeship by then President Barack Obama in 2013, received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree awarded for outstanding achievement in the social sciences and for significant community contributions at the local and national levels.
Additionally, Mastroianni is a former AIC Board of Trustees member and he graduated from AIC magna cum laude in 1986 with majors in English and political science.
Also set to receive an honorary degree was AIC alumnus James Hagan, of Westfield, who graduated with an MBA in 1988. He received an honorary Doctor of Commercial Science degree awarded for outstanding achievement and service in the field of commerce.
Hagan has spent his career in the banking business, having been with Westfield Bank for more than 20 years, serving as vice president of commercial lending and chief operations officer before becoming president and chief executive officer, according to AIC.
SPRINGFIELD - Springfield College awarded 873 graduates with bachelor degrees and honored two partners who created a program for those who are deaf and developmentally delayed at the 131st graduation Sunday.
Saturday the college also held a graduate degree ceremony and awarded 658 master's degrees, six certificates of advanced graduate study, 15 doctor of philosophy degrees, 34 doctor of physical therapy degrees, and five doctor of psychology degrees.
Gale D. Candaras, a lawyer who served as a state representative for 10 years and a state senator for eight, was the keynote speaker at Sunday's graduation.
"The days I treasured most during my life of public service were the days when I was able to really make a difference in someone's life," Candaras said. "Helping others is what we do. We walk a mile in the other guy's shoes, we treat others the way we would like to be treated, we serve our country here and abroad and we volunteer and reach out a hand of hope and love in the darkest hours."
During the graduation, college officials also granted the Springfield College Humanics Achievement Award to Elizabeth A. Davison, of Wilbraham. The award recognized someone who has exhibited courage in the face of adversity, demonstrated leadership in service to others, advanced diversity and inclusion, served as a champion for the oppressed, furthered education in spirit, mind, and body, or contributed significantly to the understanding of the universe.
Candaras and Davidson worked together to establish a residential program at Springfield College for developmentally-delayed adults who are also hearing impaired. Davidson who co-founded and lead the program while Candaras secured the funding.
College, a project that Davison co-founded and led, and for which Candaras secured funding.
"And, there's one special mom I want to congratulate today, my dear friend, Elizabeth "Betsy" Davison," Candaras said at the ceremony which fell on Mother's Day. "Mrs. Davison conceived of an innovative program for individuals, like her own son, Andrew, who are deaf and developmentally delayed. Her idea lead to a great partnership with Springfield College and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to create a pilot program to include deaf individuals in campus life."
Springfield College Board of Trustees chair, Gregory C. Toczydlowski convened the ceremony and Springfield College President Mary-Beth Cooper also addressed the graduates.
Manuel Sandoval, who earned his degree from the School of Professional and Continuing Studies, was the student speaker at the undergraduate ceremony.
"Today we pledge to be and do more than just maintain the status quo," he said. "Today we are gladiators, we are architects of a future informed by the guiding philosophy that love, empathy and understanding can conquer hate."
Mass State Police in DC
(Massachusetts State Police)
Two law enforcement officers from Massachusetts, Thomas Clardy and Ronald Tarentino Jr., were honored during a candlelight ceremony in Washington, DC Saturday.
The two men had their names added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial after they were both killed in the line of duty in 2016. The men's names will be engraved on the memorial.
Clardy was killed on March 16, 2016 when the 44-year-old Massachusetts State Police trooper had pulled over a vehicle on the Massachusetts Turnpike in Charlton.
David Njuguna of Webster is accused of being high on marijuana and slamming into Clardy's cruiser, leaving the trooper with fatal injuries. He faces charges in Worcester Superior Court.
Tarentino was shot and killed on May 22, 2016, after stopping a car on Rochdale Street in Auburn early in the morning. The man wanted for the killing, Jorge Zambrano, was shot and killed later in the day after a standoff with police.
Zambrano shot a Massachusetts State Police trooper when STOP Team members tried to get Zambrano to come out of a duplex in Oxford. The trooper recovered from his wounds.
Tarentino, 42, had been working for the Auburn Police Department for two years after transferring over from the Leicester Police Department.
Three members of the Massachusetts State Police STOP Team were honored by the National Association of Police Organizations for their actions on May 22, 2016 when they confronted the man who shot and killed Auburn Police Officer Ronald Tarentino Jr.
The troopers, Sergeant Michael Baker, Trooper A.J. Kardoos and Trooper Scott McDonald received the TOP COPs Award from the National Association of Police Organizations in Washington, D.C. at the 24th Annual TOP COPS Awards Dinner.
The same three troopers were awarded the Massachusetts State Police Medal of Honor last year for their response to the Tarentino killing.
Tarentino was fatally shot by Jorge Zambrano when the officer pulled over a vehicle in Auburn early in the morning. Authorities said Tarentino was shot in the back and it appears Zambrano fired off five gunshots.
The 42-year-old officer was wearing a bulletproof vest. One round went in between the officer's gun belt and the vest.
Investigators learned Zambrano was hiding in an Oxford duplex. The STOP Team was deployed and responded to the scene.
"The STOP Team undertook exhaustive efforts to resolve the situation peacefully. At one point in the operation, a friend of Zambrano's exited the home and told troopers that the suspect was indeed inside the house and had no intention of surrendering or being captured alive,"State Police said. "Eventually STOP personnel had no choice but to make entry into the house."
Last night, Sergeant Michael Baker, Trooper A.J. Kardoos and Trooper Scott McDonald received the prestigious TOP COPs... Posted by Massachusetts State Police on Saturday, May 13, 2017
Baker, Kardoos and McDonald entered the duplex and then went inside a bedroom. They saw a closed door. Suddenly a pit bull ran out from behind the room. A hand holding a gun then came out from a cluster of clothing and the person holding the gun began to shoot.
Kardoos was shot in the left shoulder. The troopers returned fire, killing Zambrano.
Kardoos was treated at a nearby hospital, underwent surgery and eventually returned to duty.
It has never before been easier to completely remove Facebook from your life not missing a single social beat in the process. And when you finally do, youll wonder what took you so long in the first place.
By Jack Morse
Full Story: http://mashable.com/2017/05/13/living-without-facebook-easy-delete/?utm_cid=hp-hh-pri#m1h5QQ1tfsqq
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The research team evaluated the fecal microbiota profiles of children diagnosed with IBD and also children who were healthy. The profiling showed a clear distinction between the two groups.It was found that a most disturbed microbiota profiling called dysbiosis caused the development of extensive IBD. These children would need biological therapy in the future."IBD is often far more aggressive in children than it is in adults but it is very difficult to predict the individual disease course" said Dr Christine Olbjrn, lead researcher. "We and other researchers are interested in the potential of faecal microbiota profiling to help us diagnose and manage these children and we have been helped by the availability of new genetic tests that can quantify different bacterial species in the gut."Inflammatory bowel disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the digestive tract. It is a debilitating disorder that could lead to life-threatening complications.Though the exact cause of IBD is unknown, genetics, family history, immune system malfunction, childhood infection, and environmental factors are known to trigger its onset.The two main types of IBD are ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Ulcerative colitis affects the colon and rectum and it is characterized by long-lasting inflammation and ulcers in the innermost lining of the intestine.Crohn's disease can affect any part of the digestive tract including small intestine or large intestine or both. It can affect all layers of the intestine.The symptoms usually includeAcross Europe, the number of cases of IBD are on the rise.In Europe, around 500,000 are affected by ulcerative colitis and 30,000 new cases are diagnosed each year.Crohn's disease affects about 250,000 people, with around 18,000 new cases per year.A third of the total number of IBD cases can be attributed to childhood onset of IBD. In children, IBD can affect the psychological, emotional and mental health. It also negatively affects their education level.For the study, fecal samples from 235 children and adolescents (80 children with Crohn's disease, 27 with ulcerative colitis, three with unclassified IBD, 50 with symptoms, but no IBD diagnosis, and 75 healthy children), were collected.The new test, called the GA-ma IBD Dysbiosis Test, was used to analyze the fecal samples. The test helps to identify up to 300 different bacteria on different taxonomic levels by using advanced DNA profiling.A comparison of the microbiota profiles was then made between the children with IBD, those with symptoms but no IBD diagnosis, and healthy children.It was found that the probe signal intensity, that is meant to indicate the abundance of different bacterial species, was significantly reduced in children diagnosed with IBD and those who had symptoms, but had not been diagnosed, compared to the children who had no significant health issues ."What was perhaps more intriguing was that the children with more extensive IBD had significantly more Clostridiales, and those with extensive Crohn's disease had more Proteobacteria than children with limited disease. Children who were subsequently treated with TNF blockers had a lower diversity of Firmicutes, Tenericutes and Bacteroidetes as well as lower abundance of Actinobacteria before treatment than those who were ultimately treated with conventional medications." said Dr Olbjrn.The dysbiosis of gut microbia also played a key role in the pathogenesis of IBD in children."Our findings suggest that fecal microbiota profiles may be used to identify which children are destined for a more severe form of IBD and which, therefore, need more intensive monitoring and possibly earlier, more aggressive treatment." added Dr Olbjrn.The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) in Prague.
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"Women opting for pregnancy in their 40s is on the rise, to the extent of about 20 to 30 per cent as compared to previous years. Most of them belong to the upper middle class and are career-oriented women," Amita Shah, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Gurugram's Columbia Asia Hospital, told IANS.Gursimran Dhaliwal, Consultant, Gynaecology, at Amritsar's Fortis Escorts Hospital, also agreed, saying, interestingly, that late pregnancies are no more perceived as a "western phenomenon" as "more and more Indian women are opting for it".It's not just education or careers that lead women to make such choices."Not meeting the right guy... Even after they meet the right guy, waiting till comfortable in the relationship or marriage can also lead to having children late," said Rajalaxmi Walavalkar-Dalvi, Consultant, IVF and Reproductive Surgery, at Thane's Cocoon Fertility.Devikarani, a Manipur government official, could also enjoy the joys of motherhood late as she never wanted to get married."I stayed single till 37. But then I had to fulfil my mother's dying wish -- to get me married -- and so, I got hitched. Since I got married late, I had a daughter at 39 and a few years later I gave birth to twins," she said.Tough pregnancy?"No, it was a normal delivery. But in the future it would be a little tough as they are still in primary school and I am almost 50. Had I become a mother on time, they would have been financially helping me," said the government official.The problems with late pregnancy don't end here."Chances of a high-risk pregnancy are more. There are more chances of miscarriages, down syndrome, hypertension, gestational diabetes and low-weight babies," said Sarita Sabharwal, Senior Consultant, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, at Dwarka's Venkateshwar Hospital.Walavalkar-Dalvi added that it's harder to get pregnant the longer you wait. "Egg supply decreases significantly as you age, and the risk of miscarriage and birth defects is higher. They are more likely to require IVF treatments and to achieve pregnancy using donor egg treatments."But there's a bright side to becoming a mother at 40."Parents in their 40s are ready, patient and self-assured. They are more experienced, more financially secure and comfortable in their career. It's likely that it is a settled marriage, thus giving a good foundation for starting a family. Also, they are wiser, better educated and better equipped to make wiser parenting decisions," said Walavalkar-Dalvi.Dhaliwal believed that if late pregnancies have many biological disadvantages, they seem to be balanced by social advantages."For older mothers, being more educated, financially secure, prepared to make the necessary sacrifices that having a baby brings... more mature and understanding all the complexities associated with birth of a baby in late life, is a huge plus," she said."So a healthy 40-year-old mother can have a much less risky pregnancy than one who is a healthy 28 if she prepares her body for pregnancy with a healthy lifestyle. Once pregnant, eating well, gaining the right amount of weight, being more vigilant can cut down the vast biological disadvantages of late motherhood," she added.Dhaliwal has the last word: "Every woman has to make her own decision, but having a healthy lifestyle, undertaking regular exercise, genetic counselling and testing for abnormalities in early pregnancy, and booking in early for antenatal care can help in being a mother at any age."(Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalia.n@ians.in)Source: IANS
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With initial overseas deployments of both the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and F-22 Raptor completed, the Air Force has a better understanding of the unique maintenance challenges required by its most advanced stealth fighters.
The service this month completed the F-35A's first training deployment to Europe and plans to permanently base a squadron of the aircraft on the continent, beginning in 2021. (The service doesn't currently have any F-35As overseas, although the Marine Corps earlier this year stationed a squadron of F-35Bs at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni in Japan.)
Air Force officials said much of the work needed to prepare bases abroad to accommodate the fifth-generation fighter jets made by Lockheed Martin comes down to the different processes for maintaining stealth technology on the aircraft.
"The F-22 is a fifth-generation fighter, but its stealth technology is different than what the F-35 has," Brig. Gen. Scott Pleus, a former F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot who directs the Joint Strike Fighter program integration office, recently said. For example, the Raptor's "stealth ... skin takes much more maintenance actions to maintain the stealth capabilities of the airplane than the F-35, he said, largely because it's older technology.
Different Skin, Tooling
The Defense Department required the low observable technology for the F-35 to be more durable because the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps each fly a variant of the aircraft designed for different scenarios, from landing on conventional runways on land, catching arresting cables on aircraft carriers, to hovering down on amphibious assault ships, Pleus explained.
The twin-engine F-22 fighter, meanwhile, was built to "just an Air Force standard," he said.
"Realize, it's a very difficult logistical challenge to move fighter planes across the ocean," Pleus said. "The Air Force makes it look very easy when we do it, because we do it all the time."
In addition, tooling, generators and aging support equipment, such as the Combined Generation and Cooling, or CGAC, cart -- which maintains the aircraft's electric power -- are distinct to each aircraft system. And as the Air Force's number of F-35As increases -- as of last September, the service had 96 in its inventory -- so, too, does the need for the support gear. "As we continue to grow the fleet, we have limited amounts of age equipment," Pleus said.
While these pieces are necessities -- like the Autonomic Logistics Information System, or ALIS, as well as the Deployable Debrief Facility, or DDF -- Pleus said bringing on additional equipment is manageable "in an overall logistics footprint, as we move overseas."
Even so, the unique maintenance challenges between the F-35 and F-22 determine what all pilots and maintainers wish they had more of -- time.
'Shortfalls' in Past Deployment
The Air Force has learned from past transatlantic flights and overseas operations, especially from the F-22's deployment two years ago.
In 2015, the Raptor made its first appearance on the continent as part of the European Reassurance Initiative, to support allies in the region following Russia's annexation of Crimea and its support for pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine. Then in 2016, the Air Force deployed a dozen F-22s from Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida to Europe for almost a month of exercises.
"We went to Spangdahlem [Air Base, Germany] in 2015 and we ran into all kinds of shortfalls -- those all made our after-action report and, about six months later, there was magically a bunch of money that went to Spangdahlem to fix those shortfalls to better host F-22s or F-35s for the next time," said Lt. Col. Daniel, an F-22 pilot of the 95th Fighter Squadron at Tyndall.
During a reporting trip to Tyndall in March, Military.com spoke with Daniel and other pilots and a maintainer at the base. All of the airmen spoke on condition their last names not be used due to safety concerns amid ongoing air operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
The Spangdahlem shortfalls presumably had to do with maintenance on the planes stealth coatings, but Daniel didn't elaborate despite follow-up questions, and the after-action report wasn't shared with Military.com.
Hiccups in England
Daniel did say that crews also recently ran into minor stealth maintenance hiccups at Royal Air Forces Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, but took care of them before the F-35 landed at the base on April 15 as part of that aircraft's first training mission in Europe.
Sam, the 325th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander, said bases must be outfitted with the proper equipment to maintain the low observable technology, or LO.
"For example, not that I can't go there and do LO, but there are environmental controls that I need to make sure it's a little bit more effective," he said. "We're always ready to go anywhere, but how do we get there and operate more efficiently and effectively?"
New Facility in Germany
The European Reassurance Initiative, established in 2014 under President Obama to fund programs for the U.S. military conducting exercises in Europe, includes about $20 million in funding this year for infrastructure improvements so the Air Force can maintain fifth-generation fighters at bases in Europe, according to budget documents.
The program also includes money to build a low observable/composite repair facility at Spangdahlem in Germany.
In a perfect world, overseas installations would mirror those of stateside Raptor bases such as Tyndall or Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, Sam said.
"How close can I get to that same capability?" he asked. "That's what we're always working toward."
Keeping Up with Coating
Overseas, the F-22 is currently deployed in the Middle East for Operation Inherent Resolve, the Defense Department's air campaign to stamp out ISIS. Stateside, the aircraft is undergoing stealth coating upgrades at bases in Alaska and Hawaii.
"When you're talking about a low-observable platform -- the seals, the edges, where your panels meet -- that's where you get a lot of your problems with radar identifications," said John Cottam, F-22 program deputy for Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth. The company is also redoing coatings on the engine inlets through Inlet Coating Repair, or ICR, he said.
The corrosion is to be expected, Cottam said. "This has occurred right on schedule -- the material that we use has a life to it ... so it's just that we have to touch it up with new material."
Pleus said folks shouldn't read too much into the extra stealth maintenance requirements on the F-22. "Does it make the case that the F-35 is better than the F-22?" he said. "It does not."
-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
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GRAND RAPIDS, MI - East Kentwood High School students celebrated an "Under the Sea" themed prom in style Saturday, May 13, at DeVos Place.
Students mingled, laughed and danced the night away to the latest hits wearing glamorous gowns and sleek tuxedos and suits.
MLive's The Grand Rapids Press was there to capture all the fun from a memorable night.
Prom season is coming to a close in West Michigan. MLive will continue to cover as many as possible through May to highlight the annual rite of passage.
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GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Forest Hills Northern High School students celebrated a "Masquerade'' that inspired loads of fun and mystery Saturday, May 13, at the Grand Rapids Public Museum.
The prom dresses were trendy and stylish and there were some sharp-looking tuxedos and suits. Students mingled, laughed and danced the night away.
MLive's The Grand Rapids Press was there to capture all the fun from a memorable night.
Prom season is coming to a close in West Michigan. MLive will continue to cover as many as possible through May to highlight the annual rite of passage.
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Sierra Trading Post, located in the Maple Village Shopping Center, is set to open at 8 a.m. on Saturday, May 13, 2017. The Ann Arbor store will be the first to open in Michigan. (Hunter Dyke | The Ann Arbor News)
GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- A Sierra Trading Post could be coming to a Grand Rapids shopping center.
The owners of the Shops at CenterPoint at 3665 28th St. SE have submitted a request to the city's planning commission that includes plans for a Sierra Trading Post in an existing portion of the mall, documents show.
Sierra Trading Post is a Wyoming-based company that is planning to open its first Michigan store in Ann Arbor this weekend.
Representatives from TJX Companies, owners of Sierra Trading Post, said the company has not yet announced a store for Grand Rapids.
The store sells outdoor lifestyle goods from kayaks to tents to hiking boots, as well as home goods.
The Sierra Trading Post is proposed for a storefront adjacent to the existing Nordstrom Rack. It would require a 361-square-foot expansion to the building and a new truck well, documents show.
The Sierra Trading Post would need a new storefront and canopy built to the height of the existing height of the Nordstrom Rack.
The owners of the Shops at CenterPoint are also seeking the planning commission's approval to build a new outbuilding in the shopping center.
A one-story, 9,450-square-foot building for retail or restaurant use is proposed between the existing ToysRUs and the HomeGoods store.
No tenant is named in the application.
The project will be before the planning commission for a sire plan review May 25.
It's the latest in additions to the Shops at CenterPoint. Earlier this year the planning commission gave its approval to a new Chick-fil-A at the mall, which will be built next to the Krispy Kreme.
Final edition of the Lansing State Journal on May 18, 1927, the day of the Bath school bombings.
Lansing-area community of Bath marks somber anniversary
Ninety years ago on Thursday, May 18, 1927, Bath Township experienced the deadliest school massacre in U.S. history when a disgruntled school board member blew up Bath Consolidated School, and then turned his truck into a bomb after people rushed to the scene.
A total of 45 people died from that event including 38 children, two teachers and the school superintendent.
It was a shocking event from multiple perspectives: The number of deaths; the fact the perpetrator was a respected community leader; the meticulous planning that went into the explosions; the gruesome details of the explosions.
Here's the story of what happened.
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A rural farming community
Located in Clinton County just north of East Lansing and Haslett, Bath Township today is a bedroom community in metro Lansing. But in the 1920s, it was a rural, tight-knit farming community. Consumers Power workers were installing the first electrical lines in Bath when the school bombing occurred.
Above is a map of Bath Township, showing its location along the Ingham County border. The jagged area in the township's southwest corner is the northern part of the city of East Lansing. The school was located on Main Street n the village of Bath, just northeast of what is today the intersection of U.S. 127 and I-69. Kehoe's farm was located on Clark Road about a mile west of Main Street. This map allows you to zoom in or out.
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Bath Consolidated School, which opened in 1922.
Source: Michigan Historical Archives
Creation of a consolidated school
In 1921, Bath voters agreed to consolidate the township's one-room schoolhouses into a single consolidated school.
It would, for the first time, create separate classrooms for each grade and allow Bath children to continue their education through high school. The consolidation plan also significantly increased property taxes. Still, the referendum for the bond to build the new school passed 56 to 20.
Bath Consolidated School opened in 1922 with 236 students . By 1926-27, the school had grown to 314 pupils.
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Andrew and Ellen "Nellie" Kehoe
Source: Michigan Historical Society
Among the naysayers: Andrew Kehoe
Among those unhappy about the tax increase was Andrew Kehoe, who owned an 80-acre farm on Clark Road, a mile or so southwest of the village.
Born in 1872, Andrew Kehoe grew up in Tecumseh and went to Michigan State College to study electrical engineering. During his college years, he met Ellen "Nellie" Price, but they didn't marry until Andrew was 40 and Nellie was 37. They did not have children.
The couple initially settled in Tecumseh, where Kehoe owned a farm. Seven years later, in 1919, they moved to Bath, to the home where Nellie grew up. The property had been owned by an uncle who died, and the couple bought the property from the uncle's estate.
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Source: Michigan Historical Archives
'A showcase for the region'
The Kehoes were regarded by Bath residents as "good people" and their farm was one of the finest in the community.
"At the center of the property was a three-story home with a roomy front porch and an elegant set of bay windows on the second floor," wrote Arnie Bernstein in his 2009 book "Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing." "The land was rich, perfect for a food variety of crops. ... It was a showcase for the region, a well-kept estate."
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Emory Hucyk
Elected to school board
Kehoe was elected to school board in July 1925, on a platform of assuring fiscal oversight, and he was appointed treasurer. He was known as meticulous bookkeeper, balancing the school's accounts to the penny.
But he also frequently clashed with Emory Hucyk, superintendent of the new school, and with other school board members over his frugal tendencies. Still, Kehoe was respected enough that when the Bath Township clerk stepped down, Kehoe was appointed to fill out her term.
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Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.com
Series of troubles
As the 1920s continued, Kehoe became beset by a series of troubles, Bernstein chronicles in his book.
He had money troubles, and stopped making mortgage payments to Nellie's relatives. After serving as interim township clerk, he lost election to keep the position. He was in the board minority on a number of issues.
And then starting in 1926, Nellie's health began to fail, perhaps tuberculosis. It was a illness that left her gaunt and frail and going in and out of Lansing's St. Lawrence Hospital for months.
Something in Andrew Kehoe snapped.
Maybe it was anger over school taxes. Or anger over the mortgage payments. Or anger over everything.
But Kehoe started buying up dynamite. As a school trustee who was also a talented electrician and mechanic, Kehoe spent plenty of time in the bowels of the building and, it became apparent later, he was spending part of that time stashing dynamite in various nooks and crannies -- 900 pounds of dynamite in all.
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Source: Michigan Historical Archives
May 18, 1927
May 18, 1927, was a sunny spring day. It was the last week of the school year. Commencement was scheduled for the following evening.
At 8:45 a.m., a huge explosion rocked the school building, collapsing the north wing of the building, which housed the elementary grades. Simultaneously, Kehoe's farm home a mile away burst into flames, although that was largely ignored as families rushed to the school.
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"The school's roof was solidly planted on the remains of the first-floor classrooms," Bernstein wrote in his book. "The outer walls crumbled to the sides, although a back wall remained steady. It was as if a great hand had smashed the north wing's roof into the ground, leaving the remainder of the school untouched save for the broken windows. Among the chunk of wood and broken wall, tiny bodies could be seen. The screams of the children in the rubble were joined by the frantic cries of parents now flooding the grounds."
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Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.com
"The scene was dire," Bernstein wrote. "It was later estimated that 230 to 275 children were in the building at the time of the blast. Just about every family in the area had at least one child in Bath Consolidated School; some had more."
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The remains of Andrew Kehoe's truck.
Source: Michigan Historical Archives
The third explosion
About 20 minutes after the initial explosions, Kehoe pulled up in his Ford truck and waved over Huyck, the school superintendent, who had been working to pull children from the rubble
According to Bernstein's book, Huyck started to ask Kehoe to join the rescue effort, but then blurted: "You know something about this, don't you?"
Kehoe responded by pulling a gun and firing into a cache of dynamite in the truck cab. The truck blew up.
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A car damaged by the truck bomb explosion.
Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.com
From Bernstein's book: "Flaming balls of gasoline ascended through the air as the car bomb set off a new wave of destruction. The blast ripped Huyck's and Kehoe's bodies apart. Limbs were ripped from sockets; skulls burst; bodies flew high in the air.
"A wide circle of hot metal shards flew outward from the Ford. It wasn't just the body of the machine ripping through the air; Kehoe had packed his truck with scraps of metal, used farm implements, nuts, bolts and nails. The force of the explosion turned these loose items into deadly shrapnel."
Four people were killed by the truck bomb, including Kehoe, Huyck, a retired farmer, the Bath postmaster and a second-grader who had just survived the school bombing.
A young mother standing a block away had shrapnel that went through her eye and into her brain; she survived but was left with serious brain damage.
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After Kehoe dynamited his home, only the chimney was left standing.
Source: Michigan Historical Archives
The scene at the Kehoe farm
After realizing Kehoe's role in the school bombing, authorities went to his home and found the home and barn engulfed in fire. (Neighbors heard the initial explosions at the farm, but they ran to the schoolhouse on reports of explosions at the school.)
Firemen dragged some of the home's contents out, but there was no sign of Nellie Kehoe, who had returned home two days before from a long hospital stay. It took 36 hours to discover her charred body in a cart outside the sheep barn. The body was so badly burned, it was unclear whether she was killed by the fire or had been killed beforehand.
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In addition to blowing up the buildings on the property, Kehoe girdled the shade trees -- cut through the bark around the base -- to kill them. He also cut through his grape vines and then put the vines back in place so they looked untouched. Investigators found Kehoe's two horses burned to death in the barn, their feet bound with wire so they couldn't escape.
At the edge of the farm, authorities found a sign attached to a fence: "Criminals are made, not born."
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The death toll
A total of 45 people died from the day's events: 39 from the school bombing, including 37 children and two teachers; five from the truck bomb, and Nellie Kehoe at the farmhouse.
In all, 14 percent of the student body died and dozens more were seriously injured, including children who lost limbs.
The deaths and injuries were concentrated among students in the third through sixth grades, who were in the classrooms most directly impacted by the explosion. There were 13 sixth-graders killed, 10 third-graders, and seven each from fourth and fifth grades. The sixth- and third-graders were in first-floor classrooms while the fourth and fifth graders were on the second floor when the explosion occurred.
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The aftermath
Clearing out the debris and tearing down the school was a difficult undertaking: Work crews found a total of 700 pounds of unexploded dynamite attached to timers still in the building's basement. Those timers also were set to 8:45 a.m. Authorities theorized the initial blast either shorted out the wiring or otherwise disabled the remaining explosives.
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Replacement school
A replacement school was funded by James Couzens, a state senator and former Detroit mayor who made millions by being an early investor in Ford Motor Co. James Couzens School opened in 1928 on the same site as the original Bath Consolidated School.
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Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.com
School cupola in memorial park
The school was torn down in 1975, and the five-acre property is now James Couzens Park. It includes several memorials to the Bath massacre, including the cupola from the bombed school. That cupola also was put atop James Couzens School.
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Memorial rock in James Couzins Park that lists all those who died in the Bath school massacre with the exception of Andrew and Nellie Kehoe.
Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.com
Marking the anniversary
Today, Bath Township has about 12,000 residents and the school district has about 1,100 students.
The community is holding an event from 4 to 8 p.m. May 18 at the Bath Middle School to mark the 90th anniversary of the school bombing. The event will include a panel discussions, tours of the Bath School Museum in the middle school and a reading of the names of those who died.
PETOSKEY, MI -- Northern Michigan's industrial past is returning to haunt the Petoskey waterfront, where environmental and public health officials are going door-to-door to test for poison vapors inside residences built on a Superfund site.
The Environmental Protection Agency is investigating vapor intrusion around the former Petoskey Manufacturing Company site at 200 W. Lake Street, which was redeveloped into a condominium complex next to Bayfront Park.
Trichloroethylene, (TCE), a cancer-causing industrial solvent still present in high concentration in the groundwater and soil under the site, was found at levels high enough in the indoor air at the Water Street Condominiums in March and April for health officials to suggest that some residents temporarily relocate.
A vapor intrusion mitigation system outside the Seeds of Promise nonprofit at Hall Street and Madison Ave. SE in Grand Rapids.
Air containment levels dropped after the EPA began to filter the air and stem the vapor intrusion, but an agency spokesperson confirmed that 11 of the 17 units in the condo complex had TCE in the air above the agency's health-based screening level of 0.3 parts-per-billion by volume (ppbv).
Indoor air concentrations were as high as 10.6-ppbv in some Water Street units, about 35 times the screening threshold.
Underneath the complex concrete slab, TCE levels were as high as 2,865-ppbv, about 220 times higher than the screening level for soil gas under a building.
The EPA considers TCE a carcinogen that is dangerous to touch, swallow or breath. The agency says breathing small amounts may cause headaches, lung irritation, dizziness, poor coordination and difficulty concentrating. Breathing large amounts may cause impaired heart function, unconsciousness and death.
Breathing it for long periods may cause nerve, kidney, and liver damage.
Mike Swain, spokesperson for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, said "not more than a handful" of units had TCE levels high enough to warrant a suggested relocation, which the state helps pay for. There were no forced evacuations and nobody took advantage of the relocation offer.
Thankfully, many of the condo owners are seasonal residents, he said.
The EPA screening level is based on the health effects from daily exposure over several decades. The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services says TCE exposure over 0.8-ppbv becomes unsafe after a couple days, especially for pregnant women and unborn children.
The condos, built between 2004 and 2014, sit directly atop the former manufacturing company, which dumped solvents and paint sludge on the ground during its 54-years of operation. Contamination was discovered at the site in 1981.
Exposure may have been occurring since the units opened.
The EPA is installing a long-term vapor mitigation system at the complex.
The Superfund site has gone through decades of cleanup and redevelopment that converted the auto supply plant and surrounding industrial area into a picturesque waterfront with a park and condos on the Little Traverse Wheelway. However, the EPA only began looking for potential vapor intrusion in January as part of a nationwide reexamination of toxic sites for the under-the-radar health hazard.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality estimates there could be as many as 4,000 sites statewide where vapors from toxicant plumes, which enter buildings through poorly-sealed basements, could pose a health risk to people. Many of the 65 Superfund sites in Michigan are being checked, or are scheduled to be checked, for potential vapor intrusion into nearby buildings.
Emergency vapor evacuations occurred in Detroit and Grand Rapids last year.
Beth Mead-O'Brien, Petoskey site manager for the DEQ, said the new focus on vapor intrusion is being driven by advances in toxicology science, which can detect unsafe levels of contaminants in the air at lower levels. Concentrations of TCE considered safe are now much lower than they use to be.
The DEQ and EPA have a history of disagreement over safe levels of pollution existing under the Water Street Condos, with the DEQ arguing during a 2009 site-review that despite many cubic yards of contaminated soil removal and soil vapor extraction, concentrations of TCE in the ground were still too high and more monitoring and cleanup was necessary. Despite past differences, "we're heading in a good direction now," said Mead-O'Brien.
On May 8, the combined agencies held a meeting with affected residents to explain the new vapor investigation. The EPA is trying to find the boundary of the soil vapor plume around the area and plans indoor-air testing in nearby houses and condos.
"We're fortunate this is a Superfund site because EPA is paying for mitigation," said Swain. "The experts I've talked to say you'll see more of this as years go on."
In Lansing earlier this month, the state Legislature denied the DEQ's request for another $1.3 million to investigate vapor intrusion around the state amid 2018 budget negotiations with Gov. Rick Snyder that are going to conference on May 17.
Swain said the legislature "needs to step up and acknowledge the problem."
"The science is new and, unfortunately, folks won't release it's a problem until the local health department has to go door-to-door," he said.
The money is easy to dismiss as unnecessary from a safe chair in Lansing, but Swain called it a very different experience "when you have to sit down with someone and explain to them what they've been living in."
COMSTOCK, MI -- Kalamazoo Central High School students celebrated prom 2017 Saturday, May 13.
The school's spring formal, themed "A Midsummer Night's Dream," was held at Niko's Landing in Comstock.
Kalamazoo Central won the Kalamazoo Gazette's "Prom of the Week" poll for May 13.
If you have your own photos you'd like to have included in our photo gallery, email them to kznews@mlive.com. Include your name, names of the students pictured and the school.
RAVENNA, MI -- Orchard View High School students stepped out on the red carpet at prom 2017 Saturday night.
The May 13 prom was held at the Hitching Post in Ravenna. This year's theme was "Hollywood Red Carpet."
Dana Wyant, prom coordinator this year, said approximately 225 students attended the event. Prom was planned by a committee of about 10 students.
Students snacked on candy and popcorn in between dancing the night away. Carriage rides were also available to up the "regal" factor of the event.
Orchard View High School was voted "Prom of the Week" in the Muskegon Chronicle's poll.
Spring Lake High School was the only other Muskegon-area school to hold prom this weekend.
Jared Olson
Roosevelt Park's new city manager Jared Olson started April 24, 2017.
(Meagan Beck)
ROOSEVELT PARK, MI - After interviewing several candidates, Roosevelt Park has found its new city manager.
The city hired Jared Olson to fill the full-time, non-elected position. His first day was Monday, April 24 and his starting annual salary is $72,000.
Olson, 29, is a Spring Lake native and lives in Norton Shores with his wife and their weimaraner. He received his bachelor's degree from Alma College and master's degree in public administration from Central Michigan University.
Prior to coming to Roosevelt Park, Olson was the city manager of Caro, Mich. for almost four years.
After his wife was hired by Reeths-Puffer Public Schools, Olson said they decided it was time to come back to West Michigan.
"It was kind of just good timing how everything lined up," he said. "We bought a house before I had a job here ... we closed on our house on Monday and on Tuesday they offered me the job."
Mayor Allan C. Lowe III said Olson was "ready to roll" as soon as he started working for the city.
"He was on the ball right away," Lowe said. "I think he's going to be a good fit for the city."
Olson said residents can look forward to several upcoming infrastructure projects. A full reconstruction of Westland Road and Dawes Road, including water, groundwater and street work, is coming this July.
He said another priority of his is to continue providing high quality service to the city's residents.
"I have an open door policy and I strictly adhere to that so if anyone wants to come in to talk," he said. "I'm just excited to be here."
Roosevelt Park had been without a full-time city manager for almost two years after former city manager Anthony Chandler took a job in neighboring community Norton Shores.
In January 2016, former Muskegon city manager Bryon Mazade began working as the city's interim manager.
City council ended its search for a new city manager in February 2016 and Mazade then signed an employment agreement contract with the city.
This past February, Mazade announced his resignation. There was no end date for Mazade's work with Roosevelt Park written into the employment agreement.
County officials and staff take a tour of Saginaw County Jail
Katie Bailey | MLive.com Chains for inmates going to court hang in the basement offices of the Saginaw County Jail, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013.
(Katie Bailey | MLive.com)
SAGINAW, MI -- A nurse formerly contracted to work in the Saginaw County Jail is suing the sheriff's office over allegations she was essentially fired as retaliation for reporting harassment by a jail staffer.
The suit, which was filed April 27, alleges the Saginaw County Sheriff's Office violated the Michigan Whistleblowers Protection Act by revoking the nurse's security clearance, which was required to work in the jail, after she reported alleged continual harassment by a jail employee.
After her security clearance was revoked Feb. 1, the employer that contracted the nurse, Kelita Moore, to work in the jail fired her. She was employed by Corizon Health.
Moore is now seeking compensation from the sheriff's office for suffering physical, mental and financial detriment.
"That total amount is unknown," her attorney, Mandel Allweil said. "It's fair to say we'll be asking for substantially more than $25,000 by the time of trial."
While the suit calls the sheriff's office a "joint employer" of Moore, Saginaw County Sheriff William Federspiel said he wants to make it clear his office never had the power to fire her, as she wasn't his employee.
In regard to the investigation, which resulted in her security clearance being revoked, he said he could not mention specifics.
"We regularly do investigations," Federspiel said. "Those are matters that we regularly contend with for the safety of our staff and inmates."
Moore's contract with the jail began in June 2010 and was with good record and without incident until Nov. 11, 2016, when she was asked by a jail officer to deliver medication to a patient who had previously said inappropriate things to Moore, according to the suit.
Moore deferred the task to another nurse. The following day, Moore was passing out medications when she was approached by the same female jail officer, a 20-year veteran of the sheriff's office, the suit states.
Moore failed to reply to the jail officer who was saying inane things and eventually, the suit states, told Moore: "Didn't you hear me talking to you and you are not going to answer me?"
The officer then slapped Moore's shoulder and denied touching her when told by Moore not to, the suit reads.
Moore reported the event to a sergeant and asked to press charges for illegally touching her, according to the suit.
An investigation ensued and depositions were taken, the suit states.
Shortly after, the officer began retaliating toward Moore, for example, yelling out that she was walking past Moore as she held both hands in the air, the suit reads.
In other instances, the suit claims the officer failed to bring Moore diabetic patients in a timely manner and also didn't stay within the required distance to her when inmates were present.
Federspiel said an investigation into the jail officer was conducted and cleared.
"Very rarely are they substantiated, sometimes they are, and they're dealt with," the sheriff said of claims against jail staff. "We still take every allegation seriously and it keeps our office very busy, unfortunately."
On Feb. 1, about three months after the incident, Moore was notified her security clearance was being revoked as a result of an internal investigation, the suit reads.
The suit claims this move changed the terms and conditions of Moore's employment because she reported illegal conduct to a public body, the sheriff's office.
Legal counsel for the sheriff's office has yet to formally respond to the suit.
FREELAND,MI-- The Tittabawassee Police Department is investigating a shooting that killed a Freeland High School student in the 9000 block of North River Road.
Tittabawassee police, Saginaw and Midland County Sherriff deputies responded to 911 calls of a shooting at 2 a.m. on Sunday, May 14, according to a press release from the Tittabaswassee Township Police Department.
The press release says when officers arrived to the scene they discovered a deceased 16-year-old student from Freeland High School in the basement of the residence.
Officials say the shooting occurred after a bonfire at the victim's home where alcohol was present and is believed to be a factor.
Tittabawassee Township detectives interviewed several Freeland High School students who were at the scene to determine if the shooting was intentional or accidental.
Saginaw County Victim Advocates and a counselor from the high school were sent to the victim's home to provide counseling, according to Tittabawassee Police Department.
No other details were immediately available.
LONDON (AP) -- The cyberattack that spread malicious software around the world, shutting down networks at hospitals, banks and government agencies, was thwarted by a young British researcher and an inexpensive domain registration, with help from another 20-something security engineer in the U.S.
Britain's National Cyber Security Center and others were hailing the cybersecurity researcher, a 22-year-old identified online only as MalwareTech, who -- unintentionally at first -- discovered a so-called "kill switch" that halted the unprecedented outbreak.
By then the "ransomware" attack had crippled Britain's hospital network and computer systems in several countries in an effort to extort money from computer users. But the researcher's actions may have saved companies and governments millions of dollars and slowed the outbreak before computers in the U.S. were more widely affected.
MalwareTech, who works for cybersecurity firm Kryptos Logic, is part of a large global cybersecurity community who are constantly watching for attacks and working together to stop or prevent them, often sharing information via Twitter. It's not uncommon for them to use aliases, either to protect themselves from retaliatory attacks or for privacy.
In a blog post Saturday, MalwareTech explained he learned on Friday that networks across Britain's health system had been hit by ransomware, tipping him off that "this was something big."
He began analyzing a sample of the malicious software and noticed its code included a hidden web address that wasn't registered. He said he "promptly" registered the domain, something he regularly does to try to discover ways to track or stop malicious software.
Across an ocean, Darien Huss, a 28-year-old research engineer for the cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, was doing his own analysis. The western Michigan resident said he noticed the authors of the malware had left in a feature known as a kill switch. Huss took a screen shot of his discovery and shared it on Twitter.
Soon he and MalwareTech were communicating about what they'd found: That registering the domain name and redirecting the attacks to the server of Kryptos Logic had activated the kill switch, halting the ransomware's infections.
Huss and others were calling MalwareTech a hero on Saturday, with Huss adding that the global cybersecurity community was working "as a team" to stop the infections from spreading.
"I think the security industry as a whole should be considered heroes," he said.
But he also said he's concerned the authors of the malware could re-release it without a kill switch or with a better one, or that copycats could mimic the attack.
"I think it is concerning that we could definitely see a similar attack occur, maybe in the next 24 to 48 hours or maybe in the next week or two," Huss said. "It could be very possible."
Representative Image.
The government is making the right moves to ensure you become the owner of your dream home. The Real Estate Regulation Act is now in place and the government has ensured that the policy framework will be conducive for home buyers. If you are still postponing buying a home just because you are worried about the quality of construction, here is good news for you: RERA offers to protect homebuyers against structural defects.
It's still vacation time and money may be the main reason you're postponing a trip. And that is where all pre-approved loan offers come into play. Choosing the right pre-approved loan matters and ensure that you take all the right steps while planning your holiday. And do not forget to buy travel insurance. Here is how much travel insurance you should buy.
While the shopping and fun can continue, do not forget the yearly task of filing income tax returns. May is when employers start handing over Form 16 to employees. Filing income tax returns early has its own benefits, so do it now.
While most of us are busy with our vacation plans, many employed in the IT sector are a worried lot. The sentiment is poor owing to cost cutting measures and news of downsizing. Just in case the worst happens, here is how you can get your finances in order
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Taipei, May 14 (CNA) Taiwanese college students have launched an online petition calling for Taiwan to be allowed to attend the 2017 session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer after having apparently been excluded from the event, which begins in Geneva on May 22.
priority
(Eds: Updating with fresh inputs)
From K J M Varma
Beijing/Islamabad, May 13 (PTI) China and Pakistan today signed six pacts to boost cooperation on the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city, with President Xi Jinping asserting that ties with Islamabad were a priority.
The pacts were signed in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang ahead of the much-publicised Belt and Road (B&R) Forum beginning tomorrow.
The agreements included accords of cooperation in diverse fields, framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Economic and Technical Cooperation with assistance of 1.5 billion yuan (USD 210 million) for Gwadar Airport, 0.8 billion yuan (USD 115 million) for Economic and Technical Cooperation for Gwadar Airport and 1.1 billion yuan (USD 160 million) for East bay Expressway, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
After the MoUs and agreements were signed, Xi told Sharif that the bilateral ties remain "a priority for China" and Beijing was willing to enrich the "all-weather" strategic and cooperative partnership with Pakistan.
Sharif also attended a presentation made by China's National Energy Administration (NEA) on the construction of Bhasha Dam, a project which he said is of critical importance for the future of Pakistan.
Pakistani media reported that Chinese companies had "conducted survey and studies on the North Indus Cascade project.
The report said China's interest in providing USD 50 billion to fund the project could generate 40,000 MW hydro electricity.
The pacts deal with the increasing bilateral cooperation within the framework of China's ambitious Silk Road project, upgrading the main railway track between Karachi and Peshawar - referred to as ML-1 or Main Line-1, and an MoU for the establishment of a dry port in Havelian, Radio Pakistan reported.
Three agreements were signed pertaining to economic and technical cooperation worth 3.4 billion yuan (about USD 490 million) for the strategic Gwadar port in southern Pakistan and East Bay expressway, a 19 kilometre controlled access road under construction in Gwadar.
Sharif, the only head of government to be represented at the B&R summit, is leading perhaps the largest delegation to Beijing - four chief ministers and five federal ministers.
Li said China is willing to work with Pakistan in translating mutual political trust into more fruits of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Citing positive results achieved in the cooperation on the corridor, Li said both the sides should efficiently dovetail their development strategies, advance major transportation and energy projects as scheduled, enhance cooperation on industrial capacity, and boost a balanced development of trade.
Li expressed the hope that Pakistan will intensify its efforts in protecting the safety of Chinese personnel in the nation, and ensure the security of related projects.
On the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a part of the B&R initiative, Xi said the supplementary projects in and around the Gwadar port in the restive Balochistan province should be steadily advanced and the study on the construction of industrial parks along the corridor facilitated.
The deep-water port and the CPEC is of significance to China as they together facilitate Beijing's access to the Arabian Sea and resultantly links it with Eurasia and Africa.
The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbai's port housing the Indian Navy's western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean.
China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.
India opposes the CPEC as it runs through the Pakistan- Occupied Kashmir. In the last few days, China tried to assuage India's feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.
But India is not attending the high-profile B&R summit. It worries over a 3,000-km-long project connecting the Gwadar port and Xinjiang stem from the fact Gwadar, which was taken over by the Chinese, will become a future naval base.
During his meeting with Sharif, Xi stressed that a long- term planning for the corridor should be completed as soon as possible and cooperation programmes covering energy, transportation infrastructure and people's livelihoods should be promoted.
The two countries should not only continue high-level exchanges, but increase interactions between governments, legislative bodies and political parties, Xi was quoted as saying by China's state-run Xinhua news agency.
He said the two countries should strengthen cooperation on areas including anti-terrorism and security, and enhance coordination on major international and regional affairs.
Xi said China wants to deepen cooperation with Pakistan under the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.
Sharif said Pakistan will continue to cooperate with China under multilateral frameworks such as the United Nations and the SCO to contribute to stability and development in the region and beyond. He said the China-Pakistan friendship is solid and stressed that it was a national consensus to deepen ties with Beijing and participate in the B&R initiative.
Pakistan is willing to work with China in actively implementing various projects related to the CPEC and steadily pushing forward the cooperation on energy and infrastructure construction, including the Gwadar port project, he said.
"Pakistan fully supports China's vision of the Belt and Road Forum," Sharif said at a separate meeting with Premier Li.
"Pakistan considers China its most valuable friend," he said, adding that the participation of the chief ministers of all the four Pakistani provinces at the B&R forum was an indication that "we are all one for [the success of] the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor", he said.
Sharif said that the country will accelerate the construction of the corridor and take measures to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel and enterprises.
Pakistan hoped that bilateral industrial and trade cooperation will be strengthened, and will work to facilitate Chinese enterprises' investment in the nation, he said.
After their meeting, Li and Sharif witnessed the signing of documents related to cooperation on economy and technology.
He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment for the completion of early results under the CPEC.
Pakistan's Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, who is incharge of the CPEC, meanwhile told state-run APP that on the agenda of Sharif's visit to Beijing also included deals to build an airport and expressway in Gwadar. PTI KJV ABH CPS ASK .
Union minister Prakash Javadekar today said incidents like the attack on an Army patrol in Kashmir by terrorists were part of tactics by Pakistan, which knew it could not fight and win a conventional war with India.
"There are no two opinions. Pakistan knows that they cannot defeat India. They cannot fight a war against India and therefore what they are doing is, it is their strategy. But it will be defeated, even as they are isolated in the international forum," he told reporters here.
Javadekar was replying to a query on terrorists opening fire on a patrol party of the Indian Army in Tral township of south Kashmir's Pulwama district earlier in the day.
The Pakistani army also fired mortars and automatic weapons along Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, where two persons were killed and three injured.
Javadekar said the nation believes in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership and recalled his warning after the Uri terror attack that it will not be forgotten and the sacrifice of 18 jawans will not go in vain. "In the light of what Pakistan has been doing, including the beheading of two soldiers by Pakistan's special forces along LoC, our Prime Minister had made it clear (after the Uri attack) that the sacrifice of the soldiers will not go in vain." "The nation believes in the Prime Minister," he said.
He was also asked about Indian national Kulbhushan Jadhav sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of "spying". Javadekar said External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and others were looking into the matter. "Also, we have won the international court verdict."
The Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) has stayed the execution of Jadhav following India's submission that he was kidnapped from Iran where he was involved in business after retiring from the Navy.
Answer: Python
Ransomware - a malicious software designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid. It encrypts files stored on the user's computer or mobile device and renders it unreadable by the user or the device. In order to restore it for normal use, a decryption key is needed to unlock the file.
In a survey, it was found that the average cost of cyber crime attacks in the United States amounted to USD 17.36 million in 2016. Second-ranked Germany averaged USD 7.84 million in damages per company attack. According to the survey, business disruption was the most costly consequence of a targeted cyber attack on their business.
Such huge costs are incurred in paying extortions and it is expected to get worse if awareness and better regulation is not laid down from a grass root level.
But still how does one deal after being hit by a malware? Should one pay or not?
Amit Nath, Head of Asia Pacific - Corporate Business at F-Secure Corporation advises against paying the ransom. He says that while paying the ransom is one way to regain control of your computer and data, the real remediation begins before you ever get hit by taking regular backups. That way, if you do get attacked, you can relax and restore everything from the backups.
Furthermore, even though most ransomware lives up to its promise of decryption and returning control of your computer, this may not always be the case. You may end up paying and still being left without access to your files and computer, he adds.
Views of Aaditya Uthappa, Director - Enterprise Business, Paladion Networks seem to resonate with Naths as he also suggests not paying the ransom.
Well, paying the hacker may get your data back but, there have been cases where the decryption key never arrived or, failed to decrypt the locked files. Additionally, it encourages criminals to attack at a larger scale as the money would be utilised to increase their scale, he adds.
While not being slave to such extortions seems legit, but if not to pay or the release of data then how should one respond to a successful malware attack?
The first step should be to disconnect the device from the internet and contain the infection as much as possible by disconnecting the affected device from any network.
Post disconnecting the device Amit Nath lists the following steps to deal with such an attack.
- Scan all connected devices and shares for similar flaws and additional threats. Not only should other connected devices and shares be checked for infection by the same threat, but also for any other threats that may have been installed on the side.
-If possible, format and reinstall the device. For larger companies, it may be more expedient to simply wipe the affected device clean and start afresh. Alternatively, there are removal tools available for specific ransomware families.
-Reinstate data from backups. If available and clean, the affected data can be restored from backup files. It may be more efficient to restore files in network shares or cloud storage first, to maintain continuity and productivity for other users.
-Use incident response findings to reassess attack surface. Based on the results of investigations into the incident, update any relevant security precautions or systems.
-Report the incident to the appropriate local law enforcement authority. Each country handles incidents of electronic crime differently, but in general most national law enforcement agencies urge companies to report incidents and avoid paying any ransom demanded.
The Flipkart Big 10 Sale to mark its tenth anniversary celebrations has begun. The shopping extravaganza comes even as Amazon's Great Indian Sale nears an end. While many of the discounts and mouth-watering deals on smartphones, HD TVs, ACs, cameras and accessories will be known on the day of sale, we know a few before hand. Flipkart Big 10 sale will continue till May 18.
Here's a low down on some of the sweet deals in electronics:
Flipkart is already building noise around selling Apple iPhone 7 at lowest price ever on May 15. It hasn't revealed the offer price, but if history is any benchmark, Flipkart has delivered on its deal promises.
Similarly, Flipkart will offer a special deal on Xiaomi Redmi Note 4. So, keep a track on iPhone 7 and Redmi Note 4.
There's a fantastic deal for smartwatch enthusiasts a flat discount of Rs 5,000 on Apple Watch Series 1 and Apple Watch Series 2. Besides, HDFC Bank credit card users get and additional Rs 1,500 off on both the models.
Effectively, you stand to get Apple Watch Series 1, 38 mm model at Rs 18,900. Similarly, Apple Watch Series 2 can be bought for Rs 29,900.
This may be one of the best times to pick a big-screen television set for the festive season is still some months away. Flipkart's offering Panasonic Shinobi 49-inch fullHD smart TV for Rs 49,999 against an MRP of about Rs 79,000. Next, for buyers on a budget, there's the 40-inch VU fullHD TV up for grabs at Rs 20,999. It's MRP is Rs 27,000. You can also check out Onida 42-inch full HD smart LED TV for Rs 27,999 a Rs 3,000 discount on its MRP.
There are further discounts and cashbacks for using certain credit/debit cards and exchange offers.
Flipkart is selling Google Pixel -- one of the best smartphones at an irresistible Rs 34,999. If you're in the market to buy the likes of OnePlus 3T, a few more bucks can bag you the Google Pixel. Mind you, the Google Pixel retails at Rs 57,000.
There's a lot on offer for those looking to upgrade smartphones and pawn off old handsets. Flipkart's giving a Rs 5,000 off on reliable smartphone variants of Oppo F1 and Oppo F3 under exchange. There's a Rs 4,000 exchange offer on Vivo V5 and V5 Plus models. Also, Oppo and Vivo phones are protected under Flipkart's Buyback Guarantee offer.
Samsung Galaxy On5 and Galaxy On7 can be bought at Rs 6,490 and Rs 7,990 respectively.
Please note: These deals are subject to availability of stock.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said China supports dialogue between Pakistan and India as the "most viable solution" to the Kashmir issue as he met his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang here.
"On the Kashmir issue, China has always been supportive of Pakistan's stance and has assured to continue extending the same cooperation in future as well," Sharif told media here after his meeting with Li.
Pakistan's state-run APP news agency quoted Sharif as saying that both Pakistan and China favoured negotiations with India as the "most viable solution to the Kashmir dispute."
His comments followed recent clarification by China over India's objections to the China-Pakistan Economic (CPEC) Corridor which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang had told PTI on May 3 that China's position on the issue of Kashmir remains clear and consistent.
"It is an issue left over from history between India and Pakistan, and shall be properly addressed by India and Pakistan through consultation and negotiation," he said.
"The building of the CPEC does not affect China's position on this issue," he said.
In his address to the United Services Institution in New Delhi on May 5, Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui had said China has taken care to India's stand that it should be resolved bilaterally in line with the Shimla Agreement.
"We supported the relevant UN resolutions before 1990s. Then we supported a settlement through bilateral negotiation in line with the Shimla Agreement. This is an example of China taking care of India's concern," Luo had said.
For its part, Pakistan has been questioning India's stance and calling for "multilateral approach" saying that the bilateral approach has failed.
Sharif is in China to attend the two-day Belt and Road Forum starting from tomorrow.
In his interaction with the media, Sharif said the scope of CPEC had immensely increased with the Chinese investment swelling from USD 46 to USD 56 billion. He said such a huge investment was unprecedented in Pakistan's history, having objectives of progress and prosperity of the people.
He mentioned that Chinese companies were investing in Pakistans power and infrastructure sectors at a massive scale, which had generated exemplary employment opportunities for the local people.
Sharif said the economic activity as a result of heavy Chinese investment had resulted in a positive impact on the lives of the common people in Pakistan.
He said his visit to China was significant in relevance with the economic conditions of Pakistan, adding "Pakistan was proud of its friendship with China."
He said economic development in Balochistan province, where China is building Gwadar port, was getting good results and several projects under CPEC were being completed at a fast pace. The 3000-km CEPC connects Gwadar with China's Xinjiang province.
French carmaker Renault said today that it had been hit by the wave of cyberattacks sweeping the globe, forcing it to shut down production at several sites to keep the virus from spreading.
"We have been affected," a spokeswoman told AFP, saying they were assessing the situation to try to find a solution. "Work is going on since last night. We are doing what is needed to counter this attack."
The attack prompted Renault to stop production at several sites in France, part of measures being taken to stop the virus from spreading.
It did not identify the sites, but a union source said the factory at Sandouville in northern Normandy was one of the main sites affected.
A spokesman at the site, whose 3,400 employees normally produce about 640 utility vehicles a day, confirmed it had been a victim of the cyberattack.
"Production was affected overnight but luckily there was no full production scheduled for this weekend, only some 'stamping' operations," he said.
Teams were working on the problem, and he estimated that work would resume on Monday morning.
Another factory that was hit, at Douai, also in northern France, was not paralysed because operations were halted for the weekend, but teams were working to evaluate the extent of the breach, a plant official said.
Car production was also halted in Slovenia after computers at the headquarters of Renault's Revoz subsidiary in Novo Mesto were affected, a spokeswoman told AFP.
"We can confirm that on Friday, May 12, some problems occurred on certain parts of Revoz's information system that led to the halting of production during the night," the spokeswoman said.
Production remained suspended Saturday, she added.
Renault also said malfunctioning IT systems had led it to curtail activity at a plant operated by its Dacia subsidiary in Mioveni, Romania, requiring it send many employees home today.
Renault is the first French company to confirm it has been affected by Friday's wave of cyberattacks, which apparently exploited a flaw exposed in documents leaked from the US National Security Agency.
France's ANSSI digital security agency said that for the moment, it knew of no other French victims of the attack.
But the agency's director, Guillaume Poupart, told AFP there were probably others who would discover breaches in the coming hours or days.
"There's a fear that, on Monday morning especially, we'll have some bad surprises when people turn on their computers," he said.
Education
Montgomery County Community College will present the spring installment of the interview/talk show program Issues and Insights April 20 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. in Science Center room 214, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The programs will be simulcast to the Colleges West Campus in South Hall room 216, 101 College Drive, Pottstown. Dr. Kolsky will offer a humorous presentation, Carrots, Sticks and Politics: A State of the Nation and the World Message. In this speech, he will provide his interpretation of domestic and international politics and then welcome questions from the audience for discussion. Issues and Insights, is free and open to the public. For information, contact Dr. Thomas Kolsky, professor of political science, at 215-641-6380 or tkolsky@mc3.edu.
Montgomery County Community Colleges STEM Scholars Program will host a STEM Jam! open house April 25 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Advanced Technology Center at the Colleges Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The drop-in event is designed for students interested in learning more about careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Activities will include STEM program information and career advising, STEM speakers throughout the day from industry and academia, micro-helicopter and robotics competitive obstacle courses and demonstrations and static models of STEM student and faculty work. For more information about STEM Jam! or STEM programs at MCCC, contact William Brownlowe at wbrownlowe@mc3.edu or 215-641-6644, or Robin Zuhlke at 215-619-7440 or rzuhlke@mc3.edu.
Temple Ambler, located at 580 Meetinghouse Road, presents the following events:
International Club Global Bazaar April 15 from 5 to 8 p.m. The Ambler Campus International Club invites all students, faculty, staff and the community to celebrate a multitude of diverse cultures, which will be showcased at the organizations Global Bazaar. This family friendly event will highlight cultural traditions and celebrations in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, South American, North America and Africa through music, entertainment, food and informative displays developed and presented by students at the Ambler Campus. Young visitors will be provided with passports, which they may get stamped at each country they visit. Prizes will be awarded to world travelers who talk to cultural representatives, answer questions about the countries theyve visited and take part in fun-filled activities designed to help them learn about the rich diversity of cultures found throughout the world. Refreshments will be served. The event is free. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail tuc36466@temple.edu.
EarthFest 2011 April 29 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. More than 75 exhibitors, including the Philadelphia Zoo, The Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Elmwood Park Zoo and the Insectarium, will take part in EarthFest 2011. School students of all ages are invited to attend and develop displays of their own. EarthFest partner the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society also offers its Kids Grow Expo, featuring the Junior Flower Show, as part of the event. For more information, call 267-468-8108 or e-mail duffyj@temple.edu.
Annual Spring Plant Sale May 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The plant sale an Ambler Campus tradition dating back to the early 1900s will feature woody plants and perennials in portable sizes, hardy trees, shrubs, and vines, native plants that are attractive to wildlife, herbs, and hanging baskets. There will also be numerous special plants for sale to highlight Amblers special anniversary year. Garden books and garden tools will also be available for sale. Students, staff, and volunteers from the Department of Landscape Architecture and Horticulture and the Ambler Arboretum Advisory Committee will be available to answer questions. All proceeds from the Spring Plant Sale will support the Ambler Arboretum Fund and the Pi Alpha Xi National Honor Society. Information: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.
June Homecoming/Louise Bush-Brown Garden Dedication June 5 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. (June Homecoming), Bright Hall Lounge; 2 p.m. (Garden Dedication), Ambler Campus Formal Perennial Gardens. Tickets June Homecoming: Participant $18 per person; Sustainer $25 per person; Benefactor $40 per person. The 2011 June Homecoming, sponsored by the School of Environmental Design Alumni Association, will include the Alumni Association annual meeting and luncheon. June Homecoming will be followed by the formal dedication of Temple University Amblers Formal Perennial Gardens as the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Gardens. During this 100th anniversary of the campus, Temple University Ambler and the Ambler Arboretum of the Temple University is honoring Louise Bush-Browns many contributions to the history of the campus by formally dedicating the gardens in her honor. During the program, campus Executive William Parshall will welcome guests, Ambler Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey will speak about the Bush-Browns and the history of the garden, and an official ribbon cutting will be held for the Louise Bush-Brown Formal Garden. Following the ribbon cutting, guests are invited to take a tour of the gardens, which will wend their way to the Campus Greenhouse for the School of Environmental Designs annual Plant Auction. Information (Garden Dedication): 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Information (June Homecoming): 215-482-0722. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.
Northview Garden Tour and Fundraiser for the Ambler Arboretum June 12 from noon to 5 p.m. Call for reservations. Tickets: $15 per person or $20 at the door. In addition to the gardens of the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University, Arboretum Director Jenny Rose Carey has a garden oasis all her own right in Ambler Northview. Visitors will have the opportunity to take self-guided tours throughout the many gardens, where garden experts will be available to answer questions about the various designs. The Ambler Keystone Chapter of the Womans National Farm and Garden Association will also provide tea and refreshments. All proceeds from the tours will support the Ambler Arboretum of Temple University. Information or to register: 267-468-8001 or judy.shatz@temple.edu. Learn more at www.ambler.temple.edu/anniversary.
The Senior Adult Activities Center of Montgomery County, 536 George Street, Norristown, will hold the following events:
SAAC Adult Day Care, an alternative to Nursing Home Care is available for information call 610-275-1960
Volunteers are needed for Meals on Wheels Program (call the number above)
SAACs Fifth Avenue Boutique opens Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Exercise with Theresa will be held every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1 p.m.
Dance class is held every Monday at 10 a.m.
Tai Chi is held every Monday at 10 a.m.
Yoga is held every Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.
Line Dancing is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m.
Dancing with Joan is held every Wednesday at 10:30 a.m.
Sculpture Class is held Wednesdays from 2 to 3:30 p.m.
Why Should I Learn Spanish? will be held Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m.
Generations On-Line computer classes for seniors will be held Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. 4 p.m. computers are available during those hours.
Health Living will be held every Tuesday at 1 p.m.
Boomer U will hold the following events. Boomer U is located at 45 Forest Avenue, Ambler. Registration & payment is required for all events: 215-619-8863.
Pilates Class is held Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. First class is free; please bring a mat. For information call 610-291-5376.
Blue Bell School of Dance, 921 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike, Blue Bell, hosts Argentine Tango Classes and a Milonga dance party every Friday evening. Lessons start at 8:30 p.m. followed by dancing at 9:30 p.m. Andrew Conway, master Argentine Tango dancer, instructor and performer and his partner Linda Chase will instruct. All levels welcome and no partner is needed. Refreshments will be served. Fee is $12 per person and includes lesson and dancing. Information: 215-634-1101 or www.amoretango.com.
The Montgomery Hospital Medical Center will offer the following classes:
Childbirth Education Class- all parents are invited to participate, including those who are delivering at
other hospitals. For more information on maternity services or classes, call 610-270-2020.
CPR and First Aid Courses are offered for beginners to experiences health care providers. Call 610-270-2313.
The Ambler SAAC (Senior Adult Activities Center), located at 45 Forest Ave in Ambler will hold the following events:
Tai Chi every Monday and Thursday at 11 a.m.
Yoga is every Tuesday at 1 p.m. and Friday at 10:30 a.m.
Strength and balance training every Wednesday at 10 a.m.
Armchair Aerobics is held every Monday at 10 a.m.
Gourmet Weight Wise every Thursday at 12:30.
Fitness Center and Pool Room open daily 8 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Diabetes Education Center will offer day and evening classes each month. Health insurance pays for diabetes education classes. Preregistration is required. Call 610-270-2301.
For Kids & Families
The Ambler Kiwanis Club will host its annual Easter Egg Hunt April 26 at 10 a.m. in Ambler Borough Park, located just off of the intersection of Hendricks Street and Valley Brook Road. Members of the Wissahickon Key Club will assist Kiwanians in hiding thousands of wrapped chocolate eggs in a designated area of the park. Also hidden will be plastic colored eggs, which are redeemed for prizes. Elementary school children are separated by age.
Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation will hold its 21st annual Storybook Egg-Stravaganza April 15 fom 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Upper Dublin Township Building. Toddlers and preschoolers love this annual event where photo opportunities with favorite friends abound! Treasures are collected from UDP&Rs assortment of lifesize cutouts of favorite cartoon characters from Disney, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon and other well-known animation. Children can have their picture taken with Bugsy OHare; bring your own camera. And dont forget a basket for goodies! $7 for UD residents; $12 for non-residents. Pre-register at 215-643-1600 ext. 3443.
Splash Week is a free week-long program that teaches children and families basic swimming skills and water safety practices. All YMCA branches will host multiple classes each day from April 11 to 15. For more information, contact the Ambler Area YMCA at 215-628-9950.
Healthy Kids Day is April 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day is filled with fun, engaging and artistic activities that cultivate healthy living as part of the YMCAs larger efforts to help more kids and families become physically active. All activities are free and open to the community. For more information, contact the Ambler YMCA at 215-628-9950. No reservation is required.
The Ambler Area YMCA has added several new programs for area youngsters. Classes are held late afternoons or evenings on various weekdays. For more information, visit philaymca.org or call 215-628-9950.
Basic Beading: Ages: 10+. Wednesdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. This class will teach you the fundamentals of wiring and stringing along with how color can be used to create unique and vibrant beadwork design. You will create various jewelry including earrings, bracelets, charm pendants and much more! Supplies will be provided. Bringing your own jewelry pliers or tools would be a plus.
Messin with the Masters: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 7 to 7:45 p.m. Learn about some of the worlds greatest artists. You will be inspired to create your own Starry Night with oil pastels and tempera paints, a tissue paper painted Monet garden, a Picasso head using scraps of paper, a Georgia OKeeffe clay flower bowl and a Rousseau jungle collage.
Super Scientist: Ages: 5-7. Mondays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Well be concocting chemistry experiments such as making slime, mixing potions and having fun with magnet magic. Your budding little scientist will enhance his/her creative thinking and motor skills and to top it off will learn that science can be serious fun.
Wacky Junk Art: Ages: 8-12. Thursdays 6 to 6:45 p.m. Why throw it away! Instead join us to make household junk into aliens from outer space, wacky specs, crazy hats, body masks or a recycled train.
Globe Trotters: Ages: 4-6. Tuesdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Youre never too young to start thinking globally. Each week, we explore a new country through crafts, games, music, stories and even some taste-testing. A perfect introduction to our great big world!
Crazy about Crafts: Ages: 5-7, Thursdays 4:30 to 5:15 p.m. Let your childs creative juices flow with our fun arts and crafts projects each week. Fine motor skills and creative thinking skills will be enhanced with this crafty class.
Come out and join the Ambler Area YMCAs Teen and Junior Leaders Club. Participants are given the freedom to plan community service projects year round and truly make a difference in the lives of people in need. Those in Teen and Junior Leaders also attend leadership retreats all along the East Coast three times a year and meet other leaders who are doing the same great work in their respective areas. Dont miss out on this inspiring opportunity. Teen Leaders, ages 13-17, meet every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Junior Leaders, ages 10-12, will begin in the spring and will meet every Monday. For more information, contact Mike Miles, Teen Director, 215- 628-9950 x 1540 or mmiles@philaymca.org.
Did you know that the new Ambler Area YMCA holds childrens birthday parties at its site for members and non members as well. The Ambler Y does all the work from start to finish and birthday parties include a personalized cake, ice cream, beverage and paper products. Parties are held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and include two party hosts to lead activities, set-up, clean-up and assist with serving. You can have a Splash Party for children ages six to 12 in the new zero depth entry pool with water slide and spray fountains. Up to 25 children have exclusive use of the pool area with 30 minutes in the party room. Sports Parties are offered for kids ages four to 12 with age appropriate activities and games, and sports such as floor hockey, soccer, basketball or dodge ball. Children ages three to five years of age will enjoy parties in the Family Active Center with use of the Moon Bounce and organized activities, such as parachute play and songs. For information, 215-628-9950 ext. 1583.
Community Events at the Ambler Y:
-YAchievers YMCA Achievers is a developmentally based, extracurricular, educational and team mentoring program designed to help students in grades five through 12 prepare for fulfilled livelihoods in college and beyond. Participation is free and all students in this program receive a free YMCA membership. Registration for the 2009 program begins now. You do not need to be a YMCA member to utilize these special services. Call 215-628-9950 to register.
Greater Norristown Art Leagues Childrens Weeklong Summer Art Camps will be held at 800 West Germantown Pike in East Norriton, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the summer. The cost per session is $125 per student for ages 6 and up. Jo Ann Cooksey Bono teaches an introduction to basic drawing skills and techniques from 10 a.m. until the lunch break each day. In the afternoon sessions, Mary Vogel Lozinak involves the students in hands on projects such as collage, papermaking, T-shirt printing, 3D design and sculpy clay. Fridays Graduation Day includes an art show, awards ceremony and reception for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends. All supplies are included. Students provide their own lunch. A refrigerator is available and the building is air-conditioned. This is the 15th year to run this successful program. Both instructors are professional artists with State Police and Child Abuse Clearances. To register, call Jo Ann at 610-279-1008, or register on-line at www.gnal.org.
Health
Dresher Physical Therapy is hosting an interactive seminar discussing its Golf Assessment Progam April 30 from 10 a.m. to noon at Dresher Physical Therapy, 1075 Virginia Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington. Physical therapist Chris Miller, certified through the Titleist Performance Institute, will discuss why your body may be the most important piece of golf equipment you invest in and how this can drastically improve your game. $10 in advance; $15 at the door. Call 215-619-4545 to reserve your spot.
The Chestnut Hill Center for Enrichment, Center on the Hill and Chestnut Hill Hospital will host a Senior Health and Resource Fair April 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Chestnut Hill Presbyterian Church, 8855 Germantown Ave. The event is free. For more information, call 215-248-0180 or e-mail chseniors@cavtel.net.
The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is hosting Help Yourself to Health, a new six-week workshop for older adults with ongoing health conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, high blood pressure, anxiety, heart disease and others. The free workshop will take place at the Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center, 45 Forest Ave. on six Thursdays, May 12 through June 16 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Although there is no charge to participate, registration is required. To register, call 215-619-8863.
The Ambler Senior Adult Activities Center is sponsoring an eight-week program called A Matter of Balance: Managing Concerns About Falls. Presented by the Montgomery County Health Department, this workshop will be held on Tuesdays, May 3 to June 21 from 10 a.m. to noon at the Ambler Center, 45 Forest Ave. If you pre-register by April 27, the fee is only $5! Registration at the first class is $10. (Checks should be payable to SAAC and will benefit our Meals on Wheels program that serves homebound seniors.) A workbook will be provided and refreshments will be served. Call 215-619-8863 to register or for more information.
Fort Washington Wellness Center classes are ongoing. There are several offered during lunch or right after work, for your convenience: Boot Camp from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday; Zumba is MWF from 11 a.m. to noon and Friday at 4 p.m.; there are 25 cycling classes; Ashtanga and Vinyasana Yoga and Pilates; and a group Womens Strength Training class M-F from 10 to 11 a.m. Questions, call Cathy DeMarco at 215-641-1245.
Following the success of other local area programs, Impact Sports and Upper Dublin Parks and Recreation are delighted to team up again to offer a spring program for the 2011 season! Upper Dublin area children ages 3-5 years old can attend a Sports Program featuring their favorite sports games; soccer, rugby, hockey, track and field, basketball, and more. The program will start on April 27 and run through June 1. Cost for the program is $85 for the six weeks. The classes will be running 12- 1 p.m.; 1- 2 p.m.; 2- 3 p.m. For more info or to register, call Upper Dublin Township on 215 643 1600 or visit their website a http://www.upperdublin.net.
Spring Aquatic Programs UDHS Pool:
-Summer is just around the corner Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool can help get you into shape! Programs begin in March; preregistration is required.
Shallow Water Aerobics Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 8-8:45 p.m., $40R/$50NR.
Adult Swim Instructions Two 5-week programs, Wednesday nights, 7-8 p.m., $50R/$60NR
-Open Rec Swims are fun for the whole family! Come out on Fridays from 7-9 p.m. or Saturdays from 1-4 p.m. and enjoy use of the pool and diving area. Fridays are offered through June 17; Saturdays are offered March 12-May 21.
-Join a growing group of adult lap swimmers and water walkers. Lanes are set aside evenings and weekends for use; lanes are shared. Monday Thursday from 7:30-9:30 p.m.; Fridays from 7-9 p.m. and Saturdays (March 12-May 21) from 1-4 p.m.
-Private Swimming & Diving Lessons for ages 3-adult are offered at the UDHS Pool through a partnership with the Upper Dublin Aquatic Club (UDAC). Visit the UDAC website for more information, www.udac.us, and click the link to UDHS Private Lessons.
-Looking for local programs for US Masters Swimming (adults) or Water Polo (all ages)? UDAC and UDSD are working together to develop programs that will be offered at the UDHS Pool. Add your name to Interest Lists by emailing slohoefer@upperdublin.net. emails will be sent about clinics and program start dates.
Questions about Community Aquatic Programs at the UDHS Pool, group use of the pool or pool rental? Contact Susan Lohoefer, Facility & Community Affairs Manager at slohoefer@upperdublin.net or call 215-643-8800 x8994.
SilverSneakers Fitness Program. The Healthyways SilverSneakers Fitness Program is a result-oriented program that enables older adults to take charge of their health. The program is an innovative blend of physical activity, healthy lifestyle and socially oriented programing. Members of the program are eligible for a free YMCA membership, with use of the pool and exercise equipment, along with customized classes designed for older adults who want to improve their strength, flexibility, balance and endurance. If you are a subscriber to Independence Blue Cross (Personal Choice 65 PPO) or Keystone 65 HMO, Bravo Health, or Health Options Programs (HOP), call the Ambler Area YMCA, 215-628-9950 or Hatboro Area YMCA, 215-674-4545. You can also visit www.silversneakers.com.
Zumba Fitness offers Zumba dance/fitness classes at Academy of Dance and Music/BBAD Studio located at 1524 DeKalb Pike in Blue Bell (behind Sherwin Williams). Classes are offered three times a week: Tuesdays at 6 p.m., Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays at 8 a.m. For a free trial pass for your first class, email us at info@danceandmusic.biz or call 610-277-2557. For more info, visit our site at www.academyofdanceandmusic.org.
Chestnut Hill Health Systems presents the following Health Education Programs:
FITNESS CLASSES
Golden Yoga: A Breathing, Stretching and Relaxation Class. Fridays, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Lea Auditorium, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. Registration for four classes at a time required. Golden Yoga is Classical Yoga, adapted by the SKY Foundation, to accommodate those who have difficulty getting up and down from the floor. The program includes postures, breathing, relaxation and meditation techniques, all performed while sitting in a chair and standing. Registration required. Call 215-247-3029. Cost: $20 for 4 classes per month.
Tai Chi: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:30 9:30 a.m. Springfield Residence, 8601 Stenton Ave. Classes, for the novice or beginner/intermediate student, are designed to improve balance, power, posture, coordination, flexibility and mental focus. Slow, gentle movements are modified to most everyones abilities. For more information or to sign up for a free introductory class, call 215-882-2804. Cost: $8 per class/paid monthly.
SUPPORT GROUPS
Weight Loss Surgery Support Group: Fourth Wednesday of the month, 7-8 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. Join us for a monthly get-together where well share information for those interested in weight loss surgery, learn from guest speakers discussing current news on issues including lifestyle modification, nutrition and exercise and provide ongoing support for those who have completed surgery. Registration required. Call 215-753-2000.
Breast Cancer Networking Group: Fourth Tuesday of the month 5:30 7 p.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia. A free, confidential support group for women living with a diagnosis of breast cancer designed to provide a forum for sharing information, feelings and concerns associated with breast cancer. Facilitated by Tish Wakefield, LCSW, Oncology Social Worker. Registration required. To register or for more information, call 215-248-8047.
New Moms Support Groups Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. 12 p.m.; contact Jeanine ORourke, MSW or 2:30 4 p.m.; contact Susan Schack, Ph.D Volunteer Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. The Center for Postpartum Depression at Chestnut Hill Hospital is pleased to offer two new support groups to support new moms. Both groups will be run by experienced mental health professionals who really get it when it comes to new motherhood and juggling relationships, extended family, work/family balance and self-care. If you are experiencing new mom challenges that often heighten anxiety and involve hormonally driven depression, join us for an informative and supportive forum to connect with other moms. Infants are welcome. $30 per session (flexible based on need). Registration is required. Call Dr. Schack, 646-265-2484, or Ms. ORourke, 215-206-2931.
Man to Man Prostate Cancer Support Group Third Thursday of the month 8-9 a.m. Williams Conference Room, Chestnut Hill Hospital, 8835 Germantown Ave. A networking group for men diagnosed with prostate cancer designed to provide education, support and encouragement. Spouses and partners welcome. Harry M. Baer, MD, Chief, Urology Division, will host Ask the Doctor. Registration required. Call 215-248-8325.
Contact the Senior Center by phone 215-248-0180 or email (chseniors@cavtel.net) with your questions about these programs or any of our on-going activities and classes.
Holy Redeemer HomeCare and Hospice seeks compassionate and emotionally mature volunteers to provide support to local hospice patients and their families in Bucks, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. Volunteers may also assist with pet therapy and administrative work within the hospice department and are requested to have daytime availability. Hospice patient care volunteers visit with patients in their homes or nursing facilities once a week for two to three hours. They provide emotional support and companionship to patients and family members, assist with errands or provide respite for caregivers. Bereavement volunteers support the families of hospice patients following the loss of a loved one, while administrative volunteers assist with typing, mailings and/or filing. Hospice care workers provide a great service to families and loved ones of hospice patients. Many volunteers also report a great deal of personal satisfaction as a result of their services. Patient care and bereavement volunteers complete an application and attend an 18-hour volunteer training program that covers the medical, psychological and spiritual aspects of hospice volunteering. Day and evening training programs are offered. To sign up for volunteer opportunities in Pennsylvania, contact Holy Redeemer Volunteer Coordinator Jean Francis at 215-698-3737 or email jfrancis@holyredeemer.com.
Librarytalk
Upper Dublin Public Library, 805 Loch Alsh Avenue, Ft. Washington, 215-628-8744
www.upperdublinlibrary.org
APRIL CHILDRENS PROGRAMS:
Storytimes: Please register in the library.
o Wee Ones: 0 to 23 months Thursdays and Fridays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.
o Tiny Tots: age 2. Wednesdays 10:30 to 10:50 a.m. and Fridays 11 to 11:20 a.m.
o Jr. Book Lovers: ages 3 to 6. Tuesdays 10:30 to 11 a.m.
o Bedtime Storytimes: 7 to 7:30 p.m. April 20 and 27. Wear your jammies, bring your teddy & hear Miss Barbara read bedtime stories! For ages 3 to 6.
APRIL TEEN PROGRAMS:
North Hills Library Teens April 28 from 4 to 6 p.m. Movie Matinee
APRIL UDPL ADULT PROGRAMS:
NEW! ESL Conversation Group. Tuesdays from 7 to 8 p.m. Interested in practicing your English in a safe and caring environment? Come to our conversation group and improve your skills! Please register with Kay Klocko at 215-628-8744 or kklocko@mclinc.org.
One-on-One Computer Mentoring. Get personalized assistance from experienced computer volunteers! Sign-up for a one-hour session. Limit one session per month. Please register contact info above.
Book Groups Please register with Kay Klocko 215-628-8744.
o Daytimers: April 21 at 1:30 p.m. Tired of book groups where you all read the same book? Read any fiction or non-fiction book on this months theme: Explorers. Please register.
Meetings:
Annual Meeting of the Friends of UDPL: April 14 at 1 p.m.
Board of Directors: April 20 at 7 p.m.
Blue Bell Library www.wvpl.org Upcoming Events: The Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 650 Skippack Pike (Route 73) in Blue Bell, is diagonally across from the Blue Bell Inn. Call 215-643-1320 or visit their website at www.wvpl.org.
For children and teens at Blue Bell:
* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.
* Mondays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.
* Wednesdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.
* Fridays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.
* Family Movies, new releases, second Saturdays of the month at 1:30 p.m.
* May 14 Despicable Me
* June 11 Alpha and Omega
* Special Events
* April watch for date of spring/Easter events
* April 14 at 4:30 p.m. Junior Lego Club for children ages 3 through 5. Parents and caregivers need to stay with children.
* April 14 at 7 p.m. Jeopardy for ages 11 to 18. Test your book and library knowledge for prizes. Sign up to be a contestant. No sign up to be in the audience. Snacks provided.
* April 16 at 1 p.m. Adult Mystery Book Group discussing The Beekeepers Apprentice by Laurie King.
* April 16 at 1:30 p.m. Childrens event for One Book, Every Young Child celebration. Story and craft for book Whose Shoes?
* April 19 at 7 p.m. and April 26 at 1:30 p.m.- Adult book group discusses The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. Group led by Adam Button.
* April 30 through May 3 Friends book sale with about 10,000 items for sale for children, teens and adults.
* May sign up for Science in the Summer
* June sign up for Enrichment Programs for Elementary-Age children
* June sign up for Summer Reading, all ages
For adults at Blue Bell:
* Daytime Book Discussion Group fourth Tuesday, Jan April at 1:30 p.m.
* April 26 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
* Night-time Book Discussion Group third Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m.
o April 19 The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester
* Art Series with Dr. Sheldon Weintraub, docent at The Barnes and speaker at local colleges
o April 27 at 2 p.m. The Art of Looking at Art-Is She Nude or Is She Naked?
*Mystery Book Discussion Group, third Saturday of the month at 1 p.m.; new mystery theme each month; www.wvpl.org/programs
* Yoga on Mondays at 1:30 p.m. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop-in class.
* Tai Chi on Mondays at 3 p.m. with Dr. Kurt Findeisen. $20 for eight classes; $5 per drop in class.
* Philadelphia Museum of Art presents class on their Marc Chagall exhibit, April 13 at 2 p.m.
* Giant Book Sale, April 29 May 3
o Starts with almost 10,000 items for children and adults!
o Held during library hours.
o Preview for members of the Friends of the Library, April 28 at 7 p.m.
o Join the Friends and attend the preview sale. Modest fee to join.
* Blooms at Blue Bell Gardening Series
o May 11 at 1 p.m. Summer Bulbs by PA Horticultural Society
* Knitting group Mondays and Wednesdays at 10 a.m. Work on your project or observe and learn. The groups continue year-round in the community room.
* Socrates Cafe discussion group every Monday at 7 p.m. You pick the topic to discuss each week. No sign-up, nothing to read.
* Bridge every Friday at 12:30 p.m. New players welcome.
* Mah Jong every Wednesday at 1 p.m. New players welcome.
*Chess every Wednesday at 7p.m. for adults and teens 14 and older.
* Movie Matinee showing recent releases every Thursday at 2 p.m. April 14: Maos Last Dancer; April 21: Welcome to the Rileys; April 28: Conviction; May 5: Inception; May 12: Inside Job; May 19 The Kings Speech; May 26 The Fighter; June 2 Rabbit Hole; June 9 Black Swan; June 16 127 Hours
* Ongoing like-new, year-round book sale for adults & children during library hours
* Library opening at 10 a.m. Monday through Saturday!
Ambler Library, a branch of the Wissahickon Valley Public Library, 209 Race St., 215-646-1072. www.wvpl.org. All the following events occur at the Ambler Library.
* Story times with guitar music by Miss Michelle, the singing librarian.
* Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. for all ages.
* Thursdays at 4:30 p.m. for all ages.
* For adults:
* Beading Group meets the first and third Monday of every month at 1 p.m. Work on your own projects or come to watch and learn.
* Free Family History Lookup with Connie Briggs. Email Connie for an appointment at the Ambler Library. conniebriggs@comcast.net
* Special Events:
* April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Book Group discusses Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.
* April 19 at 7 p.m. Travel to Paris with world traveler Harry Balin. Tea and scones at 6:30 p.m.
* April 21 at 7 p.m. Art with Sara for children in fourth through seventh grades.
*May 2 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Lone Star with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.
*May 10 Robert Capucci discusses Art into Fashion. Tea and scones served at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.
*May 12 at 1:30p.m. Book Group discusses The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.
*May 17 Tour the gardens of Devon and Southwest England with Lois McMullen. Tea and Scones at 6:30 p.m. Program at 7 p.m.
*June 13 at 6:30 p.m. Discuss the movie Blade Runner with Temple Professor Lisa Hawkins. Watch the movie ahead of time.
Meetings and Lectures
The Unisys Blue Bell Retiree Group will meet in the Church on the Mall in the Plymouth Meeting Mall April 14 at 1:30 p.m. Kathy Sacket Young, director/trainer with the North Penn YMCA, will speak on Keeping Fit in Retirement. For more information, contact Membership Committee Chairperson Jerry Feldscher at 610-275-3538 or President Al Rollin at 215-368-4833.
The next FWBA meeting will be April 28 at the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Networking begins at 11:30 a.m.; meeting from noon to 1 p.m. Leon Singletary, Principal, First Contact HR and FWBA Executive Board, will present: Social Media: How to Use It To Get More Business. Lunch is provided courtesy of the Hilton Garden Inn Fort Washington. Members are welcome to bring a guest. An RSVP is requested by return email or 215-628-0313.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA is hosting a information sessions over the next few weeks on how to become a Big Brother. The information sessions will take place: April 16 at noon, April 19 at 8 a.m. and April 28 at 6 p.m. All sessions will be held at the groups Norristown Office,t 530 DeKalb St., Norristown. For more information, call 610-277-2200.
The North Penn Chapter of the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) normally meets on the third Tuesday of each month from now until May. Meetings are held at the William Penn Inn on Route 202 and Sumneytown Pike, Upper Gwynedd, PA. Social hour starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m., and the technical program begins at 7 p.m. Cost with reservation is $28 for members. Members without reservations and guests pay $30. Students with reservations pay $15. Reservations may be made by noon on the Monday preceding the meeting by phoning 215-371-1854 or emailing the reservation to northpennima@yahoo.com northpennima@yahoo.com. Information about the North Penn Chapter is available at http://northpenn.imanet.org/.
LeTip, a professional organization of men and women who are dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service meets every Tuesday at Cedar Brook Country Club, 180 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell at 7 a.m. -meeting officially starts at 7:16 a.m. and ends at 8:31 a.m. Our purpose is the exchange of business tips, leads, and referrals. Each business category is represented by one member and conflicts of interest are disallowed. Guests are welcome to visit any of our breakfast meetings.
Every third Thursday of month, Sunrise Assisted Living of Blue Bell (795 Penllyn Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422, 215-619-2777) serves as a satellite site to 148th Legislative district PA congressman Mike Gerber from 10 a.m. to noon. Stop by for help needed with things such as disability placards and license plates, vehicle registration, utilities issues, birth/death certificates,property tax/rent rebates, etc. Notary services arranged by appointment.
The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce is an action-oriented organization dedicated to promoting its members and the economic health of eastern Montgomery county. The Chamber is committed to serving as a catalyst by uniting business, community agencies, government and education to make our county a great place to live and work. For information, call 215-887-5122 or visit www.emccc.org.
Do you have a fear of public speaking? Blue Bell Toastmasters Club can help. We meet from 7 to 9 p.m., on the second and fourth Tuesday at the Marriott Courtyard, located on Route 202, directly across from the Montgomeryville Mall. Learn how to improve communication and leadership skills in a friendly and supportive environment. Guests are welcome. Admission fee: $5. For more info, visit www.bbtoast.org.
The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will hold the following meetings (for reservations to any of the following, email info@PennSuburban.org)
-Breakfast News Network, 7:30-8:45 a.m. at Normandy Farm Hotel (1401 Morris Road, Blue Bell, PA 19422) $15 members, includes full buffet breakfast. Join us for a networking program at Normandy Farm Hotel every Thursday morning for breakfast, business news, informative speakers, and plenty of networking. The cost includes a full breakfast buffet. Copies of the business cards will be made available to those who would like them.
The BNI, Fort Washington Chapter meets every Monday at The Hilton Garden Inn, 520 Pennsylvania Ave., Fort Washington for a networking meeting. Meetings are from 11:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. Visitors are welcome. The only cost to attend is the cost of your meal. For information or a reservation to attend, please call Luanne Cram at 215-947-7784, or visit our Internet site at: http://www.BNIDVR.Com and click on the menu item Find a Chapter.
For the past seven years, people have enjoyed participating in WVWAs Adopt-a-Tree program. Individuals can support the Association in its reforestation efforts by purchasing native trees to be planted. Supporters can plant their adopted tree or have WVWA volunteers will plant it. Trees cost $30 each. If you would like to volunteer or purchase a tree(s), please contact: Bob Adams at Bob@wvwa.org or call: 215-646-8866 for more information. Check www.WVWA.org for directions and maps.
Sustainable Upper Dublin, http://sustainableupperdublin.org, meets the first Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m., at the Upper Dublin Township Building, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington, PA 19034. Please send any questions to suec@sustainableupperdublin.org or call 610-996-6316. To learn more about Sustainable Upper Dublin, view or join the discussion at http://googlegroups.com/group/sustainableupperdublin.
Special Events
The Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard will hold its first nutrition class April 19 at 10 a.m. at the Community Cupboard, 150 N. Main St., Ambler. Lynne Sinclair, a nutritionist from Abington Memorial Hospital specializing in diabetic nutrition, will conduct the class. Topics will include healthy eating, beneficial foods, recipes, making meals with every day foods, and how to use unfamiliar produce. A healthy snack will be provided.The class is is open to all residents in Montgomery County.
The Historical Society of Fort Washington presents The History of Conshohocken April 19 at 8 p.m. at the Clifton House, 473 Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington. Jack Coll will present an illustrated program on the history of the Borough of Conshohocken. Coll is a longtime resident of Conshohocken and a member of the Conshohocken Historical Society. He is co-author with his son, Brian, of the Arcadia Then and Now Series book Conshohocken. He has also done books Conshohocken and West Conshohocken Sports and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Italian Feast. He has taken many photos for the Conshohocken Record and the Norristown Times Herald. This program is free. Refreshments will be served. For additional information, call 215-646-6065.
Taste of the White House Soiree featuring former White House Chef Walter Scheib will take place April 29 at 6 p.m. at Manufacturers Golf & Country Club in Fort Washington to celebrate HealthLinks 10th anniversary and honor its founders, the Eugene Jackson Family. The evening will heat up with a Chef Meet & Greet, followed by a specially selected presidential menu. Gala tickets are $150 per person. Proceeds benefit HealthLink, a free clinic providing compassionate, quality medical and dental care to uninsured, working adults in Bucks and Montgomery counties who fall in between the health care cracks. Go to http://tasteofthewhitehouse.charityhappenings.org to make reservations online or lend support through sponsorship. For event information, call 267-699-0124 or email jmarushak@healthlinkmedical.org.
The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association will hold an open house at the Evans-Mumbower Mill April 17 from 1 to 4 p.m. The Mill is at the corner of Swedesford and Township Line Roads in Upper Gwynedd. The open house is free but donations are welcome. For more information, call 215-646-8866 o email info@wvwa.org.
The Eastern Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce will host Breakfast With Your County Commissioners and State Representatives April 21 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Fort Washington, 432 W. Pennasylvania Ave. Commissioners: James R. Matthews (Chairman), Joseph M. Hoeffel (Vice Chair), State Representatives: Todd Stephens (District 151) and Josh Shapiro (District 153). Register onlineat www.emccc.org. $10 for EMCCC member; $20 for non-members.
Upper Dublins Districtwide Allied Art Show will be held April 27 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in the Upper Dublin High School Athletic Complex.
The Rev. Alfred Muli, chaplain at Fort Washington Estates, will be the featured speaker at the Kiwanis sponsored breakfast observing the National Day of Prayer May 5 at 7 a.m. at the William Penn Inn. The breakfast is open to the public ($15). Reservations can be made by calling 215-646-4356 or by emailing georgesaurman@Juno.com.
The Upper Dublin Shade Tree Commission invites people to participate in its spring bare root planting events, sponsored in part by Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Friends of Robbins Park. On April 9, zix trees will be planted at the Evelyn B. Wright Park & Community Pool, 401 Logan Ave., North Hills, at 9 a.m., followed by the planting of 10 trees at Sheeleigh Park, Loch Alsh Avenue and Douglas Street, Ambler, at 10:15 a.m. On April 29, students from Upper Dublin High School will join the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to plant 16 trees in Robbins Park, Butler Pike and Meetinghouse Road, Ambler, to help launch the societys Million Trees campaign. This event will occur in conjunction with Temple Amblers EarthFest. Experienced tree-tenders are sought to assist the students. For more information,contact Ron Ayres at 215-653-0421 or 215-483-4348.
The Friends of the Wissahickon and the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association are teaming up once again to clean the Wissahickon Creek from top to bottom April 30 from 9 a.m. to noon. This spring marks the 41st anniversary of Wissahickon Valley Watershed Associations annual Creek Clean Up, and the second year that FOW has teamed up with WVWA. Volunteers of all ages will clean the creek, the surrounding trails and the many tributaries of the Wissahickon Creek. Armed with bags, volunteers will be assigned to sections of the creek. Following the clean up, all volunteers are invited to WVWAs Talkin Trash picnic in Fort Washington State Park, with food provided by Whole Foods Market of North Wales. The pavilion is located on Mill Road in Flourtown. To help out in Montgomery County, all volunteers must be pre-assigned a section of the Wissahickon Creek to clean. Please contact Bob Adams, WVWA director of stewardship, at 215-646-8866 ext. 14 or bob@wvwa.org. To work with the Friends of the Wissahickon in Philadelphia, meet at the pavilion along Forbidden Drive, a short distance south of the intersection of Forbidden Drive and Northwestern Avenue. Limited parking is available along Northwestern Avenue and other nearby streets. Volunteers are encouraged to bike or carpool to the event. To participate, register at www.fow.org. Contact Kevin Groves with questions at 215-247-0417 ext. 105 or groves@fow.org.
Montgomery County Community Colleges International Club invites the community to the second annual International Festival April 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Central Campus, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The rain date is April 26. The International Club will transform the outside quad area into multicultural celebration with various performances by dancers, singers and musicians. Artists will share their artwork at various display tables. Activities include games, raffles, Easter egg decorating and henna tattoos. Students will have samples of international cuisine at tables representing different countries and will serve food from various local ethnic restaurants. Throughout the evening, volunteers will accept donations and will raffle gift baskets and prizes to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity. Donations of food, international clothes and prizes are needed. Volunteers, including artists and performers, are welcome. For more information or to sponsor an activity, contact Gillian Nel, International Club president, at gnel9277@students.mc3.edu or 267-974-0163.
The Arts and Humanities Division at Montgomery County Community College is partnering with the Philadelphia Writers Conference to host Memoirs Matter: How Life Stories (Including Yours) Can Transform Your Relationship to Literature April 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in Advanced Technology Center room 101, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell. The event is free and open to the public. In the first part of this two-hour seminar, professor and author Robert Waxler will explain how writing his two memoirs affected his life as well as his relationship to literature. In the second part, blogger and workshop leader Jerry Waxler will present a sequence of steps to help writers find their own story. For information, contact Dana Resente at dresente@mc3.edu.
The Maple Glen Garden Club will hold its fourth annual Plant Sale on May 7 from 8 to 11 a.m. Perennials, shrubs, vegetables and native plants grown by the club members will be sold. The club uses the plant sale proceeds to fund community projects, a college scholarship and community plantings. The sale will be held in the 500 block of Coach Road, Horsham, as part of a neighborhood garage sale. Plants will be sold at bargain prices. For more information, email MapleGlenGardenClub@gmail.com.
The Relay for Life Craft Show is looking for local crafters to participate in show, which will be May 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the Wissahickon High School track, 521 Houston Road, Ambler. There is a $10 entry fee, and 20 percent of sales are donated to the American Cancer Society. Participants will receive a 6-foot table under a tent. For information, contact Joanne at joannescoles@comcast.net or Mindy at mcamsilver@comcast.net.
Spring House Estates is hosting its annual book fair on April 18 from 4 to 7 p.m. and April 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Included will be hardback and paperback used books. Spring House Estates is located at 728 Norristown Road, Lower Gwynedd.
The PennSuburban Chamber of Commerce will present the Penn Suburban/Hatfield Joint Business Card Exchange April 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Univest Bank Lansdale Area Financial Service Center, 120 Forty Foot Road, Hatfield. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. Join Univest National Bank and Trust Co. for a spring-inspired Business Card Exchange at its newest office in the Hatfield Pointe Shopping Center. Come out and meet members of Univests executive management team while enjoying fine food and beverages.
13th Annual Community Reading Day Kick-off Breakfast Get Together April 26 from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at the North Wales Area Library, 233 Swartley St., North Wales. The event is free. To make reservations, visit PennSuburban.org/Events. For more information, contact the chamber office at 215-362-9200 or info@pennsuburban.org. Join presenting sponsor Verizon, chamber staff and fellow members for the Community Reading Day volunteer get together. The Community Reading Day program allows volunteers to read a designated book to second-grade students throughout 38 area public and private schools and present the book as a gift to each class. Even if you are not a volunteer, you are cordially invited to stop by to network, enjoy coffee and pastries.
Ambler Mennonite Church is hosting a Spring Craft Show and Flea Market May 21 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rain date will be May 28. The community is invited to shop the great craft booths, find some gifts and deals, as well as enjoy home baked goods and tasty lunch specials. Childrens activities are planned. All vendors are encouraged to contact the church at 215-643-4876 or AmblerMennonite@verizon.net. Advertising, signage, customer parking and a shuttle to auxiliary parking at nearby lots for vendors will be provided. 10 foot by 10 foot spaces can be rented for $5 each and tables for an additional $5 each. All proceeds from space and table rentals go toward school kits for children around the world. The church is located at the corner of East Mt. Pleasant Avenue and North Spring Garden Street, Ambler.
The Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association presents The Life & Times of Aquatic Insects in the Wissahickon Creek April 16 from 1 to 3 p.m. Join WVWA for a hands-on program. RSVP required: www.wvwa.org or 215-646-8866. WVWA member fee: $5 per person / $15 per family. Non-WVWA member fee: $10 per person / $20 per family.
The photography exhibition Natures Palette by photo-artist Judy Miller will run March 18 to May 19 at the Art in the Storefront gallery, 41 E. Butler Pike, Ambler.
JPRN Networking For People in Transition & People Who Can Help Them Unemployment remains high. JPRN, the Jarrettown Professional Relationship Network can help. Are you trying to network your way to a new job? Do you have expertise or contacts that can help people in transition? Is your company or organization looking for people in the area? This is a free outreach program to support those seeking work, involve people with contacts and networking know how, and involve local companies. Meetings held monthly at Jarrettown United Methodist Church, Limekiln Pike.
Pennsylvanias Low-Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) grant program is now open for the 2010-11 heating season. Grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Additional information, such as specific income limits, and applications for LIHEAP grants are available online via the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Access to Social Services (COMPASS) website at www.compass.state.pa.us. Applications are available at most public officals district offices, county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies.
Begin your holiday shopping at Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation! Entertainment books for 2011, Philadelphia North, are now on sale at $30 each. Regal/United Artists movie tickets are on sale for just $7.50 each, and tickets to the Adventure Aquarium, Baltimore Aquarium, and the Philadelphia Zoo are also available. Discounted ski vouchers to area mountains will be arriving in December; call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information. Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation office hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
RSVP of Montgomery County and the Wissahickon Valley Public Library have partnered again to offer the public their popular free mock interview sessions. The mock interviews are conducted by RSVP volunteers who are retired professionals, some of whom were in hiring positions themselves. Packets of information which include a sample employment application and interviewing tips with mock interview questions are available at the library to pick up prior to a scheduled mock interview or will be sent via email once the interview is scheduled. To schedule your interview, please contact Janis Glusman at RSVP 610-834-1040, ext. 16. The library is also offering a free resume review service. Bring in your current resume and the professional reference staff will assist you with hints and tips on capturing your work history accurately.
Registration for Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation summer playgrounds, Camp B.I.G. and Small Folks, X-Zone, and sports camps has began. Register online at www.upperdublin.net/store, or at the UDP&R office, 801 Loch Alsh Avenue, Fort Washington. Call 215-643-1600 x3443 for more information.
Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation and Danielles Espresso Cafe presents Mornings at Mondaug Bark Park April 16 and May 21 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Meet fellow dog lovers. These events include complimentary coffee, treats for people and pups and raffles/giveaways.
Upper Dublins Annual Spring Flea Market will be held June 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Reserve a table, or come and shop. Tables are $15 for UD residents, $20 for non-residents. This successful event occurs rain or shine. Refreshments available. Call 215-643-1600 ext. 3443 to register for a table.
Regal movie tickets available for purchase at Upper Dublin Township Parks & Recreation. Reduced rate: $7.50 per ticket. Some restrictions apply. Call 215-643-1600 x3443.
Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation movie tickets $7.50 Regal Cinemas, United Artist & Edwards Cinemas on sale throughout the year Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m.
Whitpain Township Parks & Recreation Camp Sign-ups for Stony Creek Day Camp Stony Creek Tracers and Park n Tots. Register on-line at www.whitpaintownship.org OrCome to Township Building with check or Visa MasterCard Monday Friday from 9 a.m. 4 p.m. For additional information call 610.277-2400 ext. 374
Upper Dublin Parks & Recreation offers exciting new programs for the fall:
-Returning favorites include UK Elite Petite Soccer, Tiny Dancers, Kiddie Tennis, Fun-nastics, Messy Playtime, Little Chefs, and more. Babysitters Training will be offered in November and December. Continuing Adult Fitness Classes include Cardio Circuit, Core & More, Yoga, Boxing, and Adult G.Y.M. For more information call 215-643-1600 x3443. Register for programs online at www.upperdublin.net/store.
Music and Theater
The community is invited to a Cantors Concert April 16 at 8 p.m. Congregation Beth Or, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen. Listen and hum-along to the Yiddish, pop tunes and classical music performed by Congregation Beth Ors own Cantor David Green and his special guest, Cantor Irvin Bell, from Temple Beth Israel in Deerfield Beach, Fla. The cantors will be accompanied by Mark Sobol and his Klezmer musicians. Tickets are $18 in advance and $25 at the door. RSVP with payment to Barb Murtha, 239 Welsh Road, Maple Glen, PA 19002, or call 215-646-5806 ext. 220.
Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse will host the Jameson Sisters May 14. Doors open at 7:30 pm, performance at 8:00 pm. Gwynedd Friends Coffeehouse is located at the corner of Rte. 202 & Sumneytown Pike, Gwynedd. $5 suggested donation. Light refreshment available at a modest cost. For further information, call 215-393-9576 or visit gwyneddmeeting.org/coffeehouse.html.
Celebrate patriotism through song with Gwynedd-Mercy Colleges choir, the Voices of Gwynedd, as it presents Hear America Singing April 15 at 8 p.m. The choir will perform song selections from all over the country, including Georgia on My Mind, New York State of Mind, and a medley including Philadelphia Freedom and Allentown. The performance will end with When the Saints Go Marching In to acknowledge the choirs upcoming tour in New Orleans. Hear America Singing will take place in the Julia Ball Auditorium, located in St. Bernard Hall. Parking is available in lots A, C and D. Admission is free.
The Choristers will present Anton Dvoraks Stabat Mater April 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Upper Dublin Lutheran Church in Ambler. The choir will be accompanied by a 41-piece orchestra. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens, $10 for students and children are free. Tickets will be sold in advance or at the door. For more information, call 215-542-7871 or visit TheChoristers.org
Religious News
The Staircase Gallery at Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation in Fort Washington will feature the work of Emily Ennuat-Lustine. The artist will be showing paintings and graphics inspired by her own personal spiritual journey and quest for meaning. Some of the works to be shown have been inspired by Biblical Psalms and writings. Her work has been shown at Abington Art Center, Cheltenham Arts Center and Old City Gallery of Jewish Art among others. The exhibition is open Friday evenings starting Feb. 18 after Shabbat services. Gallery hours are: Mondays through Thursdays 10-4:30, Fridays 10-3 and following Shabbat Services and Sundays 10-1. The synagogue is located at 190 Camp Hill Road in Fort Washington. For additional information contact the synagogue office at 215-283-0276.
Reunions
St. Matthews High School Conshohocken Class of 1961 is looking for classmates. For details, contact Greg Marincola at 215-646-2239, 215-740-1296 or gregcola@comcast.net.
Olney High School Class of 1971 is Lloking for classmates for a 40th reunion Oct. 28. For details, contact Judy at ohsclassof71@yahoo.com or 215-870-7572.
Abington High School Class of 1961 is seeking classmates for a 50-year reunion to be held Oct. 14-15, 2011.Visit the website, www.abington61.com, for details or call 215-947-1779.
Overbrook High School class of January 1956 is having a 55 year reunion on May 22, 2011 at the Bala Golf Club in Philadelphia. For information please contact overbrookreunion56@comcast.net
Germantown High School Class Of January 1961 is looking for classmates for 50th year reunion to take place in May of 2011. Please contact: 215-362-9148, 856-577-0659 or samdelcomo@comcast.net
The June 1961 class of Germantown High School is holding their 50th reunion on May 15, which will be a brunch. For further details please contact Linda Dorfman Alten at lindaalten@yahoo.com or call 215-441-8411.
Support
New Life Presbyterian Church in Dresher, will host GriefShare, a special seminar and support group which will run on Monday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m., from March 7 through June 6. At each meeting there will be a DVD about the grief process, discussion and reference to a grief workbook. Preregistration is required to secure a place in the group and to purchase a GriefShare notebook (for a one-time fee of $15). The notebook goes along with the 13-week schedule covering such topics as: living with grief, the effects of grief, and stuck in grief. For more information or to register, call: Sandy Elder at 215-884-5149.
PUPS (People Understanding Parkinsons) A self-help group for those adjusting to a new diagnosis or dealing with the early stages of Parkinsons Disease. Meets fourth Tuesday of the month from 1 to 2:30 p.m., at Abington Health Center, Schilling Campus, Willowood Building, 2510 Maryland Road, Suite 251, Willow Grove. For more information or to RSVP, contact Lorna at 215-542-2931.
The North Penn Visiting Nurse Associations Meals on Wheels program is looking for volunteers to pack or deliver meals to the elderly and infirmed. Meals are packed and delivered mornings, Monday through Friday. You can volunteer for as many days per week or month as you would like. Packaging meals requires approximately 2-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves making sandwiches, packaging food into individual serving containers and packing coolers with the meals. Delivering meals requires approximately 1-1/2 hours of your time each day and involves loading coolers into your car and delivering a route of approximately 10 to 15 stops. The Meals on Wheels program is also in need of emergency, winter-weather volunteers to pack and deliver meals in bad weather. North Penn VNA is located at 51 Medical Campus Drive in Lansdale and delivers meals in the Lansdale, North Wales and Blue Bell areas. For more information or to volunteer, please call Bridget, North Penn VNA Meals on Wheels coordinator at 215-855-8296.
Elkins Park Area CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meets the first Tuesday of every month, 7- 8:30 p.m., at Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital in Elkins Park. For information on CHADD or ADHD, please see our website www.chadd.net/249 or call Claire Noyes at: 215-779-6656.
Center for Loss and Bereavement, 3847 Skippack Pike, Skippack (610-222-4110) www.bereavementcenter.org Offers professional counseling for individuals, couples, children and families dealing with issues of loss and bereavement. Six-week adult support groups: Newly forming young adult grief support group every other Wednesday, 7 8:15 p.m. (free of charge); Monthly loss of child support second Mondays, 7-8:15 p.m.; Six-week young loss of spouse/partner Thursdays, 10-11:15 a.m.; Other groups scheduled as interest is shown for suicide loss support, adult loss of parent, motherless daughters, adult loss of sibling, coping with chronic illness and disability and mens loss of spouse. Nellos Corner Family Bereavement program offers peer grief support groups for ages 4 through teen and their caregivers Every other Tuesday or Wednesday (free of charge) Local chapter of Parents of Murdered Children also meets at the Center. Registration required. Call for further information.
CHADD is a national organization for children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder, providing education, advocacy and support for individuals and their families with AD/HD. Einstein at Elkins Park Hospital, 60 Township Line Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027, will host children & adults with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder on the First Tuesday of each month 7 8:30 p.m. Free, no childcare provided.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphias Kehillah of Old York Road is sponsoring a free Caregiver Support Group for individuals who care for an elderly person with cognitive and/or physical impairments. The group meets at SarahCare Adult Day Care Center, 101 Washington Lane, Suite G-6, Jenkintown, Pa., on the first Wednesday of each month. Patty Rich,
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May 14, 2017 CentCom Breaks "Safe Passage" Deal - Making Its Allies Bleed For It On Friday the U.S. "Inherent Resolve" command of its operations in Syria and Iraq released an statement that points to unnecessary intensified fighting about the city of Raqqa and elsewhere. SAC and SDF Liberate Tabqah The Syrian Arab Coalition and their Syrian Democratic Force partners completed the liberation of the Tabqah Dam, as well as the city of Tabqah and its nearby airfield May 10.
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In Tabqah, the SDF's increased pressure on ISIS from each flank allowed it to accelerate the pace of the fight, clear the final neighborhoods of the city, and isolate Tabqah Dam. Approximately 70 ISIS fighters conceded to the SDF's terms, which included the dismantling of IEDs surrounding the dam, the surrender of all ISIS heavy weapons, and the forced withdrawal of all remaining fighters from Tabqah City. The SDF accepted ISIS's surrender of the city to protect innocent civilians and to protect the Tabqah dam infrastructure which hundreds of thousands of Syrians rely on for water, agriculture, and electricity. (The "Syrian Arab Coalition" is U.S. propaganda parlance for its own forces in the area. That force is part of its Central Command. The "Syrian Democratic Force" are predominantly fighters of the Syrian-Kurdish YPG and a few U.S. special forces embedded with them.) The Kurdish forces obviously made a deal with the ISIS rearguard. They offered safe passage (safe conduct) to the ISIS fighters if those would dismantled their demolition charges on the Tabqa dam and leave their heavy weapons behind. The ISIS group accepted and fulfilled its part of the deal. The dam was saved. The ISIS forces withdrew. The Kurdish commander had made the right decision. Any fighting around, on or within the dam structure could have led to a catastrophic dam failure which would have killed ten-thousands (at least) further down the Euphrates. The next line in the U.S. press release is therefore ominous: The Coalition tracked fleeing fighters and targeted those that could be safely hit without harming civilians. The U.S. military broke the "safe passage" deal the Kurds had made with the ISIS fighters. Quoting that press release via an AFP reporter I remarked: Moon of Alabama @MoonofA -3:03 PM - 11 May 2017 Ahh - the outrage from @afp if the Syrian government would do alike - targeting rebels after they surrender their weapons and move out .. and: Moon of Alabama @MoonofA - 7:26 PM - 11 May 2017 ISIS fighters got screwed on deal, were promised free escape then killed. That trick works only once. To be able to make such deals in similar future situations one needs to keep them. The Syrian government managed to reconcile with about 1,500 towns and local areas that had taken part in the insurgency against it. It promised an amnesty for the fighters and reestablishment of public services. If it would have broken this contract with some of the first areas that took part in it, others would never have agreed to such deals but would have fought down to the last man, woman and child. The Syrian government also offered safe passage to al-Qaeda held Idleb for various Jihadist groups in besieged areas. It stuck to those deals and never attacked the departing enemies. This enabled it to make more such deals. Large parts of Homs, Aleppo and Damascus thereby returned to government control without destructive fighting. In Tabqa the U.S. military broke the deal and the word its Kurdish allies had given to ISIS when the deal was made. It tracked and killed those who were guaranteed safe passage, likely from U.S. helicopters of jets. Like me, the Wall Street Journal found this odd. It asked the Pentagon for an explanation: This was an agreement for them to leave the Tabqa Dam and to leave the remaining portions of the city they held, but it doesnt change the fact that when we see ISIS fighters on the battlefield and we have a clean shot at them, we will continue to take it, [Pentagon spokesman Capt. Jeff Davis] said. Capt. Davis declined to answer whether the U.S. is bound in any way when an ally like the Syrian Defense Forces make an agreement on the battlefield. I think SDF let them have safe passage out of Tabqa, but once they continued on the battlefield, I dont know if thats something were required to honor, he said. The U.S. military did not hit the ISIS group "on the battlefield". Its own press releases quoted above said it "tracked fleeing fighters and targeted those". Those ISIS people were not fighting. The were not on the immediate battlefield. They were not "fleeing" either. They had been guaranteed safe passage. I have yet to see a comment from the Kurdish commanders on the ground who made the deal, or from the U.S. special forces embedded with them. If I were in their place I would be furious. The breaking of this deal guarantees that no future deals can be made. ISIS fighters would never again feel bound to them. They will now kill hostages, not negotiate about them. They will blow up infrastructure instead of accepting deals about preserving it in exchange for safe passage. The Kurdish soldiers on the ground will have to bleed for this stupidity. This was some extremely short sighted and vindictive behavior by the U.S. commanders of the overall operation. The WSJ points out that the problem is wider. The U.S. military itself urges ISIS fighters to surrender, but has no idea what it would do should they actually do so: Pentagon officials have said in the past that Islamic State fighters can surrender on the battlefield, but haven't provided details on how such negotiations might proceed, or who would take the lead on such matters since local forces lead the fight in Syria and Iraq. "..those who do not surrender to the Iraqi security forces will be killed there, Col. John Dorrian, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria said in February. The U.S.-led coalition didnt respond to a request for comment or an explanation of policy. It would be very helpful for the Kurdish and Iraqi forces on the ground if they would have clear public guidelines for handling surrendering enemies. But the U.S. command seems to have none of those for them. This will lead to a TINA mentality: "there is no alternative, we'll have to kill them all" on both sides of the fight. In terms of propaganda this will work to ISIS' favor. Instead of TV pictures of demoralized, defeated and surrendering ISIS fighters the relevant public will see more ISIS "martyrs" who "heroically" blow themselves up as the only way out. This will reinforcing ISIS' apocalyptic message. Posted by b on May 14, 2017 at 13:49 UTC | Permalink Comments
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Mount Pleasant, SC (29464)
Today
Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..
Tonight
Rain showers early will evolve into a more steady rain overnight. Low 64F. Winds NNE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
EOG Resources collected its first profit in nearly two years in the first quarter, wringing money from a revived oil patch amid higher energy prices, the company said.
The Houston oil explorer pumped more oil than ever as it slashed the costs of bringing wells into production in Texas and North Dakota.
Michael Ciaglo/Staff
Tenaris, which makes piping and steel for oil and gas wells, is perhaps a bit of both as well as brave.
The Argentinian company began building a $1.8 billion oil and gas pipe mill near Houston when oil prices were booming and then opted to press ahead during the bust. Now the anticipated opening of the state-of-the-art plant in September coincides with the resurgence in onshore oil and gas drilling in Oklahoma and Texas, particularly in the Permian Basin.
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Firefighters in West Melbourne are battling a brush fire in an area near the intersection of Carriage Gate and Minton Road.
According to the Florida Forest Service, the fire is 25 acres in size. Originally, the agency estimated the fire to be 40 acres. As of 7:30 p.m., the fire was 70 percent contained.
More video from #WestMelbourneFire off Minton Road and Carriage @MyNews13 no evacuations at this time. pic.twitter.com/jLIO9gD4FT Caitlin Wilson (@Cait_TVReporter) May 14, 2017
Wind and dry conditions are playing a factor in firefighters being able to get the fire under control.
No evacuations were ordered, according to Brevard County Fire Rescue.
For Carmel Brown, a teacher at Greater Palm Bay Elementary School, the fire is too close for comfort.
"I was nervous," she said. "I was really nervous."
The school where Brown teach is near the brush fire.
"I just stayed here and I watched and I did a prayer," she said. "I said 'Lord, please don't let our school go down.'"
Multiple agencies are working the fire, including the Palm Bay Fire Department and the Melbourne Fire Department.
They used tractors to plow lines through the dirt to ensure the fire wouldn't spread.
Firefighters will monitor the fire through the night and plan to do mop ups on Monday.
Crews are also battling multiple fires in the Palm Bay area, which were reported around the same time.
ARLINGTON, Texas Not all is wrong in Oaklands bullpen, despite some recent lapses. The As have some strong performers, too, and none perhaps has been more important than left-hander Daniel Coulombe.
Coulombe flies a little under the radar, but with Sean Doolittle out for an unknown time with a shoulder injury, Coulombe is the lone lefty, and he has been faring well. He came into Saturdays game in the eighth with men at the corners and two outs and got Shin-Soo Choo to ground out. Coulombe is holding lefties to a .136 average after entering Sundays game in the eighth and striking out Joey Gallo.
Opponents are 1-for-17 against him with runners in scoring position, putting him among the top five in the AL.
Its a different role for him now, more of a matchup-type thing, manager Bob Melvin said. Maybe we have to start moving him in there a little more so. ... He hasnt been in that role before; not only does he have to get comfortable with it, I have to be comfortable with it. When he goes in and does what he did (Saturday) night ... it makes you that much more confident.
Coulombe might get used quite a bit at Seattle this week, especially if left-handed-hitting Robinson Cano or Kyle Seager is up in a big situation late.
Oaklands bullpen has allowed 10 runs in the past three games and has blown six of 14 save opportunities, but the team could get a key reliever back this week: Melvin said setup man John Axford, on the disabled list all season with a shoulder injury, might need only one more rehab outing.
Melvin said its possible that if all continues to go well, Axford could come off the DL on the next homestand, which begins Thursday.
Briefly: The Chronicle has learned that catcher Bruce Maxwell was optioned to Nashville to make room for Monday starter Sean Manaea to come off the DL. In addition, left-hander Ross Detwiler , who had a 1.17 ERA in May with Nashville, opted out of his deal, according to a source, and was granted his release. ... Nashville outfielder Andrew Lambo was released.
Susan Slusser is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.
On deck
Monday
at Seattle
7:10 p.m. NBCSCA
Manaea (1-2) vs. Gallardo (1-3)
Tuesday
at Seattle
7:10 p.m. NBCSCA
Triggs (5-2) vs.
De Jong (0-3)
Wednesday
at Seattle
7:10 p.m. NBCSCA
Hahn (1-2) vs. Bergman (0-1)
Leading off
Mariners moves: The As head to Seattle next. The Mariners have made 64 transactions in 43 days. Seattle has used nine starters, and 12 players on the 25-man roster have less than a year of major-league experience.
Susan Slusser
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After suffering three strokes in a year, Jacki Burke was ready to chill out and go back to doing what she loved: owning a local ice cream shop. The Plantersville resident first opened Jacki's Ice Cream Hutt in 2008, then again in October 2016 after her doctor recommended she leave the car business for a less stressful job.
Opening the shop for a second time in the small town of Plantersville, population roughly 200, was a natural decision for Burke. She said there are no kid-friendly businesses in the area, so it is her dream to create a "hot spot" for children and families to enjoy the sweeter things in life.
While many Magnolia residents groan and pull away from the traffic chaos that comes with the Texas Renaissance Festival, Burke incorporates and welcomes it with Jacki's Ice Cream Hutt & CJ's Ye Olde Sweets.
The turquoise house is smaller than the original ice cream shop, only occupying roughly 300 square feet in Renaissance Business Park - but that is just the way Burke likes it. The menu features such medieval-inspired delights as the double banana split Pigs Trough and the Jester's Delight, which is ice cream with hot fudge and a brownie.
Not only does the shop serve Blue Bell Ice Cream with numerous toppings, but it offers other treats shipped in from across the country. The goal is to obtain candies not found at a local grocer, Burke said, which is why the shop orders pretzel and cookie cones from Philadelphia and specialty candy shipped from Michigan and New Jersey.
But reopening a small ice cream shop did not come easy. For one, side effects of Burke's strokes include forgetting names and some short- and long-term memory loss. Sometimes, Burke said, she will begin to make a cone, then quickly forget the flavor the customer requested.
"Most people know I've had my stroke, so they know my deficits and they watch over me," Burke said. "People are very considerate, and I'm more embarrassed by it than anybody else."
It also became easier for Burke to operate the shop when Burke's friend, Sandra Allen, offered to help run it. Through it all, she tries to make Jacki's Ice Cream Hutt into a place like those she visited during her childhood, one that her 5-year-old daughter can enjoy.
"I do everything focused around the kids," Burke said. "Especially since I had my stroke, I kind of went back in childhood in some aspects, because you just forget so much of the things that you grew up with that mattered the most."
The ice cream shop offers curbside pickup for those with mobility issues, discounts for veterans and first responders, and rewards local students who make the honor roll with a free ice cream cone.
Additionally, Jacki's Ice Cream Hutt hosts family friendly events, such as an Easter Egg Hunt and a free Friday Movie Night. Overall, Burke focuses on giving and receiving good karma.
While business is sometimes slow because of the shop's remote location, Burke said as long as she makes enough to keep the lights on, she does not care about getting paid. Giving back to the community, she said, gives her a feeling of purpose.
"It may not be where I can give them a million dollars, because I sure don't have it," Burke joked. "But it's just giving back. It's the little things that mean the most, the little things are key."
Jacki's Ice Cream Hutt is in Renaissance Business Park at 17021 Village Circle in Plantersville. The business is open from 1-7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 1-5:30 p.m. Thursday, noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 1-6:30 p.m. Sunday. For more information about Friday Movie Nights and other events, call 936-314-7607.
Bob Luckey Jr. / Hearst Connecticut Media
GREENWICH A stretch of road reopened Sunday morning after a driver crashed into utility poles on Clapboard Ridge Road.
Police said two poles were damaged in the crash shortly after 5 a.m. Clapboard Ridge Road between Round Hill Road and Lake Avenue was closed until around 11:15 a.m. as crews replaced the poles.
1 Officers killed: A sheriffs deputy and a community service officer died in Modesto when their patrol car struck a building and caught fire Saturday. Stanislaus County Sheriffs Deputy Jason Garner and his passenger, Officer Raschel Johnson, were responding to a burglary call when their car swerved and hit an auto wreckage business. California Highway Patrol Officer Thomas Olsen said the patrol car was engulfed in flames by the time emergency personnel arrived at the scene. The cause of the crash is under investigation. Garner was a nine-year veteran of the department, and Johnson had worked there for 15 years.
2 Terminal relocation: A major moving day at Los Angeles International Airport went off without a hitch, managers said Saturday. Seven airlines switched terminals overnight, while Delta Air Lines completed the first of three days of moving operations. Several other airlines are moving Sunday. The relocation involves moving planes, transporting hundreds of computers and thousands of boxes, hauling furniture and changing signs. In all, 15 airlines are swapping terminals while others are switching ticket counters within terminals. The shuffle was prompted by Deltas move, and that airline is picking up the costs.
On the same day President Donald Trump plunged the nation into crisis by sacking the FBI director, a court ruling demonstrated the importance of due process for federal employees being fired.
As a political appointee, James B. Comey didn't have the same protection as civil servants. If some in Congress get their way, those regular working folks, particularly in the Department of Veterans Affairs, would be almost as defenseless as he was.
That's risky.
While the Civil Service disciplinary process can be long and slow, it protects the public, not just employees, by guarding agencies from becoming tainted by politically motivated workplace punishments.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit put a detour in efforts to fire feds faster with its decision Tuesday. It says VA senior executives can appeal terminations to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB). They were denied that right in 2014 with a law that allowed appeals to administrative judges, but not to board members.
But that detour is not the end of the road for efforts to truncate due process. Bipartisan legislation in the Senate would circumvent the ruling by eliminating any MSPB appeal, including by administrative judges, for VA senior executives.
The court case involves Sharon Helman, the former director of the VA Medical Center in Phoenix who appealed her firing. She was part of the scandal over the coverup of long patient wait times that led to the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014. Among its provisions eviscerating due process rights for VA's senior executives is one that prohibits their appeals of administrative judge rulings regarding personnel actions to the board.
The court ruling "strengthens the rights of our civil servants," said Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, D-Va. "While I supported the legislation as it applied uniquely to the VA to ensure badly needed accountability among senior managers I respect the logic underpinning the court's opinion."
Helman argued, and the court agreed, that a provision in the 2014 law violated the Constitution's Appointments Clause by blocking presidentially appointed officers, in this case the board members. The decision did not overturn her dismissal, but it does allow the MSPB to consider her case. That's more theoretical than real, however, because the three-member board has only one, not enough for a quorum.
"Great day in America," was Senior Executives Association President Bill Valdez's reaction to the ruling. The association agrees federal employees should be held accountable, but there are "sufficient structures in place to do that," Valdez said, adding procedures should be uniform across government.
Veterans Affairs Secretary David J. Shulkin did not rejoice. The "ruling underscores yet again the need for swift congressional action to afford the Secretary effective and defensible authority to take timely and meaningful action against VA employees whose conduct or performance undermines Veterans' trust in VA care or services," his statement said.
Sens. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, agreed with Shulkin.
"Any appeals by senior VA executives would no longer be brought before the Merit Systems Protection Board, but instead would be handled directly by the VA secretary under an expedited timeline," explains a statement about legislation they and others introduced Thursday.
That essentially makes the boss, who fires employees, both prosecutor and judge. Judicial review would remain an option, but that's a more complicated and expensive avenue than the administrative remedy MSPB provides.
Speeding discipline sounds good, but what would an abbreviated due process mean for employee rights and, ultimately, a nonpartisan workforce?
"You're eliminating two layers of review," said Debra D'Agostino, a lawyer with the Federal Practice Group, referring to administrative judges and the MSPB. "I think it would be a big decrease" in workplace protections.
The House has approved the VA Accountability First Act that would expedite firings of employees at VA, which is the guinea pig for rash measures. It would lower the department's burden of proof against employees in some instances and significantly reduce the amount of time allowed for appeals, including MSPB decisions.
"Now more than ever, we must uphold the principle that there be strong safeguards protecting the civil service from politically motivated firing," said J. David Cox Sr., president of the American Federation of Government Employees that represents VA employees, but not its senior executives.
"Under the legislation being considered, nurses, housekeepers, and cemetery workers at the VA could be fired with the same ease that President Trump fired Mr. Comey," Cox added about House and Senate bills. "The case against them can be as weak and 'trumped up' as the reasons cited in the president's termination notice to Mr. Comey."
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Two women were arrested Wednesday in connection with the fatal stabbing of a man on the South Side in October.
Rosalinda Zertuche Garza, 31, and Brenda Sanchez, 34, now face one charge of capital murder each in connection with the death of Augustin Lopez-Martinez. They were booked into the Bexar County Jail on $500,000 bonds.
RELATED: 4th suspect arrested in alleged NE Side gang rape, kidnapping of woman at gunpoint
According to indictments for Garza and Sanchez, the women allegedly killed Lopez-Martinez during a robbery attempt around 3:30 a.m. on October 10.
A third suspect, 29-year-old Luis Sanchez Jr., is also named in the documents.
A witness who notified police about the stabbing said Lopez-Martinez had been banging on his door, trying to get in. The witness looked out his front window and saw Lopez-Martinez lying on the ground with another man in a white T-shirt standing over him, according to police records.
RELATED: Man accused of sexually assaulting 15-year-old arrested again after 7 months on the run
By the time the witness had opened the front door, the man in the white T-shirt, who is now believed to be Sanchez Jr., had fled.
Paramedics found several stab wounds, apparently from a knife, on Lopez-Martinez's body. He was taken to University Hospital in critical condition, where he later died.
Nine days after the attack, San Antonio police released a photo of Sanchez and asked for the public's help in identifying him.
He was arrested in February by another agency, according to police, and was extradited by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office.
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Twitter: @calebjdowns
A San Antonio police officer was dragged nearly 40 feet late Saturday night as he was investigating a suspicious vehicle parked behind a PetSmart on the far Northwest Side.
Authorities said the officer was responding to a burglary call at 11:45 p.m. when he noticed a suspicious white Toyota Camry parked behind the PetSmart in the 11000 block of Bandera Road near Loop 1604.
San Antonio police are searching for a gunman following an incident Sunday morning where an officer was shot at while responding to a burglary call.
Police say as the officer was walking up the stairs to a second-floor unit of an apartment complex on the Far West Side when shots were fired.
What is the purpose of preserving the Alamo? Is it not to give the visitor a feeling and grasp of what took place in 1836?
I have visited the Alamo three times over the years, and each so-called upgrade made the Alamo more sterile. Please do not redesign the Alamo to be more glitzy and tourist-friendly, as so many of our historical monuments have been. Think back to the way the Alamo was and preserve that image as much as possible.
Sometimes, it is true that less is more.
Marvin Rapp, Clitherall, Minnesota
Politics over science
Re: 50 programs scrapped at the Environmental Protection Agency, Nation & World, April 23:
This story details the dismissal of five members of the EPA Science Advisory Board, an action that appears to be a political move intended to weaken science and promote business interests. I read that Rep. Lamar Smith questions the independence of the scientists on the EPA board, and recent legislation allows replacing academic scientists with industry representatives.
Regulated industries already have an outsized influence because they have the resources and personnel to fight regulations. Stacking these boards with industry representatives will tilt the balance away from sound science and harm the health and welfare of all Americans. This dismissal was made possible by legislation designed to move away from science-based decision-making and allow the fox into the henhouse.
Kevin M. Henning, Boerne
Seniors in school
Re: Americans living longer, better, Larry P. Johnson, Another View, May 6:
Larry, I always enjoy reading your column. You recently wrote about people living longer and how productive active seniors can be, especially the contributions they continue to make.
You wrote about seniors taking classes, but I want to add there is much more available to fellow Texans. In this state, any resident 65 or older can take up to six hours of higher education at no cost each semester at any public-supported state institution. These courses can be taken for credit or audited. Institutions usually state that seniors can take courses on a space-available basis, but that decision is usually left up to the professor.
As a professor myself for many years, I welcomed seniors. At the beginning of the course, young students would almost ignore the seniors, but as the course progressed and they listened to each other, the young students looked forward to their input and insight. They learned from each other. When a senior was absent, the young students missed them, viewing them as an inspiration, as well they should.
So many seniors are not aware that college courses are available to them. There needs to be more publicity about this.
You possess great insight. Keep up the good work.
B.S. Caldwell, Pipe Creek
Simplify the vote
Now that the races for mayor and many council positions are headed for runoffs, the first order of business for the new council should be to institute preferential voting for future elections.
When multiple candidates are splitting the votes, the rational way to sort them out is for voters to initially indicate their first, second and third choice. Then the elections administrator applies basic arithmetic to find the candidate with the highest score.
That will eliminate the need for runoff elections and the extra expense to taxpayers. It would also make Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanens life easier!
Nick Lee
Move over, James
James Buchanan, our 15th president, has long been considered our worst chief executive, due to general ineptitude and his refusal to head off the Civil War. His place in executive incompetence is now being threatened by the present incumbent.
Donald Trump has alienated the second largest religion in the world by blocking the entrance of Muslim refugees, until he himself was blocked by court orders. This, of course, was a great help to ISIS in its efforts to convince Muslims our country is at war with Islam.
He also disregards the painstaking work of scientists all over the world, calling climate change a big hoax because it still gets cold in New York in the winter. Then he spews random accusations, sneers at federal judges, and scorns anyone who disagrees with him.
Buchanan, despite being out of his depth as a president, was a gentleman who told the truth and treated people decently. Trump brags about grabbing women by their private parts and lies almost every time he opens his mouth.
Move over, Mr. Buchanan. Youve lost your position in history.
Steven Botts
Evolving dictator
The most dangerous man in America is Donald Trump. He might call himself president, but he is a dictator in the making. He is already the ultimate liar and shows no respect for anyone in authority in Washington. His respect seems to be resserved for foreign dictators, like Russias Vladimir Putin and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, whom he invited to the White House.
My question is, why are Republicans in Congress making excuses for him and watching him dismantle government, one rule at a time?
His addiction to executive orders is scary. If he could, I am sure he would write one to abolish all authority except his own. The name president is becoming a nice term for dictator.
Leafy M. Travis
What happened?
I used to think San Antonio was such a beautiful city and Houston was so dirty and trashy-looking.
Well, the tables have turned! Trash, weeds and potholes on our city highways make Houston look like the Emerald City!
Honestly, are we trying to attract tourists?
Maria Q. Martinez
Were entering the final week of the upfronts, the process by which various providers reveal whats canceled, whats renewed and what new shows are on tap for the fall season. So well pause from offering info on whats on Monday to give you an idea of what will still be on or not in the fall season.
ABC has canceled some shows, renewed several others, and there arent really any surprises. Of the cancellations, I cant cry over the departures of Dr. Ken, Imaginary Mary, Secrets and Lies or The Catch, although Dr. Ken was a hit for a minute and The Catch had potential that never quite clicked. Last Man Standing is done after six seasons, which is part of the reason Dr. Ken isnt going forward.
I am sorry about the cancellation of John Ridleys American Crime, an unusually smart, well-written and well-acted anthology series with one of the greatest core casts anyone could ever want in a show: Felicity Huffman, Lili Taylor, Regina King, Connor Jessup, Timothy Hutton and others. King won Emmys for her various roles, and Huffman was nominated, and so deserving.
I never felt that ABC quite knew what to do with this show. There was an odd tentativeness about it when they started it three seasons ago. Personally, I think it was just too sophisticated for them, and it was never given the right time slot.
Also canceled, The Real ONeals, which probably deserved more support from the network. The shows star, Noah Galvin, did a really bratty interview with Vulture in 2016, making disparaging remarks about Colton Haynes coming-out process. Some members of the LGBT audience were pissed off about that interview, and no doubt they were part of the core audience for the show. It deserved a shot, though. Good ensemble cast, and Galvin may be a jerk, but he was an appealing star. Yes, he copped to being a jerk and apologized. Martha Plimpton was, as usual, fantastic.
The bland, chirpy American Housewife got a renewal order, as did major duh alert Designated Survivor. Also coming back: Scandal, but its seventh season will be its last; Black-Ish, The Middle, The Goldbergs, Agents of SHIELD, Greys Anatomy, Speechless, Fresh Off the Boat, How to Get Away With Murder, Modern Family, etc.
Still unannounced at this writing: the fate of Quantico which is presumed to be safe for renewal.
CBS has cancelled 2 Broke Girls, but renewed Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-O, Mom, Madam Secretary, Code Black, Life in Pieces, all three NCIS dramas, Scorpion, Zoo, Bull, MacGyver, Kevin Can Wait, Man With a Plan, The Good Fight Elementary, The Amazing Race and Superior Donuts. Among the CBS shows whose fate is still unknown is The Odd Couple. Over the weekend, CBS killed The Great Indoors, after one season. CBS holds its upfront presentation on Wednesday, May 17.
Fox will hold its upfront Monday, May 15, but so far, the network has axed three first-season shows: Making History (which I kind of liked), Zorn (which I kind of detested) and APB (at which I kind of shrugged). Also axed: Rosewood and Sleepy Hollow.
Renewed Fox shows include Gotham, Last Man on Earth, The Simpsons, The Exorcist, Empire, Star, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mick, Lucifer and Lethal Weapon. New Girl has been renewed for one last season, its seventh. Bones ended after 12 seasons. The fate of the rest of the shows should be known today, including Bobs Burgers, Family Guy, Scream Queens, Wayward Pines, Prison Break, Shots Fired and 24 Legacy.
NBC also has its upfront presentation scheduled for Monday, May 15. The new comedy Great News, starring Andrea Martin, has been picked up for a second season, which is also in the major duh category not just because its a funny show and Martin kills, but because Tina Fey is among the producers of the show. NBC also OKd a fifth season for The Blacklist, but dumped Blacklist Redemption after one season. Renewed shows so far include three of the Chicago dramas from Dick Wolf, but the jury is still out on the very weak Chicago Justice. Also renewed: Law & Order: SVU, The Night Shift, Blindspot, Shades of Blue, Superstore, The Good Place, Taken and This Is Us.
Canceled so far are Emerald City and Powerless. Timeless was also canceled...for a couple of days, but NBC reversed that decision this weekend and has okayed a second season. Im kind of glad, but its up to the showrunners to pump more life into it. The cast is superb and has great chemistry, but theres a bit of same old, same old from episode to episode.
The Carmichael Show is still awaiting a verdict, but Id be surprised and disappointed if it was canceled.
The CW will bring the 2017 upfronts to a close on Thursday, but much of its plan for the fall is already known. Renewed shows include Arrow, The 100, Supernatural, Crazy Ex Girlfriend, Jane the Virgin, iZombie, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, The Originals and Riverdale. Reign and Vampire Diaries both ended this season.
Canceled CW shows include Frequency and No Tomorrow.
In non-upfront news, The Hollywood Reporter says Jason Bateman has sealed the deal on a long-rumored season 5 of Arrested Development for Netflix.
David Wiegand is an assistant managing editor and the TV critic of The San Francisco Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook. Email: dwiegand@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @WaitWhat_TV
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(Natural News) Its amazing how even though Barack Obama is no longer the president of the United States, he still finds ways to remind us of just how self-inflated and egotistical he is. Obama lived like a king throughout his entire presidency, and even though hes been officially out of the Oval Office for nearly four months now, he is still refusing to give up the crown.
Earlier this month, Barack Obama gave a speech on climate change at the Global Food Innovation Summit in Milan, Italy. While the speech itself was naturally riddled with lies, propaganda and scare tactics, the real crime was the way in which Obama traveled to Italy. You see, normal transportation is not good enough for the former president; to him, thats reserved for the lesser folk. Instead, Obama preferred a fuel-guzzling private jet to get to Europe, followed by a 14 car convoy escorted by 300 police officers and a helicopter, all so that he could deliver his Alinsky-style speech on climate change. As seen in this video, the convoy consisted of multiple SUVs, police cars, sedans and a few motorcycles.
The irony of this situation is almost overwhelming. How much carbon dioxide did Obamas private jet throw into the atmosphere while on his way to lecture the rest of us on the dangers of carbon dioxide? How much pollution was emitted from the 14 cars and the helicopter that were used to escort Obama to a speech on the dangers of pollution? You just cant make this stuff up.
But Barack Obamas method of transportation wasnt the only hypocrisy on display at the Milan summit. At one point during his speech, the former president took a moment to warn people about the dangers of eating meat, which according to him is causing a dramatic rise in climate emissions. As reported by Breitbart News, Obama said, As people want to increase meat consumption, that in turn is spiking the growth of greenhouse emissions coming out of the agricultural sector. He went on to say, People arent as familiar with the impact of cows and methane, meaning that the methane gas produced by large herds of cattle is having an increased effect on global pollution.
The man of hope and change argued that while an increase in meat consumption is inevitable over the coming years, there are still steps that can be taken to decrease the amount of methane being sent into the atmosphere. For example, Obama said that more advanced countries could teach their people to have a smaller steak and minimize their overall meat consumption.
True to form, Barack Obama has once again suggested that more government and an expansion of the nanny state is the solution to all of our problems. But even more than that, there is something incredibly hypocritical about Obama lecturing us on how much meat we can consume. How many times has Barack Obama been seen in public eating a big fat juicy burger or a thick steak with a side of fries? How many steaks were cooked up for him during Obamas time in the White House? According to Sam Kass, Barack Obamas former chef, the answer is thousands of steaks.
Kass was with Barack Obama for part of his speech in Milan, and hilariously, the two of them got into a mini argument at one point over just how many steaks Chef Kass had cooked over the course of Obamas two terms. I dont think thousands, Obama said in response to his former chef. Well hundreds maybe, Kass replied. Ive been cooking for you for ten years.
So Barack Obama lectures us on the dangers of carbon dioxide while throwing several tons of the pollutant into the atmosphere just hours prior. Then he tells us to eat less steak, even though he himself has eaten hundreds or even thousands over the past ten years. It must be nice to be king.
Sources:
IJR.com
Breitbart.com
(Natural News) Some of the biggest fruit orchards in the U.S. may soon use robots in harvesting fruits, as two robotics firms are currently developing machines that could accelerate fruit picking. Mechanical harvesting has become a staple practice in many farms for crops such as wheat, corn, green beans, tomatoes and others. However, the harvesting of fragile, easily-perishable crops such as apples, berries, table grapes and lettuce are still done through manual labor. Fruit orchards in Washington state alone require thousands of farm workers to do the harvesting.
Israel-based FFRobotics noted that human pickers are getting scarce, with many young people shying away from farm work. The firm also stressed that elderly pickers are slowly retiring. In line with this, the company is currently working on a machine with three-fingered grips designed to grab fruit and twist or clip it from a branch. According to company co-founder Gad Kober, the machine will feature between four and 12 robotic arms, and can harvest as many as 10,000 apples an hour. The machine would also be able to harvest 85 to 90 percent of the crop off trees. The remaining crops could then be manually harvested by workers, Kober noted. On the other hand, California-based Abundant Robotics is developing a machine that makes use of suction technology to vacuum apples off trees. Plans for machine production were discussed in February at an international convention of fruit growers. The company aims to launch the robotic harvesters in the market before 2019.
The two robotics companies are likely to achieve their production targets, with both prototypes projected to be released this fall, according to Karen Lewis. Lewis is a Washington State University cooperative extension agent who assessed the use of robotics in fruit orchards. Lewis also noted that while the machines will serve as game changers in harvesting, fruit orchards across the country may be required to cultivate fruits in new trellis systems to allow the machines to see and harvest the crops.
Experts raise flags on potential losses in migrant laborers
Despite the agricultural advances, the announcement did not sit well with many agricultural experts. According to experts, robot pickers will negatively impact the livelihood of farm workers especially the migrant labor sector, many of whom have been illegally working in the U.S. An analysis by the Pew Research Center revealed that unauthorized immigrant workers accounted for 17 percent of the workforce in the U.S. agriculture industry in 2014.
Washington has long suffered from human power shortages, and has greatly depended on immigrant workers from Mexico to harvest many crops. According to Erik Nicholson, an official with the United Farm Workers union, the eventual loss of jobs among human pickers will have huge implications. Nicholson estimated that about half of Washingtons farm workers are illegal immigrants. However, he stressed that many of them have settled in the state and were productive members of the society. They are scared of losing their jobs to mechanisation [sic]. A robot is not going to rent a house, buy clothing for their kids, buy food in a grocery and reinvest that money in the local economy, Nicholson was quoted in DailyMail.co.uk.
President Donald trumps hard-hitting policies against illegal migrant workers have had farms and orchards scrambling for alternative harvesting methods. Some farms have purchased new equipment in order to cut back on human resources. Other farms have even lobbied with federal officials for deals that would limit the negative effects of recent policies on their livelihoods. Jim McFerson, head of the Washington State Tree Fruit Research Centre, stressed that the recent immigration conundrum is now a matter of survival for many farmers.
Sources include:
DailyMail.co.uk
PewHispanic.org
North Korea on Sunday test-launched a ballistic missile that flew for half an hour and reached an unusually high altitude before landing in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese and U.S. militaries said. The launch, which Tokyo said could be of a new type of missile, is a direct challenge to the new South Korean president elected four days ago and comes as U.S., Japanese and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific.
It wasn't immediately clear what type of ballistic missile was launched, the seventh such firing this year, although the U.S. Pacific Command said that "the flight is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile." Japanese officials, however, said the missile flew for about 30 minutes, traveling about 800 kilometers (500 miles) and reaching an altitude of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles) a flight pattern that could indicate a new type of missile.
David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said that the missile could have a range of 4,500 kilometers (about 2,800 miles) if flown on a standard, instead of a lofted, trajectory considerably longer than Pyongyang's current missiles. He said Sunday's launch may have been of a new mobile, two-stage liquid-fueled missile North Korea displayed in a huge April 15 military parade.
The estimated range of the North's Musudan missile is about 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles), Wright said. That's a little less than the distance between North Korea and the U.S. Pacific island of Guam. A North Korean missile would need to travel more than 8,000 kilometers (4,970 miles) to reach the U.S. West Coast.
Outside militaries and experts will closely analyze what the North fired. While Pyongyang regularly tests shorter-range missiles, it is also working to master the technology needed to field nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. Past North Korean missiles have flown farther than Sunday's test, landing closer to Japan, but this launch follows a series of high-profile failures.
The White House said in a statement that North Korea has been "a flagrant menace for far too long," and that South Korea and Japan have been watching the situation closely with the United States.
The statement says Washington maintains its "ironclad commitment" to stand with its allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea. The latest "provocation" should serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against the North, it said.
Whatever the type of missile, the launch forces the new South Korean leader, Moon Jae-in, to put dealing with Pyongyang, at least for now, above the domestic economic agenda he'd made a priority during his early days in office.
Moon, who favors a softer approach to the North than his conservative predecessors, strongly condemned the launch during an emergency national security meeting, calling it a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a serious challenge to international peace and security, according to senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan.
"The president expressed deep regret over the fact that this reckless provocation ... occurred just days after a new government was launched in South Korea," Yoon told a televised conference. "The president said we are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating."
South Korea's military warned that North Korea will face an unspecified "strong punishment" by Seoul and Washington if it continues provocations.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the launch was "absolutely unacceptable" and that Japan will respond resolutely. Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said North Korea might have launched a "new type of missile," given the altitude and duration of its flight. But she said more analysis was needed.
Inada's remarks suggest the missile might have been on a "lofted" trajectory, meaning it could have a far longer range than it actually flew. Japan's Kyodo News said the missile may be capable of covering a range as far as 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) if launched at a normal trajectory, citing unidentified sources.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired early Sunday morning from near Kusong, in North Phyongan province.
North Korea's past satellite rocket launches have been called clandestine tests of ICBM technology, but it is not believed to have tested a true intercontinental ballistic missile yet. The Trump administration has called North Korean ballistic and nuclear efforts unacceptable and has swung between threats of military action and offers to talk as it formulates a policy.
The North's state media said Saturday the nation will bolster its nuclear capability unless the United States abandons its hostile policy.
"The United States should never expect us to give up our nuclear capability," the main Rodong newspaper said in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency. It said President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure and engagement" policy is only aimed at "stifling us" and will compel the North to "strengthen our nuclear deterrent at the maximum speed."
The launch also comes as troops from the U.S., Japan and two European nations gather near Guam for drills that are partly a message to North Korea. The USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft supercarrier, is also engaging with South Korean navy ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry.
Moon, the first liberal leader in Seoul in nearly a decade, said as he took his oath of office that he'd be willing to visit the North if the circumstances were right. Trump has also said he'd be "honored" to talk with leader Kim Jong Un under favorable conditions.
On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat in charge of U.S. relations, Choe Son Hui, told reporters in Beijing that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set." She did not elaborate.
Associated Press writer Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
The 29th Annual Candlelight Vigil at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial honored 394 officers who have died in the line of duty.
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly spoke at the event and lead the crowd in the candle lighting.
"We mourn these fallen officers. We cannot avoid this dark truth," Sessions said. "We are here because these men and women gave everything, gave their very lives, for us."
The names of 394 officers that were killed in the line of duty were read out loud, 143 of those officers have died last year. The other 251 died before 2016, but their names had never been added to the memorial.
"We gather tonight on the National Mall, under the shadows of two of this citys most recognizable monuments, joined by the need and desire, the privilege, to honor the 21,183 names on the sacred Memorial walls," said Craig W. Floyd, President and CEO of the Memorial Fund.
With this year's additions, there are now 21,183 names engraved on the memorial. The names represent all 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, federal law enforcement and military police agencies.
"We dedicate the names of the 394 officers added this year to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial, recognizing the sacrifices these men and women made to protect their country and communities," Floyd said.
Twenty-four officers from Texas were added at Saturday's memorial, including the five that were killed in the July 2016 ambush in Downtown Dallas.
An estimated 30,000 people attended the ceremony, including surviving family members, friends and law enforcement colleagues, according to the Memorial Fund's press release.
Activists marched the streets of Miami Saturday urging the Department of Homeland Security to renew Temporary Protected Status for Haitians.
Organizations from across South Florida rallied alongside TPS recipients outside of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, located at 8801 NW 7th Ave., calling for an extension of TPS-- which is set to expire July 22.
"I have friends and I have family who are now facing deportation and this is why I'm here today," said Haitian demonstrator Eltard Alexis.
Earlier this week, Secretary John Kelly asked Department of Homeland Security staff for the criminal history of thousands of Haitians living in the United States on protected immigration status.
Federal law regarding TPS does not specify a recipient's behavior as criteria for extending the program. Those who receive the status immigration are heavily screened before they are granted the protected status, according to immigration experts.
Congress created TPS back in 1990 for people whose countries are too devastated by political or natural disasters to safely return. The Obama administration granted temporary protective status to Haiti in 2010 after a massive earthquake devastated the island-nation, killing an estimated 220,000 and displacing 1.5 million.
"The situation on the ground in Haiti is not the type of situation you want to send people back to," said Pedro Gassant with the Haitian Lawyers Association. "You have about 58,000 Haitians who have temporary protective status on the basis of the earthquake that occurred in 2010 and last year in the fall you had a significant hurricane that occurred that has displaced entire villages."
Gassant says Haitian immigrants see the United States as a country of hope, change, and economic stability. now their calling on President Donald Trump to extend TPS.
Demonstrators say they can not ignore the TPS issue given the large Haitian community in South Florida.
"We are l'union fait la force," Gassant said. "We believe in unity. Unity is strength and that's on our flag because we believe with unity we can accomplish anything and that's why we're here today."
Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk can claim a perhaps unparalleled string of visionary company creations -- PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, The Boring Company.
The Boring Company?
"We're trying to dig a hole under LA," Musk explained during a recent TED Talk interview.
WARNING: The video below contains flashing lights, which has potential to induce motion sickness and/or seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised.
WARNING: The video above contains flashing lights, which has potential to induce motion sickness and/or seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. Viewer discretion is advised. Soon you might be able to get from Westwood to LAX in about six minutes with the help of Elon Musk's electric sled. Patrick Healy reports for NBC4 News at 5 on Friday, May 12, 2017.
After months of social media musing on tunneling to escape traffic congestion in metropolitan Los Angeles, Musk is moving ahead with test boring in a Hawthorne parking lot across Crenshaw Boulevard from SpaceX.
It appears to be a step toward what Musk foresees as a "3D network of tunnels to alleviate congestion." What Musk calls "electric sleds" would carry cars piggyback through the tunnels at speeds up to 125 mph.
Going from Westwood to LAX would take six minutes or less, Musk predicted.
Cars could access and depart the tunnels through roadside auto elevators, each of which Musk said would require the room of only two parking spaces. The scenario is depicted in an animation video posted on The Boring Company's website.
Musk contends that unlike surface roadways, underground you need never run out of room to add lanes, because you can simply go down another level.
But transportation engineers have doubts about the feasibility of Musk's tunnel vision, and apart from benefiting the tunnel users, how much it would reduce traffic and improve transit overall.
"How such a narrow system could contribute to that is not clear to me," said Jim Moore, director of the USC Viterbi Transportation Engineering Program. Be that as it may, Moore said he considers Musk a "bona fide genius," and applauded his investing in researching such a novel approach.
Musk believes autonomous driving technology will enable car travel to be more efficient, and that cars -- not public transit -- will continue to carry a large percentage of ground travelers.
A major obstacle to underground travel is the cost of boring tunnels. The cost of new underground transit lines runs into the billions of dollars.
Musk said the Boring Company is focusing on ways to improve technology and efficiency enough to reduce cost by at least tenfold.
An inquiry to The Boring Company for detail on what is being done at the Crenshaw site elicited a response from sister company SpaceX--but no comments on the record. It appears the current work east of Crenshaw is a separate project from the proposed--but yet to be started--pedestrian tunnel which the city of Hawthorned has approved to be bored beneath Crenshaw Blvd.
Musk acknowledged improvement in boring technology may have crossover benefit for another vision of his for using tunnels to speed travel: Hyperloops, in which passengers would be transported in pods at near supersonic speeds through tubes with reduced air pressure. Musk sees this as a step beyond high speed rail, such as exists in Japan and the state of California currently is constructing.
The test Hyperloop that SpaceX built in Hawthorne alongside Jack Northrop Boulevard is above ground. But future Hyperloops for congested urban areas, such as the Washington-New York corridor, would best be placed underground, Musk said during the April TED talk recorded in Vancouver, Canada.
Musk spoke with enthusiasm for the Boring Project, but during the TED talk put it in context -- at this point, it is receiving only 2 to 3 percent of his time.
Five people were shot at a club in south suburban Dolton early Sunday, according to police.
Around 2:45 a.m., officers responded to a call of shots fired at Club One, located in the 14100 block of S. Chicago Rd., according to Dolton Police Chief Robert Collins. [[422198734, C]]
Upon arrival, authorities discovered four men had been shot inside the two-level establishment and another outside, just half a block away.
One of the men was shot in the chest, while the others sustained gunshot wounds to the lower extremities, officials said. Four victims were taken to Christ Medical Center and the fifth to MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, according to police.
Four of the men were listed in critical condition, while the fifth victims condition was unknown. Further details on their ages and injuries were not immediately available. [[422198564, C]]
Early reports indicate that an argument broke out on the upper level of the club, authorities said. Security tried to step in to stop the fight, according to police, when gunfire erupted and chaos ensued.
Shootings inside establishments, its hard to control, Collins said. Its hard to control a crowd like that, we cant necessarily patrol inside that, were almost a reactionary force when things happen like this.
Witnesses described hearing at least 10 to 15 shots ring out, at a time when they said hundreds of people were packed into the 21 and over club. [[422197133, C]]
"It happened so fast," said CJ Spencer, who works at Club One. "It was too much going on, Im still kind of shaken up."
"Just too much blood, too much emotions," he added. "Ive never seen this happen."
Authorities said the investigation has led them to believe that the shooting was an isolated incident.
Officers are looking for at least one gunman but have not ruled out the involvement of others.
Police said they were searching for a white sedan that left the scene, when it was located around 6:45 a.m. just a few blocks away with no one inside.
No one is in custody in connection with the shooting, according to police, and detectives were reviewing security footage in the ongoing investigation.
An 18-year-old woman was killed Friday night when a 24-year-old woman repeatedly rammed her into a tree with a car on Chicago's Far South Side, according to police.
The incident occurred around 11:10 p.m. in the 11400 block of S. May St. in the city's Morgan Park neighborhood, authorities said.
The two women were in a verbal argument, according to police, when the older woman entered a vehicle and chased the victim down the sidewalk.
She then crashed into the teen, repeatedly striking her against a tree before fleeing the scene, police said.
The 18-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene, officials said. The Cook County Medical Examiner's office could not immediately confirm the fatality.
The 24-year-old woman was taken into custody and charges are pending, according to police, who continue to investigate.
Two bystanders were struck by gunfire Sunday morning in Dallas.
Dallas police said they responded at about 1 a.m. to the shooting in the 3200 block of Elsie Faye Heggins Street near Malcolm X Blvd. Two people were in the area and got into a shootout near that intersection.
The bullets from the gunfight hit a car that was nearby, hitting two bystanders.
Police said 26-year-old Dareon Merchant was killed in the shooting and 29-year-old Troylett Dorsey was injured.
Dorsey was transported to Baylor Hospital and released.
Police are still looking for the those responsible for the shooting and have not released a description.
Former Dallas Mayor Pro Tem Don Hill has died after a battle with cancer, just days after his release from federal prison.
Hill was serving 18 years for bribery and was released so that he can live with relatives.
Hill's former attorney, Ray Jackson, confirmed to NBC 5's Ken Kalthoff that Hill died this weekend.
Hill's wife and co-defendant, Sheila Farrington, also was released early from prison in February 2016 for "compassionate" reasons. She has multiple sclerosis.
County Commissioner John Wiley Price, who was recently acquitted on bribery and mail fraud charges, posted his condolences for Hill on Facebook.
"My condolences to the Hill family. This community is praying for you," Price said.
Current District 4 Councilwoman Carolyn King Arnold posted on Facebook, "Condolences to the Don Hill family.. I will certainly miss him, especially that smile."
After Hill's release was agreed upon, Dallas City Councilman Philip Kingston tweeted his support of Hill's release.
Read more about Hill's release from our media partners The Dallas Morning News.
A large fire damaged a produce warehouse near downtown Dallas that sent smoke for miles across the city.
The fire happened at American Fresh Produce near the merge of Interstate 45 and U.S. 175, south of Downtown.
Dallas Fire-Rescue confirms the roof of the building located at 2400 South Good Latimer Expressway collapsed during the fire.
The fire was initially reported at 8:38 a.m. and took more than three hours to extinguish. Three ladder trucks and more than 90 firefighters were called in to help.
Smoke could be seen for miles at one point from the fire.
No one was hurt during the fire. Crews were forced to tear what was left of the building down to extinguish the fire.
Right now crews are not sure what started the fire.
Star Alliance returned to Frankfurt, the place of its birth, to celebrate 20 years of Connecting People and Cultures. The Alliances Chief Executive Board, comprising the CEOs of all 28 member airlines, will hold its summer board meeting in Frankfurt today (May 14), during which the CEOs will be briefed on the progress of the Alliances current business plan and future strategy.
The meeting falls exactly 20 years to the day when its founder members Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, THAI and United first stunned the aviation industry with the announcement that they would come together to form the world`s first global aviation alliance.
The Alliance enters its third decade with a strong and comprehensive network serving over 1,300 destinations in 191 countries. Connectivity continues to expand by member carriers launching new routes and increasing frequencies, while network reach will grow through the addition of local and regional airlines through the Connecting Partner concept.
Against this background, the Alliances clear strategic focus has shifted from network expansion, to providing a seamless experience especially to the over 14 million annual customers who connect between member carriers on their journeys. Going forward, digital technologies will lie at the heart of this strategy.
The IT hub infrastructure, which the Alliance has put in place in recent years, has allowed for the better integration of back-end services between the member airlines. With this now in place, we can start building and offering digital applications. The new IT hub infrastructure has already enabled the Alliance to, for example, improve the reliability of such processes as through-check in for multi-carrier itineraries or ensuring fast crediting of accrued frequent flyer miles into the correct customer account.
In another Alliance first, in the unlikely case of missing miles, members in any Star Alliance frequent flyer programme (FFP) can now claim these online, through their own FFP website, even when the miles were collected on another Star Alliance member carrier flight.
The baggage hub, the most recent IT hub project, went live at the end of 2016, and facilitates baggage message transfer between the member airlines, their ground handlers and the baggage handling systems at the airports. Today it processes on average five million baggage messages a day. This allows the airlines to better steer baggage operations and to keep customers informed on the status of their bag. Once implemented across the entire network, it will become easier to give customers proactive updates on their baggage delivery status.
Using the existing IT Hub, Star Alliance has now introduced a new functionality which allows front line employees to better assist customers in case of irregularities. Should their feeder flight be delayed, the connecting boarding pass information can now be access by the airline operating the feeder flight, thus enabling a faster and simpler rebooking process. Up to now, such transactions at times still required calling the other airline involved.
To support the implementation of the new strategy, Star Alliance has restructured its Frankfurt-based headquarters operation and reorganised the Alliances management team, which now is made up of:.
As part of its customer interaction for its 20th Anniversary, Star Alliance will be running a global competition, inspired by the theme of Connecting People and Cultures, which will offer winners the chance to become a mileage millionaire. Each of the Alliances 21 FFPs is offering one million miles (or equivalent) to one competition winner.
Entrants are asked to upload a picture of themselves and to share a cultural experience they enjoyed at www.staralliance.com/mileagemillionaire. The cultural experiences will be shown on an interactive world map. The competition runs from May 14th to July 31st, 2017.
The Star Alliance FFPs are also providing some inspiration on what can be done with a million miles and are presenting some unique travel experiences at www.staralliance.com/mileagemillionaire.
In support of the 20th anniversary campaign, each of the 28 Star Alliance member carriers has come up with their own local cultural experience idea. The five founding carriers, Air Canada, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, THAI and United, have gone one step further by challenging National Geographics Travel Nomad, Robert Reid, to test their recommendations personally and report back to travellers on his experience.
A gruesome discovery south-of-the-border is highlighting a spike in homicides in Tijuana.
The details may be graphic for some.
On Thursday afternoon, authorities found a severed head outside a kindergarten in the Infonavit Lomas Verdes neighborhood.
That murder was one of five homicides reported in a single day in Tijuana, where at least 509 people have been murdered this year.
So far in May, there have been 60 killings, according to the Baja California Attorney Generals office.
That number puts Tijuana on pace to exceed last years homicide tally of 910 murders.
For comparison, 201 murders were recorded in San Diego County during a more than two-year period from January 2015 to March, 2017.
Ev Meade, director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego (USD) said homicides have increased steadily in Tijuana since 2015. Many of those homicides are the work of international drug cartels, said Meade.
But he also noted that smaller, fragmented crime groups and gangs are doing the killing, as they fight for control of the domestic drug trade, in and around Tijuana.
This is something that wasn't true in 2008,2009, said Meade, whos an expert in crime, violence and drug trafficking south-of-the-border. It was all about the international market, all about the border. Now that's changed, and it has changed all over Mexico, but Tijuana is one of the places (domestic drug violence) is really showing up.
Meade said the areas visited most often by tourists, including the busy downtown streets close to the border, the Rio shopping areas, and the Caliente race track. Those locations are still quite safe, for both tourists and Tijuana residents, he added.
The Baja Attorney General reports that most of the murders are taking place deep in the city, well south of the border, in neighborhoods like Lomas Verdes, tres de Octubre and Sanchez Taboada.
Meade says violent street gangs in those areas practice what he calls strategic terror.
Theyre trying to send a message to the population that they will not tolerate any kind of dissent, Meade explained. That means if theyre collecting protection money, you pay it.
Meade said the victims of those murders often include shop owners and professionals, who have nothing to do with drug use or trafficking.
The largest terminal relocation in the history of Los Angeles International Airport was off to a seemingly smooth start as officials reported no flight delays or cancellations Saturday connected to the giant move.
"LAX on the MOVE" began Friday night, and eight airlines will be at different terminals Saturday. When it is completed next week, 15 airlines will have relocated their operations.
Toni Guinyard
Shuttle buses wrapped in green to match the vests of volunteer wayfinders are running on the upper departure level and the lower arrivals level until midnight to assist travelers who are at the incorrect terminals.
The new airline locations have also been updated on the overhead signs throughout the Central Terminal area, according to Los Angeles World Airports spokesman Charles H. Pannunzio.
The airlines in new locations as of Saturday are Allegiant and Frontier, which have both moved from Terminal 3 to Terminal 5; Boutique Air, which has moved from Terminal 3 to Terminal 6; Sun Country, which has moved from Terminal 2 to Terminal 5; and Virgin America, which has moved from Terminal 3 to Terminal 6.
Virgin Australian will now check-in passengers at Terminal 2, but continue to stage aircraft at the Tom Bradley International Terminal. Volaris will continue to check in passengers at Terminal 2, but will stage its aircraft at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
The biggest airline relocation in LAX's history is slated to start Friday night. Flyers were advised to check their tickets before traveling. Toni Guinyard reports live for Today in LA on Friday, May 12, 2017.
Delta is in the midst of a three-night transition from Terminals 5 and 6 to Terminals 2 and 3. Delta flights arrived and departed at Terminals 3, 5 and 6 on Saturday morning.
The moves are a precursor to the Delta Sky Way at LAX -- Delta's $1.9 billion plan to renovate Terminals 2, 3 and the Tom Bradley International Terminal over the next seven years.
"Our future in Los Angeles is bright with our $1.9 billion plan for the Delta Sky Way at LAX, an unprecedented public-private partnership through which Delta will undertake the second largest private infrastructure project in the LA basin and completely redevelop Terminals 2 and 3," said Ranjan Goswami, a vice president for Delta.
"But first, we have to move into our new home. Delta has planned for this move for nearly a year, and I'm confident that our team will make this as smooth as possible for our customers. But we also need our customers to be prepared if they are traveling during the relocation."
[NATL-LA] Pork Tamales, Giant Snails, Fake Viagra and Other Busts at LAX
Passengers are strongly encouraged to check in, print or download boarding passes before leaving for the airport so they can arrive at the correct terminal for their departure.
They are also encouraged to arrive earlier than usual -- three hours for a domestic flight and four hours for an international flight. Passengers should look at new signage that will be updated nightly to reflect the moves and identify the new airline terminal locations.
Travelers are reminded to ask for help if they have problems finding their flights.
More information on the terminal relocation is available at laxishappening.com/laxonthemove.aspx.
Follow the latest updates on LAX's Twitter page.
The cyberattack that spread malicious software around the world, shutting down networks at hospitals, banks and government agencies, was thwarted by a young British researcher and an inexpensive domain registration, with help from another 20-something security engineer in the U.S.
Britain's National Cyber Security Center and others were hailing the cybersecurity researcher, a 22-year-old identified online as MalwareTech, who unintentionally at first discovered a so-called "kill switch" that halted the unprecedented outbreak.
By then the "ransomware" attack had crippled Britain's hospital network and computer systems in several countries in an effort to extort money from computer users. But the researcher's actions may have saved companies and governments millions of dollars and slowed the outbreak before computers in the U.S. were more widely affected.
Kurtis Baron of Fidus Information Security, a cyber security consultance, told NBC News that MalwareTech's name is Marcus Hutchins. Baron also said that he "doesn't doubt for a moment that Marcus, and people like him, will be getting ready to deal with a second attack."
Baron said, as others have including MalwareTech, we should be ready for for a second attack from the hackers on Monday.
MalwareTech, who works for cybersecurity firm Kryptos Logic, is part of a large global cybersecurity community who are constantly watching for attacks and working together to stop or prevent them, often sharing information via Twitter. It's not uncommon for them to use aliases, either to protect themselves from retaliatory attacks or for privacy.
In a blog post Saturday, MalwareTech explained he learned on Friday that networks across Britain's health system had been hit by ransomware, tipping him off that "this was something big."
He began analyzing a sample of the malicious software and noticed its code included a hidden web address that wasn't registered. He said he "promptly" registered the domain, something he regularly does to try to discover ways to track or stop malicious software.
Across an ocean, Darien Huss, a 28-year-old research engineer for the cybersecurity firm Proofpoint, was doing his own analysis. The western Michigan resident said he noticed the authors of the malware had left in a feature known as a kill switch. Huss took a screen shot of his discovery and shared it on Twitter.
Soon he and MalwareTech were communicating about what they'd found: That registering the domain name and redirecting the attacks to the server of Kryptos Logic had activated the kill switch, halting the ransomware's infections.
Huss and others were calling MalwareTech a hero on Saturday, with Huss adding that the global cybersecurity community was working "as a team" to stop the infections from spreading.
"The 'hero' is a bit strong," MalwareTech said Sunday. "I sort of did what I could."
Both said they were concerned the authors of the malware could re-release it without a kill switch or with a better one, or that copycats could mimic the attack.
"I think it is concerning that we could definitely see a similar attack occur, maybe in the next 24 to 48 hours or maybe in the next week or two," Huss said. "It could be very possible."
Who perpetrated this wave of attacks remains unknown. This is already believed to be the biggest online extortion attack ever recorded, disrupting services in nations as diverse as the U.S., Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Spain and India.
Europol, Europe's policing agency, called the attack unprecedented and said computers in more than 150 countries have been affected. Two security firms Kaspersky Lab and Avast said Russia was hit hardest.
These hackers "have caused enormous amounts of disruption probably the biggest ransomware cyberattack in history," said Graham Cluley, a veteran of the anti-virus industry in Oxford, England.
In Russia, government agencies insisted that all attacks had been resolved. Russian Interior Ministry, which runs the national police, said the problem had been "localized" with no information compromised. Russia's health ministry said its attacks were "effectively repelled."
The ransomware exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was purportedly identified by the U.S. National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes. Hackers said they stole the tools from the NSA and dumped them on the internet.
Officials confirmed overnight that a body found along the banks of the Delaware River is that of a missing boater.
Police say a boat overturned on the river just after 2 p.m. on Sunday near the 100 block of Mill Street in Penns Grove. Two men were on board crabbing at the time of the incident and police say they are unsure of why the 12-foot boat capsized.
#Developing Crews discover body that washed ashore. They're trying to determine if it's the missing boater. @drewsmithtv with update at 11. Denise Nakano (@DeniseNakanoTV) May 15, 2017
According to police, a 30-year-old man was able to swim back to shore unassisted. He was treated at the Memorial Hospital of Salem County for mild hypothermia.
A marine unit began a search for a second 40-year-old man who was on the boat when it capsized. Police said a neighbor on shore saw the man swimming back to shore, but he slipped under the water.
Officials have confirmed that a body as been found along the shore of the Delaware River, but have not yet confirmed if it is the body is that of a missing boater. NBC10s Drew Smith has more.
Crews called the search off for the night due to tide and wind challenges.
The body that later washed up was positively identified as family members as the missing man, Lt. John McDerby of the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police said.
According to police, neither boater had on a life preserver at the time of the incident.
A man fell three stories and was critically injured Saturday afternoon after police said someone possibly pushed him out of a window at a North Philadelphia motel.
The victim, who was not identified, fell shortly before 3 p.m. from the third floor window at Liberty Motel on Germantown Avenue. Police said he was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.
A detective at the scene told NBC10 they still don't know exactly what happened, and police did not say if anyone was arrested.
The motel has a troubled past, according to previous NBC10 reports.
Located near Broad and Westmoreland streets in the 3200 block of Germantown Avenue, police calls to the hotel was a weekly occurrence.
From 2004 to 2014, police have responded to more than 1800 calls at the motel or within a block of it, made 116 arrests for prostitution, 46 arrests for other crimes and responded to 20 deaths, mostly drug-related, according to documents obtained by NBC10 in 2015.
The motel was shut down by the city in late 2014, but reopened again in January 2015. Nearby residents said the trouble quickly returned.
Theyll move once the police come, one neighbor, Clayton Pickens, said at the time. But theyll come right back.
Check back for more details this evening as they become known.
A suburban Philadelphia judge has expunged the criminal record of a 16-year-old youth executed more than eight and one-half decades ago for the stabbing death of a matron at a school for adjudicated youth.
Attorney Robert Keller told the Delaware County Daily Times that the May 10 order by a Delaware County judge vacates the criminal record of Alexander McClay Williams but keeps the court file and docket.
Williams, who was black, was convicted of killing Vida Robare in October 1930 at the Glen Mills School for Boys and executed six weeks short of his 17th birthday.
Sam Lemon, great-grandson of his attorney, said he believes Williams was executed for a crime he didn't commit. He and Williams' now 87-year-old sister hope to have the conviction overturned eventually.
The 27th Annual Susan G. Komen Philadelphia Race for the Cure 5K Run/Walk and 1-Mile Fun Walk returns to Philadelphia Sunday at Eakins Oval near the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Septa is adding expanded service throughout the area, including the following Regional Rail stations:
Airport Terminals
Elwyn Station
Glenside Station
Marcus Hook Station
Lansdale Station
Norristown (Elm Street) Station
Malvern Station
Warminster Station
Neshaminy Falls Station
Bus Detours
Due to the race course, the following SEPTA Bus Routes will operate on a temporary detour beginning at 7:30 a.m. and continuing until 1 p.m., Sunday, May 14th. Routing will be impacted in the area of the Ben Franklin Parkway between Eakins Oval and Logan Circle, and Girard Ave. between Poplar and Lansdowne Drives.
Routes 7, 27, 32, 33, 38, 43, 48, and Trolley Route 15 (buses replace trolleys during the time noted above)
Routing will be published on System Status prior to the race. Customers should select the orange detour icon to view specific detour service information.
Travel Tips & Race Day Information
Race Day events begin at 7 a.m. with the opening ceremonies at the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps.
The 5K Run is scheduled to begin at 8:15 a.m. with the 5K Walk/1-Mile Fun Walk scheduled for 8:25 a.m.
The Independence Pass is a sure bet for savings on travel costs. Pricing varies if you are traveling as an individual or family, or from the state of New Jersey.
Learn more about the race on the official Susan G. Komen Philadelphia website.
The tragic death of a Syrian refugee teenager is leading to a wave of free swimming lessons for other refugee children across San Diego County.
Syrian teenager Mohammed Mostafa, 17, who arrived to San Diego as a refugee three months ago, drowned during his first visit to a California beach. The teenager was swept away in a strong rip current in Mission Beach in April.
Mostafa's death highlighted the need for water safety education for Syrian children who arrive in the U.S., unable to swim.
As a result, the non-profit Hearts 4 Refugees started organizing informal swim gatherings. The organization formed last year when roughly 1,200 Syrian refugees arrived in San Diego.
Volunteers in the group sponsor refugee families and serve as connection points for local resources - all with the hopes of helping them get settled.
However, with more pressing needs, like finding jobs or getting toothpaste for the families, swimming lessons did not top the list of concerns until the April drowning.
Theyve fled war, lived in refugee camps and its really hard for me to understand how does someone survive all of that and then you lose your son on the safe shores, which turned out to be not safe, said Mali Woods-Drake, a volunteer.
Through the groups growing network, they have recruited families to host the swim lessons, found instructors to teach them, and found translators to bridge the language gap.
The group is hosting a fundraiser tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Del Mar Pizza. 20 percent of proceeds will go to the organization and their swimming lessons program.
Etihad Airways announced the appointment of Ali Ghanim Hadi as its new Country Manager for Sudan.
Based at the airlines Khartoum office, Mr Hadi will be responsible for leading Etihad Airways commercial operations in Sudan, one of the airlines longest-established markets.
With over four years of experience at the airline, he has developed excellent contacts with the travel and tourism industry in the Gulf and further afield.
He has moved from head office in Abu Dhabi where he worked as a Sales Manager responsible for managing a mixed portfolio of accounts for both local and federal government.
Etihad Airways, which began flying to Sudan in 2006, currently operates four flights a week between Abu Dhabi and Khartoum. The service provides passengers with connections between Sudan and the UAE, with access to key destinations across Etihad Airways global network in the Indian Subcontinent, Asia, Europe and North America.
Saturday morning San Diego Congressman Scott Peters tweeted that while at the grocery store he received one hello from a constituent followed by two are you going to appoint a special prosecutor? questions.
At the grocery store, one "hello" and two "are you going to get us a special prosecutor?" #CA52 #home #ComeyFiring Scott Peters (@ScottPetersSD) May 13, 2017
Calls from Democrats and constituents across the country for a special prosecutor in the investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia have only ratcheted up since President Trumps abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey Tuesday.
Although the official word coming out the White House Tuesday and Wednesday was that Comey had been fired because of the way hed handled Hillary Clintons email investigation, Trump himself contradicted that in a Thursday interview with Lester Holt, saying he felt the Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story.
Trump also contradicted the official letters sent about Comey's firing that said the president dismissed the director at the recommendation of the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General. During the interview Trump said firing Comey was his idea and he would have let Comey go regardless of what anyone else said.
Trump's statements further muddied what some of his aides had told reporters Tuesday and Wednesday. Press Secretary Sean Spicer said Tuesday, "It was all him," referring to Rosenstein, who was appointed just two weeks ago. "That was a DOJ decision." In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper, counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway referred Cooper to the three letters sent out after Comey's firing. "Today's actions had zero to do with [the investigation]," Conway told Cooper. "And todays actions have everything to do with what Mr. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general [recommended.]" Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders reiterated the same thing Wednesday.
Calls for a special prosecutor in the investigation have been swift.
Congressman Peters called the firing something that would happen in a dictatorship.
"Never before has it been clearer that the integrity of our democracy depends on an independent commission to investigate Russian interference in our election and a special prosecutor at the Department of Justice to follow an investigation to wherever and whomever it leads, he said in a statement. Anyone who stands in the way of an independent investigation denies the American people the answers they deserve."
Senator Diane Feinstein, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for judiciary committee hearings on Comeys firing.
President Trump and the White House have presented an ever-changing narrative on the rationale for the firing of FBI Director Comey. This triggers a need for the Judiciary Committee to hold hearings and get to the bottom of this, she said in a statement.
In reference to a January dinner between the president and Comey that the president discussed in the Holt interview, Feinstein said Trumps reported request of a loyalty pledge from the director was inappropriate.
The FBI Director is expected to be independent, she stated. He is expected to be loyal to the Constitution and rule of lawnot the president. If the president thinks he can control the FBIthe decisions it makes and the investigations it pursuesthere are legal as well as constitutional concerns.
Trump denies the reports that he asked Comey to pledge his loyalty.
Feinstein also said she supports asking Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who would make the decision because of Attorney General Jeff Sessions recusal on Russia-related matters, to resign if he does not appoint a special counsel.
These investigations are far too important to risk disruption, delay or interference, she added.
Senator Kamala Harris, who agrees a special prosecutor is needed, also said she is calling for Attorney General Jeff Sessions to resign because of his involvement in Comeys firing after his recusal.
It's been clear for months Sessions should resign. https://t.co/9dBSWGTITB Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) May 11, 2017
She also said she and her Senate colleagues have sent a letter to the DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz, urging him to investigate political interference in the Russia investigation.
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra also said its necessary to have an independent investigation. We must ensure the integrity of our democracy. Why is the Trump administration afraid of this investigation? The American people deserve answers, Becerra stated.
Congresswoman Susan Davis also said an independent investigation is necessary.
With each passing day, its more clear that we won't get to the truth on #TrumpRussia unless there's an independent investigation. #COMEY Rep. Susan Davis (@RepSusanDavis) May 10, 2017
Congressman Juan Vargas agrees. The firing of FBI Director James Comey has raised many red flags, he said in a statement. It is clear that now, more than ever, we need an independent, bipartisan commission to help us get to the bottom of the Trump/Russia investigation. The American people deserve to know the truth, for the sake of our country and our democracy.
Congressman Darrell Issa told NBC 7 that he supports the presidents decision to fire the director, and points to the fact that Comey is not the first FBI director to be fired. President Clinton fired William Sessions in 1993 after an investigation showed ethics violations that included evading taxes.
People in both parties called for director Comey to be fired, Issa said. He explained that he was disappointed in the directors handling of both Hillary Clintons email investigation and in pressuring Apple to create a backdoor to obtain information locked inside iPhones relating to the phone belonging to the 2015 San Bernardino shooter.
So I lost confidence in him back then, I felt that he was grandstanding, he added So I dont think you look at it as any one thing. I think you see over time a loss of confidence by both Democrats and Republicans and these are all in the public record."
Police in Virginia are investigating a shooting at a hotel that injured three people early Saturday morning.
Alexandria police responded to the Extended Stay America on Bluestone Road in Alexandria at about 2:20 a.m. for reports of a shooting. When they arrived, they found three victims.
A 28-year-old man was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. A 21-year-old woman and a 35 year-old woman were taken to area hospitals with injuries that are not life-threatening.
Police have not released any information about a suspect.
Crystal Nosal, a spokeswoman for the Alexandria Police Department, told The Washington Post the shooting happened either inside a hotel room or just outside a room.
Fairfax County, Virginia, firefighters had to battle a blaze inside their own station early Sunday morning.
An alarm around 12:45 a.m. alerted crews that one of their firetrucks, rescue squad #426, inside the station was on fire. The fire spread to the roof of the station, and a second alarm was called for additional crews.
It took about 45 minutes to get the fire under control. There were no injuries and no impact for service in the community.
Investigators are examining the squad to determine why it caught on fire.
Loved ones of the fifth person who died from his injuries sustained in the May 3 crash at the LynnWay Auto Auction in Billerica, Massachusetts, are speaking out.
According to the Middlesex County District Attorney's office, 55-year-old Ruben Espaillat of Methuen died from his injuries at Lahey Hospital on Saturday.
Espaillat's sister, Miriam Matos, described his family as "devastated" by his passing.
"We weren't expecting this, his leaving us," she said. "We thought he was going to recuperate."
She said this time was bittersweet for the family because his twin grandchildren were born the day after he died.
"He was expecting" to be a grandfather, she said. "He was very happy, and had a lot of plans for the future."
Four people had previously died in connection to the accident, when an employee lost control of a Jeep Grand Cherokee and drove into the LynnWay building and the crowd inside.
Brenda Lopez, 48, and Pantaleon Santos, 49, both of Rhode Island, died at the scene. Thirty-six-year-old Leezandra Aponte of Lowell died from her injuries later that day.
Elliott Rowlands Jr., 50, succumbed to his injuries at Lahey Clinic on May 10, a week after the accident.
Seven others were hospitalized.
Espaillat's death comes just days after the auto auction company held a prayer service to honor the other victims in the crash.
The employee who was driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee at the time of the accident has previously told us the vehicle "took off all by itself."
The driver, who is not being named by NBC Boston, had a suspended license at the time of the crash, but said he had no idea of his status.
"I'm very upset, and very unhappy and very, very sorry about what happened and who got hurt," he told us.
Police are investigating after a man was killed in a single-car crash in Massachusetts Saturday morning.
Brockton police say it happened around 9 a.m. on West Chesnut Street.
The driver, a man in his 20s, hit a pole for reasons that are still being investigated. He was the only person in the car at the time of the crash.
No other details, including the victim's name, were immediately available.
State police's accident reconstruction team assisted local police in the investigation.
Emmanuel Macron was inaugurated Sunday as France's new president at the Elysee Palace in Paris, and immediately launched into his mission to shake up French politics, world economics and the European Union.
The 39-year-old Macron is the youngest president in the country's history and the 8th president of France's Fifth Republic, which was created in 1958. A former economy minister with pro-business, pro-European views, Macron is the first French president who doesn't originate from the country's two mainstream parties.
After Macron was formally declared president, 21 cannon shots were fired from across the Seine River at the Invalides monument, where Napoleon is entombed.
Macron later solemnly paid tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe, greeting veterans and military officers in formation beneath the imposing arch.
Macron takes charge of a nation that, when Britain leaves the European Union in 2019, will become the EU's only member with nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.
Before the ceremony, he met for an hour with his predecessor, Francois Hollande, taking a last few minutes to discuss the most sensitive issues facing France, including the country's nuclear codes.
In a visibly moving moment for both, Macron accompanied Hollande to his car, shaking hands and applauding him along with the employees of the French presidency who had gathered in the palace's courtyard.
The two men had known each other well. Macron was Hollande's former adviser, then his economy minister from 2014 to 2016, when Macron quit the Socialist government to launch his own independent presidential bid.
In his inauguration speech Sunday, Macron said he will do everything necessary to fight terrorism and authoritarianism and to resolve the world's migration crisis. He also listed "the excesses of capitalism in the world" and climate change among his future challenges.
"We will take all our responsibilities to provide, every time it's needed, a relevant response to big contemporary crises," He said.
Macron announced his determination to push ahead with reforms to free up France's economy and pledged to press for a "more efficient, more democratic" EU. France is a founding member of the 28-nation bloc and its third-largest economy after Germany and Britain.
About 300 guests, officials and family members gathered in the Elysee reception hall, including Macron's wife, Brigitte, wearing a lavender blue dress by French designer Nicolas Ghesquiere for Louis Vuitton.
Macron himself wore a dark suit from French brand Jonas and Cie, a tailor based in Paris, that cost 450 euros ($491), according to his team.
The new president arrived on the Champs-Elysees Avenue under a heavy rain recalling Hollande's inauguration five years ago but unlike his predecessor, Macron managed to avoid getting wet. The bad weather often associated with the former Socialist president has become a joke for the French.
After his time at the tomb, Macron went to shake hands with supporters along the Champs-Elysees, who were taking selfies and waving French tricolor flags, before coming back to the palace for a lunch with his family.
Earlier, he and France's new first lady briefly posed for photographers at the front porch of the palace after Hollande left. The couple will now live at the Elysee Palace.
Macron will meet with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo later Sunday and will take his first trip abroad Monday to Germany to visit Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.
Macron will also have to name his prime minister and form a government in the next few days.
He has promised to reinvigorate French politics by bringing in new faces. His Republic on the Move movement has announced an initial list of 428 candidates for the 577 seats up for grabs in France's lower house of parliament in a vote in June. Macron is seeking to elect a majority of lawmakers so he can pass his programs.
Many of the Republic on the Move candidates are newcomers in politics. Their average age is 46, compared to 60 for the outgoing assembly. Half of them are women. Only 24 are lawmakers running for re-election, all Socialists.
Hollande, meanwhile, went on Twitter to describe the "terrible ordeals" that marked his five-year term, from deadly attacks to Greece's debt crisis. He defended his unpopular presidency in a series of tweets minutes after leaving the Elysee Palace.
Hollande noted his accomplishments in getting the Paris Agreement on climate change, legalizing gay marriage and doing "everything possible to ensure that Greece stays in Europe."
"We lived through crises but we held together. France remained France," he tweeted.
_________________
Angela Charlton contributed to the story from Paris
Poppies Community Cafe Blofield Church
Poppies Community Cafe, part of Blofield Churchs community outreach, is open every Wednesday of the year from 10am-12 noon offering friendship and company to those in the Mid Norfolk village who may be lonely and have no one to talk to at home.
Poppies Community Cafe, which has been running for five years, meets in the old Blofield Court House in the centre of the village, allowing those from the nearby sheltered housing complexes and care home to walk or be brought by wheelchair. John and Elizabeth Stokes, who organize the weekly cafe, also cater for people starting on the dementia pathway by phoning to remind them of the day and arranging lifts.
Around 30 people attend each week ranging in age from 46 to 95 years. Everyone is given a friendly greeting and help is on hand to seat guests and carry their drinks to the table. A buffet of cakes, biscuits, tea bread and savory items is laid out as well as tea, coffee or apple juice. There is no charge for refreshments, only a bowl for voluntary donations.
John and Elizabeth Stokes said: During the last half hour we enjoy a sing-song of old familiar songs accompanied by percussion instruments which is great fun, so we all go home laughing. This is a great venue for meeting up with friends each week and for learning to love our neighbour as ourselves as the gospel advises.
Factfile
Woolton Hill's National Women's Register membership soars
WOOLTON Hills National Womens Register has proved so popular that it is considering starting a second group.
The social group for women meets twice a month at a different members home for an evening of themed discussion, presentations and activities.
At the March meeting, Macmillan nurse Madeleine Jenkins gave a demonstration of therapeutic hand massage, which the group were then able to try out for themselves.
Woolton Hill group member Nicole Bentham said: It was a brilliant evening. It was very successful and everyone enjoyed themselves.
The group sometimes travels further afield, with trips including a behind-the-scenes visit to the Royal Opera House, a tour of the Wallace Collection, London, while last October there was a mini-break to Tewkesbury, following the trail of Capability Brown.
The Woolton Hill group was founded nine years ago by Angie Maxwell, who was a member of the Bracknell group before she moved to the area and wanted something local.
It started with 12 members and numbers have continued to grow.
At present there are 20 members, with more women interested in joining.
Any more members may make meeting in private homes difficult, so in September another local branch will be opened.
Mrs Bentham said: It keeps the brain cells going. Nearly all of our members are retired, but that was not the point of the National Womens Register.
We struggle to get younger people now. Not that they are not welcome, but that they are too busy.
There is a lot of fun and laughing involved and they are a hugely supportive group.
While there is a skeleton schedule of activities for the year, member input is encouraged.
Mrs Bentham said: We feel this year we need to branch out.
The next meeting on May 17 will have a short demonstration on the theme signs and gestures.
The National Womens Register was started in the 1960s to connect women who were not expected to return to work after having children and were feeling isolated at home.
Today, the group appeals to women of all ages and spans the world with groups in the UK, Europe, Africa and Australia.
The West Berkshire Branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association celebrated 30th anniversary
THE West Berkshire branch of the Motor Neurone Disease Association celebrated 30 years of the charitys work at an event on Saturday, April 29.
The evening, attended by 100 supporters and invited guests, started with a service of music and readings in St Marks Church, Englefield, conducted by the Reverend Derek Spears from Aldermaston, followed by an event at Englefield House, home of the branchs patron, Newburys Conservative Parliamentary candidate Richard Benyon.
Speakers included BBC TV and radio presenter Nicholas Owen, who shared his personal story of a close friend who died of MND in 2015, and Newburys Alec Jenkins, who is being robbed of his voice by the disease and agreed for his speech to be read by his brother Paul.
Invited guests included Berkshires new High Sheriff Mrs Sarah Scrope, Deputy Lord Lieutenant Professor Suzanna Rose, Dr Clare Galtrey, consultant neurologist at Frimley Park Hospital, and West Berkshire Council chairman Quentin Webb.
Mrs Scrope said: I was fascinated and moved again by the speeches.
All guests were asked to bring a jam jar of spring flowers to place in the church.
Jane Gilbert, of the MND Association, said: It was a very simple idea but effective.
Prof Rose said: It really was an inspirational event.
I too was heartened by optimistic views around research progress.
Association research director Dr Brian Dickie said: We may not see the light at the end of the tunnel yet, but the train is heading in the right direction and its picking up speed.
Branch chairwoman Margaret Moss said: To continue our successful work we need more volunteers for the next leg of the journey.
MND can leave people locked in a failing body, unable to move, talk and eventually breathe.
It kills six people per day in the UK, just under 2,200 per year. At present there is no cure.
By Reuters
SINGAPORE/TORONTO: Technical staff scrambled on Sunday to patch computers and restore infected ones, amid fears that the ransomware worm that stopped car factories, hospitals, shops and schools could wreak fresh havoc on Monday when employees log back on.
Cybersecurity experts said the spread of the virus dubbed WannaCry - "ransomware" which locked up more than 200,000 computers - had slowed, but the respite might only be brief.
New versions of the worm are expected, they said, and the extent of the damage from Friday's attack remains unclear.
Infected computers appear to largely be out-of-date devices that organisations deemed not worth the price of upgrading or, in some cases, machines involved in manufacturing or hospital functions that proved too difficult to patch without possibly disrupting crucial operations, security experts said.
Marin Ivezic, cybersecurity partner at PwC, said that some clients had been "working around the clock since the story broke" to restore systems and install software updates, or patches, or restore systems from backups.
Microsoft released patches last month and on Friday to fix a vulnerability that allowed the worm to spread across networks, a rare and powerful feature that caused infections to surge on Friday.
Code for exploiting that bug, which is known as "Eternal Blue," was released on the internet in March by a hacking group known as the Shadow Brokers. The group claimed it was stolen from a repository of National Security Agency hacking tools. The agency has not responded to requests for comment.
Hong Kong-based Ivezic said that the ransomware was forcing some more "mature" clients affected by the worm to abandon their usual cautious testing of patches "to do unscheduled downtime and urgent patching, which is causing some inconvenience."
He declined to identify which clients had been affected.
The head of the European Union police agency said on Sunday the cyber assault hit 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries and that number will grow when people return to work on Monday.
"The global reach is unprecedented ... and those victims, many of those will be businesses, including large corporations," Europol Director Rob Wainwright told Britain's ITV.
"At the moment, we are in the face of an escalating threat. The numbers are going up, I am worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn (on) their machines on Monday morning."
Monday morning rush?
Monday was expected to be a busy day, especially in Asia which may not have seen the worst of the impact yet, as companies and organisations turned on their computers.
"Expect to hear a lot more about this tomorrow morning when users are back in their offices and might fall for phishing emails" or other as yet unconfirmed ways the worm may propagate, said Christian Karam, a Singapore-based security researcher.
Targets both large and small have been hit.
Renault said on Saturday it had halted manufacturing at plants in Sandouville, France, and Romania to prevent the spread of ransomware in its systems.
Among the other victims is a Nissan manufacturing plant in Sunderland, northeast England.
Hundreds of hospitals and clinics in the British National Health Service were infected on Friday, forcing them to send patients to other facilities.
German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said some electronic signs at stations announcing arrivals and departures were infected.
In Asia, some hospitals, schools, universities and other institutions were affected. International shipper FedEx Corp said some of its Windows computers were also breached.
Telecommunications company Telefonica was among the targets in Spain. Portugal Telecom and Telefonica Argentina both said they were also targeted.
A Jakarta hospital said on Sunday that the cyber virus had infected 400 computers, disrupting the registration of patients and finding records. The hospital said it expected big queues on Monday when about 500 people were due to register.
In Singapore, a company that supplies digital signage, MediaOnline, was rushing to fix its systems after a technician's error had led to 12 kiosks being infected in two of the island country's malls. Director Dennis So said the systems were not connected to the malls' or tenants' networks.
"Ransom" payments may rise
Account addresses hardcoded into the malicious WannaCry software code appear to show the attackers had received just under $32,500 in anonymous bitcoin currency as of 1100 GMT on Sunday, but that amount could rise as more victims rush to pay ransoms of $300 or more to regain access to their computers, just one day before the threatened deadline expires.
The threat receded over the weekend after a British-based researcher, who declined to give his name but tweets under the profile @MalwareTechBlog, said he stumbled on a way to at least temporarily limit the worm's spread by registering a web address to which he noticed the malware was trying to connect.
Security experts said his move bought precious time for organisations seeking to block the attacks.
Researchers remained on high alert for new variants that could lead to a fresh wave of infections. Researchers from three security firms dismissed initial reports on Saturday that a new version of WannaCry/WannaCrypt had emerged, saying this was based on a rushed analysis of code data that proved erroneous.
The MalwareTech researcher warned on Twitter on Sunday: "Version 1 of WannaCrypt was stoppable but version 2.0 will likely remove the flaw. You're only safe if you patch ASAP."
Bryce Boland, Asia Pacific chief technology officer for FireEye, a cybersecurity company, said it would be straightforward for existing attackers to launch new releases or for other ransomware authors to start copying the way the malware replicated.
The U.S. government on Saturday issued a technical alert with advice on how to protect against the attacks, asking victims to report any to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Department of Homeland Security.
SINGAPORE/TORONTO: Technical staff scrambled on Sunday to patch computers and restore infected ones, amid fears that the ransomware worm that stopped car factories, hospitals, shops and schools could wreak fresh havoc on Monday when employees log back on. Cybersecurity experts said the spread of the virus dubbed WannaCry - "ransomware" which locked up more than 200,000 computers - had slowed, but the respite might only be brief. New versions of the worm are expected, they said, and the extent of the damage from Friday's attack remains unclear. Infected computers appear to largely be out-of-date devices that organisations deemed not worth the price of upgrading or, in some cases, machines involved in manufacturing or hospital functions that proved too difficult to patch without possibly disrupting crucial operations, security experts said. Marin Ivezic, cybersecurity partner at PwC, said that some clients had been "working around the clock since the story broke" to restore systems and install software updates, or patches, or restore systems from backups. Microsoft released patches last month and on Friday to fix a vulnerability that allowed the worm to spread across networks, a rare and powerful feature that caused infections to surge on Friday. Code for exploiting that bug, which is known as "Eternal Blue," was released on the internet in March by a hacking group known as the Shadow Brokers. The group claimed it was stolen from a repository of National Security Agency hacking tools. The agency has not responded to requests for comment. Hong Kong-based Ivezic said that the ransomware was forcing some more "mature" clients affected by the worm to abandon their usual cautious testing of patches "to do unscheduled downtime and urgent patching, which is causing some inconvenience." He declined to identify which clients had been affected. The head of the European Union police agency said on Sunday the cyber assault hit 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries and that number will grow when people return to work on Monday. "The global reach is unprecedented ... and those victims, many of those will be businesses, including large corporations," Europol Director Rob Wainwright told Britain's ITV. "At the moment, we are in the face of an escalating threat. The numbers are going up, I am worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn (on) their machines on Monday morning." Monday morning rush? Monday was expected to be a busy day, especially in Asia which may not have seen the worst of the impact yet, as companies and organisations turned on their computers. "Expect to hear a lot more about this tomorrow morning when users are back in their offices and might fall for phishing emails" or other as yet unconfirmed ways the worm may propagate, said Christian Karam, a Singapore-based security researcher. Targets both large and small have been hit. Renault said on Saturday it had halted manufacturing at plants in Sandouville, France, and Romania to prevent the spread of ransomware in its systems. Among the other victims is a Nissan manufacturing plant in Sunderland, northeast England. Hundreds of hospitals and clinics in the British National Health Service were infected on Friday, forcing them to send patients to other facilities. German rail operator Deutsche Bahn said some electronic signs at stations announcing arrivals and departures were infected. In Asia, some hospitals, schools, universities and other institutions were affected. International shipper FedEx Corp said some of its Windows computers were also breached. Telecommunications company Telefonica was among the targets in Spain. Portugal Telecom and Telefonica Argentina both said they were also targeted. A Jakarta hospital said on Sunday that the cyber virus had infected 400 computers, disrupting the registration of patients and finding records. The hospital said it expected big queues on Monday when about 500 people were due to register. In Singapore, a company that supplies digital signage, MediaOnline, was rushing to fix its systems after a technician's error had led to 12 kiosks being infected in two of the island country's malls. Director Dennis So said the systems were not connected to the malls' or tenants' networks. "Ransom" payments may rise Account addresses hardcoded into the malicious WannaCry software code appear to show the attackers had received just under $32,500 in anonymous bitcoin currency as of 1100 GMT on Sunday, but that amount could rise as more victims rush to pay ransoms of $300 or more to regain access to their computers, just one day before the threatened deadline expires. The threat receded over the weekend after a British-based researcher, who declined to give his name but tweets under the profile @MalwareTechBlog, said he stumbled on a way to at least temporarily limit the worm's spread by registering a web address to which he noticed the malware was trying to connect. Security experts said his move bought precious time for organisations seeking to block the attacks. Researchers remained on high alert for new variants that could lead to a fresh wave of infections. Researchers from three security firms dismissed initial reports on Saturday that a new version of WannaCry/WannaCrypt had emerged, saying this was based on a rushed analysis of code data that proved erroneous. The MalwareTech researcher warned on Twitter on Sunday: "Version 1 of WannaCrypt was stoppable but version 2.0 will likely remove the flaw. You're only safe if you patch ASAP." Bryce Boland, Asia Pacific chief technology officer for FireEye, a cybersecurity company, said it would be straightforward for existing attackers to launch new releases or for other ransomware authors to start copying the way the malware replicated. The U.S. government on Saturday issued a technical alert with advice on how to protect against the attacks, asking victims to report any to the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Department of Homeland Security.
By PTI
NEW DELHI: As digitisation and automation become the new normal, IT biggies like Infosys, Cognizant and Tech Mahindra are seeing a spate of layoffs and this trend may continue for the next 1-2 years, say experts.
The pink slips are being handed out to thousands of employees as part of their performance appraisal process, but it is believed that these are directed more towards cost control amid pressure on bottom line due to a rising tide of protectionism in most target markets.
Indian software exporters in particular are facing headwinds in the business environment and stricter work permit regime in countries like the US, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
Moreover, with newer technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation and cloud computing, which help complete the job with less manpower, software companies are now having to reconsider their strategies.
"It's a situation wherein the available talent haven't kept up with the pace at which the industry was evolving and hence, many of them find themselves redundant," said Rituparna Chakraborty, TeamLease Services Executive Vice-President and co-founder.
Executive search organisation GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel said: "This rationalisation does happen in every 3-5 years in the industry through new-age technologies, but this has impacted it more this time as the US also has changed policies for foreign IT workers."
Goel further noted that "the consolidated trend may continue for next 1-2 years", but sees it as an opportunity for IT professionals to upgrade themselves and get into the newage technologies where demand is going to be huge.
Pink slips are likely for jobs in manual testing, technology support and system administration since these are increasingly going to be managed by AI and robotics process automation based systems. However, there is surge in demand for latest and innovative technologies like data science, artificial intelligence and digital domain specific skills.
"It is a painful transitory phase. However, things would look up in the next two quarters as each of the IT services company successful steers towards a stable growth phase," Chakraborty said.
Talent management solutions provider KellyOCG India Country Director Francis Padamadan said, "We will continue to see some amount of rationalisation happening among IT companies though it is difficult to put a number."
Japanese brokerage firm Nomura, in a research note, said that the job cuts of 2-3 per cent of the overall headcount of nearly 7,60,000 by Infosys, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra and Wipro are not material. However, this kind of rationalisation is likely to be a continuing phenomenon until the workforce realignment towards digital skills is complete.
Moreover, with newer technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation and cloud computing, which help complete the job with less manpower, software companies are now having to reconsider their strategies.
"It's a situation wherein the available talent haven't kept up with the pace at which the industry was evolving and hence, many of them find themselves redundant," said Rituparna Chakraborty, TeamLease Services Executive Vice-President and co-founder.
Executive search organisation GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel said: "This rationalisation does happen in every 3-5 years in the industry through new-age technologies, but this has impacted it more this time as the US also has changed policies for foreign IT workers."
Goel further noted that "the consolidated trend may continue for next 1-2 years", but sees it as an opportunity for IT professionals to upgrade themselves and get into the newage technologies where demand is going to be huge.
Pink slips are likely for jobs in manual testing, technology support and system administration since these are increasingly going to be managed by AI and robotics process automation based systems.
However, there is surge in demand for latest and innovative technologies like data science, artificial intelligence and digital domain specific skills.
"It is a painful transitory phase. However, things would look up in the next two quarters as each of the IT services company successful steers towards a stable growth phase," Chakraborty said.
Talent management solutions provider KellyOCG India Country Director Francis Padamadan said, "We will continue to see some amount of rationalisation happening among IT companies though it is difficult to put a number."
Japanese brokerage firm Nomura, in a research note, said that the job cuts of 2-3 per cent of the overall headcount of nearly 7,60,000 by Infosys, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra and Wipro are not material. However, this kind of rationalisation is likely to be a continuing phenomenon until the workforce realignment towards digital skills is complete.
NEW DELHI: As digitisation and automation become the new normal, IT biggies like Infosys, Cognizant and Tech Mahindra are seeing a spate of layoffs and this trend may continue for the next 1-2 years, say experts. The pink slips are being handed out to thousands of employees as part of their performance appraisal process, but it is believed that these are directed more towards cost control amid pressure on bottom line due to a rising tide of protectionism in most target markets. Indian software exporters in particular are facing headwinds in the business environment and stricter work permit regime in countries like the US, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Moreover, with newer technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation and cloud computing, which help complete the job with less manpower, software companies are now having to reconsider their strategies. "It's a situation wherein the available talent haven't kept up with the pace at which the industry was evolving and hence, many of them find themselves redundant," said Rituparna Chakraborty, TeamLease Services Executive Vice-President and co-founder. Executive search organisation GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel said: "This rationalisation does happen in every 3-5 years in the industry through new-age technologies, but this has impacted it more this time as the US also has changed policies for foreign IT workers." Goel further noted that "the consolidated trend may continue for next 1-2 years", but sees it as an opportunity for IT professionals to upgrade themselves and get into the newage technologies where demand is going to be huge. Pink slips are likely for jobs in manual testing, technology support and system administration since these are increasingly going to be managed by AI and robotics process automation based systems. However, there is surge in demand for latest and innovative technologies like data science, artificial intelligence and digital domain specific skills. "It is a painful transitory phase. However, things would look up in the next two quarters as each of the IT services company successful steers towards a stable growth phase," Chakraborty said. Talent management solutions provider KellyOCG India Country Director Francis Padamadan said, "We will continue to see some amount of rationalisation happening among IT companies though it is difficult to put a number." Japanese brokerage firm Nomura, in a research note, said that the job cuts of 2-3 per cent of the overall headcount of nearly 7,60,000 by Infosys, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra and Wipro are not material. However, this kind of rationalisation is likely to be a continuing phenomenon until the workforce realignment towards digital skills is complete. Moreover, with newer technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation and cloud computing, which help complete the job with less manpower, software companies are now having to reconsider their strategies. "It's a situation wherein the available talent haven't kept up with the pace at which the industry was evolving and hence, many of them find themselves redundant," said Rituparna Chakraborty, TeamLease Services Executive Vice-President and co-founder. Executive search organisation GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel said: "This rationalisation does happen in every 3-5 years in the industry through new-age technologies, but this has impacted it more this time as the US also has changed policies for foreign IT workers." Goel further noted that "the consolidated trend may continue for next 1-2 years", but sees it as an opportunity for IT professionals to upgrade themselves and get into the newage technologies where demand is going to be huge. Pink slips are likely for jobs in manual testing, technology support and system administration since these are increasingly going to be managed by AI and robotics process automation based systems. However, there is surge in demand for latest and innovative technologies like data science, artificial intelligence and digital domain specific skills. "It is a painful transitory phase. However, things would look up in the next two quarters as each of the IT services company successful steers towards a stable growth phase," Chakraborty said. Talent management solutions provider KellyOCG India Country Director Francis Padamadan said, "We will continue to see some amount of rationalisation happening among IT companies though it is difficult to put a number." Japanese brokerage firm Nomura, in a research note, said that the job cuts of 2-3 per cent of the overall headcount of nearly 7,60,000 by Infosys, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra and Wipro are not material. However, this kind of rationalisation is likely to be a continuing phenomenon until the workforce realignment towards digital skills is complete.
By Express News Service
Allowing a bank to fail is a tragedy. More so in India, as PSU banks are the bulwark of banking industry with 70 per cent market share. Little wonder why the RBI, and the government often engage in a two-fisted binge to set the house in order, when banks veer off-track, piling up toxic assets that threaten to suck life out of the system.
The Rs 9 lakh crore stressed loans may seem mind-numbing, but we have been here before. In fact, our banks survived even extreme bad loan episodes. Take for instance 1993, when gross NPAs of state-run banks were a staggering 21 per cent of advances, much higher than 9.1 per cent now. Sadly, few or no lessons were learnt as the scary headline NPAs then and now, reveal unmistakable similarities.
Though RBIs Health Code categorized loans as satisfactory or bad and doubtful debts since 1985, it wasnt until 1992 that the prudential norms, based on the Narasimhan Committee report, for the first time enabled a proper assessment of NPAs. Alarmingly 12 out of 26 banks reported net losses, but the buck stopped there. The following year, banks were back to old ways window-dressing profits. Take Indian Bank that reported losses worth some Rs 380 crore in FY94, but showed a miraculous Rs 14 crore net profit the following year.
All was well until 1998-99, when the Vajpayee-led NDA government along with the then RBI Governor Bimal Jalan cracked the whip. Soon, banks were swimming naked as the norms brought to light loans swept under the carpet, and wilful defaulters were named and shamed. RBI sent several missives to banks and even barred a few from lending.
In most cases, it was found that credit was given to curry favour with the top management. Decisions neither had a detailed appraisal, nor the basic tenets of lending were followed. CBI launched investigations and, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against officers, much like the recent arrests of some senior bankers.
In 1999, the Verma Committee identified eight loss-making banks, whose net NPAs exceeded their net worth. It also listed Indian Bank, UCO Bank and United Bank of India as weak and proposed a) closure or merger b) change of ownership or privatisation and c) restructuring including a one-time clean-up. The government ruled out the first two and explored the third. Without the taxpayer riches, these banks could have been tossed on the funeral pyres. The problem appears severe now, as 16 out of 22 banks could face regulatory wrath and with wobbly government finances, recapitalisation is a major headache.
While banks capture data on asset quality ie., gross and net NPAs, slippages, etc, this exercise was/is purely for reporting purposes as no efforts were made then/now to analyse and improve credit management.
Write-offs were introduced to lower tax liabilities on impaired assets, but banks used it to manage gross NPAs. In the past decade, Rs 50 out of every Rs 100 lent was written off, but less than Rs 10 was recovered on an average.
Interestingly, private and foreign banks had higher slippages after the 2008 crisis, but they cleaned up the mess pretty quick, while PSBs indulged in retrospective restructuring. This is evident if you see impaired assets ratio, which includes gross NPAs, restructured accounts and cumulative write offs, and considered a robust indicator of asset quality. Between 2009 and 2013, impaired assets ratio rose from 6.8 per cent to 12.1 per cent among PSBs. For private and foreign banks, it was 5.3 and 6.4 per cent in March 2013. A further break-up gives the real picture of how PSBs were delaying the inevitable. Of the impaired assets, restructured accounts comprised 52 per cent for PSBs, while for private and foreign banks, it was 22 and 2 per cent respectively.
Then theres the issue of large borrowers, who often find favour in getting loans and getting them restructured. Large borrowers account for 90 per cent of all restructured accounts. In what could be a mockery of the banking system, companies raised debt, without servicing existing loans.
If banks arent allowed to fail, timely corrective action is crucial. In 2002-03, RBI introduced Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) listing trigger ratios that were supposed to be sacrosanct. Banks must meet these ratios at all times and a breach is considered a serious violation. But it wasnt effective, as corrective action was left to banks discretion with RBI stepping in only when situations went out of hand. This is pretty much the case even today. The PCA norms revised in May, tightened screws but mandatory action, again, befalls only on extreme cases.
The recent Ordinance to clean-up bad loans and the proposed RBI framework serve as speed breakers and trip wires to slow deterioration. They winclude carrots as well as sticks, but hoping that problems will solve themselves is allowing the system to rot.
fact file
Gross NPAs of PSBs stood at 21 per cent in 1994, while private and foreign lenders it was 1-2 per cent.
Till 2003, gross NPAs of PSBs declined, but for others it increased
As per Credit Suisse, 10 large corporates share in total credit more than doubled between 2007 and 2013, while their overall debt rose six times to over J6 lakh crore.
During 2007-09, NPA ratios decoupled -- private and foreign lenders increased sharply, while PSBs fell. In fact, foreign banks witnessed the highest spurt in NPAs during 2009
A majority of the 30-40 top defaulting accounts comprise infrastructure even today
Allowing a bank to fail is a tragedy. More so in India, as PSU banks are the bulwark of banking industry with 70 per cent market share. Little wonder why the RBI, and the government often engage in a two-fisted binge to set the house in order, when banks veer off-track, piling up toxic assets that threaten to suck life out of the system. The Rs 9 lakh crore stressed loans may seem mind-numbing, but we have been here before. In fact, our banks survived even extreme bad loan episodes. Take for instance 1993, when gross NPAs of state-run banks were a staggering 21 per cent of advances, much higher than 9.1 per cent now. Sadly, few or no lessons were learnt as the scary headline NPAs then and now, reveal unmistakable similarities. Though RBIs Health Code categorized loans as satisfactory or bad and doubtful debts since 1985, it wasnt until 1992 that the prudential norms, based on the Narasimhan Committee report, for the first time enabled a proper assessment of NPAs. Alarmingly 12 out of 26 banks reported net losses, but the buck stopped there. The following year, banks were back to old ways window-dressing profits. Take Indian Bank that reported losses worth some Rs 380 crore in FY94, but showed a miraculous Rs 14 crore net profit the following year. All was well until 1998-99, when the Vajpayee-led NDA government along with the then RBI Governor Bimal Jalan cracked the whip. Soon, banks were swimming naked as the norms brought to light loans swept under the carpet, and wilful defaulters were named and shamed. RBI sent several missives to banks and even barred a few from lending. In most cases, it was found that credit was given to curry favour with the top management. Decisions neither had a detailed appraisal, nor the basic tenets of lending were followed. CBI launched investigations and, disciplinary proceedings were initiated against officers, much like the recent arrests of some senior bankers. In 1999, the Verma Committee identified eight loss-making banks, whose net NPAs exceeded their net worth. It also listed Indian Bank, UCO Bank and United Bank of India as weak and proposed a) closure or merger b) change of ownership or privatisation and c) restructuring including a one-time clean-up. The government ruled out the first two and explored the third. Without the taxpayer riches, these banks could have been tossed on the funeral pyres. The problem appears severe now, as 16 out of 22 banks could face regulatory wrath and with wobbly government finances, recapitalisation is a major headache. While banks capture data on asset quality ie., gross and net NPAs, slippages, etc, this exercise was/is purely for reporting purposes as no efforts were made then/now to analyse and improve credit management. Write-offs were introduced to lower tax liabilities on impaired assets, but banks used it to manage gross NPAs. In the past decade, Rs 50 out of every Rs 100 lent was written off, but less than Rs 10 was recovered on an average. Interestingly, private and foreign banks had higher slippages after the 2008 crisis, but they cleaned up the mess pretty quick, while PSBs indulged in retrospective restructuring. This is evident if you see impaired assets ratio, which includes gross NPAs, restructured accounts and cumulative write offs, and considered a robust indicator of asset quality. Between 2009 and 2013, impaired assets ratio rose from 6.8 per cent to 12.1 per cent among PSBs. For private and foreign banks, it was 5.3 and 6.4 per cent in March 2013. A further break-up gives the real picture of how PSBs were delaying the inevitable. Of the impaired assets, restructured accounts comprised 52 per cent for PSBs, while for private and foreign banks, it was 22 and 2 per cent respectively. Then theres the issue of large borrowers, who often find favour in getting loans and getting them restructured. Large borrowers account for 90 per cent of all restructured accounts. In what could be a mockery of the banking system, companies raised debt, without servicing existing loans. If banks arent allowed to fail, timely corrective action is crucial. In 2002-03, RBI introduced Prompt Corrective Action (PCA) listing trigger ratios that were supposed to be sacrosanct. Banks must meet these ratios at all times and a breach is considered a serious violation. But it wasnt effective, as corrective action was left to banks discretion with RBI stepping in only when situations went out of hand. This is pretty much the case even today. The PCA norms revised in May, tightened screws but mandatory action, again, befalls only on extreme cases. The recent Ordinance to clean-up bad loans and the proposed RBI framework serve as speed breakers and trip wires to slow deterioration. They winclude carrots as well as sticks, but hoping that problems will solve themselves is allowing the system to rot. fact file Gross NPAs of PSBs stood at 21 per cent in 1994, while private and foreign lenders it was 1-2 per cent. Till 2003, gross NPAs of PSBs declined, but for others it increased As per Credit Suisse, 10 large corporates share in total credit more than doubled between 2007 and 2013, while their overall debt rose six times to over J6 lakh crore. During 2007-09, NPA ratios decoupled -- private and foreign lenders increased sharply, while PSBs fell. In fact, foreign banks witnessed the highest spurt in NPAs during 2009 A majority of the 30-40 top defaulting accounts comprise infrastructure even today
Nirupama Viswanathan By
Express News Service
CHENNAI: Amidst repeated warnings from the Madras High Court to avoid conversion of agricultural areas for non-farm use, the State government has recently passed orders to regularise unapproved layouts and a set of rules for conversion of agricultural lands for development. Though the orders were suspended by the HC on Friday, experts said that the orders were reflective of the States lack of will to protect agricultural lands still under cultivation.
According to G Shyam Sunder, a Chennai-based advocate and author of Property registration, land records and building approval procedures followed in various States in India, in certain states like Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, agricultural lands can be purchased only by an agriculturist.
Likewise in Kerala under the Paddy and Wetland Conservation Act, 2008, a maximum extent of only 10 cents of land can be re-converted from agricultural to non-agricultural purposes and in the 10 cents of converted land, building can be constructed in an area of only four cents.
Said advocate Elephant G Rajendran, who moved a PIL seeking a direction to the authorities to forebear giving approval or permission to convert agricultural lands into layouts. The real estate lobby is often behind such orders passed by our government. The authorities give in to the pressure and pass the order to appease the lobbyists, leaving the courts to deal with it.
However, the governments disposition in taking a soft stand against unapproved layouts and conversion of agricultural lands might spark off a worrying trend, say experts. People will not hesitate to build on unapproved layouts including agricultural land knowing that the government is on their side, trying to bring in rules that would regularise such unapproved housing plots at some point of time, said Ajay Tannirkulam, trustee of Magasool, an NGO, that works with agriculturists.
The order, if implemented, would be an invaluable aide for real estate developers who are looking to capitalise on the drought this year when distress sale is on a high. According to the data available with government authorities, the net area under cultivation in 2014-2015 was 48.19 lakh hectares, 4.25 lakh hectares lesser than in 2005-2006. Though officials said data for the current year were unavailable, records for the last 10 years showed that the land under agriculture had peaked at around 2006, after dipping to a low 45.90 lakh hectares in 2002-2003, again a drought year. As per the union government figures, Tamil Nadu lost 7.13 lakh hectares of net sown area in the last two decades
However, some farmers such as Mannargudi S Ranganathan, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, believe that the lines are blurred in such cases and cannot be brought under a generalised law.
According to Ranganathan, though food security is only attainable by preventing the area under agriculture from diminishing, with the present state of farmers in the State, such laws may add to their woes.
Imagine an 80-year-old farmer who has nobody to take care of her and only has the small piece of land that she owns. In such cases where farmers are looking to sell off their lands for the sake of their lives, these laws may add insult to injury, he said.
In such cases, finding another agriculturist to sell off their lands, as in the case of Karnataka, may not be immediately possible. The solution could lie in the involvement of the farming community in such decisions, said Rajendran.
Here, the conversion of agricultural land depends on the District Collector and the Joint Director of Agriculture. In States like Kerala, there is a committee that comprises two farmers from the gram sabha and an NGO, that is a part of such decisions, he said.
CHENNAI: Amidst repeated warnings from the Madras High Court to avoid conversion of agricultural areas for non-farm use, the State government has recently passed orders to regularise unapproved layouts and a set of rules for conversion of agricultural lands for development. Though the orders were suspended by the HC on Friday, experts said that the orders were reflective of the States lack of will to protect agricultural lands still under cultivation. According to G Shyam Sunder, a Chennai-based advocate and author of Property registration, land records and building approval procedures followed in various States in India, in certain states like Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, agricultural lands can be purchased only by an agriculturist. Likewise in Kerala under the Paddy and Wetland Conservation Act, 2008, a maximum extent of only 10 cents of land can be re-converted from agricultural to non-agricultural purposes and in the 10 cents of converted land, building can be constructed in an area of only four cents. Said advocate Elephant G Rajendran, who moved a PIL seeking a direction to the authorities to forebear giving approval or permission to convert agricultural lands into layouts. The real estate lobby is often behind such orders passed by our government. The authorities give in to the pressure and pass the order to appease the lobbyists, leaving the courts to deal with it. However, the governments disposition in taking a soft stand against unapproved layouts and conversion of agricultural lands might spark off a worrying trend, say experts. People will not hesitate to build on unapproved layouts including agricultural land knowing that the government is on their side, trying to bring in rules that would regularise such unapproved housing plots at some point of time, said Ajay Tannirkulam, trustee of Magasool, an NGO, that works with agriculturists. The order, if implemented, would be an invaluable aide for real estate developers who are looking to capitalise on the drought this year when distress sale is on a high. According to the data available with government authorities, the net area under cultivation in 2014-2015 was 48.19 lakh hectares, 4.25 lakh hectares lesser than in 2005-2006. Though officials said data for the current year were unavailable, records for the last 10 years showed that the land under agriculture had peaked at around 2006, after dipping to a low 45.90 lakh hectares in 2002-2003, again a drought year. As per the union government figures, Tamil Nadu lost 7.13 lakh hectares of net sown area in the last two decades However, some farmers such as Mannargudi S Ranganathan, general secretary, Tamil Nadu Cauvery Delta Farmers Welfare Association, believe that the lines are blurred in such cases and cannot be brought under a generalised law. According to Ranganathan, though food security is only attainable by preventing the area under agriculture from diminishing, with the present state of farmers in the State, such laws may add to their woes. Imagine an 80-year-old farmer who has nobody to take care of her and only has the small piece of land that she owns. In such cases where farmers are looking to sell off their lands for the sake of their lives, these laws may add insult to injury, he said. In such cases, finding another agriculturist to sell off their lands, as in the case of Karnataka, may not be immediately possible. The solution could lie in the involvement of the farming community in such decisions, said Rajendran. Here, the conversion of agricultural land depends on the District Collector and the Joint Director of Agriculture. In States like Kerala, there is a committee that comprises two farmers from the gram sabha and an NGO, that is a part of such decisions, he said.
By PTI
NEW DELHI: With JNU student Najeeb Ahmed missing for over 200 days now, the Delhi Police has approached mosques in the national capital and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to make regular announcements on him in the hope of making some headway in the case.
Najeeb went missing after a scuffle at his hostel allegedly with ABVP members on the night of October 14. A reward of Rs 10 lakh was announced by police for any information about him.
The probe into his disapperanece has turned up no clue so far with police continuing to grope in the dark. A senior police officer summed it up succintly: "Despite so many teams working on the case, we have failed to make any headway."
Now, they they have turned to mosques for help.
The investigating officers met the imam of Fatehpuri Masjid in Chandni Chowk and requested him to make announcements about Najeeb during prayers.
"We asked them to request people to share any clues or information about Najeeb. We have even requested imams of other mosques in Delhi, neighbouring areas and some cities in Uttar Pradesh like Badaun, Bareilly where Najeeb has stayed to make regular announcements," said a senior police officer.
Police have also requested them to share information about the disappearance with "jamaats" who travel between mosques.
Meanwhile, Najeeb's family members say they have lost faith in police.
"We are as clueless about Najeeb now, as we were on the first day," said Najeeb's brother Mujeeb.
He said the police has done "little" in tracing his brother and has only "harassed" them.
"It is very mysterious that every time the case is coming up for a hearing in the High Court, we get a fake call sharing information about him. The police, very conveniently, says in the court that they are working on the leads gained through the phone call," he added.
The Delhi High Court, while recently hearing a plea by Najeeb's mother Fatima Nafees seeking whereabouts of her son, had rapped the Delhi Police over the manner of its probe.
The court said that the agency appeared to be looking for an "escape route" and was "beating around the bush".
Amid all the gloom, the family is still hopeful of his return. Whenever his family members receive a call from an anonymous number, they always hope that it might be Najeeb.
"We always try and pick calls and in case we miss any call, we call back on the numbers in the hope that someone might be calling to tell us about my brother," said Mujeeb.
Recently, the family received a call from a woman in Muzaffarnagar inquiring about their son but it later turned out that she had dialed their number by mistake since it was similar to her boyfriend's number, police said.
Najeeb's mother, meanhwile, is trying to stay strong. However, there are times when she breaks down.
Friday was one such instance. She broke down in front of DCP (Crime) G Ramgopal Naik, who is investigating the case, after the court hearing, pleading with him to find her son and bring him back. "I don't cry in front of my children since they are also going through a difficult phase. But I cry whenever I am praying to God. I miss Najeeb a lot whenever his favourite dishes are prepared or some other anecdotes are discussed," Fatima said.
She said that she prays everyday to seek the almighty's help in finding her son.
"Police has projected a negative image of my son. He is very good-natured and unlike what he has been made out to be. I have full faith that he will come back."
NEW DELHI: With JNU student Najeeb Ahmed missing for over 200 days now, the Delhi Police has approached mosques in the national capital and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh to make regular announcements on him in the hope of making some headway in the case. Najeeb went missing after a scuffle at his hostel allegedly with ABVP members on the night of October 14. A reward of Rs 10 lakh was announced by police for any information about him. The probe into his disapperanece has turned up no clue so far with police continuing to grope in the dark. A senior police officer summed it up succintly: "Despite so many teams working on the case, we have failed to make any headway." Now, they they have turned to mosques for help. The investigating officers met the imam of Fatehpuri Masjid in Chandni Chowk and requested him to make announcements about Najeeb during prayers. "We asked them to request people to share any clues or information about Najeeb. We have even requested imams of other mosques in Delhi, neighbouring areas and some cities in Uttar Pradesh like Badaun, Bareilly where Najeeb has stayed to make regular announcements," said a senior police officer. Police have also requested them to share information about the disappearance with "jamaats" who travel between mosques. Meanwhile, Najeeb's family members say they have lost faith in police. "We are as clueless about Najeeb now, as we were on the first day," said Najeeb's brother Mujeeb. He said the police has done "little" in tracing his brother and has only "harassed" them. "It is very mysterious that every time the case is coming up for a hearing in the High Court, we get a fake call sharing information about him. The police, very conveniently, says in the court that they are working on the leads gained through the phone call," he added. The Delhi High Court, while recently hearing a plea by Najeeb's mother Fatima Nafees seeking whereabouts of her son, had rapped the Delhi Police over the manner of its probe. The court said that the agency appeared to be looking for an "escape route" and was "beating around the bush". Amid all the gloom, the family is still hopeful of his return. Whenever his family members receive a call from an anonymous number, they always hope that it might be Najeeb. "We always try and pick calls and in case we miss any call, we call back on the numbers in the hope that someone might be calling to tell us about my brother," said Mujeeb. Recently, the family received a call from a woman in Muzaffarnagar inquiring about their son but it later turned out that she had dialed their number by mistake since it was similar to her boyfriend's number, police said. Najeeb's mother, meanhwile, is trying to stay strong. However, there are times when she breaks down. Friday was one such instance. She broke down in front of DCP (Crime) G Ramgopal Naik, who is investigating the case, after the court hearing, pleading with him to find her son and bring him back. "I don't cry in front of my children since they are also going through a difficult phase. But I cry whenever I am praying to God. I miss Najeeb a lot whenever his favourite dishes are prepared or some other anecdotes are discussed," Fatima said. She said that she prays everyday to seek the almighty's help in finding her son. "Police has projected a negative image of my son. He is very good-natured and unlike what he has been made out to be. I have full faith that he will come back."
By ANI
NEW DELHI: Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra on Sunday alleged corruption in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) funding while stating that facts were concealed from the Income Tax department.
Mishra who is currently on a hunger strike to protest against corruption by AAP said, "For three continuous years, black money was converted into white and spent on foreign trips of AAP leaders. AAP did not inform about some of its fundings which it received from fake companies."
Mishra further targeted Kejriwal and revealed that 16 shell companies added money worth crores in AAP's bank accounts.
"These fake companies are registered in the name of AAP MLA from Moti Nagar, Shivcharan Goyal. These companies have given Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal at 12 a.m. The fund received from these companies were sent to same branch branch of Axis Bank where there were allegations of converting black money into white at the time of demonetisation," he added.
AAP has its bank account at the Krishnanagar branch of Axis Bank and all the transactions happen from there.
Mishra also shared a bank cheque without a date which has already been encashed.
"I file case against Arvind Kejriwal in Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday in connection with conversion of black money to white," the AAP leader said.
However, the press conference took a dramatic turn when Mishra openly threatened to drag Kejriwal by the collar to Tihar jail and then promptly passed out and was carried to the hospital.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Sunday sent a summons notice to the political advisor of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Vaibhav Kumar in connection with water tanker scam.
Kumar will be interrogated by the ACB on May 17.
Last Thursday, Mishra made serious allegations against senior Delhi government functionaries in relation to the water tanker scam, which is alleged to have caused a loss of an estimated ?400 crore to the State exchequer, in a detailed statement to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB).
Earlier, Mishra submitted documents related to the tanker scam to the ACB, while saying that he also apprised the agency about the misuse of the money by the Delhi government.
NEW DELHI: Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra on Sunday alleged corruption in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) funding while stating that facts were concealed from the Income Tax department. Mishra who is currently on a hunger strike to protest against corruption by AAP said, "For three continuous years, black money was converted into white and spent on foreign trips of AAP leaders. AAP did not inform about some of its fundings which it received from fake companies." Mishra further targeted Kejriwal and revealed that 16 shell companies added money worth crores in AAP's bank accounts. "These fake companies are registered in the name of AAP MLA from Moti Nagar, Shivcharan Goyal. These companies have given Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal at 12 a.m. The fund received from these companies were sent to same branch branch of Axis Bank where there were allegations of converting black money into white at the time of demonetisation," he added. AAP has its bank account at the Krishnanagar branch of Axis Bank and all the transactions happen from there. Mishra also shared a bank cheque without a date which has already been encashed. "I file case against Arvind Kejriwal in Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday in connection with conversion of black money to white," the AAP leader said. However, the press conference took a dramatic turn when Mishra openly threatened to drag Kejriwal by the collar to Tihar jail and then promptly passed out and was carried to the hospital. Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Sunday sent a summons notice to the political advisor of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Vaibhav Kumar in connection with water tanker scam. Kumar will be interrogated by the ACB on May 17. Last Thursday, Mishra made serious allegations against senior Delhi government functionaries in relation to the water tanker scam, which is alleged to have caused a loss of an estimated ?400 crore to the State exchequer, in a detailed statement to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB). Earlier, Mishra submitted documents related to the tanker scam to the ACB, while saying that he also apprised the agency about the misuse of the money by the Delhi government.
By PTI
NEW DELHI: Former Delhi minister Kapil Mishra today alleged that the police were trying to "forcibly" take him to hospital based on "fake reports" given by doctors, just a day before he was planning to make another "expose".
He claimed that the report of his health is "faked" by the doctors, who were directly reporting to health minister Satyendar Jain, even as a team of doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital late tonight examined Mishra and said his vitals, including blood pressure and sugar level, were normal. "Before tomorrow's expose, they are spreading fake news and trying to divert attention. It is a ploy to end my hunger strike," Mishra said in a tweet.
"Doctors gave fake report. They report directly to health minister Satyendar Jain," he stated in another tweet.
Mishra, who was recently sacked from Delhi cabinet, had started an indefinite hunger strike on Wednesday demanding Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) divulged details of foreign tours undertaken by five of its leaders.
Doctors had yesterday advised hospitalisation to Mishra due to drop in blood sugar level and dehydration. Mishra also asked the Delhi police commissioner to not take actions based on "fake reports". "Sir @CPDelhi, Please don't do this just based on a fake report. I am fighting for a big cause. It's a conspiracy," the MLA said in a tweet.
In a late night development, a team of a team of doctors from RML hospital examined Mishra and said his vitals, including blood sugar level, pulse, blood pressure, is normal.
However, he had mild dehydration which is due to no salt intake since last 4 days, the doctors said, adding it was a case of "starvation ketosis".
Earlier a team of doctors from Aruna Asaf Ali hospital had examined him in the afternoon and evening and advised his hospitalisation.
Mishra mounted a fresh attack on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal today, accusing him of using AAP MLAs as "shield" after party legislator Sanjeev Jha announced a hunger strike to counter the rebel leader's ongoing fast.
Jha was detained by the police twice while he was proceeding to stage the planned hunger strike outside Mishra's residence. He later began his "indefinite strike" at Jantar Mantar.
Jha has demanded that Mishra come clean on the claim that he saw Health Minister Satyendar Jain pay Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal.
In an "open letter" to Kejriwal, Mishra again pressed for divulging the details of foreign tours undertaken by five leaders of the party.
"How much drama will you create to hide one truth. You are trying all tactics to divert attention. Don't try any new tactic tomorrow.
"You (Kejriwal) made a strategy to use MLAs as a shield. However, only one MLA came forward to be that shield?" Mishra said, adding he would make his next "expose" tomorrow.
He further said "thief" is demanding to hand over all the evidences to him.
"Then he would prove himself innocent by becoming a judge, a lawyer and a witness," he added.
In the morning, Jha, who is an MLA from Burari, went to Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, to "seek blessings".
"On May 7, Kapil Mishra had said that Arvind Kejriwal had met Satyendar Jain where he paid him Rs 2 crore. My question to him is at what time did he meet the chief minister. Which car did he use? I have the entire day's video footage (of people entering Kejriwal).
"The whole world knows about Kejriwal's credentials and he (Mishra) should give evidence to back his claim. If it turns out to be true, even I will join him in his hunger strike against Kejriwal," Jha said. Mishra hit back at Jha with another "open letter" and "advised" him to drink lots of water during the hunger strike.
NEW DELHI: Former Delhi minister Kapil Mishra today alleged that the police were trying to "forcibly" take him to hospital based on "fake reports" given by doctors, just a day before he was planning to make another "expose". He claimed that the report of his health is "faked" by the doctors, who were directly reporting to health minister Satyendar Jain, even as a team of doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital late tonight examined Mishra and said his vitals, including blood pressure and sugar level, were normal. "Before tomorrow's expose, they are spreading fake news and trying to divert attention. It is a ploy to end my hunger strike," Mishra said in a tweet. "Doctors gave fake report. They report directly to health minister Satyendar Jain," he stated in another tweet. Mishra, who was recently sacked from Delhi cabinet, had started an indefinite hunger strike on Wednesday demanding Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) divulged details of foreign tours undertaken by five of its leaders. Doctors had yesterday advised hospitalisation to Mishra due to drop in blood sugar level and dehydration. Mishra also asked the Delhi police commissioner to not take actions based on "fake reports". "Sir @CPDelhi, Please don't do this just based on a fake report. I am fighting for a big cause. It's a conspiracy," the MLA said in a tweet. In a late night development, a team of a team of doctors from RML hospital examined Mishra and said his vitals, including blood sugar level, pulse, blood pressure, is normal. However, he had mild dehydration which is due to no salt intake since last 4 days, the doctors said, adding it was a case of "starvation ketosis". Earlier a team of doctors from Aruna Asaf Ali hospital had examined him in the afternoon and evening and advised his hospitalisation. Mishra mounted a fresh attack on chief minister Arvind Kejriwal today, accusing him of using AAP MLAs as "shield" after party legislator Sanjeev Jha announced a hunger strike to counter the rebel leader's ongoing fast. Jha was detained by the police twice while he was proceeding to stage the planned hunger strike outside Mishra's residence. He later began his "indefinite strike" at Jantar Mantar. Jha has demanded that Mishra come clean on the claim that he saw Health Minister Satyendar Jain pay Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal. In an "open letter" to Kejriwal, Mishra again pressed for divulging the details of foreign tours undertaken by five leaders of the party. "How much drama will you create to hide one truth. You are trying all tactics to divert attention. Don't try any new tactic tomorrow. "You (Kejriwal) made a strategy to use MLAs as a shield. However, only one MLA came forward to be that shield?" Mishra said, adding he would make his next "expose" tomorrow. He further said "thief" is demanding to hand over all the evidences to him. "Then he would prove himself innocent by becoming a judge, a lawyer and a witness," he added. In the morning, Jha, who is an MLA from Burari, went to Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, to "seek blessings". "On May 7, Kapil Mishra had said that Arvind Kejriwal had met Satyendar Jain where he paid him Rs 2 crore. My question to him is at what time did he meet the chief minister. Which car did he use? I have the entire day's video footage (of people entering Kejriwal). "The whole world knows about Kejriwal's credentials and he (Mishra) should give evidence to back his claim. If it turns out to be true, even I will join him in his hunger strike against Kejriwal," Jha said. Mishra hit back at Jha with another "open letter" and "advised" him to drink lots of water during the hunger strike.
By Express News Service
MUMBAI: Congress supporters who showed black flags to Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday earned the wrath of the police in Marathwada. Police beat them back with staves after they got a little too close to the Maharashtra
chief minister.
The protestors waved flags in Fadnaviss face to show their ire at the remarks of Maharashtra BJP chief Raosaheb Danve who called farmers ungrateful saalein (a pejorative term literally meaning brother-in-law) last Wednesday.
The chief minister was touring rural Marathwada on Saturday, and local Youth Congress workers massed at Pardi village in Osmanabad district to demonstrate their ire. Fadnavis went to Pardi to review a water conservation project along with the local MP Ravindra Gaikwad of the Shiv Sena, who earned notoriety recently for beating an Air-India officer with a slipper.
As Fadnavis inspected a farm pond, the Youth Congress workers turned aggressive and began to shout slogans demanding loan waiver for farmers and procurement of tur dal. Sensing the protesters were getting too close to the CM, police charged with their batons to scatter the crowd. The mobs leader Umesh Raje-Nimbalkar and five comrades of his were arrested.
Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan condemned the attack. First they abuse farmers and then they resort to a lathi-charge when they protest. Farmers will teach a lesson to the government, Chavan said.
Chavan also condemned similar tactics to quell protesters outside Danve-Patils residence in Jalna.
MUMBAI: Congress supporters who showed black flags to Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday earned the wrath of the police in Marathwada. Police beat them back with staves after they got a little too close to the Maharashtra chief minister. The protestors waved flags in Fadnaviss face to show their ire at the remarks of Maharashtra BJP chief Raosaheb Danve who called farmers ungrateful saalein (a pejorative term literally meaning brother-in-law) last Wednesday. The chief minister was touring rural Marathwada on Saturday, and local Youth Congress workers massed at Pardi village in Osmanabad district to demonstrate their ire. Fadnavis went to Pardi to review a water conservation project along with the local MP Ravindra Gaikwad of the Shiv Sena, who earned notoriety recently for beating an Air-India officer with a slipper. As Fadnavis inspected a farm pond, the Youth Congress workers turned aggressive and began to shout slogans demanding loan waiver for farmers and procurement of tur dal. Sensing the protesters were getting too close to the CM, police charged with their batons to scatter the crowd. The mobs leader Umesh Raje-Nimbalkar and five comrades of his were arrested. Maharashtra Congress president Ashok Chavan condemned the attack. First they abuse farmers and then they resort to a lathi-charge when they protest. Farmers will teach a lesson to the government, Chavan said. Chavan also condemned similar tactics to quell protesters outside Danve-Patils residence in Jalna.
By PTI
SONIPAT: The family of the 23-year-old Dalit woman, found gang-raped and murdered in Rohtak on Thursday, had around a month back complained about a man who was harassing her but the police failed to act, one of her relatives alleged today.
Drawing parallels with the brutality witnessed in the 'Nirbhaya' case of Delhi, the victim's family has sought maximum punishment to the accused.
The police acknowledged that a "verbal" complaint had been made but refuted the charge of inaction saying that the victim's family had later come to a compromise with the man and said there was no need for action.
The same man, named Sumit, has now been arrested for the crime, the sheer savagery of which emerged today in the postmortem report which found the victim's skull shattered, a part of the food pipe missing and suggested sharp-edged objects may have been inserted into her private parts.
"We had approached the police with a complaint of harassment by the main accused but no action was taken," a kin of the victim kin told reporters in Sonipat.
The police however refuted the charge
"There was a verbal complaint some time back by the woman to Sonipat police saying that the main accused was pressuring her to marry him. It was a verbal complaint, there was no written complaint to police station," Superintendent of Police, Sonipat, Ashwin Shenvi said.
"However, later, the complainant and her mother again came to the police station and said they had struck a compromise and there no need for police action," the officer claimed.
The body was identified by the victim's mother on the basis of her clothes.
"He (Sumit) was putting pressure on her to marry him and used to threaten her. A week ago, he stopped her when she was returning from work. When she resisted, he threatened and abused her. She slapped him and ran home," said the mother in her statement to the police.
While Sumit (24) has a private job, the other person arrested, Vikas (28), works as a car mechanic.
"The woman was a Dalit and out of the two accused, main accused Sumit is also a Dalit," Shenvi said.
He said as the victim belonged to Dalit community, the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been invoked.
Shenvi said during investigations, involvement of only two people had come to fore and both have been arrested.
The post-mortem report also indicated a 'Nirbhaya' caselike savagery.
"The findings suggest that it was a brutal rape and murder," said Dr S K Dhatterwal, head of the department of forensic medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak, who conducted the post-mortem.
He said multiple head injuries, inflicted by some blunt weapon, were the main cause of the death and several bones of the victim's skull were found to be shattered.
"There were injuries on the private parts, which means that woman was sexually assaulted," Dhattarwal said adding that the vaginal swab had been sent to a forensic science lab for confirmation regarding rape.
The injuries suggest some sharp-edged objects may have been inserted in her private parts, he further said.
Indicating that the woman was given sedatives before she was raped and murdered, Dhattarwal said that signs of some such drugs had been found in the stomach.
Rohtak range Inspector General of Police Navdeep Virk said that the family gave the names of six more persons last evening.
"A supplementary statement of the family has been recorded. Out of these six persons, five are relatives of Sumit, main accused. The sixth may also be related in some way," a police official said.
The opposition hit out at the BJP government in Haryana over the incident. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged a complete breakdown of law and order while demanding exemplary punishment for the culprits.
Financial assistance of Rs 10.5 lakh was announced today for the victim's family.
As she was a Dalit, the state welfare department would provide Rs 8.5 lakh to her family under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act while Rs 2 lakh will be given by the Red Cross, Sonipat Deputy Commissioner K Makrand Pandurang said.
National Commission for Women member Rekha Sharma met the family of the victim.
The decomposed and mutilated body of the 23-year-old woman, who went missing from Sonipat on May 9 and was gangraped and brutally murdered, was found near the Industrial Model Township in Urban Estate, Rohtak, on May 11. Stray dogs had bitten off the face and lower portion of her body.
The sheer brutality of the crime, reminiscent of the 'Nirbhaya' incident in Delhi which triggered nation-wide outrage, occurred barely a month after the BJP-led Haryana government launched 'Operation Durga' to stop harassment of women.
Following the incident, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had expressed deep shock, saying it highlighted the need to revisit the issue of women safety.
Meanwhile, in Gurugram, also in Haryana, a 22-year-old woman from Sikkim was allegedly raped by three men in a moving car here and thrown out on a road in Delhi.
SONIPAT: The family of the 23-year-old Dalit woman, found gang-raped and murdered in Rohtak on Thursday, had around a month back complained about a man who was harassing her but the police failed to act, one of her relatives alleged today. Drawing parallels with the brutality witnessed in the 'Nirbhaya' case of Delhi, the victim's family has sought maximum punishment to the accused. The police acknowledged that a "verbal" complaint had been made but refuted the charge of inaction saying that the victim's family had later come to a compromise with the man and said there was no need for action. The same man, named Sumit, has now been arrested for the crime, the sheer savagery of which emerged today in the postmortem report which found the victim's skull shattered, a part of the food pipe missing and suggested sharp-edged objects may have been inserted into her private parts. "We had approached the police with a complaint of harassment by the main accused but no action was taken," a kin of the victim kin told reporters in Sonipat. The police however refuted the charge "There was a verbal complaint some time back by the woman to Sonipat police saying that the main accused was pressuring her to marry him. It was a verbal complaint, there was no written complaint to police station," Superintendent of Police, Sonipat, Ashwin Shenvi said. "However, later, the complainant and her mother again came to the police station and said they had struck a compromise and there no need for police action," the officer claimed. The body was identified by the victim's mother on the basis of her clothes. "He (Sumit) was putting pressure on her to marry him and used to threaten her. A week ago, he stopped her when she was returning from work. When she resisted, he threatened and abused her. She slapped him and ran home," said the mother in her statement to the police. While Sumit (24) has a private job, the other person arrested, Vikas (28), works as a car mechanic. "The woman was a Dalit and out of the two accused, main accused Sumit is also a Dalit," Shenvi said. He said as the victim belonged to Dalit community, the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been invoked. Shenvi said during investigations, involvement of only two people had come to fore and both have been arrested. The post-mortem report also indicated a 'Nirbhaya' caselike savagery. "The findings suggest that it was a brutal rape and murder," said Dr S K Dhatterwal, head of the department of forensic medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak, who conducted the post-mortem. He said multiple head injuries, inflicted by some blunt weapon, were the main cause of the death and several bones of the victim's skull were found to be shattered. "There were injuries on the private parts, which means that woman was sexually assaulted," Dhattarwal said adding that the vaginal swab had been sent to a forensic science lab for confirmation regarding rape. The injuries suggest some sharp-edged objects may have been inserted in her private parts, he further said. Indicating that the woman was given sedatives before she was raped and murdered, Dhattarwal said that signs of some such drugs had been found in the stomach. Rohtak range Inspector General of Police Navdeep Virk said that the family gave the names of six more persons last evening. "A supplementary statement of the family has been recorded. Out of these six persons, five are relatives of Sumit, main accused. The sixth may also be related in some way," a police official said. The opposition hit out at the BJP government in Haryana over the incident. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged a complete breakdown of law and order while demanding exemplary punishment for the culprits. Financial assistance of Rs 10.5 lakh was announced today for the victim's family. As she was a Dalit, the state welfare department would provide Rs 8.5 lakh to her family under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act while Rs 2 lakh will be given by the Red Cross, Sonipat Deputy Commissioner K Makrand Pandurang said. National Commission for Women member Rekha Sharma met the family of the victim. The decomposed and mutilated body of the 23-year-old woman, who went missing from Sonipat on May 9 and was gangraped and brutally murdered, was found near the Industrial Model Township in Urban Estate, Rohtak, on May 11. Stray dogs had bitten off the face and lower portion of her body. The sheer brutality of the crime, reminiscent of the 'Nirbhaya' incident in Delhi which triggered nation-wide outrage, occurred barely a month after the BJP-led Haryana government launched 'Operation Durga' to stop harassment of women. Following the incident, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had expressed deep shock, saying it highlighted the need to revisit the issue of women safety. Meanwhile, in Gurugram, also in Haryana, a 22-year-old woman from Sikkim was allegedly raped by three men in a moving car here and thrown out on a road in Delhi.
By Express News Service
CHANDIGARH: Two separate accidents in two States claimed eight lives and injured 14 people on Sunday morning. In Punjab, five members of a family, including two children, were killed in a collision while returning from a pilgrimage in Himachal Pradesh, while an infant and another person managed to survive.
Sources said that the family was returning from from Chintpurni in Himachal Pradesh when their car collided with a truck near Khatti village in Phagwara. The impact of the collision was so hard that it exploded the trucks fuel tank.
The deceased are Vikas, wife Shikha, her sister Reena and sons Raghav and Manav. Reenas husband Surinder Kumar and Vikas and Shikhas infant daughter escaped with minor injuries.
Meanwhile police have registered a case against the absconding truck driver for causing death by negligence, rash driving and other sections of the IPC.
In the second incident, three tourists from Tamil Nadu died and 14 others were injured after the tempo traveler they were in, en route to Manali, fell into a gorge at Chhodal in Bilaspur district early Sunday.
The overcrowded tempo fell into the gorge after the driver lost control of the vehicle. Police said Jai Raman and Jagatri died instantly while one N. Kumar, succumbed to his injuries en route to hospital. The victims were identified as Jagriti (23), Jai Raman (53) and N Kumar (45), all from Madurai district in Tamil Nadu, said police.
Five of the 14 people who were taken to a hospital in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, will soon be shifted to Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. All the injured, as well as the victims are said to have known each other, and were all from Madurai district.
CHANDIGARH: Two separate accidents in two States claimed eight lives and injured 14 people on Sunday morning. In Punjab, five members of a family, including two children, were killed in a collision while returning from a pilgrimage in Himachal Pradesh, while an infant and another person managed to survive. Sources said that the family was returning from from Chintpurni in Himachal Pradesh when their car collided with a truck near Khatti village in Phagwara. The impact of the collision was so hard that it exploded the trucks fuel tank. The deceased are Vikas, wife Shikha, her sister Reena and sons Raghav and Manav. Reenas husband Surinder Kumar and Vikas and Shikhas infant daughter escaped with minor injuries. Meanwhile police have registered a case against the absconding truck driver for causing death by negligence, rash driving and other sections of the IPC. In the second incident, three tourists from Tamil Nadu died and 14 others were injured after the tempo traveler they were in, en route to Manali, fell into a gorge at Chhodal in Bilaspur district early Sunday. The overcrowded tempo fell into the gorge after the driver lost control of the vehicle. Police said Jai Raman and Jagatri died instantly while one N. Kumar, succumbed to his injuries en route to hospital. The victims were identified as Jagriti (23), Jai Raman (53) and N Kumar (45), all from Madurai district in Tamil Nadu, said police. Five of the 14 people who were taken to a hospital in Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, will soon be shifted to Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh. All the injured, as well as the victims are said to have known each other, and were all from Madurai district.
Balbir Punj By
The result of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) would be Pakistan turning into a country like Greece and taking unprecedented loans in the name of CPEC. Our voice will not be heard until and unless we rebel. This is what Pakistans own intellectual Dr Qaiser Bengali, an economist, was saying in Karachi last week addressing a meeting. It was an expression of the growing concern among social scientists, activists and analysts.
Those involved in the meeting have seen Islamabad sliding irretrievably under Beijings thumb in the same manner it came under American hegemony by joining the CENTO, Washingtons group set up to counter growing Soviet influence during the Cold War. They are probably the few remaining civil society activists who oppose the Chinese hegemony.
The CENTO arms and cash that Pakistan obtained under that pact with the US were used to build up Islamabads stance vis-a-vis India. In 1965 and 1971, these were used to get India to surrender. But time and again (including 1999s Kargil), it was Pakistan that had to face total defeat and seek the intervention of the US, USSR and China to get itself out of the sure exposure of its failure, both at the diplomatic and military level.
Without taking the right lesson from the repeated defeats, Pakistan has now gone over to China which is seeking to dominate the world. The warning to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif from Pakistans own intelligentsia has come right at the time Sharif is leaving for Beijing to attend Chinas Belt and Road Forum, of which CPEC is a part.
The benefits are all for China: The rail and road line link Beijings troubled province of Xinjiang to the sea.
Xinjiang is a Muslim-dominated province. Inspired by their religion, the Muslim Uighurs are battling the communist countrys anti-religious assertions. China has banned wearing of hijabs by Muslim women, even the use of normal Muslim names including those resembling the Prophets name (Muhammad) and holding of religious gatherings like Friday prayer groups.
Any public expression of religious identity by the Muslim minority in these areas leads to atrocities by the Chinese army. Pakistan, which calls itself the sword arm of Islam, is not only turning a blind eye to this ruthless suppression of human rights of fellow Muslims, but has also emerged as Beijings sidekick.
The CPEC would be piling debt on a debt-ridden (a debt of $73 billion) economy because of the soaring trade deficit ($28 billion) of the economy of Pakistan. For all practical purposes, the Islamic state is in economic decline. Pakistan, for decades, has lived by exploiting the Wests anti-Indian Cold War mentality. But almost all Western governments have become well informed about Islamabads real intentions.
Beijing keeps its options in Pakistan alive by extending economic loans and aid in the name of using Pakistani territory as the fulcrum of its own One Belt, One Road policy of rallying Asian countries under its leadership. The Pakistani intelligentsia is saying that the proposed rail, road and industrial belt through Pakistan is Chinas attempt to get rid of its huge surplus of steel, cement etc. in the wake of a steep fall in Chinese exports to the West.
By giving all this as part of its loan to Pakistan, China is seen as raising Pakistans debt load which is already high. Ultimately by 2030, when the project is to be competed, Pakistan will be subservient to China like Greece was compelled to please its creditor Germany this decade.
To please Islamabad, Beijing, which does not even allow Muslim citizens of China (in Xingiang and other provinces) to use many Muslim names, backs terror leaders of Pakistan by vetoing their listing in international registers of terror-mongers. So China attempts to suppress jihadi terror in its own territories but supports Pakistan and prevents the listing of people like Masood Azhar and JuD leader Hafiz Saeed as terrorists, and thus hinders the international battle to contain and destroy Islamist terror that has affected countries across the world from the US to Europe to Japan.
It is informative to recall that the former US Joint Chiefs of Staff head Mike Mullen called yet another Pakistani terror outfit, the Haqqani network, as the veritable arm of Pakistans ISI.
New Delhi has therefore done the right thing in not attending the OBOR Forum that Beijing has organised in the name of reviving the ancient Silk Road. However, China is hell-bent on going ahead with this idea even as it threatens to take over territories of several Southeast Asian countries like Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea and raises claims over the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh.
The main purpose is to hold up Beijing as the one leader without a second in the world as the 21st century is increasingly being described as the Asian century. For Pakistan, it is a big opportunity to be a satellite of a power that is seeking to encircle India now that America is refusing to buy Islamabads anti-India political merchandise.
But leading Pakistani thinkers are waking up to the danger of such a policy whose sole objective is to destroy India, even as New Delhi is getting increasingly admired for its global economic salience and strong roots of democracy and peaceful economic change.
The anti-Indian (read anti-Hindu) virus is so deeply entrenched in the body polity of Pakistan that it has no qualms playing second fiddle to China which is denying even basic human rights to its Muslim minority. And why are our in-house secular and Muslim leaders who shout hoarse against perceived atrocities by Israel on Muslims, keeping quiet over this issue?
Balbir Punj
Former Rajya Sabha member and Delhi-based commentator on social and political issues
Email: punjbalbir@gmail.com
The result of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) would be Pakistan turning into a country like Greece and taking unprecedented loans in the name of CPEC. Our voice will not be heard until and unless we rebel. This is what Pakistans own intellectual Dr Qaiser Bengali, an economist, was saying in Karachi last week addressing a meeting. It was an expression of the growing concern among social scientists, activists and analysts. Those involved in the meeting have seen Islamabad sliding irretrievably under Beijings thumb in the same manner it came under American hegemony by joining the CENTO, Washingtons group set up to counter growing Soviet influence during the Cold War. They are probably the few remaining civil society activists who oppose the Chinese hegemony. The CENTO arms and cash that Pakistan obtained under that pact with the US were used to build up Islamabads stance vis-a-vis India. In 1965 and 1971, these were used to get India to surrender. But time and again (including 1999s Kargil), it was Pakistan that had to face total defeat and seek the intervention of the US, USSR and China to get itself out of the sure exposure of its failure, both at the diplomatic and military level. Without taking the right lesson from the repeated defeats, Pakistan has now gone over to China which is seeking to dominate the world. The warning to Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif from Pakistans own intelligentsia has come right at the time Sharif is leaving for Beijing to attend Chinas Belt and Road Forum, of which CPEC is a part. The benefits are all for China: The rail and road line link Beijings troubled province of Xinjiang to the sea. Xinjiang is a Muslim-dominated province. Inspired by their religion, the Muslim Uighurs are battling the communist countrys anti-religious assertions. China has banned wearing of hijabs by Muslim women, even the use of normal Muslim names including those resembling the Prophets name (Muhammad) and holding of religious gatherings like Friday prayer groups. Any public expression of religious identity by the Muslim minority in these areas leads to atrocities by the Chinese army. Pakistan, which calls itself the sword arm of Islam, is not only turning a blind eye to this ruthless suppression of human rights of fellow Muslims, but has also emerged as Beijings sidekick. The CPEC would be piling debt on a debt-ridden (a debt of $73 billion) economy because of the soaring trade deficit ($28 billion) of the economy of Pakistan. For all practical purposes, the Islamic state is in economic decline. Pakistan, for decades, has lived by exploiting the Wests anti-Indian Cold War mentality. But almost all Western governments have become well informed about Islamabads real intentions. Beijing keeps its options in Pakistan alive by extending economic loans and aid in the name of using Pakistani territory as the fulcrum of its own One Belt, One Road policy of rallying Asian countries under its leadership. The Pakistani intelligentsia is saying that the proposed rail, road and industrial belt through Pakistan is Chinas attempt to get rid of its huge surplus of steel, cement etc. in the wake of a steep fall in Chinese exports to the West. By giving all this as part of its loan to Pakistan, China is seen as raising Pakistans debt load which is already high. Ultimately by 2030, when the project is to be competed, Pakistan will be subservient to China like Greece was compelled to please its creditor Germany this decade. To please Islamabad, Beijing, which does not even allow Muslim citizens of China (in Xingiang and other provinces) to use many Muslim names, backs terror leaders of Pakistan by vetoing their listing in international registers of terror-mongers. So China attempts to suppress jihadi terror in its own territories but supports Pakistan and prevents the listing of people like Masood Azhar and JuD leader Hafiz Saeed as terrorists, and thus hinders the international battle to contain and destroy Islamist terror that has affected countries across the world from the US to Europe to Japan. It is informative to recall that the former US Joint Chiefs of Staff head Mike Mullen called yet another Pakistani terror outfit, the Haqqani network, as the veritable arm of Pakistans ISI. New Delhi has therefore done the right thing in not attending the OBOR Forum that Beijing has organised in the name of reviving the ancient Silk Road. However, China is hell-bent on going ahead with this idea even as it threatens to take over territories of several Southeast Asian countries like Philippines and Vietnam in the South China Sea and raises claims over the Indian territory of Arunachal Pradesh. The main purpose is to hold up Beijing as the one leader without a second in the world as the 21st century is increasingly being described as the Asian century. For Pakistan, it is a big opportunity to be a satellite of a power that is seeking to encircle India now that America is refusing to buy Islamabads anti-India political merchandise. But leading Pakistani thinkers are waking up to the danger of such a policy whose sole objective is to destroy India, even as New Delhi is getting increasingly admired for its global economic salience and strong roots of democracy and peaceful economic change. The anti-Indian (read anti-Hindu) virus is so deeply entrenched in the body polity of Pakistan that it has no qualms playing second fiddle to China which is denying even basic human rights to its Muslim minority. And why are our in-house secular and Muslim leaders who shout hoarse against perceived atrocities by Israel on Muslims, keeping quiet over this issue? Balbir Punj Former Rajya Sabha member and Delhi-based commentator on social and political issues Email: punjbalbir@gmail.com
Ravi Shankar By
Image matters. Saudi Arabia has enough petrodollars to stay the darling of capitalism, but its medievally regressive reputation is a public relations disaster. Women are jailed for driving; pro-democracy bloggers are jailed; criminals are executed publicly, and women stoned and whipped for adultery even without real evidence. Such barbarism has provoked partially successful calls for reform both within and outside the kingdom. Sharia depends on mobocracy led by mullahs afraid of losing their power.
The same Saudi Arabia, by piping in millions of petrodollars into India, aims to spread its religiously claustrophobic version of Islam, Wahhabism. This has led to a profusion of loudspeaker mosques and maulvis, spreading their dark message of intolerance. Islam in the country is under attackboth from within and outside. Its intellectually and socially syncretic image, mapped by its Sufi past, is being endangered.
The Indian government is leading the modernisation drive in Islam, to ban triple talaq as unconstitutional and a despicable law promoting polygamy, violating the rights of women. This dovetails with the administrations modernistic policy of sponsoring digital equality in spite of panchayats imposing `20,000 fines on girls using mobile phones.
However, the random acts of mobocracy, led by self-appointed cowboys and defenders of the virtue of women, are sullying this progressive perception. Mobocracy is the enemy of democracy since it seeks to promote violence through moral panic. Mob justice does not require proof, only hearsay and hysteria.
Historically it transcends religion. The bloodshed of the French Revolution was inspired by mob rule. In 1572, Catholic mobs massacred 60,000 Huguenots on St. Bartholomews Day. Witch-hunters murdered thousands in the Salem Witch Trials. The Ku Klux Klan lynched Negroes. The bloodlust of Roman mobs in gladiatorial arenas exposed the contradiction between ancient Rome as the birthplace of justice and mobocracy.
Greek historian Polybius coined the word ochlocracy (mob rule) to typify the pathological version of popular rule viz democracy. While democracy requires the energy of leaders to succeed, ochlocracy needs just a few agent provocateurs with agendas to whip up mass hysteriatoday all they require is the word Hindu in obscure organisations to be seen as leaders of the future. The 1984 Sikh riots were engineered by local goons at the behest of the Congress.
Now butchers are assaulted and killed based on filamental rumours of cow-slaughter. Legitimate traders transporting cattle, both Hindus and Muslims, have been beaten within an inch of their lives. Mobs have murdered men on the suspicion of encouraging interfaith couples to elope. These actions do not represent the will of the government, but end up staining its image as a regime whose stringent warnings are ignored by criminals with political aspirations.
The media is trapped between news and conviction, forced to report on sword-holding thugs mocking the law of the land, giving them publicity. Rioters on TV warn of assaults in the name of gau raksha. In the age of globalisation, mob rule has to be punished severely by banishing it to where it rightfully belongsthe Dark Ages.
Image matters. Saudi Arabia has enough petrodollars to stay the darling of capitalism, but its medievally regressive reputation is a public relations disaster. Women are jailed for driving; pro-democracy bloggers are jailed; criminals are executed publicly, and women stoned and whipped for adultery even without real evidence. Such barbarism has provoked partially successful calls for reform both within and outside the kingdom. Sharia depends on mobocracy led by mullahs afraid of losing their power. The same Saudi Arabia, by piping in millions of petrodollars into India, aims to spread its religiously claustrophobic version of Islam, Wahhabism. This has led to a profusion of loudspeaker mosques and maulvis, spreading their dark message of intolerance. Islam in the country is under attackboth from within and outside. Its intellectually and socially syncretic image, mapped by its Sufi past, is being endangered. The Indian government is leading the modernisation drive in Islam, to ban triple talaq as unconstitutional and a despicable law promoting polygamy, violating the rights of women. This dovetails with the administrations modernistic policy of sponsoring digital equality in spite of panchayats imposing `20,000 fines on girls using mobile phones. However, the random acts of mobocracy, led by self-appointed cowboys and defenders of the virtue of women, are sullying this progressive perception. Mobocracy is the enemy of democracy since it seeks to promote violence through moral panic. Mob justice does not require proof, only hearsay and hysteria. Historically it transcends religion. The bloodshed of the French Revolution was inspired by mob rule. In 1572, Catholic mobs massacred 60,000 Huguenots on St. Bartholomews Day. Witch-hunters murdered thousands in the Salem Witch Trials. The Ku Klux Klan lynched Negroes. The bloodlust of Roman mobs in gladiatorial arenas exposed the contradiction between ancient Rome as the birthplace of justice and mobocracy. Greek historian Polybius coined the word ochlocracy (mob rule) to typify the pathological version of popular rule viz democracy. While democracy requires the energy of leaders to succeed, ochlocracy needs just a few agent provocateurs with agendas to whip up mass hysteriatoday all they require is the word Hindu in obscure organisations to be seen as leaders of the future. The 1984 Sikh riots were engineered by local goons at the behest of the Congress. Now butchers are assaulted and killed based on filamental rumours of cow-slaughter. Legitimate traders transporting cattle, both Hindus and Muslims, have been beaten within an inch of their lives. Mobs have murdered men on the suspicion of encouraging interfaith couples to elope. These actions do not represent the will of the government, but end up staining its image as a regime whose stringent warnings are ignored by criminals with political aspirations. The media is trapped between news and conviction, forced to report on sword-holding thugs mocking the law of the land, giving them publicity. Rioters on TV warn of assaults in the name of gau raksha. In the age of globalisation, mob rule has to be punished severely by banishing it to where it rightfully belongsthe Dark Ages.
T J S George By
Are we witnessing the final fade-out of communisms run in India? West Bengal was a Left citadel that seemed impregnable for three long decades. Rather suddenly it crumbled and repeated attempts to put it together again have failed. Kerala then became the Marxists only viable address. The electoral victory they gained in the state last year was impressive and the chief ministers chair was filled by the Indian Lefts legendary Strong Man, Pinarayi Vijayan.
From day one, however, and for reasons no one can understand, Pinarayi became a standing monument to foolishness. False step after false step led to humiliation after humiliation for himself and for his Government. By last week, in the wake of heavy lashings by the Supreme Court, Pinarayi looked not just a comic figure but also a dangerous one out of tune with all others including his own party leaders.
There is a pattern in his conduct: He always takes a position against public opinion. Is it ego, arrogance or the Strong Man showing that he can do what he pleases? When students began an agitation against malpractices in a family-run law college, the Chief Minister supported the erring family. The students gained widespread public sympathy and eventually won their demands, but Pinarayi continued to be on the side of the wrongdoers.
More unpopular was his backing of a private college management against which students rose in revolt following the suicide of one of them. The management was accused of torturing him and others who questioned practices like extracting money under various pretexts. When the dead boys protesting mother was manhandled by the police, people across the state were outraged by the Governments insensitiveness. The familys demands were finally conceded, but only on paper, while the Chief Minister went on making disparaging remarks about the grieving mother and her relatives. The loss of public goodwill for the Government was massive.
On other fronts, too, the public was either puzzled or offended. In an unprecedented move, the Chief Minister started surrounding himself with special advisorslegal advisor, media advisor, economic advisor (from Harvard University), police advisor; two of his ministers were obliged to resign in unhappy circumstances; Kannur politics (from his region of the state) saw 18 political murders in one year attributed to the CPM and BJP; he was seen generally against the popular drive to remove encroachments in the hills of Munnar, criticising the officials carrying out orders.
It was his handling of the police that exposed a confused, inefficient and self-obsessed Pinarayi (who is Home Minister as well). He began his term by removing the police chief, Senkumar. Improving police efficiency was not the intention, for major cases of incompetence followed. A film actress was kidnapped and assaulted and even before investigation could begin, the Chief Minister said it was not a conspiracy. On World Womens Day, Shiv Senas moral police attacked couples, and policemen stood around watching. A woman student died in mysterious circumstances and so did two school girls within two months of each other; police investigations became a farce.
And Senkumar went to court. The way Pinarayi handled the matter became a classic case of moronism. The Supreme Court ordered the Government to take Senkumar back as chief of police. A sensible government would have quietly done so and minimised the damage to its prestige. But Pinarayi, with all those advisors around him, delayed Senkumars reinstatement for a week, then filed a new petition asking for clarity in the courts order.
The court dismissed the petition, disregarded the Government lawyers apology, imposed a fine of `25,000 towards costs, remarked that it was now convinced that the removal of Senkumar in the first place was done with malafide intentions, and issued notice on a contempt of court petition against the states chief secretary.
Shamed as no government had been shamed before, the Pinarayi machine still didnt see the light. Just before Senkumar was reinstated, a hundred police officers were hastily reshuffled in the state, evidently to keep a watch on the new chief. A chief minister so scared of his own police chief? Additionally, he stood before the state assembly and made amazing claims: the Government had not been fined by the court, there was no apology by the Government, we only followed procedures, the Government did nothing wrong....
If this is how Pinarayi Vijayan goes on, the CPM may be off Indias power map for good. People can take the foolishness of fools, but not the foolishness of egoists.
Are we witnessing the final fade-out of communisms run in India? West Bengal was a Left citadel that seemed impregnable for three long decades. Rather suddenly it crumbled and repeated attempts to put it together again have failed. Kerala then became the Marxists only viable address. The electoral victory they gained in the state last year was impressive and the chief ministers chair was filled by the Indian Lefts legendary Strong Man, Pinarayi Vijayan. From day one, however, and for reasons no one can understand, Pinarayi became a standing monument to foolishness. False step after false step led to humiliation after humiliation for himself and for his Government. By last week, in the wake of heavy lashings by the Supreme Court, Pinarayi looked not just a comic figure but also a dangerous one out of tune with all others including his own party leaders. There is a pattern in his conduct: He always takes a position against public opinion. Is it ego, arrogance or the Strong Man showing that he can do what he pleases? When students began an agitation against malpractices in a family-run law college, the Chief Minister supported the erring family. The students gained widespread public sympathy and eventually won their demands, but Pinarayi continued to be on the side of the wrongdoers. More unpopular was his backing of a private college management against which students rose in revolt following the suicide of one of them. The management was accused of torturing him and others who questioned practices like extracting money under various pretexts. When the dead boys protesting mother was manhandled by the police, people across the state were outraged by the Governments insensitiveness. The familys demands were finally conceded, but only on paper, while the Chief Minister went on making disparaging remarks about the grieving mother and her relatives. The loss of public goodwill for the Government was massive. On other fronts, too, the public was either puzzled or offended. In an unprecedented move, the Chief Minister started surrounding himself with special advisorslegal advisor, media advisor, economic advisor (from Harvard University), police advisor; two of his ministers were obliged to resign in unhappy circumstances; Kannur politics (from his region of the state) saw 18 political murders in one year attributed to the CPM and BJP; he was seen generally against the popular drive to remove encroachments in the hills of Munnar, criticising the officials carrying out orders. It was his handling of the police that exposed a confused, inefficient and self-obsessed Pinarayi (who is Home Minister as well). He began his term by removing the police chief, Senkumar. Improving police efficiency was not the intention, for major cases of incompetence followed. A film actress was kidnapped and assaulted and even before investigation could begin, the Chief Minister said it was not a conspiracy. On World Womens Day, Shiv Senas moral police attacked couples, and policemen stood around watching. A woman student died in mysterious circumstances and so did two school girls within two months of each other; police investigations became a farce. And Senkumar went to court. The way Pinarayi handled the matter became a classic case of moronism. The Supreme Court ordered the Government to take Senkumar back as chief of police. A sensible government would have quietly done so and minimised the damage to its prestige. But Pinarayi, with all those advisors around him, delayed Senkumars reinstatement for a week, then filed a new petition asking for clarity in the courts order. The court dismissed the petition, disregarded the Government lawyers apology, imposed a fine of `25,000 towards costs, remarked that it was now convinced that the removal of Senkumar in the first place was done with malafide intentions, and issued notice on a contempt of court petition against the states chief secretary. Shamed as no government had been shamed before, the Pinarayi machine still didnt see the light. Just before Senkumar was reinstated, a hundred police officers were hastily reshuffled in the state, evidently to keep a watch on the new chief. A chief minister so scared of his own police chief? Additionally, he stood before the state assembly and made amazing claims: the Government had not been fined by the court, there was no apology by the Government, we only followed procedures, the Government did nothing wrong.... If this is how Pinarayi Vijayan goes on, the CPM may be off Indias power map for good. People can take the foolishness of fools, but not the foolishness of egoists.
Prabhu Chawla By
Something is rotten in the state of the Opposition. The stench of failure pervades its decaying leadership, which is powerless to resist the Surge of Saffron at a time when India needs credible and saleable alternatives. Desperation leads to deliberation; conflicts of ideologies or alternatives among anti-Modi forces have been packed away with the hope that a joint presidential candidate will emerge from the parleys precluding partisanship. As their satraps crisscross the country searching for the elusive grail of unity, skeletons of graft and nepotism are tumbling out of their cupboards with unending regularity. There is hardly a non-BJP leader not plagued by scams and revolts.
Opposition parties are unable to keep their flock together, their rank and file falling prey to the allurements of the ruling establishment. They are unsuccessful in halting the Modi juggernaut in their states. Moreover, India is yet to become a nursery of newbies, where emergent leaders like Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen and Theresa May are incubated to replace the existing leadership and shake up the system. Like the lotus eaters, the Oppositions deluded dream of becoming roadblocks in Prime Minister Narendra Modis pursuit of a second term in 2019 is in limbo.
Arvind Kejriwal was considered Mr Clean and Able until former ministers accused him of financial irregularities and nepotism in government contracts. Over half a dozen AAP legislators are facing corruption charges and criminal cases; others are being investigated by agencies. A colleague accused the chief minister himself of accepting cash for favours (denied later). The party itself is being probed for fudging accounts.
Kejriwal is facing large-scale desertionseven leaders once considered his close allies are bidding adieu in a hurry, holding him responsible for the drift. Kejriwal is no more seen as a leader with an alternative agenda for governance based on transparency and democratic functioning. The leader, who created history in Delhi by winning 67 of 70 seats, acquired opposition party status in Parliament by trouncing the SAD-BJP power alliance in Punjab and came second in municipal elections, has been reduced to a political pariah. Until recently Kejriwal was being romanced by most non-BJP CMs; West Bengals Mamata Banerjee and Bihars Nitish Kumar wouldnt miss an opportunity to visit him when they were in Delhi. The demagogue, who once drew massive crowds wherever he went, is losing the g in his gloss.
Mamata Banerjee, the Tigress of West Bengal, is being eroded within. Over a dozen TMC ministers and MPs are either in jail or under investigation. Hardly a day passes without the CBI, Enforcement Directorate or Income Tax come knocking on the door of party leaders or office-bearers. BJP boss Amit Shahs next target is West Bengal; he has vowed the saffron flag will flutter atop Writers Building. Though dissent is not visible in the TMC yet, Mamatas cadres doubt her ability for a hat-trick. The Bengali middle class, which catalyses her victory and acceptability, is disenchanted over her administrative skills or leadership quality. Mamatas grip over the minorities and weaker sections in the state is intact but she has been forced into assuming a strident pro-minority stance, which works in the BJPs favour. Her major concern appears to be her failure to attract disenchanted leaders from other parties or add new cadres to her stagnant stock.
Lalu Yadav sprang a surprise in 2015 by not only winning the largest number of seats in the Bihar Assembly polls but also by inflicting the first electoral bruise on the invincible Modi-Shah duo. Since he was legally banned from joining the government, he got two of his sons important positions in the Nitish Kumar government. Now, the media expose about his familys questionable land dealings in Bihar and Delhi have dented his manoeuvrability in influencing the political agenda both at the state and central level. So far, he has contained any revolt in his Rashtriya Janata Dal but the BJP is exploiting the negative fallout of the scandal, hell bent on breaking the JD(U)-RJD alliance and repeating its 2019 Lok Sabha sweep.
Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, who ruled Uttar Pradesh for over a decade, face massive revolts both from party leaders and family members. Theoretically, by combining with the Congress, they can prevent the BJP from winning half the 73 Lok Sabha seats it bagged in 2014. In the May Assembly elections, their combined vote share was much higher than the BJP, which won a record 326 seats. Mayawati, reeling under corruption charges, is helpless to prevent many leaders who helped her win in 2007 from leaving. Meanwhile, Akhilesh is under constant threat from father Mulayam Singh and uncle Shiv Pal.
Naveen Patnaik, the unstoppable Odisha Chief Minister, is under tremendous pressure from within after the BJDs unsatisfactory performance in local body elections. Many former followers have been speaking against him. Some of his MPs and MLAs are under investigation for economic offences. Naveen had created a state record in 2014 by capturing 20 of 21 Lok Sabha seats despite Modis nationwide popularity.
Jayalalithaas death has weakened AIADMK so much that its survival depends more on the magnanimity of Modi Sarkar and less on its current leadership. Many of its leaders are involved in criminal cases.
The Communists who rule Kerala and Tripura are not positioned to lead the Opposition either; ideological contradictions make them unacceptable to regional rulers.
The BJP cannot take the entire credit for the combined anti-Modi conglomeration being leaderless and directionless. Modi baiters have to own up to the responsibility for their failure to serve as constructive checks on the Centre.
The ruling party will use every trick in the trade to dismantle and discredit its opponents. But it is the responsibility of the Opposition to anticipate and tackle turbulent air pockets well in advance. The BJP has broken their opponents with both carrots and sticks. In response, its foes have failed to keep their flag flying with credible criticism of the government. While Modi coins and creates seductive slogans and scenarios on a daily basis, his opponents cannot generate equally compelling narratives. Rushing around like headless chickens, Opposition leaders expect Modi to slip, toppled by the excessive weight of promises. In democracy, power flows from ballot boxes. But Modi baiters are hardly prepared for the battle of ballots.
Prabhu Chawla
prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com
Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla
Something is rotten in the state of the Opposition. The stench of failure pervades its decaying leadership, which is powerless to resist the Surge of Saffron at a time when India needs credible and saleable alternatives. Desperation leads to deliberation; conflicts of ideologies or alternatives among anti-Modi forces have been packed away with the hope that a joint presidential candidate will emerge from the parleys precluding partisanship. As their satraps crisscross the country searching for the elusive grail of unity, skeletons of graft and nepotism are tumbling out of their cupboards with unending regularity. There is hardly a non-BJP leader not plagued by scams and revolts. Opposition parties are unable to keep their flock together, their rank and file falling prey to the allurements of the ruling establishment. They are unsuccessful in halting the Modi juggernaut in their states. Moreover, India is yet to become a nursery of newbies, where emergent leaders like Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen and Theresa May are incubated to replace the existing leadership and shake up the system. Like the lotus eaters, the Oppositions deluded dream of becoming roadblocks in Prime Minister Narendra Modis pursuit of a second term in 2019 is in limbo. Arvind Kejriwal was considered Mr Clean and Able until former ministers accused him of financial irregularities and nepotism in government contracts. Over half a dozen AAP legislators are facing corruption charges and criminal cases; others are being investigated by agencies. A colleague accused the chief minister himself of accepting cash for favours (denied later). The party itself is being probed for fudging accounts. Kejriwal is facing large-scale desertionseven leaders once considered his close allies are bidding adieu in a hurry, holding him responsible for the drift. Kejriwal is no more seen as a leader with an alternative agenda for governance based on transparency and democratic functioning. The leader, who created history in Delhi by winning 67 of 70 seats, acquired opposition party status in Parliament by trouncing the SAD-BJP power alliance in Punjab and came second in municipal elections, has been reduced to a political pariah. Until recently Kejriwal was being romanced by most non-BJP CMs; West Bengals Mamata Banerjee and Bihars Nitish Kumar wouldnt miss an opportunity to visit him when they were in Delhi. The demagogue, who once drew massive crowds wherever he went, is losing the g in his gloss. Mamata Banerjee, the Tigress of West Bengal, is being eroded within. Over a dozen TMC ministers and MPs are either in jail or under investigation. Hardly a day passes without the CBI, Enforcement Directorate or Income Tax come knocking on the door of party leaders or office-bearers. BJP boss Amit Shahs next target is West Bengal; he has vowed the saffron flag will flutter atop Writers Building. Though dissent is not visible in the TMC yet, Mamatas cadres doubt her ability for a hat-trick. The Bengali middle class, which catalyses her victory and acceptability, is disenchanted over her administrative skills or leadership quality. Mamatas grip over the minorities and weaker sections in the state is intact but she has been forced into assuming a strident pro-minority stance, which works in the BJPs favour. Her major concern appears to be her failure to attract disenchanted leaders from other parties or add new cadres to her stagnant stock. Lalu Yadav sprang a surprise in 2015 by not only winning the largest number of seats in the Bihar Assembly polls but also by inflicting the first electoral bruise on the invincible Modi-Shah duo. Since he was legally banned from joining the government, he got two of his sons important positions in the Nitish Kumar government. Now, the media expose about his familys questionable land dealings in Bihar and Delhi have dented his manoeuvrability in influencing the political agenda both at the state and central level. So far, he has contained any revolt in his Rashtriya Janata Dal but the BJP is exploiting the negative fallout of the scandal, hell bent on breaking the JD(U)-RJD alliance and repeating its 2019 Lok Sabha sweep. Mayawati and Akhilesh Yadav, who ruled Uttar Pradesh for over a decade, face massive revolts both from party leaders and family members. Theoretically, by combining with the Congress, they can prevent the BJP from winning half the 73 Lok Sabha seats it bagged in 2014. In the May Assembly elections, their combined vote share was much higher than the BJP, which won a record 326 seats. Mayawati, reeling under corruption charges, is helpless to prevent many leaders who helped her win in 2007 from leaving. Meanwhile, Akhilesh is under constant threat from father Mulayam Singh and uncle Shiv Pal. Naveen Patnaik, the unstoppable Odisha Chief Minister, is under tremendous pressure from within after the BJDs unsatisfactory performance in local body elections. Many former followers have been speaking against him. Some of his MPs and MLAs are under investigation for economic offences. Naveen had created a state record in 2014 by capturing 20 of 21 Lok Sabha seats despite Modis nationwide popularity. Jayalalithaas death has weakened AIADMK so much that its survival depends more on the magnanimity of Modi Sarkar and less on its current leadership. Many of its leaders are involved in criminal cases. The Communists who rule Kerala and Tripura are not positioned to lead the Opposition either; ideological contradictions make them unacceptable to regional rulers. The BJP cannot take the entire credit for the combined anti-Modi conglomeration being leaderless and directionless. Modi baiters have to own up to the responsibility for their failure to serve as constructive checks on the Centre. The ruling party will use every trick in the trade to dismantle and discredit its opponents. But it is the responsibility of the Opposition to anticipate and tackle turbulent air pockets well in advance. The BJP has broken their opponents with both carrots and sticks. In response, its foes have failed to keep their flag flying with credible criticism of the government. While Modi coins and creates seductive slogans and scenarios on a daily basis, his opponents cannot generate equally compelling narratives. Rushing around like headless chickens, Opposition leaders expect Modi to slip, toppled by the excessive weight of promises. In democracy, power flows from ballot boxes. But Modi baiters are hardly prepared for the battle of ballots. Prabhu Chawla prabhuchawla@ newindianexpress.com Follow him on Twitter @PrabhuChawla
R Prithvi Raj By
Express News Service
What is tormenting the Telugu Desam Party is why did Prime Minister Narendra Modi give audience to Opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy the other day.
At a time when they wanted to see the YSRC chief behind bars, the tete-a-tete between the two leaders has come as a disquieting development for them.
Their anxiety is understandable since they are part of the NDA and Jagan Mohan Reddy is their enemy, not just a political rival. For the TDP, its foe should be the foe of all the partners of the NDA, and it is fair enough, but while slamming Jagan Mohan Reddy they had overdone it, making one wonder if they had sensed any change in the political kaleidoscope in the future in the footsie that Modi played with Jagan Mohan Reddy.
The YSRC chiefs announcement of his unconditional support to the NDA in the ensuing presidential poll immediately after his meeting with Modi, has set off speculation that it might be signalling the emergence of new relationship and whether Modi is going to switch friends. Maybe it could be his way of keeping the TDP under check.
For the last two and half years, the TDP leaders were unhappy over the way the CBI was dragging its feet in pursuing cases that had been registered against Jagan Mohan Reddy and they, in hushed voices, wonder why the BJP is not serious about it.
Taunting the TDP, the YSRC leaders kept claiming that Jagan Mohan Reddy during the exclusive meeting had handed over documentary evidence to the Prime Minister on TDP regimes corruption.
Though it was a day of mourning for the TDP leaders since Municipal Administration Minister P Narayanas son died in a road accident in Hyderabad earlier in the day, ministers Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and K Atchannaidu, launched a vituperative attack on Jagan Mohan Reddy. They pounced on him saying that he went to Delhi to touch Modis feet only to wriggle himself out of the cases of corruption in which he had been stuck. Without realising that the BJP might take offence, they went on to say Modi should not have given appointment to the YSRC chief. BJP AP affairs in-charge Siddharth Nath Singh who was in Vijayawada, wondered what was wrong if the Prime Minister met Jagan Mohan Reddy since he is an Opposition leader in the State. As regards cases, he said it was courts which deal with them and not the Prime Minister.
A section of the State BJP leaders, not very happy with the big brother attitude of the TDP, decided that it was time for them to pay back. They went after the TDP leaders since very recently BJP chief Amit Shah reportedly told a delegation of the party from the State that they should assert themselves in Andhra Pradesh rather than approaching him with complaints that the TDP was ignoring them since a party in power always tends to act that way only. BJP floor leader in the Assembly P Vishnukumar Raju said just because the TDP is a partner in the NDA, it does not mean that the Prime Minister should consult it before meeting the Opposition leader. Jagan Mohan Reddy had secured only six lakh votes less than the TDP in the last elections which accounts for just 2 per cent, he said.
He tried to take the wind out of sails of the TDP that Atchannaidu himself said in the Assembly in the past that he had no evidence to prove that Jagan Mohan Reddy had amassed wealth through dubious methods and therefore the argument that Modi met a man with a criminal background does not hold water. It is a very immature line of thinking, Raju said.
The YSRC, washing the dirty linen in the public, questioned as to why the TDP leaders sat bolt upright when Jagan Mohan Reddy met the Prime Minister. I dont understand why the TDP instead of welcoming the meeting since the YSRC chief pledged his support in the presidential election to the NDA, was questioning the wisdom of the Prime Minister in granting interview to him, YSRC MLA RK Roja said.
When the BJP leaders began expressing their annoyance at the TDP showing displeasure over Modi giving audience to Jagan Mohan Reddy, the TDP leaders piped down a bit. As Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was returning home from the US tour, they apparently decided to leave it to the party chief to sort it out with the BJP national leadership rather than making hasty statements and hurting the feelings of the BJP leaders further. It is likely that Naidu might take the right approach to nip the friendship between Modi and Jagan Mohan Reddy in the budding stage itself.
R Prithvi Raj
Assistant Resident Editor, Vijayawada
raj@newIndianexpress.com
What is tormenting the Telugu Desam Party is why did Prime Minister Narendra Modi give audience to Opposition leader YS Jagan Mohan Reddy the other day. At a time when they wanted to see the YSRC chief behind bars, the tete-a-tete between the two leaders has come as a disquieting development for them. Their anxiety is understandable since they are part of the NDA and Jagan Mohan Reddy is their enemy, not just a political rival. For the TDP, its foe should be the foe of all the partners of the NDA, and it is fair enough, but while slamming Jagan Mohan Reddy they had overdone it, making one wonder if they had sensed any change in the political kaleidoscope in the future in the footsie that Modi played with Jagan Mohan Reddy. The YSRC chiefs announcement of his unconditional support to the NDA in the ensuing presidential poll immediately after his meeting with Modi, has set off speculation that it might be signalling the emergence of new relationship and whether Modi is going to switch friends. Maybe it could be his way of keeping the TDP under check. For the last two and half years, the TDP leaders were unhappy over the way the CBI was dragging its feet in pursuing cases that had been registered against Jagan Mohan Reddy and they, in hushed voices, wonder why the BJP is not serious about it. Taunting the TDP, the YSRC leaders kept claiming that Jagan Mohan Reddy during the exclusive meeting had handed over documentary evidence to the Prime Minister on TDP regimes corruption. Though it was a day of mourning for the TDP leaders since Municipal Administration Minister P Narayanas son died in a road accident in Hyderabad earlier in the day, ministers Devineni Umamaheswara Rao and K Atchannaidu, launched a vituperative attack on Jagan Mohan Reddy. They pounced on him saying that he went to Delhi to touch Modis feet only to wriggle himself out of the cases of corruption in which he had been stuck. Without realising that the BJP might take offence, they went on to say Modi should not have given appointment to the YSRC chief. BJP AP affairs in-charge Siddharth Nath Singh who was in Vijayawada, wondered what was wrong if the Prime Minister met Jagan Mohan Reddy since he is an Opposition leader in the State. As regards cases, he said it was courts which deal with them and not the Prime Minister. A section of the State BJP leaders, not very happy with the big brother attitude of the TDP, decided that it was time for them to pay back. They went after the TDP leaders since very recently BJP chief Amit Shah reportedly told a delegation of the party from the State that they should assert themselves in Andhra Pradesh rather than approaching him with complaints that the TDP was ignoring them since a party in power always tends to act that way only. BJP floor leader in the Assembly P Vishnukumar Raju said just because the TDP is a partner in the NDA, it does not mean that the Prime Minister should consult it before meeting the Opposition leader. Jagan Mohan Reddy had secured only six lakh votes less than the TDP in the last elections which accounts for just 2 per cent, he said. He tried to take the wind out of sails of the TDP that Atchannaidu himself said in the Assembly in the past that he had no evidence to prove that Jagan Mohan Reddy had amassed wealth through dubious methods and therefore the argument that Modi met a man with a criminal background does not hold water. It is a very immature line of thinking, Raju said. The YSRC, washing the dirty linen in the public, questioned as to why the TDP leaders sat bolt upright when Jagan Mohan Reddy met the Prime Minister. I dont understand why the TDP instead of welcoming the meeting since the YSRC chief pledged his support in the presidential election to the NDA, was questioning the wisdom of the Prime Minister in granting interview to him, YSRC MLA RK Roja said. When the BJP leaders began expressing their annoyance at the TDP showing displeasure over Modi giving audience to Jagan Mohan Reddy, the TDP leaders piped down a bit. As Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was returning home from the US tour, they apparently decided to leave it to the party chief to sort it out with the BJP national leadership rather than making hasty statements and hurting the feelings of the BJP leaders further. It is likely that Naidu might take the right approach to nip the friendship between Modi and Jagan Mohan Reddy in the budding stage itself. R Prithvi Raj Assistant Resident Editor, Vijayawada raj@newIndianexpress.com
By Express News Service
CHENNAI: More research is needed to define Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDu), an emerging public health problem, besides identifying various causes that can lead to it, experts have said.
Little information is available about the disease, currently prevalent in pockets of Sri Lanka and Andhra Pradesh.
Usually, this disease leads to kidney failure. The symptoms are anaemia, lack of appetite, vomiting and less urine output, doctors say.
At a meeting organised jointly by TANKER foundation and Madras Medical Mission Hospital on Saturday, over 25 nephrologists and pathologists gathered to deliberate the issue.
According to Georgi Abraham, founder trustee of TANKER and consultant nephrologist in MMM, CKDu mainly affects people belonging to lower social economic status. They have no risk factors such as diabetes or hypertension, he said.
In India, districts of Srikakulam and Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh are significantly affected by the disease. Nearly 13 per cent of the population in Prakasam district have different stages of CKDu. Clusters have also been identified in Goa and Odisha, experts say.
Although no definite cause has been yet identified, it is suspected that ground water with high silica content could lead to the disease.
Latha Kumaraswami, managing trustee, TANKER, called for the support of governments and private organisations in this regard.
CHENNAI: More research is needed to define Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDu), an emerging public health problem, besides identifying various causes that can lead to it, experts have said. Little information is available about the disease, currently prevalent in pockets of Sri Lanka and Andhra Pradesh. Usually, this disease leads to kidney failure. The symptoms are anaemia, lack of appetite, vomiting and less urine output, doctors say. At a meeting organised jointly by TANKER foundation and Madras Medical Mission Hospital on Saturday, over 25 nephrologists and pathologists gathered to deliberate the issue. According to Georgi Abraham, founder trustee of TANKER and consultant nephrologist in MMM, CKDu mainly affects people belonging to lower social economic status. They have no risk factors such as diabetes or hypertension, he said. In India, districts of Srikakulam and Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh are significantly affected by the disease. Nearly 13 per cent of the population in Prakasam district have different stages of CKDu. Clusters have also been identified in Goa and Odisha, experts say. Although no definite cause has been yet identified, it is suspected that ground water with high silica content could lead to the disease. Latha Kumaraswami, managing trustee, TANKER, called for the support of governments and private organisations in this regard.
Ejaz Kaiser By
RAIPUR: To augment the anti-Maoist campaign in the state, the Chhattisgarh DGP has instructed all ADGs and IGs posted in the state police headquarter to carry out field works at regular intervals in all strive-torn districts.
ADG RK Vij
DGP A N Upadhyay has issued orders to top officers to spend time in the eight worst Maoist-affected districtsseven in conflict zone of Bastar and one Rajnandgaon.
The eight senior IPS officers (four ADGs and four IGs) who are in-charge of various departments in the PHQ will now interact with the security personnel deployed in Maoist-affected districts, discuss strategies, resolve issues, motivate and raise the morale of the troopers, share experiences and gather feedback. They will also drop in at base camps of the forces.
Most senior IPS officers have earlier worked in such difficult terrain. The visits will also add impetus to the ongoing anti-Naxal plan (of action), ADG R K Vij said.
Chief Minister Raman Singh had said that a single incident (Sukma attack) doesnt mean a setback. We have not moved back but are going ahead to eliminate the Maoist problem in Bastar zone as we did in Sarguja, north Chhattisgarh, he said.
Sources said that the Home Ministry has also approved the movement of security forces for aggressive and bigger strikes against Maoists. The Opposition Congress, however, blamed the government for the recent spate of attacks and said the state hasnt learnt from the previous mistakes.
RAIPUR: To augment the anti-Maoist campaign in the state, the Chhattisgarh DGP has instructed all ADGs and IGs posted in the state police headquarter to carry out field works at regular intervals in all strive-torn districts. ADG RK VijDGP A N Upadhyay has issued orders to top officers to spend time in the eight worst Maoist-affected districtsseven in conflict zone of Bastar and one Rajnandgaon. The eight senior IPS officers (four ADGs and four IGs) who are in-charge of various departments in the PHQ will now interact with the security personnel deployed in Maoist-affected districts, discuss strategies, resolve issues, motivate and raise the morale of the troopers, share experiences and gather feedback. They will also drop in at base camps of the forces. Most senior IPS officers have earlier worked in such difficult terrain. The visits will also add impetus to the ongoing anti-Naxal plan (of action), ADG R K Vij said. Chief Minister Raman Singh had said that a single incident (Sukma attack) doesnt mean a setback. We have not moved back but are going ahead to eliminate the Maoist problem in Bastar zone as we did in Sarguja, north Chhattisgarh, he said. Sources said that the Home Ministry has also approved the movement of security forces for aggressive and bigger strikes against Maoists. The Opposition Congress, however, blamed the government for the recent spate of attacks and said the state hasnt learnt from the previous mistakes.
By PTI
NEW DELHI: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was last a battleground for India and Pakistan nearly 18 years ago when Islamabad sought its intervention over the shooting down of its naval aircraft.
Tomorrow, the ICJ, which is the U.N.'s principal judicial organ, is holding a public hearing at the Great Hall of Justice housed in the Peace Palace at The Hague in Netherlands where the two countries will be asked to present their case over the contentious Jadhav issue.
India on May 8 moved a petition before the U.N. body to seek justice for Kulbhushan Jadhav, 46, alleging violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by Pakistan after its 16 requests for consular access to the former naval officer was consistently denied.
A Pakistani military court awarded death sentence to Jadhav last month for alleged espionage and subversive activities. Pakistan has also not responded to the request for visas applied by Jadhav's family. Jadhav was arrested on March 3 last year.
The previous case related to shooting down of Pakistan's maritime reconnaissance aircraft Atlantique by the Indian Air Force(IAF) in the Kutch region on August 10, 1999, killing all 16 naval personnel on board. Pakistan claimed the plane was brought down in its air space and sought 60 million USD in damages from India for the incident.
A 16-judge bench of the court on June 21, 2000 voted 14-2 to dismiss Pakistan's claim. The decision was announced by bench president Gilbert Guillaume of France at a public sitting. The verdict was final and there was no appeal.
The ICJ found that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the application filed by Pakistan on September 21, 1999.
Public hearings in the case titled 'Aerial incident of August 10, 1999 (Pakistan vs India)' lasted four days ending April 6, 2000. Arguments centred on the court's jurisdiction in the case which had to be determined before its merits could be considered by the 16 judges.
The Atlantique case was ousted by the ICJ on the issue of jurisdiction and not on merits. Both parties had agreed that the question of jurisdiction would be decided first and only then would the issue of merits be taken up.
Guillaume said the court would first have to decide whether it had the jurisdiction to go into the case as contended by New Delhi after the Indian delegation led by the then Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, raised preliminary objections to its jurisdiction.
Pakistan opened the first round of oral arguments, India replying them, and then Pakistan following with its second round, with India making its response thereto.
India argued that the court did not have jurisdiction in the matter, citing an exemption it had filed way back in 1974 to exclude disputes between India and other Commonwealth states, and disputes covered by multilateral treaties.
Sorabjee told the court that Pakistan was "solely responsible" for the incident and Islamabad must "bear the consequences of its own acts."
Pakistan's Attorney General Aziz Munshi had sought a speedy resolution, saying its application had to be concluded quickly so that it did not remain an irritant in Indo-Pak relations.
Pakistan had also sought to politicise the case by referring to the Kashmir issue, the Kargil conflict, Indo-Pak relations and alleged motives for the shooting.
Pakistan wanted the court to intervene while India was opposed to its assumption of jurisdiction on the basis of Islamabad's application.
It urged the court to "dismiss the objections raised by India and accept its jurisdiction." India maintained that none of Pakistan's arguments is 'sound' and does not provide a basis for invoking the court's jurisdiction.
Sorabjee expressed happiness with the court's verdict.
"We are very happy. The court has accepted all our contentions," he had said.
Former supreme court judge B P Jeevan Reddy and Pakistan's former Attorney General Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada were co-opted into the bench as ad-hoc judges.
As per ICJ rules, when it does not include a judge possessing the nationality of the state party to a case, the state may appoint a person to sit as a judge ad-hoc for the purpose of the case.
The court also recalled that its lack of jurisdiction does not relieve States of their obligation to settle their disputes by peaceful means.
The choice of those means admittedly rests with the parties under Article 33 of the UN Charter, it said, adding, they are nonetheless under an obligation to seek such a settlement, and to do so in good faith in accordance with the Charter.
As regards India and Pakistan, that obligation was restated more particularly in the Simla Accord of July 2, 1972. Moreover, the Lahore Declaration of 21 February, 1999 reiterated "the determination of both countries to implementing the Simla Agreement," it said.
Accordingly, the court reminded the parties of their obligation to settle their disputes by peaceful means, and in particular the dispute arising out of the Atlantique incident in conformity with the obligations which they have undertaken.
India's External Affairs Ministry while hailing the verdict especially welcomed the court's positive observations on the principles enunciated in the Simla agreement and Lahore Declaration as the basis for an Indo-Pak rapprochement.
Through its comments, the court has vindicated India's stand on these landmark agreements that are the very cornerstone of India-Pakistan relations, a ministry spokesman had said.
NEW DELHI: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was last a battleground for India and Pakistan nearly 18 years ago when Islamabad sought its intervention over the shooting down of its naval aircraft. Tomorrow, the ICJ, which is the U.N.'s principal judicial organ, is holding a public hearing at the Great Hall of Justice housed in the Peace Palace at The Hague in Netherlands where the two countries will be asked to present their case over the contentious Jadhav issue. India on May 8 moved a petition before the U.N. body to seek justice for Kulbhushan Jadhav, 46, alleging violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by Pakistan after its 16 requests for consular access to the former naval officer was consistently denied. A Pakistani military court awarded death sentence to Jadhav last month for alleged espionage and subversive activities. Pakistan has also not responded to the request for visas applied by Jadhav's family. Jadhav was arrested on March 3 last year. The previous case related to shooting down of Pakistan's maritime reconnaissance aircraft Atlantique by the Indian Air Force(IAF) in the Kutch region on August 10, 1999, killing all 16 naval personnel on board. Pakistan claimed the plane was brought down in its air space and sought 60 million USD in damages from India for the incident. A 16-judge bench of the court on June 21, 2000 voted 14-2 to dismiss Pakistan's claim. The decision was announced by bench president Gilbert Guillaume of France at a public sitting. The verdict was final and there was no appeal. The ICJ found that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the application filed by Pakistan on September 21, 1999. Public hearings in the case titled 'Aerial incident of August 10, 1999 (Pakistan vs India)' lasted four days ending April 6, 2000. Arguments centred on the court's jurisdiction in the case which had to be determined before its merits could be considered by the 16 judges. The Atlantique case was ousted by the ICJ on the issue of jurisdiction and not on merits. Both parties had agreed that the question of jurisdiction would be decided first and only then would the issue of merits be taken up. Guillaume said the court would first have to decide whether it had the jurisdiction to go into the case as contended by New Delhi after the Indian delegation led by the then Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, raised preliminary objections to its jurisdiction. Pakistan opened the first round of oral arguments, India replying them, and then Pakistan following with its second round, with India making its response thereto. India argued that the court did not have jurisdiction in the matter, citing an exemption it had filed way back in 1974 to exclude disputes between India and other Commonwealth states, and disputes covered by multilateral treaties. Sorabjee told the court that Pakistan was "solely responsible" for the incident and Islamabad must "bear the consequences of its own acts." Pakistan's Attorney General Aziz Munshi had sought a speedy resolution, saying its application had to be concluded quickly so that it did not remain an irritant in Indo-Pak relations. Pakistan had also sought to politicise the case by referring to the Kashmir issue, the Kargil conflict, Indo-Pak relations and alleged motives for the shooting. Pakistan wanted the court to intervene while India was opposed to its assumption of jurisdiction on the basis of Islamabad's application. It urged the court to "dismiss the objections raised by India and accept its jurisdiction." India maintained that none of Pakistan's arguments is 'sound' and does not provide a basis for invoking the court's jurisdiction. Sorabjee expressed happiness with the court's verdict. "We are very happy. The court has accepted all our contentions," he had said. Former supreme court judge B P Jeevan Reddy and Pakistan's former Attorney General Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada were co-opted into the bench as ad-hoc judges. As per ICJ rules, when it does not include a judge possessing the nationality of the state party to a case, the state may appoint a person to sit as a judge ad-hoc for the purpose of the case. The court also recalled that its lack of jurisdiction does not relieve States of their obligation to settle their disputes by peaceful means. The choice of those means admittedly rests with the parties under Article 33 of the UN Charter, it said, adding, they are nonetheless under an obligation to seek such a settlement, and to do so in good faith in accordance with the Charter. As regards India and Pakistan, that obligation was restated more particularly in the Simla Accord of July 2, 1972. Moreover, the Lahore Declaration of 21 February, 1999 reiterated "the determination of both countries to implementing the Simla Agreement," it said. Accordingly, the court reminded the parties of their obligation to settle their disputes by peaceful means, and in particular the dispute arising out of the Atlantique incident in conformity with the obligations which they have undertaken. India's External Affairs Ministry while hailing the verdict especially welcomed the court's positive observations on the principles enunciated in the Simla agreement and Lahore Declaration as the basis for an Indo-Pak rapprochement. Through its comments, the court has vindicated India's stand on these landmark agreements that are the very cornerstone of India-Pakistan relations, a ministry spokesman had said.
By AFP
WASHINGTON: The US Treasury Department said it is looking at "every tool in its arsenal" to cut off sources of international financing for illegal activities in North Korea.
"We don't comment on future sanctions, but we are obviously going to consider every tool in our arsenal to combat any illicit activity and terror financing," a senior Treasury Department official said on Saturday.
The official spoke before North Korea fired a ballistic missile in an apparent bid to test US resolve and the South's new president.
"We are entertaining all the tools in our arsenal," said the official, which include programs originating from the offices of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence and Foreign Assets Control.
After Sunday's missile test President Donald Trump called on "all nations" to impose "far stronger sanctions against North Korea."
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, speaking earlier Saturday, said the fight against terrorism financing was a major concern at the G7 gathering of finance chiefs in Bari, Italy.
While international trade is important, "the biggest focus is working with our partners on terror financing," Mnuchin told reporters returning to Washington from the Bari event.
After meetings with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, Mnuchin "underscored the importance of working together to address the threats posed by North Korea," the Treasury Department said.
WASHINGTON: The US Treasury Department said it is looking at "every tool in its arsenal" to cut off sources of international financing for illegal activities in North Korea. "We don't comment on future sanctions, but we are obviously going to consider every tool in our arsenal to combat any illicit activity and terror financing," a senior Treasury Department official said on Saturday. The official spoke before North Korea fired a ballistic missile in an apparent bid to test US resolve and the South's new president. "We are entertaining all the tools in our arsenal," said the official, which include programs originating from the offices of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence and Foreign Assets Control. After Sunday's missile test President Donald Trump called on "all nations" to impose "far stronger sanctions against North Korea." US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, speaking earlier Saturday, said the fight against terrorism financing was a major concern at the G7 gathering of finance chiefs in Bari, Italy. While international trade is important, "the biggest focus is working with our partners on terror financing," Mnuchin told reporters returning to Washington from the Bari event. After meetings with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble and Japanese Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso, Mnuchin "underscored the importance of working together to address the threats posed by North Korea," the Treasury Department said.
By AFP
WASHINGTON: Democrats kept up the pressure on Donald Trump Sunday over his firing of FBI director James Comey, as members of both parties said the president must turn over any secret recordings of the two men's conversations.
Trump tweeted Friday that "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"
White House spokespeople later refused to say whether the president's conversations were in fact being secretly taped.
But Democrats appearing on Sunday talk shows said the abrupt firing of the man leading an FBI inquiry into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 election and the Russia links of several Trump associates amounted to obstruction of justice. They called the president's tweet a clear attempt at intimidation.
If the current administration did make tapes, Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer told CNN on Sunday, "the president should turn them over immediately, of course. To destroy them would be a violation of law."
In a separate appearance on NBC, he argued that it is important for the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor in the case because such a person would have "the ability to actually prosecute people for violations of law."
Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, said that as his panel continues to investigate the Russia matter, it wants to "make sure those tapes, if they exist, are preserved."
'Tapes will be subpoenaed'
Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate, Mike Lee of Utah, supported that call, telling a Fox News interviewer that it is "probably inevitable" that any tapes would have to be turned over.
"If, in fact, there are such recordings, I think those recordings will be subpoenaed and they will probably have to turn them over," said Lee, a member of the Judiciary Committee.
However, Lee gave Trump the benefit of the doubt, saying that "as far as I'm aware, he is fully cooperating and he is willing and eager to see this investigation" through.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that the Judiciary Committee, of which he is also a member, needs Comey to appear before it to "clear the air."
"You can't be cute about tapes," he told NBC. "If there's tapes of this conversation, they need to be turned over." Trump's tweet, he added, was "inappropriate."
Graham said he was "1,000 percent" sure that Russia had attempted to interfere with the election and he wanted Moscow to be "punished." But while he had no evidence of Russian collusion with the Trump team, "the president needs to back off and let the investigation go forward."
Institutions 'under assault'
James Clapper, the director of national intelligence under former president Barack Obama, was asked on CNN whether he knew if Trump's White House was in fact secretly recording conversations.
"I can't say," he said.
But he expressed deep concern about the events swirling around the Russia inquiry.
"I think in many ways our institutions are under assault externally, and that's the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system. And I think, as well, our institutions are under assault internally."
"Internally from the president?" he was asked.
"Exactly," Clapper replied, adding that the constitutional system of checks and balances was "under assault and is eroding."
WASHINGTON: Democrats kept up the pressure on Donald Trump Sunday over his firing of FBI director James Comey, as members of both parties said the president must turn over any secret recordings of the two men's conversations. Trump tweeted Friday that "James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!" White House spokespeople later refused to say whether the president's conversations were in fact being secretly taped. But Democrats appearing on Sunday talk shows said the abrupt firing of the man leading an FBI inquiry into possible Russian meddling in the 2016 election and the Russia links of several Trump associates amounted to obstruction of justice. They called the president's tweet a clear attempt at intimidation. If the current administration did make tapes, Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer told CNN on Sunday, "the president should turn them over immediately, of course. To destroy them would be a violation of law." In a separate appearance on NBC, he argued that it is important for the Justice Department to appoint a special prosecutor in the case because such a person would have "the ability to actually prosecute people for violations of law." Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the intelligence committee, said that as his panel continues to investigate the Russia matter, it wants to "make sure those tapes, if they exist, are preserved." 'Tapes will be subpoenaed' Perhaps surprisingly, one of the most conservative Republicans in the Senate, Mike Lee of Utah, supported that call, telling a Fox News interviewer that it is "probably inevitable" that any tapes would have to be turned over. "If, in fact, there are such recordings, I think those recordings will be subpoenaed and they will probably have to turn them over," said Lee, a member of the Judiciary Committee. However, Lee gave Trump the benefit of the doubt, saying that "as far as I'm aware, he is fully cooperating and he is willing and eager to see this investigation" through. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said that the Judiciary Committee, of which he is also a member, needs Comey to appear before it to "clear the air." "You can't be cute about tapes," he told NBC. "If there's tapes of this conversation, they need to be turned over." Trump's tweet, he added, was "inappropriate." Graham said he was "1,000 percent" sure that Russia had attempted to interfere with the election and he wanted Moscow to be "punished." But while he had no evidence of Russian collusion with the Trump team, "the president needs to back off and let the investigation go forward." Institutions 'under assault' James Clapper, the director of national intelligence under former president Barack Obama, was asked on CNN whether he knew if Trump's White House was in fact secretly recording conversations. "I can't say," he said. But he expressed deep concern about the events swirling around the Russia inquiry. "I think in many ways our institutions are under assault externally, and that's the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system. And I think, as well, our institutions are under assault internally." "Internally from the president?" he was asked. "Exactly," Clapper replied, adding that the constitutional system of checks and balances was "under assault and is eroding."
By AFP
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump called for tougher sanctions against North Korea after it fired a ballistic missile Sunday in an apparent bid to test the South's new liberal president and the US.
"Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea," the White House said in a brief statement.
The missile flew more than 700 kilometres (435 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) surrounded by the Korean peninsula, Japan and the Russian far east.
It impacted "so close to Russian soil ... the president cannot imagine that Russia is pleased," the White House said.
North Korea "has been a flagrant menace for far too long," it said.
Multiple sets of UN and US sanctions against North Korea have done little to deter Pyongyang from pursuing its nuclear and missile ambitions.
Trump has threatened military action against the North but recently appeared to have softened his stance, saying he would be "honoured" to meet leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions.
New South Korean President Moon Jae-In, who was inaugurated on Wednesday, slammed the missile test as a "reckless provocation" after holding an emergency meeting with national security advisors.
He said the government strongly condemned this "grave challenge to the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the international community," his spokesman Yoon Young-Chan said.
- 'Seeking leverage' -
Moon, unlike his conservative predecessors, advocates reconciliation with Pyongyang but warned Sunday that dialogue would be possible "only if the North changes its attitude".
Moon had said in his inauguration speech that he was willing to visit Pyongyang "in the right circumstances" to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula.
"The North is apparently trying to test Moon and see how his North Korea policy as well as policy coordination between the South and the US will take shape," said Yang Moo-Jin, professor at the University of North Korea Studies in Seoul.
The launch was also aimed at "maximising the North's political leverage" ahead of possible negotiations with the US, as Pyongyang and Washington both recently signalled they were open to talks, he added.
"The North wants to show before negotiations that their precious, powerful weapon is not something they would give up so easily," Yang said.
Moon and Washington have signalled an interest in negotiations to ease months of tensions.
Choe Son-Hui, a senior official at the North's foreign ministry handling its US policy, also said Saturday the North would be willing to hold talks with the US if the conditions are right.
Washington has been looking to China for help in reining in Kim and the missile test is likely to embarrass Beijing, which is hosting a summit Sunday to promote its ambitious global trade infrastructure project.
China, the isolated North's sole major ally and economic lifeline, has been reluctant to exert pressure to upset the status quo in Pyongyang and risk an influx of refugees from its neighbour.
- 'Fast progress' -
The latest test was also the North's first launch since a controversial US missile defence system deployed in the South became operational on May 2 and follows a failed April 29 ballistic missile test.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the latest missile launch as "totally unacceptable" and a "grave threat" to Tokyo.
"We strongly protest against North Korea," he said.
One recent missile launch staged in March saw three North Korean missiles falling provocatively close to Japan, sparking alarm in Tokyo.
The North has staged two atomic tests and dozens of missile launches since the start of last year in its quest to develop a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the US mainland.
Most experts have doubted that the North has developed an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with that range.
But many say the isolated nation has made a great progress in its nuclear and missile capabilities since Kim took power after the death of his father and longtime ruler, Kim Jong-Il, in 2011.
The US Pacific Command said Sunday's launch did not appear to be an ICBM.
Yang said however it showed "fast progress" in Pyongyang's missile capability.
The missile was fired from a site near the northwestern city of Kusong. A previous test at the same site in February sent a missile 500 kilometres, far less than Sunday's launch.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump called for tougher sanctions against North Korea after it fired a ballistic missile Sunday in an apparent bid to test the South's new liberal president and the US. "Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea," the White House said in a brief statement. The missile flew more than 700 kilometres (435 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea) surrounded by the Korean peninsula, Japan and the Russian far east. It impacted "so close to Russian soil ... the president cannot imagine that Russia is pleased," the White House said. North Korea "has been a flagrant menace for far too long," it said. Multiple sets of UN and US sanctions against North Korea have done little to deter Pyongyang from pursuing its nuclear and missile ambitions. Trump has threatened military action against the North but recently appeared to have softened his stance, saying he would be "honoured" to meet leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions. New South Korean President Moon Jae-In, who was inaugurated on Wednesday, slammed the missile test as a "reckless provocation" after holding an emergency meeting with national security advisors. He said the government strongly condemned this "grave challenge to the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the international community," his spokesman Yoon Young-Chan said. - 'Seeking leverage' - Moon, unlike his conservative predecessors, advocates reconciliation with Pyongyang but warned Sunday that dialogue would be possible "only if the North changes its attitude". Moon had said in his inauguration speech that he was willing to visit Pyongyang "in the right circumstances" to defuse tensions on the Korean peninsula. "The North is apparently trying to test Moon and see how his North Korea policy as well as policy coordination between the South and the US will take shape," said Yang Moo-Jin, professor at the University of North Korea Studies in Seoul. The launch was also aimed at "maximising the North's political leverage" ahead of possible negotiations with the US, as Pyongyang and Washington both recently signalled they were open to talks, he added. "The North wants to show before negotiations that their precious, powerful weapon is not something they would give up so easily," Yang said. Moon and Washington have signalled an interest in negotiations to ease months of tensions. Choe Son-Hui, a senior official at the North's foreign ministry handling its US policy, also said Saturday the North would be willing to hold talks with the US if the conditions are right. Washington has been looking to China for help in reining in Kim and the missile test is likely to embarrass Beijing, which is hosting a summit Sunday to promote its ambitious global trade infrastructure project. China, the isolated North's sole major ally and economic lifeline, has been reluctant to exert pressure to upset the status quo in Pyongyang and risk an influx of refugees from its neighbour. - 'Fast progress' - The latest test was also the North's first launch since a controversial US missile defence system deployed in the South became operational on May 2 and follows a failed April 29 ballistic missile test. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the latest missile launch as "totally unacceptable" and a "grave threat" to Tokyo. "We strongly protest against North Korea," he said. One recent missile launch staged in March saw three North Korean missiles falling provocatively close to Japan, sparking alarm in Tokyo. The North has staged two atomic tests and dozens of missile launches since the start of last year in its quest to develop a missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the US mainland. Most experts have doubted that the North has developed an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) with that range. But many say the isolated nation has made a great progress in its nuclear and missile capabilities since Kim took power after the death of his father and longtime ruler, Kim Jong-Il, in 2011. The US Pacific Command said Sunday's launch did not appear to be an ICBM. Yang said however it showed "fast progress" in Pyongyang's missile capability. The missile was fired from a site near the northwestern city of Kusong. A previous test at the same site in February sent a missile 500 kilometres, far less than Sunday's launch.
By AFP
LONDON: The unprecedented global cyberattack has hit more than 200,000 victims in scores of countries, Europol said Sunday, warning that the situation could escalate when people return to work.
An international manhunt was well under way for the plotters behind the world's biggest-ever computer ransom assault.
The indiscriminate attack, which began Friday, struck banks, hospitals and government agencies in more than 150 countries, exploiting known vulnerabilities in old Microsoft computer operating systems.
US package delivery giant FedEx, European car factories, Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, Britain's health service and Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail network were among those hit.
Europol executive director Rob Wainwright said the situation could worsen on Monday when workers return to their offices after the weekend and log on.
"We've never seen anything like this," the head of the European Union's policing agency told Britain's ITV television, calling its reach "unprecedented".
"The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries. Many of those victims will be businesses, including large corporations.
"We're in the face of an escalating threat.
"I'm worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn on their machines on Monday."
The warning was echoed by Britain's National Cyber Security Centre: "As a new working week begins it is likely, in the UK and elsewhere, that further cases of ransomware may come to light, possibly at a significant scale."
The 5,500-strong Renault factory in Douai, northern France, one of the most important car plants in the country, will not open on Monday due to the attack, sources told AFP.
'Ooops' message, $300 ransom
Images appear on victims' screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in the virtual currency Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!"
Payment is demanded within three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received within seven days the locked files will be deleted, according to the screen message.
Bitcoin, the world's most-used virtual currency, allows anonymous transactions via heavily encrypted codes.
Experts and governments alike warn against ceding to the demands and Wainwright said few victims so far had been paying up.
Security firm Digital Shadows said on Sunday that transactions totalling $32,000 had taken place through Bitcoin addresses used by the ransomware.
"Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released," the US Department of Homeland Security's computer emergency response team said.
"It only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victim's money, and in some cases, their banking information."
The culprits used a digital code believed to have been developed by the US National Security Agency -- and subsequently leaked as part of a document dump, according to researchers at the Moscow-based computer security firm Kaspersky Lab.
A hacking group called Shadow Brokers released the malware in April, claiming to have discovered the flaw from the NSA, Kaspersky said.
The attack is unique, according to Europol, because it combines ransomware with a worm function, meaning once one machine is infected, the entire internal network is scanned and other vulnerable machines are infected.
The attack therefore spread faster than previous, smaller-scale ransomware attacks.
Microsoft said the situation was "painful" and that it was taking "all possible actions to protect our customers".
It issued guidance for people to protect their systems, while taking the highly unusual step of reissuing security patches first made available in March for Windows XP and other older versions of its operating system.
Becky Pinkard, a security expert at Digital Shadows, warned another cyberattack was highly likely despite the discovery of a "kill switch" to prevent the spread of the ransomware.
"This is a trivial change for the malware originators or copy-cat authors and so even if a fresh attack does not materialise on Monday, we should expect it soon afterwards," she said.
Banks, trains and automobiles
Symantec said the majority of organisations affected were in Europe.
The companies and government agencies targeted were diverse.
Europol's Wainwright said few banks in Europe had been affected, having learned through the "painful experience of being the number one target of cyber crime" the value of having the latest cyber security in place.
Russia's interior ministry said some of its computers had been hit, while the country's banking system was also attacked, although no problems were detected, as was the railway system.
French carmaker Renault was forced to stop production at sites in France, Slovenia and Romania, while FedEx said it was "implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible".
Germany's rail operator Deutsche Bahn said its station display panels were affected.
Sky News reported Sunday that seven organisations which manage hospital care within England's National Health Service are continuing to divert patients from the emergency room, a figure which an NHS spokeswoman was not able to confirm to AFP.
Universities in China, Italy and Greece were also hit.
Meanwhile G7 finance ministers meeting in Italy vowed to unite against cyber crime, as it represented a growing threat to their economies and should be tackled as a priority.
The danger will be discussed at the G7 leaders' summit next month.
The US Treasury Department said it will play a "leading role" in protecting the global financial system's IT infrastructure.
US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin "has made protecting America's financial infrastructure from cyberattacks a top priority," a senior department official told reporters on the return flight from Italy.
LONDON: The unprecedented global cyberattack has hit more than 200,000 victims in scores of countries, Europol said Sunday, warning that the situation could escalate when people return to work. An international manhunt was well under way for the plotters behind the world's biggest-ever computer ransom assault. The indiscriminate attack, which began Friday, struck banks, hospitals and government agencies in more than 150 countries, exploiting known vulnerabilities in old Microsoft computer operating systems. US package delivery giant FedEx, European car factories, Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, Britain's health service and Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail network were among those hit. Europol executive director Rob Wainwright said the situation could worsen on Monday when workers return to their offices after the weekend and log on. "We've never seen anything like this," the head of the European Union's policing agency told Britain's ITV television, calling its reach "unprecedented". "The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries. Many of those victims will be businesses, including large corporations. "We're in the face of an escalating threat. "I'm worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn on their machines on Monday." The warning was echoed by Britain's National Cyber Security Centre: "As a new working week begins it is likely, in the UK and elsewhere, that further cases of ransomware may come to light, possibly at a significant scale." The 5,500-strong Renault factory in Douai, northern France, one of the most important car plants in the country, will not open on Monday due to the attack, sources told AFP. 'Ooops' message, $300 ransom Images appear on victims' screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in the virtual currency Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!" Payment is demanded within three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received within seven days the locked files will be deleted, according to the screen message. Bitcoin, the world's most-used virtual currency, allows anonymous transactions via heavily encrypted codes. Experts and governments alike warn against ceding to the demands and Wainwright said few victims so far had been paying up. Security firm Digital Shadows said on Sunday that transactions totalling $32,000 had taken place through Bitcoin addresses used by the ransomware. "Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released," the US Department of Homeland Security's computer emergency response team said. "It only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victim's money, and in some cases, their banking information." The culprits used a digital code believed to have been developed by the US National Security Agency -- and subsequently leaked as part of a document dump, according to researchers at the Moscow-based computer security firm Kaspersky Lab. A hacking group called Shadow Brokers released the malware in April, claiming to have discovered the flaw from the NSA, Kaspersky said. The attack is unique, according to Europol, because it combines ransomware with a worm function, meaning once one machine is infected, the entire internal network is scanned and other vulnerable machines are infected. The attack therefore spread faster than previous, smaller-scale ransomware attacks. Microsoft said the situation was "painful" and that it was taking "all possible actions to protect our customers". It issued guidance for people to protect their systems, while taking the highly unusual step of reissuing security patches first made available in March for Windows XP and other older versions of its operating system. Becky Pinkard, a security expert at Digital Shadows, warned another cyberattack was highly likely despite the discovery of a "kill switch" to prevent the spread of the ransomware. "This is a trivial change for the malware originators or copy-cat authors and so even if a fresh attack does not materialise on Monday, we should expect it soon afterwards," she said. Banks, trains and automobiles Symantec said the majority of organisations affected were in Europe. The companies and government agencies targeted were diverse. Europol's Wainwright said few banks in Europe had been affected, having learned through the "painful experience of being the number one target of cyber crime" the value of having the latest cyber security in place. Russia's interior ministry said some of its computers had been hit, while the country's banking system was also attacked, although no problems were detected, as was the railway system. French carmaker Renault was forced to stop production at sites in France, Slovenia and Romania, while FedEx said it was "implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible". Germany's rail operator Deutsche Bahn said its station display panels were affected. Sky News reported Sunday that seven organisations which manage hospital care within England's National Health Service are continuing to divert patients from the emergency room, a figure which an NHS spokeswoman was not able to confirm to AFP. Universities in China, Italy and Greece were also hit. Meanwhile G7 finance ministers meeting in Italy vowed to unite against cyber crime, as it represented a growing threat to their economies and should be tackled as a priority. The danger will be discussed at the G7 leaders' summit next month. The US Treasury Department said it will play a "leading role" in protecting the global financial system's IT infrastructure. US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin "has made protecting America's financial infrastructure from cyberattacks a top priority," a senior department official told reporters on the return flight from Italy.
By AFP
TEHRAN: The 20,000 chanting fans might have come to support Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday but it was clear their real heroes were the ones still locked away by the regime.
"Mousavi! Karroubi! Khatami!" they chanted at deafening volume, over and over, at the election rally in a stadium in western Tehran.
Those first two names, drawing such passion from the crowd, belong to reformist leaders who have not been seen in public for six years now.
Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi -- both candidates in the controversial election of 2009 that triggered months of protests after allegations of rigging -- were placed under house arrest in 2011, allowed out only for medical treatment.
The third is Mohammad Khatami -- president from 1997 to 2005 and spiritual head of the reformist movement -- who is banned from travelling abroad or appearing in any form in the media.
An immense roar came from the crowd when their images appeared on the screen.
The Green Movement, as the protests came to be called, were the biggest Iran had seen in three decades of Islamic revolution, driven by anger over the shock re-election of hardline populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Brutally put down, the regime prefers to call it "the sedition" and the green flags being waved by youngsters in the stadium on Saturday night might normally have attracted the attention of police or hardline militias.
But a slightly more permissive atmosphere prevails six days ahead of a presidential election, when the regime is keen to get as high a turnout as possible to buttress its legitimacy.
Only six candidates were allowed to run this year by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council.
'Beyond his powers'
Rouhani, a 68-year-old moderate cleric, came from nowhere in 2013 to win a sizeable victory after the tattered remnants of the reformist movement told their supporters he was their best hope for change.
He still has the support of liberals for his efforts to rebuild ties with the West and slowly improve civil liberties, even if he has markedly failed to gain the release of Mousavi and Karroubi as he vowed four years ago.
"It was beyond his powers," said Javad, a 30-year-old graduate in the crowd. "He did everything he could."
The president has considerable powers, particularly over the economy, but no control over the conservative-dominated judiciary or security forces, and serves at the pleasure of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Rouhani dared not speak the name of the jailed dissidents directly in his speech, but received huge cheers when he told the crowd he had not "forgotten his promises".
"Either they have been achieved, or I have been prevented from keeping them," he said.
The president has been on the offensive over the past week, framing Friday's vote as a choice between greater freedom and repression.
"Let us salute freedom, salute reforms, salute moderation, salute the wise leader, salute Mohammad Khatami," he declared.
"What Rouhani says is what we have in our hearts," said 28-year-old Hossein, who works in renewable energy.
He was typical of the young, educated crowd packing the stadium -- men and women mixed together in a way that is not seen at more conservative rallies.
They were joined by well-known artists and sportsmen who have overwhelmingly thrown their support behind the president for a second term.
But the continued stagnation of the economy means Rouhani faces a much tighter race than many expected just a few months ago, with his main conservative rivals -- cleric Ebrahim Raisi and Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf -- making significant inroads in poorer areas.
The thousands gathered for Rouhani on Saturday night may have looked impressive, but many of Iran's 80 million citizens have yet to see much benefit from his austerity measures and outreach to the world.
For now, his supporters are enjoying the moment. As the music erupted again inside the stadium, bodies moved and Rouhani's slogan got its own chant: "At the halfway point, we don't turn back!"
TEHRAN: The 20,000 chanting fans might have come to support Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday but it was clear their real heroes were the ones still locked away by the regime. "Mousavi! Karroubi! Khatami!" they chanted at deafening volume, over and over, at the election rally in a stadium in western Tehran. Those first two names, drawing such passion from the crowd, belong to reformist leaders who have not been seen in public for six years now. Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi -- both candidates in the controversial election of 2009 that triggered months of protests after allegations of rigging -- were placed under house arrest in 2011, allowed out only for medical treatment. The third is Mohammad Khatami -- president from 1997 to 2005 and spiritual head of the reformist movement -- who is banned from travelling abroad or appearing in any form in the media. An immense roar came from the crowd when their images appeared on the screen. The Green Movement, as the protests came to be called, were the biggest Iran had seen in three decades of Islamic revolution, driven by anger over the shock re-election of hardline populist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Brutally put down, the regime prefers to call it "the sedition" and the green flags being waved by youngsters in the stadium on Saturday night might normally have attracted the attention of police or hardline militias. But a slightly more permissive atmosphere prevails six days ahead of a presidential election, when the regime is keen to get as high a turnout as possible to buttress its legitimacy. Only six candidates were allowed to run this year by the conservative-dominated Guardian Council. 'Beyond his powers' Rouhani, a 68-year-old moderate cleric, came from nowhere in 2013 to win a sizeable victory after the tattered remnants of the reformist movement told their supporters he was their best hope for change. He still has the support of liberals for his efforts to rebuild ties with the West and slowly improve civil liberties, even if he has markedly failed to gain the release of Mousavi and Karroubi as he vowed four years ago. "It was beyond his powers," said Javad, a 30-year-old graduate in the crowd. "He did everything he could." The president has considerable powers, particularly over the economy, but no control over the conservative-dominated judiciary or security forces, and serves at the pleasure of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Rouhani dared not speak the name of the jailed dissidents directly in his speech, but received huge cheers when he told the crowd he had not "forgotten his promises". "Either they have been achieved, or I have been prevented from keeping them," he said. The president has been on the offensive over the past week, framing Friday's vote as a choice between greater freedom and repression. "Let us salute freedom, salute reforms, salute moderation, salute the wise leader, salute Mohammad Khatami," he declared. "What Rouhani says is what we have in our hearts," said 28-year-old Hossein, who works in renewable energy. He was typical of the young, educated crowd packing the stadium -- men and women mixed together in a way that is not seen at more conservative rallies. They were joined by well-known artists and sportsmen who have overwhelmingly thrown their support behind the president for a second term. But the continued stagnation of the economy means Rouhani faces a much tighter race than many expected just a few months ago, with his main conservative rivals -- cleric Ebrahim Raisi and Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf -- making significant inroads in poorer areas. The thousands gathered for Rouhani on Saturday night may have looked impressive, but many of Iran's 80 million citizens have yet to see much benefit from his austerity measures and outreach to the world. For now, his supporters are enjoying the moment. As the music erupted again inside the stadium, bodies moved and Rouhani's slogan got its own chant: "At the halfway point, we don't turn back!"
By AFP
SEOUL: North Korea on Sunday test-fired a ballistic missile, the Seoul army said, the first since South Korea's new president took power.
The missile was launched from the country's northwestern city of Kusong at around 5:30 am (2030 GMT) and flew about 700 kilometres (435 miles), according to the South's Joint Chief of Staff.
"The South and US are analysing more details about the missile," it said in a statement without elaborating.
It is the second missile launch in around two weeks and the first since new South Korean leader, Moon Jae-In, was sworn in.
Moon is expected to hold a meeting with his national security advisors soon, his spokesman said.
Tensions are running high on the Korean peninsula with Pyongyang and Washington exchanging hostile rhetoric.
The North has staged two atomic tests and dozens of missile launches since the start of last year in its quest to develop a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the US.
Washington has suggested the military option is on the table, but President Donald Trump recently appeared to soften his stance, saying he would be "honoured" to meet the North's leader Kim Jong-Un.
SEOUL: North Korea on Sunday test-fired a ballistic missile, the Seoul army said, the first since South Korea's new president took power. The missile was launched from the country's northwestern city of Kusong at around 5:30 am (2030 GMT) and flew about 700 kilometres (435 miles), according to the South's Joint Chief of Staff. "The South and US are analysing more details about the missile," it said in a statement without elaborating. It is the second missile launch in around two weeks and the first since new South Korean leader, Moon Jae-In, was sworn in. Moon is expected to hold a meeting with his national security advisors soon, his spokesman said. Tensions are running high on the Korean peninsula with Pyongyang and Washington exchanging hostile rhetoric. The North has staged two atomic tests and dozens of missile launches since the start of last year in its quest to develop a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the US. Washington has suggested the military option is on the table, but President Donald Trump recently appeared to soften his stance, saying he would be "honoured" to meet the North's leader Kim Jong-Un.
By AFP
PARIS: The unprecedented global cyberattack affected "more than 75,000 victims" in dozens of countries, French police said in a statement Saturday, the day after the ransomware hit Russia's banks, British hospitals and European car factories among others.
"This is a provisional figure of the number of infected computers and could rise significantly over the coming days," Valerie Maldonado, deputy head of the French police's anti-Cybercrime Office told AFP.
Europol described Friday's cyberattack as "unprecedented".
The attacks used ransomware, which locks users' files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual Bitcoin currency.
Images appeared on victims' screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!"
French police described the mode of the online attack as "particularly dangerous".
"Once the first computer is infected, it spreads throughout the whole network to which it is connected, paralysing all the computers whose files it encrypts."
The ransomware seems to have hit individual and corporate users equally, the police said in a statement posted online.
PARIS: The unprecedented global cyberattack affected "more than 75,000 victims" in dozens of countries, French police said in a statement Saturday, the day after the ransomware hit Russia's banks, British hospitals and European car factories among others. "This is a provisional figure of the number of infected computers and could rise significantly over the coming days," Valerie Maldonado, deputy head of the French police's anti-Cybercrime Office told AFP. Europol described Friday's cyberattack as "unprecedented". The attacks used ransomware, which locks users' files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual Bitcoin currency. Images appeared on victims' screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!" French police described the mode of the online attack as "particularly dangerous". "Once the first computer is infected, it spreads throughout the whole network to which it is connected, paralysing all the computers whose files it encrypts." The ransomware seems to have hit individual and corporate users equally, the police said in a statement posted online.
By PTI
PESHAWAR: At least two persons were killed today when terrorists opened fire on their vehicle during routine patrolling in northwest Pakistan.
The incident occurred in village Owlay in lower kurram agency bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
Political Moharrar, an administrative clerk, Sarfraz Hussain and his bodyguard Mumtaz Hussain died on the spot when terrorists opened fire at their vehicle, officials said.
The attackers fled from scene after the incident. Search operation has been launched to nab the culprits.
Kurram is one of the most sensitive tribal areas as it borders three Afghan provinces and at one point was one of the key routes for militant movement across the border. It has witnessed scores of attacks.
From the beginning of the year, Kurram Agency has been a target of multiple terror incidents.
On April 25, a passenger van hit a landmine in Godar area of the tribal agency, killing at least 14 people.
On March 31, at least 24 people were killed and 90 others injured in a blast outside a Shia imambargarh in the agency headquarters Parachinar.
In January, a powerful explosion ripped through a crowded vegetable market in Parachinar in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram tribal agency, killing 25 people, mostly Shias.
PESHAWAR: At least two persons were killed today when terrorists opened fire on their vehicle during routine patrolling in northwest Pakistan. The incident occurred in village Owlay in lower kurram agency bordering Afghanistan, officials said. Political Moharrar, an administrative clerk, Sarfraz Hussain and his bodyguard Mumtaz Hussain died on the spot when terrorists opened fire at their vehicle, officials said. The attackers fled from scene after the incident. Search operation has been launched to nab the culprits. Kurram is one of the most sensitive tribal areas as it borders three Afghan provinces and at one point was one of the key routes for militant movement across the border. It has witnessed scores of attacks. From the beginning of the year, Kurram Agency has been a target of multiple terror incidents. On April 25, a passenger van hit a landmine in Godar area of the tribal agency, killing at least 14 people. On March 31, at least 24 people were killed and 90 others injured in a blast outside a Shia imambargarh in the agency headquarters Parachinar. In January, a powerful explosion ripped through a crowded vegetable market in Parachinar in northwest Pakistan's restive Kurram tribal agency, killing 25 people, mostly Shias.
By Associated Press
SEOUL: Just five days after South Korea elected a president who expressed a desire to reach out to North Korea, Pyongyang sent a challenge to its rival's new leader on Sunday by test-firing a ballistic missile.
The missile flew for half an hour and reached an unusually high altitude before landing in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese and U.S. militaries said. Tokyo said the flight pattern could indicate a new type of missile.
The launch jeopardizes new South Korean President Moon Jae-in's willingness for dialogue with the North, and came as U.S., Japanese and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific.
"The president expressed deep regret over the fact that this reckless provocation ... occurred just days after a new government was launched in South Korea," senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan said. "The president said we are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating."
Moon, South Korea's first liberal leader in nearly a decade, said as he took his oath of office last week that he'd be willing to visit the North if the circumstances were right.
The U.N. Security Council said Sunday it will hold urgent consultations on North Korea's latest ballistic missile test at the request of the United States, Japan and South Korea. Uruguay holds the council presidency this month and its U.N. Mission announced the closed consultations will be held on Tuesday afternoon.
U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on ABC television's George Stephanopolous show Sunday that the U.S. has been working well with China, Pyongyang's closest ally, and she raised the possibility of new sanctions against North Korea including on oil imports.
The Security Council has adopted six increasingly tougher sanctions resolutions against North Korea
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has called North Korean ballistic and nuclear efforts unacceptable, but he has swung between threats of military action and offers to talk as it formulates a policy.
While Trump has said he'd be "honored" to talk with leader Kim Jong Un under favorable conditions, his administration on Sunday seemed to throw cold water on the idea of talks with North Korea.
"Having a missile test is not the way to sit down with the president, because he's absolutely not going to do it," Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told ABC's "This Week."
She said it was time to "send a strong, unified message that this is unacceptable, and I think you'll see the international community do that."
While it wasn't immediately clear what type of missile was launched, the U.S. Pacific Command said that "the flight is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile."
North Korea's past satellite rocket launches have been called clandestine tests of ICBM technology, but it is not believed to have tested a true intercontinental ballistic missile yet.
Japanese officials said the missile flew for about 30 minutes, traveling about 800 kilometers (500 miles) and reaching an unusually high altitude of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).
David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the missile could have a range of 4,500 kilometers (about 2,800 miles) if flown on a standard, instead of a lofted, trajectory considerably longer than Pyongyang's current missiles. He said Sunday's launch the seventh such firing by North Korea this year may have been of a new mobile, two-stage liquid-fueled missile North Korea displayed in a huge April 15 military parade.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the launch was "absolutely unacceptable" and that Japan would respond resolutely. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said he and his South Korean counterpart agreed that "dialogue for dialogue's sake with North Korea is meaningless."
The White House took note of the missile landing close to Russia's Pacific coast and said in a statement that North Korea has been "a flagrant menace for far too long."
The statement said Washington maintains its "ironclad commitment" to stand with its allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea. The latest "provocation" should serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against the North, it said.
Outside militaries and experts will closely analyze what the North fired. While Pyongyang regularly tests shorter-range missiles, it is also working to master the technology needed to field nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. Past North Korean missiles have flown farther than Sunday's test, landing closer to Japan, but this launch follows a series of high-profile failures.
Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said North Korea might have launched a "new type of missile," given the altitude and duration of its flight. But she said more analysis was needed.
Inada's remarks suggest the missile might have been on a "lofted" trajectory, meaning it could have a far longer range than it actually flew. Japan's Kyodo News agency, citing unidentified sources, said the missile may be capable of covering a range as far as 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) if launched at a normal trajectory.
Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said the G-7 summit his country is hosting later this month would discuss how to deal with the risk North Korea's missile launchings pose to global security.
"It's a serious problem for global stability and security, and I'm convinced that the upcoming G-7, in friendship, will contribute to resolving this issue," he said in Beijing.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired early Sunday morning from near Kusong, in North Phyongan province.
The North's state media said Saturday that the nation would bolster its nuclear capability unless the United States abandons its hostile policy.
"The United States should never expect us to give up our nuclear capability," the main Rodong newspaper said in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency. It said Trump's "maximum pressure and engagement" policy is only aimed at "stifling us" and will compel the North to "strengthen our nuclear deterrent at the maximum speed."
The launch came as troops from the U.S., Japan and two European nations gather near Guam for drills that are partly a message to North Korea. The USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft supercarrier, is also engaging with South Korean navy ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry.
On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat in charge of U.S. relations, Choe Son Hui, told reporters in Beijing that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set." She did not elaborate.
SEOUL: Just five days after South Korea elected a president who expressed a desire to reach out to North Korea, Pyongyang sent a challenge to its rival's new leader on Sunday by test-firing a ballistic missile. The missile flew for half an hour and reached an unusually high altitude before landing in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese and U.S. militaries said. Tokyo said the flight pattern could indicate a new type of missile. The launch jeopardizes new South Korean President Moon Jae-in's willingness for dialogue with the North, and came as U.S., Japanese and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific. "The president expressed deep regret over the fact that this reckless provocation ... occurred just days after a new government was launched in South Korea," senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan said. "The president said we are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating." Moon, South Korea's first liberal leader in nearly a decade, said as he took his oath of office last week that he'd be willing to visit the North if the circumstances were right. The U.N. Security Council said Sunday it will hold urgent consultations on North Korea's latest ballistic missile test at the request of the United States, Japan and South Korea. Uruguay holds the council presidency this month and its U.N. Mission announced the closed consultations will be held on Tuesday afternoon. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on ABC television's George Stephanopolous show Sunday that the U.S. has been working well with China, Pyongyang's closest ally, and she raised the possibility of new sanctions against North Korea including on oil imports. The Security Council has adopted six increasingly tougher sanctions resolutions against North Korea U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has called North Korean ballistic and nuclear efforts unacceptable, but he has swung between threats of military action and offers to talk as it formulates a policy. While Trump has said he'd be "honored" to talk with leader Kim Jong Un under favorable conditions, his administration on Sunday seemed to throw cold water on the idea of talks with North Korea. "Having a missile test is not the way to sit down with the president, because he's absolutely not going to do it," Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told ABC's "This Week." She said it was time to "send a strong, unified message that this is unacceptable, and I think you'll see the international community do that." While it wasn't immediately clear what type of missile was launched, the U.S. Pacific Command said that "the flight is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile." North Korea's past satellite rocket launches have been called clandestine tests of ICBM technology, but it is not believed to have tested a true intercontinental ballistic missile yet. Japanese officials said the missile flew for about 30 minutes, traveling about 800 kilometers (500 miles) and reaching an unusually high altitude of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the missile could have a range of 4,500 kilometers (about 2,800 miles) if flown on a standard, instead of a lofted, trajectory considerably longer than Pyongyang's current missiles. He said Sunday's launch the seventh such firing by North Korea this year may have been of a new mobile, two-stage liquid-fueled missile North Korea displayed in a huge April 15 military parade. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the launch was "absolutely unacceptable" and that Japan would respond resolutely. Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said he and his South Korean counterpart agreed that "dialogue for dialogue's sake with North Korea is meaningless." The White House took note of the missile landing close to Russia's Pacific coast and said in a statement that North Korea has been "a flagrant menace for far too long." The statement said Washington maintains its "ironclad commitment" to stand with its allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea. The latest "provocation" should serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against the North, it said. Outside militaries and experts will closely analyze what the North fired. While Pyongyang regularly tests shorter-range missiles, it is also working to master the technology needed to field nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. Past North Korean missiles have flown farther than Sunday's test, landing closer to Japan, but this launch follows a series of high-profile failures. Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said North Korea might have launched a "new type of missile," given the altitude and duration of its flight. But she said more analysis was needed. Inada's remarks suggest the missile might have been on a "lofted" trajectory, meaning it could have a far longer range than it actually flew. Japan's Kyodo News agency, citing unidentified sources, said the missile may be capable of covering a range as far as 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) if launched at a normal trajectory. Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said the G-7 summit his country is hosting later this month would discuss how to deal with the risk North Korea's missile launchings pose to global security. "It's a serious problem for global stability and security, and I'm convinced that the upcoming G-7, in friendship, will contribute to resolving this issue," he said in Beijing. South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired early Sunday morning from near Kusong, in North Phyongan province. The North's state media said Saturday that the nation would bolster its nuclear capability unless the United States abandons its hostile policy. "The United States should never expect us to give up our nuclear capability," the main Rodong newspaper said in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency. It said Trump's "maximum pressure and engagement" policy is only aimed at "stifling us" and will compel the North to "strengthen our nuclear deterrent at the maximum speed." The launch came as troops from the U.S., Japan and two European nations gather near Guam for drills that are partly a message to North Korea. The USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft supercarrier, is also engaging with South Korean navy ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry. On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat in charge of U.S. relations, Choe Son Hui, told reporters in Beijing that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set." She did not elaborate.
Champaign, IL (61820)
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Clear to partly cloudy. Low around 55F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph.
New Delhi: He has been named the Hottest Chef of America by People magazine and has won a Michelin star for his restaurant in New York, but Chef Vikas Khanna's roots remain in India - and he now wants to take the country's regional cuisines to the world.
"My focus for the next 10 years will be on regional cuisine. Though it is extremely tough to assimilate all of Indian cuisines under one roof, I am trying my best. I want to bring as much of India as possible to the US," Khanna, 45, said in an interview on the sidelines of an event where he launched Quaker Nutritious Food products.
Khanna has put Indian gastronomical delights on the world food map and was recently named by Gazette Review in its list of Top 10 Chefs in the World.
His charm is no secret. From serving food to the Obamas to gifting his book "Utsav" to a host of global personalities, Khanna has immensely contributed to giving Indian culture and delicacies a global identity.
Twelve handcrafted, gold-gilded, hand-painted copies of "Utsav" were created. They have been presented to world leaders like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Britain's Queen Elizabeth, religious leades like the Dalai Lama and Pope Francis and celebrities like Lata Mangeshkar, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan, among others.
The 12th was to have been presented to Apple founder Steve Jobs, but he died before this could happen. It was auctioned earlier this year and went for a whopping Rs 30 lakh (more than $46,000) that will feed 200,000 under-privileged children in India through the NGO Smile that Khanna supports.
Talking about his love for regional cuisines, nothing can be more exciting for him than discovering the hidden recipes of the eight northeastern states.
"I would love to explore the northeast more. I have travelled extensively in the northeast, even have taken choppers to go to the remote corners of the region to know about their hidden food and recipes. Their way of life has not been touched because of connectivity issues. Things are very pure and natural over there," Khanna explained.
On his many trips to the northeast he encountered several techniques that cannot be performed in a modern kitchen.
"I have found how, in places where there is no refrigeration, people are preserving food. For instance, take spinach, add garlic, wrap it in a banana leaf and bury it under the ground. It'll virtually be fresh for ever. The whole of the northeast is home to such natural culinary tricks," he pointed out.
His love for regional recipes is evident from "Utsav", a magnum opus of 1,200 pages that covers the length and the breadth of the country. The book, which took 12 years to compile, also explores the festivals, ceremonies and rituals that symbolise India.
"But still it covers only 12 per cent of what we have. The remaining 88 per cent cannot be penned down. You will not get to know them because they are from diverse regions and so many of the recipes have been forgotten," the chef lamented.
Khanna opened his first restaurant, Junoon, and, in virtually no time, it started attracting praise from every quarter. Junoon has been awarded a Michelin star by the Michelin Guide for six consecutive years since 2011.
Former US President Bill Clinton once said to him: "Vikas, I hope you will focus on selling culture and not food. Because culture is more important than the food."
"More than focusing on food, we need to highlight our culture as cuisines are equally a part of it. We are aware of Western dishes because of their marketing. We have so much of beauty and diversity, but we don't push it," Khanna lamented.
Asked about the trends that would rule the gastronomic world this year, he said it was the Spanish Tapas cuisine for him. And what would be over done? "Punjabi food," was the quick reply.
Everything else apart, he is also working on a new book.
"My new book, 'My First Kitchen', is going to be released soon. It is a massive book on how to run your kitchen, how to do parties in your kitchen, how to make cocktails and mocktails, and how to be very , very conscious about your cooking," Khanna said.
India on May 8 moved a petition before the UN body seeking justice for 46-year-old Kulbhushan Jadhav alleging violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations by Pakistan after its 16 requests for consular access to the former naval officer were consistently denied.
Guillaume said the court would first have to decide whether it had the jurisdiction to go into the case as contended by New Delhi after the Indian delegation led by the then Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, raised preliminary objections to its jurisdiction.
Sorabjee told the court that Pakistan was "solely responsible" for the incident and Islamabad must "bear the consequences of its own acts."
It urged the court to "dismiss the objections raised by India and accept its jurisdiction." India maintained that none of Pakistan's arguments is 'sound' and does not provide a basis for invoking the court's jurisdiction.
The choice of those means admittedly rests with the parties under Article 33 of the UN Charter, it said, adding, they are nonetheless under an obligation to seek such a settlement, and to do so in good faith in accordance with the Charter.
Accordingly, the court reminded the parties of their obligation to settle their disputes by peaceful means, and in particular the dispute arising out of the Atlantique incident in conformity with the obligations which they have undertaken.
Its been 18 years since India and Pakistan faced-off at the International Court of Justice. The arch-rivals will meet at The Hague again on Monday when the ICJ hears Indias appeal against the death sentence handed to its national Kulbhushan Jadhav by a military court in Pakistan.The two countries will be asked to present their case at a public hearing at the Great Hall of Justice housed in the Peace Palace in the Dutch city.A Pakistani military court awarded death sentence to Jadhav last month for alleged espionage and subversive activities. Pakistan has also not responded to the request for visas applied by Jadhav's family. Jadhav was arrested on March 3 last year.The last case between India and Pakistan at the ICJ was related to the shooting down of Pakistan's maritime reconnaissance aircraft Atlantique by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the Kutch region on August 10, 1999, killing all 16 naval personnel on board. Pakistan claimed the plane was brought down in its air space and sought $60 million in damages from India for the incident.A 16-judge bench of the court on June 21, 2000 voted 14-2 to dismiss Pakistan's claim. The decision was announced by bench president Gilbert Guillaume of France at a public sitting. The verdict was final and there was no appeal. The ICJ found that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the application filed by Pakistan on September 21, 1999.Public hearings in the case titled 'Aerial incident of August 10, 1999 (Pakistan vs India)' lasted four days ending April 6, 2000. Arguments centered on the court's jurisdiction in the case which had to be determined before its merits could be considered by the 16 judges.The Atlantique case was ousted by the ICJ on the issue of jurisdiction and not on merits. Both parties had agreed that the question of jurisdiction would be decided first and only then would the issue of merits be taken up.Pakistan opened the first round of oral arguments, India replying them, and then Pakistan following with its second round, with India making its response thereto.India argued that the court did not have jurisdiction in the matter, citing an exemption it had filed way back in 1974 to exclude disputes between India and other Commonwealth states, and disputes covered by multilateral treaties.Pakistan's Attorney General Aziz Munshi had sought a speedy resolution, saying its application had to be concluded quickly so that it did not remain an irritant in Indo-Pak relations.Pakistan had also sought to politicise the case by referring to the Kashmir issue, the Kargil conflict, Indo-Pak relations and alleged motives for the shooting.Pakistan wanted the court to intervene while India was opposed to its assumption of jurisdiction on the basis of Islamabad's application.Sorabjee expressed happiness with the court's verdict. "We are very happy. The court has accepted all our contentions," he had said.Former supreme court judge BP Jeevan Reddy and Pakistan's former Attorney General Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada were co-opted into the bench as ad-hoc judges.As per ICJ rules, when it does not include a judge possessing the nationality of the state party to a case, the state may appoint a person to sit as a judge ad-hoc for the purpose of the case.The court also recalled that its lack of jurisdiction does not relieve States of their obligation to settle their disputes by peaceful means.As regards India and Pakistan, that obligation was restated more particularly in the Simla Accord of July 2, 1972. Moreover, the Lahore Declaration of 21 February, 1999 reiterated "the determination of both countries to implementing the Simla Agreement," it said.India's External Affairs Ministry while hailing the verdict especially welcomed the court's positive observations on the principles enunciated in the Simla agreement and Lahore Declaration as the basis for an Indo-Pak rapprochement.Through its comments, the court has vindicated India's stand on these landmark agreements that are the very cornerstone of India-Pakistan relations, a ministry spokesman had said.(With PTI inputs)
Naseer Ahmed alias Sadiq (34), hailing from Banihal in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, was held last evening from Sonauli border post. He was trying to sneak into India from Nepal in the guise of a shawl and carpet vendor, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards the 1,751-km-long open border, said.
When he was asked for his identity proof by the SSB personnel at Sonauli, Ahmed was unable to produce any supporting documents, the spokesperson said.
"He was in touch with a handler from India, who used to deposit money, in his account, off and on. "On his instructions, he came to India for undertaking terrorist activities but was apprehended by the SSB," the spokesperson said, adding the handler who provided him money has been identified.
The SSB said Ahmed sustained two bullet injuries during an encounter with security forces in Banihal in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002. He was among the terrorists who exploded mines during polls in the same year in which two civilians and as many army personnel were killed.
: A Hizbul Mujahideen militant was apprehended at the Indo-Nepal border in Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh as he was trying to cross into the country to carry out terror activities, according to officials.He was carrying a Pakistani passport and an identity card of being a resident of Lala Musa village in Gujrat district in Punjab province of the neighbouring country, it said. Ahmed was handed over to the Uttar Pradesh ATS for further investigation.According to security agencies, Ahmed had joined Hizbul Muzahideen in 2002-03 and moved to Pakistan. He was involved in a number of terrorist activities. In 2002, he sustained bullet injuries during an encounter with the Army in Banihal. "Ahmed was residing in Pakistan since September, 2003.He was involved in many attacks against civilians and security forces including an attack on an STF camp in India in 2003."He was sent to India by his handler for a specific mission," an SSB spokesperson said.The paramilitary, based on initial interrogation of the terrorist, said Ahmed and his associate Mohd Shafi landed in Kathmandu on May 10 from Faisalabad in Pakistan via Sharjah. Shafi separated from him in Kathmandu.A top security official said that Ahmed's name did not figure in the list, maintained by Jammu and Kashmir police, of those who want to shun terrorism and are desirous of returning to the Kashmir Valley for rehabilitation."Ahmed was apprehended by SSB based on its own intelligence inputs and profiling," the spokesperson said. The SSB said Ahmed reached the Indo-Nepal border in a bus "with an intention to sneak into Indian territory and carry out terrorist activities in India".Ahmed had crossed over to Pakistan in 2003 in a group of 23 people to join the Hizbul cadre.He was trained in unarmed combat and weapon handling at Atak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan by Hizbul Mujahideen, ISI and the Pakistan Army "with an aim of waging war against India and to fight with Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir"."Ahmed revealed he used to preach Quran to Hizbul cadres during his stay at various camps," the spokesperson said. In Pakistan, he married Asha Naeem (25) of Gujrat district on November 2, 2009. He had two sons. He also started a hosiery business in Gujrat district of Pakistan, the official said.Ahmed was part of the terrorist team that attacked the Special Task Force camp in Ramsoo near Banihal in 2003, the spokesperson added.He will be produced by the ATS in court and his custody will be sought for further interrogation, the officer said.
India has strong reservations over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of China's prestigious Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), which is expected to figure prominently in the two-day meet.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is perhaps leading the biggest delegation at the summit comprising four chief ministers, five federal ministers and Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz. Sharif is the only head of government at the event which will be attended by 28 other heads of state.
India opposes the CPEC as it runs through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. In the last few days, China tried to assuage India's feelings by asserting that the commercial corridor will not have any impact on its stand that the Kashmir issue should be settled by India and Pakistan through dialogue.
"Regarding the so-called 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of India's position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.
"Under the 'Act East' policy, we are pursuing the Trilateral Highway project, under our 'Neighbourhood First' policy we are developing multimodal linkages with Myanmar and Bangladesh, under our 'Go West' strategy, we are engaged with Iran on Chabahar Port and with Iran and other partners in Central Asia on International North South Transport Corridor.
India on Sunday skipped the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) being held in Beijing, saying a project that violates its sovereignty and territorial integrity cannot be accepted.The CPEC passes through Gilgit and Baltistan in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). India treats the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir as its integral part, including PoK.On the eve of the summits launch, China and Pakistan signed six pacts, including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city, with President Xi Jinping asserting that ties with Islamabad were a priority. The pacts were signed in the presence of Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.After the MoUs and agreements were signed, Xi told Sharif that the bilateral ties remain "a priority for China" and Beijing was willing to enrich the "all-weather" strategic and cooperative partnership with Pakistan.Sharif also attended a presentation made by China's National Energy Administration (NEA) on the construction of Bhasha Dam, a project which he said is of critical importance for the future of Pakistan. Pakistani media has reported China's interest in providing $50 billion to fund the project could generate 40,000 MW hydro-electricity.The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbai's port housing the Indian Navy's western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean. China has already announced plans to station its marines there as well in Djibouti in Horn of Africa in Indian Ocean.In a strongly-worded statement issued hours before the opening of the forum in the Chinese capital, India said the connectivity initiative must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity."Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, 'One Belt, One Road' which was later renamed as 'Belt and Road Initiative'. We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in a statement.Noting that India has received a formal invitation to participate in the six separate forums that China is organising as part of the BRF, he said India is of the firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality."Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities, balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards, transparent assessment of project costs, and skill and technology transfer to help long-term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities," Baglay said.He also said that expansion and strengthening of connectivity is an integral part of India's economic and diplomatic initiatives.The remarks assume significance given that China is trying to project that by skipping the BRF, India may be "isolated" in the region as all countries in South Asia barring Bhutan which doesn't have diplomatic relations with China are participating.India's stand on the meet comes after a year of bilateral discord over China's stubborn opposition to its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and a UN ban against Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e-Muhammad leader Masood Azhar. China also protested India's decision to permit the Dalai Lama last month to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as South Tibet.(With PTI inputs)
Sachin Tendulkar Had an 'Unbelievable Experience' While Fishing in Goa and We are Jealous
It is 3.55 km longer than the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai, making it the longest bridge in India.
"Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have huge strategic value to the country. Since the bridge is located close to our border with China, it will help quick movement of military troops and artillery in times of conflict," Sonowal said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kickstart the celebrations of his government completing three years by inaugurating India's longest river bridge in Assam close to the border with China, PTI reported.The 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra river, which is capable of withstanding the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank, is seen as an attempt by India to shore up its defence requirements along the Sino-Indian border, particularly in the Northeast besides providing easy access to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with air and rail connectivity."The prime minister will dedicate the strategically important bridge to the nation on May 26. It will bolster the road connectivity in the Northeast as the bridge will be used by people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides defence forces extensively," Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal told PTI.The construction of the bridge began in 2011 at a project cost of Rs 950 crore. The design is such that the bridge can withstand the movement of military tanks.The bridge is located 540-km from Assam capital Dispur and 300 km from Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar. The aerial distance to the Chinese border is less than 100 km.After Kaliabhomora bridge near Tezpur, there is no bridge over the Brahmaputra for the next 375 km upstream till Dhola, where the new bridge is constructed. Currently, all the transport between the two banks of the river is being carried out only through water.The bridge, when opened for the public, will cut down the travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by as much as four hours.(With PTI inputs)
Lucknow/New Delhi: A Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist has been arrested by border guarding force SSB from Sonauli in Uttar Pradesh along the Indo-Nepal frontier.
The Sashastra Seema Bal said it apprehended Naseer Ahmed (34) last evening from the Sonauli border post.
The SSB is tasked to guard the 1,751 km long open border.
"Ahmed was residing in Pakistan since September 2003. He was involved in many violent attacks against civilians and security forces including an attack on an STF camp. He was sent to India by his handler for a specific mission," an SSB spokesperson said.
"Ahmed, a resident of Banihal in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, was trying to sneak into India from Nepal in the guise of a Kashmiri shawl and carpet vendor. When he was asked for his identity proof by the SSB personnel at Sonauli, he was unable to produce any supporting documents," the spokesperson said.
The paramilitary, based on initial interrogation of the terrorist, said Ahmed landed in Kathmandu on May 10 from Faisalabad in Pakistan via Sharjah.
The SSB said Ahmed reached the Indo-Nepal border in a bus "with an intention to sneak into Indian territory and motive to carry out terrorist activities in India."
"He was in touch with a handler from India, who used to deposit money, in his account, off and on. On his instructions he came to India for undertaking terrorist activities but was apprehended by the SSB," the paramilitary claimed.
Official sources said a joint team of Army and SoG had launched a cordon and search operation in Bhagatpura in Handwara area of the district based on a specific intelligence input about the presence of militants there.
Two weapons were recovered from the encounter site, he said, adding that the identity and the group affiliation of the slain militants is being ascertained.
: Two terrorists were neutralised during an encounter with security forces at Waripora area of Handwara in North Kashmir's Kupwara district on Sunday, sources told CNN-News 18.According to sources, the slain terrorists belonged to Laskar-e-Taiba.As the security forces were conducting the search operation, militants fired upon them, an Army official said.The security forces retaliated and in resulting encounter, two militants were killed, the official said.The gunfight is over and the area is being sanitised, the official said.
Mumbai: An inspiration, a special person and my world are some of the words that popular celebrities like Raveena Tandon, Boman Irani and Arshad Warsi have used to salute their mothers to mark the occasion of Mothers Day.
Here's how these celebrities have paid tribute to their respective mothers:
Raveena Tandon: Being a mother of four children has taught me a lot about myself and life in general. It has taught me about my own strength and ability to handle any situation no matter how challenging it is. This strength has helped me in raising strong, loving, independent and happy children, capable of following their own dreams.
Arshad Warsi: Every day is Mother's Day to me. I lost my parents at a very early age so it means a lot to me. I used to study in a boarding school so, I couldn't even meet them that often. It really makes me feel the absence. My kids, on other hand, celebrate Mother's Day with all the excitement. They make cards, do other work for my wife and everything. Mothers mean a lot.
Boman Irani: My mother means the world to me. She has been my rock and has encouraged me at every sphere of my life - be it education to my journey of becoming an actor. Today whatever I am, it is all because of her. Even today, she guides me whenever I need someone to look up to. With her, I still feel childlike - young and energetic.
Param Singh: I want to thank my mother for all that she has taught me. She has been instrumental in shaping me as a person and whatever I am today. My love for my mom is immeasurable and I can do anything for her.
Anuja Sathe: It may sound cliched, but yes for me every day is Mother's Day. Having said that, I feel a day dedicated to mothers is special and sweet. I am head over heels with my mother. She stays in Pune but I am always connected with her.
Manish Wadhwa: I start everyday with my mother's blessings. Although, May 14 is a special day for all mothers, I celebrate it on May 5 as it's her birthday. We celebrate her birthday and have a lot of fun and give her a lot of joy and love.
Aditya Narayan: My mother is my friend and I have so much to thank her for. She is the person from whom our family draws its strength. We often forget to express our love and appreciation, but whatever we have learnt in terms of loving and giving is from her. I don't think my father (Udit Narayan) could have achieved the success he has without her unwavering faith in him.
Neha Kakkar: My mother is my strength and the shining star, who has guided us all through our toughest times. Sonu, Tony and I are where we are because of the kind of love, motivation and constant faith my mother has had in us.
Gurdeep Kohli: I only started to know the importance of this selfless giving relation of a mother when I became one for the first time. My mother created my world for me and made me what I am today. I hope I can do the same for my kids.
Disha Parmar: The pure love that a mother has for her children is just beautiful and special. There are no words that can describe the importance of a mother in our lives. A mother is our friend, philosopher and guide.
Priyal Gor: My mother doesn't believe in gifts, she just thinks that her children should be hardworking and should achieve something in their life. She assumes that this will be the best gift she will ever receive.
In a dramatic press conference that ended with him fainting, suspended AAP leader Kapil Mishra accused CM Arvind Kejriwal of money laundering and dared him to resign by the evening. Mishra, who is on a hunger strike demanding that party leaders divulge details of their foreign trips, said he would drag Kejriwal by the collar to Tihar Jail if he didnt resign.
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The luxuries, however, were quickly withdrawn as soon as the chief minister left the martyr's house, leaving the family "upset and humiliated."
The air conditioner was installed on a makeshift stand made of bamboo sticks. Also, new curtains, sofas and carpets were brought hours before Adityanaths visit. Adityanath spent about 25 minutes at the martyrs house talking to family.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday visited the family of the BSF jawan, Prem Sagar, who was killed and his body mutilated by the Pakistani forces.However, what led to raised eyebrows was the VIP arrangement made for the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. The local administration is said to have filled the martyr's house with an air-conditioner, sofas, curtains, carpets and chairs etc."They installed an AC, sofa set, lay a carpet on the floor and arranged for a generator to ensure smooth power supply. When the CM left, they took away everything," said Daya Shankar, brother of the slain jawan, adding that they "felt humiliated."A before and after photograph of martyr Prem Sagar's house. (Picture Courtesy: CNN-News18)Deoaria is considered one of the most backward regions in UP. According to sources, the administration was trying to ensure that Adityanath, known for his surprise inspections, doesnt find any fault in arrangements.Few hours before the CMs visit, the dusty and potholed road leading to the house of the martyr was turned into a concrete road and the entire village was decked up. Drains were covered up and even the health centre, which was nearly dysfunctional, was upgraded overnight.The chief minister gave a cheque of Rs 6 lakh to the martyrs family and promised a government job to one family member.Head Constable Prem Sagar was martyred in Poonch on May 1 and his body was mutilated by the Pakistan Army.The Chief Minister said a 'shaheed smarak' (martyr's memorial) and a girls' inter college will be set up in the village in the memory of the deceased.
Mishras allegations against Kejriwal came a week after CNN-News18 reported mismatch in AAPs submissions to the Election Commission on its donations.
"All this happened with the knowledge of Arvind Kejriwal as these shell companies deposited money in the AAP bank account on the same day and time in January 2014," Mishra said, brandishing documents.
In a dramatic press conference that ended with him fainting, suspended AAP leader Kapil Mishra accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of laundering money and threatened to drag him by the collar to Tihar Jail if he didnt resign by evening.The former Delhi water and tourism minister was rushed to RML hospital in the national capital from his residence in Civil Lines, where the press conference was held. Doctors later said he was suffering from a little weakness and mild dehydration but was stable.Mishra has been on a hunger strike for the last five days, demanding that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) release details of foreign tours undertaken by five leaders.Before taking ill, Mishra alleged that the party received funds worth "crores of rupees" from several "shell" companies.I-T department sources had told CNN-News18 last week that there was a "major mismatch" in the amounts filed before the Election Commission, in AAPs bank account and on its website.Sources said the I-T department issued a showcause notice asking party officials to be present before its investigators at 3:30pm on Monday. The notice said that a deliberate attempt was being made to avoid submission of the requisite documents, sources said.He also showed a presentation to bolster his allegations and said it was clear that Kejriwal is corrupt. I dare you, resign by evening or I will myself drag you by the collar to Tihar Jail, he told Kejriwal.At a hurriedly convened press conference moments later, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dismissed the allegations. The BJP and Kapil Mishra are singing the same tune, said Sanjay Singh.(With inputs from PTI)
The most disturbing news came from Pujali in South 24-Parganas, Raigunj in North Dinajpur and Domkal in Murshidabad. In these three areas, armed men were seen roaming on motorcycles to terrorise the voters. In some of the booths they forcibly entered and destroyed the EVM machines and hurled crude bombs.
In the evening, CPI-M and Congress workers gathered in front of State Election Commission office and resorted to a sit-in after they were denied permission to meet state election officials. They raised slogans against the poll body for failing to conduct free and fair polls.
West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury too demanded cancellation of the elections alleging booth capturing by TMC supporters. "I had told my party candidates in Domkal that there is no point taking interest in this election because we can't do anything in front of TMC's goons - backed by police. In most of the places, Congress agents dragged out of polling booths in Murshidabad," he said.
The outcome of poll results in the Hills will be crucial for TMC because the ruling party has so far failed to make any presence in the Hills due to Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM). Also, it will be a litmus test for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
: Sporadic violence, including gunfight and explosions, marred the civic polls in three municipalities out of seven in West Bengal on Sunday.In Pujali, BJP complained of massive electoral malpractices, booth capturing and rigging by the TMC.All opposition parties, including BJP, CPI-M and Congress, have alleged widespread violence and booth-capturing by Trinamool Congress workers. They have demanded re-polling of elections in Pujali, Raigunj and in Domkal.Addressing the media, CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra, said,"The ruling party has unleashed terror in most of the municipal seats. Such violence in civic polls was never seen before. TMC goons were seen roaming freely unchallenged - with crude bombs and firearms. We want the elections to be countermanded.""Three of our supporters were injured in firing by miscreants at Pujali. We want that stern action be taken against the miscreants," he added.Citizens stand in a queue to cast their votes. (Speaking to News18, BJP state secretary, Sayantan Basu said, "It is unfortunate that the local administration has failed to control the law and order situation in these areas. Trinamool goons were seen threatening our supporters with fire arms and chopper in their hands. In some places voting was going poeacefully but goons backed by TMC hurled crude bombs to terrorise our voters.""It is unfortunate the even journalists were not spared and beaten up mercilessly," he said.TMC general secretary Partha Chatterjee rubbished all allegations and said, "It is a desperate attempt by the BJP and Congress to win the civic polls. In most of the places BJP-Congress goons were involved in violence and we want stern action against them."In Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Mirik and Kurseong the polling has been more or less peaceful. BJP has not fielded any candidate in the Hills because of their alliance with the GJM.Till 5 PM, polling pecentages (in all the 148 wards) at Darjeeling, Kurseong, Mirik, Kalimpong, Raigunj, Domkal and Pujali were reported at 49.4%, 59.8%, 71.6%, 54.4%, 62.2%, 74.1% and 78.0% respectively.
Seven municipalities, including four in the hills around Darjeeling, in West Bengal are voting today after a bitter campaign between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party-Gorkha Janamukti Morcha alliance.
As it happened
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Whatever the type of missile, the launch forces the new South Korean leader, Moon Jae-in, to put dealing with Pyongyang, at least for now, above the domestic economic agenda he'd made a priority during his early days in office.
"The United States should never expect us to give up our nuclear capability," the main Rodong newspaper said in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency.
Moon, the first liberal leader in Seoul in nearly a decade, said as he took his oath of office that he'd be willing to visit the North if the circumstances were right. Trump has also said he'd be "honoured" to talk with leader Kim Jong Un under favourable conditions.
North Korea on Sunday test-launched a ballistic missile that landed in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese and US militaries said. The launch is a direct challenge to the new South Korean president elected four days ago and comes as US, Japanese and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific.It wasn't immediately clear what type of ballistic missile was launched, although the US Pacific Command said that "the flight is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile."Outside militaries will closely analyse what the North fired. While Pyongyang regularly tests shorter-range missiles, it is also working to master the technology needed to field nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the US mainland. Past North Korean missiles have flown farther than Sunday's test, landing closer to Japan, but this launch follows a series of high-profile failures.Moon, a liberal who favours a softer approach to the North than his conservative predecessors, strongly condemned the launch during an emergency national security meeting, calling it a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a serious challenge to international peace and security, according to senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan."The president expressed deep regret over the fact that this provocation occurred just days after a new government was launched in South Korea," Yoon told a televised conference. "The president said we are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating."Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile flew about 800 km (500 miles) from a launch site on North Korea's western coast for about 30 minutes and landed in the Sea of Japan, but not inside Japan's exclusive economic zone. Japan's Defense Ministry says the missile likely reached an altitude of 2,000 km (1,240 miles). Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Sunday that the launch is "absolutely unacceptable" and that Japan will respond resolutely.South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired early Sunday morning from near Kusong, in North Phyongan province.North Korea's past satellite rocket launches have been called clandestine tests of ICBM technology, but it is not believed to have tested a true intercontinental ballistic missile yet. The Trump administration has called North Korean ballistic and nuclear efforts unacceptable and has swung between threats of military action and offers to talk as it formulates a policy.The North's state media said Saturday the nation will bolster its nuclear capability unless the United States abandons its hostile policy.It said US President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure and engagement" policy is only aimed at "stifling us" and will compel the North to "strengthen our nuclear deterrent at the maximum speed."The launch also comes as troops from the US, Japan and two European nations gather on remote US islands in the Pacific for drills that are partly a message to North Korea. The USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft supercarrier, is also engaging with South Korean navy ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry.Last week, South Koreans elected Moon to replace conservative Park Geun-hye, who is in jail awaiting a corruption trial. North Korea needs tests to perfect its missile program, but it also is thought to stage its launches after the elections of new US and South Korean presidents in an attempt to gauge a new administration's reaction.On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat in charge of US relations, Choe Son Hui, told reporters in Beijing that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set.During the South's so-called "sunshine" era of the late 1990s and early to mid-2000s, liberal South Korean leaders held two summits with Kim Jong Un's father, the late Kim Jong Il, and shipped huge amounts of aid to the North. Critics say this only helped the elite in Pyongyang build their missile and nuclear programs, while supporters point to the bloodshed, threats of war and nuclear development of the last decade as proof that the conservative approach was no better.Moon has moved more quickly on domestic economic goals than foreign policy. But analysts say that North Korea's weapons program is likely too far advanced for him to be able to return to the type of sunshine policies his liberal predecessors favoured.
Abigails ministry
When in an abusive relationship, we think that we cant leave for numerous reasons. The reason I stayed was for my children, I did not want them to come from a broken home, I wanted to keep my family together, the 43-year-old tells Sunday Newsday.
It took me 14 years to come out of the loneliness and depression I was in. I got severe burns from being in the relationship, she says, recalling one particular incident in 1999 when a violent outburst by her then husband resulted in severe burns to her face, chest and arms.
I would stay inside a lot of the times, and not socialise because of the many scars on my skin. I always had to have on makeup, until one day I decided, you know what, this is enough. I have to start being comfortable with myself. This is me, this is what happened and I started taking the negative which took place in my life and changing it into a positive for someone else. Her new aim and focus in life is to help other women deal with and eventually get out of violent relationships.
Someone would listen to me more because I speak from experience and I can identify with what they are going through. If I could go to one of my motivational seminars and touch one person, then I know for sure I am doing something good. I have been able to help a lot of women get out of abusive relationships, Wharwood says. She frequently gives speeches at the Princes Town Hospital and at the Seventh Day Adventist Church, San Fernando, where she ends her talks on a tender and emotional note - by removing her makeup, revealing all her scars to the audience.
It is always moving when I bare myself to the audience. What I convey by removing my makeup is that I accept and love myself. It is never too late for them to do the same and many women would come up to me after and say that they are being abused in their relationships.
I talk to them and then I give them the contacts and addresses for the Domestic Violence Abuse Hotline, The Rape Crisis Society, Victim and Witness support, individual, group and family counselling as well as domestic violence drop in centres. Married at the age of 23, she moved from Princes Town to Diamond Vale, Diego Martin along with her husband and two children.
I met my ex-husband at the age of 17, at that time I was more in love with him than I was with myself, that was my mistake. Before we got married I knew he was violent, because there were instances when he would get physical and verbally abusive with me. I thought he would change when we got married, but things only got worse. To the point where it started affecting our children, as threats had turned into blatant acts of violence.
We had to get out, Wharwood recalls emotionally.
So what gave her the courage to leave? Prayer and faith gave me the strength to leave, as I attended Holy Cross RC Church, Princes Town. It wasnt making any sense losing my peace of mind and happiness. I went right back home to my family, who were really supportive, financially and emotionally. It was the most depressing time of my life. But there was also a silver lining - her independent and philanthropic spirits were ignited.
In 2015 she re-opened her Princes Town-based Hair Works by Allison, and registered Once is Too Much, a non-profit organisation that aims to help victims of domestic violence and other forms of abuse. The organisation uses motivational speeches, support groups and prayer to help victims deal with and eventually escape their abusive situations. Once is Too Much also tries to educate the community of Princes Town about domestic violence and its signs.
The long-term goal of Once is Too Much is to open a safe house where victims can come and feel like home. Where we would help in building them so they can become people who are not dependent on their abusers, Wharwood explains.
Despite her experiences, Wharwood continues to be the family-oriented person she has always been. She plays an active role in her childrens lives. I am truly blessed to have wonderful children. My daughter, Afiya, 24, makes me so proud and my two sons Justin, 20, has Down Syndrome, and Jayden, nine, are my life. I love them dearly, she says with tears in her eyes. Justin is also member of the Down Syndrome Family Network.
What advice would she give to someone who is a victim of domestic violence? I would tell that person to leave, just leave. Do not try to take matters into your own hands, love yourself first and know your worth. Love is not supposed to make you unhappy, and seek God for help. He is the only one who sees what you have been through, pray for the courage to leave and once you leave, do not go back. Abigail Allison Wharwood can be contacted via: abigailwharwood@ gmail.com and hairworksbyallison@gmail.com
Marcia still a judge
I want the JLSC to reconsider, as far as I am concerned, she is still a judge. I kept on referring to her as Justice Marcia Ayers-Caesar, as far as I am concerned, Justice Marcia Ayers-Caesar is a judge of the High Court and as far as I am concerned any such letter of resignation doesnt have any legal effect in the circumstances, Maharaj, a senior counsel, said yesterday.
Addressing a media conference at his Irving Street, San Fernando law offices yesterday, Maharaj disclosed that while he had discussions with Ayers-Caesar about the issue, he was not speaking as her attorney.
He however dissected the arguments put forward by the JLSC regarding her resignation, saying the removal of a judge involved the appointment of a tribunal by the President.
On April 27, 15 days after her appointment as judge, Ayers-Caesar resigned amid growing concern over unfinished cases she may have left behind in the magistracy, as the Chief Magistrate, and one day after prisoners almost rioted in the Eighth Magistrates Court in Port-of-Spain where she presided for the last seven years.
Ayers-Caesars resignation was announced in a statement issued by the Judiciarys Court Protocol and Information Department.
Maharaj yesterday questioned the validity of the resignation letter suggesting Ayers-Caesar was pressured to step down.
I saw on the newspapers, it was a headline, a letter of resignation was signed and there was some story of the circumstances it was signed and based on the knowledge of what I have of some of the circumstances, I am of the view that serious questions arise as to whether that letter of resignation can be effective in law, he said.
And if there has to be a letter of resignation, it has to be a letter of resignation given in circumstances which can withstand scrutiny by any reasonable courts, he said, adding that similar cases had occurred where persons had signed deeds or contracts and the courts had been asked to determine whether they had been signed under duress or undue influence.
Maharaj said the JLSC possessed the capability to inquire about her workload as a magistrate before appointing her as a judge and having made that appointment, the JLSC cannot use any other power to remove that judge. I do not see any legal barrier put forward by the Judicial and Legal Service Commission to prevent Madam Justice Marcia Ayers-Caesar from functioning as a judge, he said, adding, the duty is on the JLSC and I am confident that ultimately if this matter is further gone into, that this issue of not having outstanding judgements would not be an important issue. He said the court administration department would have been able to provide reports to the Chief Justice for him to access the workload of judges and magistrates and to determine whether there were excessive delays in the magistracy or the Judiciary.
I am of the view that the JLSC would have had access to all of the data regarding the outstanding work of the Chief Magistrate before the JLSC appointed the Chief Magistrate as a judge, he said.
Asked whether she could be reinstated, Maharaj said, It is not a question to be reinstated, she doesnt have to be reinstated, she has to continue her functions as a judge. The JLSC has no power to say she is no longer a judge, the judge can only be removed from office if there is a genuine letter of resignation, or secondly a committee, a tribunal appointed by the President, there is a special procedure under section 137 and then that has to be a recommendation to the Privy Council and the Privy Council determines that the Judge should be removed from office, he said.
A judge cannot be removed from office easily, he said.
If the JLSC does not take steps to facilitate to continue her function as a judge, it would be open to the judge, as many judges have done, to challenge that decision and to seek compensation from the State, Maharaj said, and cited the matter involving the late justice Richard Crane and then chief justice Clinton Bernard.
Asked whether the JLSC and Chief Justice should resign, he said, From what I see, from what has happened so far, is not every error made by a judge or made by an administrative body merits or attracts resignation or removal from office. From what I have seen so far, I do not think there is any basis to ask the Chief Justice to resign, I do not agree with some of my colleagues that this matter at this stage calls for any resignation of the Chief Justice, he added.
What I do think however is that the Chief Justice as chairman of the JLSC has to get this matter reconsidered by the JLSC and to take steps to have reforms in the appointment process so that things like these may not happen again. And whereas Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi has said the Government cannot get involved, Maharaj said if he were still in office he would have written the Chief Justice. I would have told the Chief Justice that you should look at this again and reconsider it, he said.
Maharaj said he was willing to challenge the JLSCs decision against allowing Ayers-Caesar to continue as a judge.
If for some reason, the judge has to challenge it and I am asked to challenge it, I will undertake that responsibility and if I have to take that responsibility, I would be prepared, if the judge decides to challenge it, I would be prepared to go to the highest level to prove that the rights of the judge have been violated. On May 5, 11 senior counsels in a joint statement called on the JLSC to provide information about the states of Ayers-Caesars unfinished cases in the magistrates court. Days later, the JLSC disclosed Ayers-Caesar had dismissed 16 cases in one day in the Couva court, after accepting her appointment to the High Court.
In a statement, the JLSC said they had been misled by her.
Also last week, former attorney general Anand Ramlogan initiated legal action on the constitutionality of the composition of the JLSC, specifically the inclusion of two retired judges.
Last Friday, Ramlogan asked that the JLSC not make any new appointments until the issue is determined by the court.
Find the Creator
Speaking to reporters after the 13th annual Mothers Day Programme at the Womens Prison, St Louis said: I am better and I will be better and I owe it to the Creator. Some say God but I say the Creator. Giving an example of her progress since being imprisoned, several years ago, a visibly proud St Louis said she had recently written the CXC English-Language paper and I know to myself that I got a distinction. She said when she returned to the prison after writing the paper, it dawned on her that people must try not to be influenced negatively by others.
I learnt that dont ever let somebody change your mind to what you know. If it is that you know that you are something, you must know you can something better. St Louis, who turns 27 on September 29, is charged with the murder of security guard Robert Bobb in April 2013.
Quite stylish in her pair of silver heels and black pencil pants, St Louis was among a group of inmates who got to spend time with their children and other loved ones at the Womens Prison function, ahead of todays Mothers Day observance.
Yesterday, St Louis was visited by her daughter Trevell, niece Jahmeela Williams and twin nephews, Ezekiel and Elijah Dunbar.
She said Trevell was the product of her relationship with her first boyfriend.
Asked if she had other children, St Louis joked: So many I cant keep check. Imprisoned for quite some time, St Louis said she has been often told that the mind was the secret to withstanding the ordeal.
It is about the way you develop your mind at the end of the day because of all the different types we dealing with and you make a child, you dont make a mind.
Being away from my daughter made me understand that. It is real but God is good, she said.
She urged her fellow inmates and people outside of the prison walls to find the Creator before finding yourselves. He will make a way.
This (referring to herself) is a work in progress and we aint reach there yet. St Louis also urged all biological mothers and mother figures to recognise and celebrate their contribution.
Blessings to all mothers.
The fathers who have been mothers. The mothers who have been father and mother, like my mother. I really appreciate the people that have been there for me as a mother, when my mother could not be there for me physically. St Louis said forgiveness was also a key ingredient in the rehabilitative process.
Forgiveness is very important but I am not a person that has ever really not forgiven somebody that has done something wrong to me. She added: Honestly, when you enter your mothers belly after the sperm, I dont think that the day that you born, was not the day that I got life. I have grown in life. St Louis urged people to learn from their mistakes.
So within anything you do in life, please grow. Dont fall, grow first.
bp boss: TT LNG story far from over
This years theme was Unleash Your Potential - Embracing Opportunities for Business Growth.
Saying dreamers often see and envision a world ahead of their time, Christie told ECA members that from his own experience, the greatest examples of potential being unleashed were almost always coupled with whats popularly called a BHAG, or big, hairy, audacious goal. Recalling the time he spent working in Egypt at the start of their gas business in the Nile Delta back in the 1990s, he said that countrys dreams included LNG trains, a cross-Mediterranean pipeline, a pipeline to Israel and a large domestic gas business.
As is often the case with big dreams, not everything has worked as envisioned but I look at recent reports from Egypt and the LNG business and large domestic business are a reality. And, with a recent giant gas discovery of approximately 30 tcf (trillion cubic feet), I wouldnt bet against the other elements of the dream coming to fruition. Closer to home, while I was not here at the start of the LNG business I had a close association because of the role I held in Chicago at the time. The story here also has a familiar ring. While we currently are concerned with natural gas supply shortfalls, we shouldnt forget that the dreams decades ago resulted in one of the largest LNG complexes in this hemisphere. Further, I am convinced that the story is far from over. On the balance between risk and reward, Christie said, Once the values boundaries are not violated, we have to be prepared to take risks. Giving the audience some insight into how this plays out in the oil and gas world, he said, In my business, we frequently invest over US$100 million on on exploration well, with a chance of success that is often far less than 50 percent. In fact, bpTT is doing that right now with two exploration wells being drilled off the east coast of Trinidad. Christie added that when one is taking such risks, you understand that wise risk taking utilises appropriate expertise while in a business setting, you learn to appreciate true talent. This is the second important point, he told the ECA audience. When taking wise risks, consider your advisers. In a business setting, you must consider the talent you surround yourself with to instruct the risks you take. Examining the importance of continuous learning, Christie used the example of this countrys petrochemicals industry.
In my view, Trinidad and Tobago (TT) has great stories about dreaming big, taking risks and continuously learning. The petrochemicals industry in Point Lisas us a great case study in unleashing potential and growth. By dreaming big and taking risks, TT has, for decades, punched its way above its weight as the largest exporter of traded methanol and ammonia. Linking the theme of his speech to ongoing negotiations with the National Gas Company (NGC) for a new gas sales contract; which expires at the end of 2028, Christie said Throughout these negotiations, we have been reminded of how visionary the political and business leaders were who established Pt Lisas, and the risks they took when natural gas was viewed as a nuisance, associated product, of oil. What is equally important though, is to see how NGC has continued to learn in the face of a fast-changing energy world. In fact, in the negotiations, Christie shared, they repeatedly acknowledged that what got them in here is not going to keep them successful in the future. This kind of learning will unleash potential.
JSL wins Champion Employer award
This was the energy service providers second award of Friday evening, having edged out the Hyatt Recency hotel for first place in the Employer of the Year - Large Category.
The company is a subsidiary of JSL International LLC, which is based in Houston, Texas.
Addressing ECA members at the awards function at Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, JSLs managing director Javid Ramcharitar said the company was pleased and humbled to be deemed Champion Employer. As a large contingent of staff stood on stage behind him, Ramcharitar said, It is an honour to join past recipients who I have long admired and respected. Recognising all of the 2017 nominees, he thanked them for making incredible contributions to their communities, as well as to the prosperity of our beautiful twin island republic in different ways. Reflecting on the companys journey to success, Ramcharitar thanked all those who trusted, those who believed in some way that we, JSL, a small fledgling company with no face that started out seven years ago with five employees, sharing a 309 square foot office space, had a chance. On its website (www.jslinternational.
net) the company describes itself as a premium service provider, pooling the best group of companies and resources together for any job assigned. From five employees in 2010, JSL International now employs more than 650 people and operates in more than 12 countries.
In all, seven awards were given out last Friday. The others were: 1) Micro Champion Employer of the Year - Manuchan (Trinidad) Limited; 2) Employer of the Year (Small Category) - RHS Marketing Limited; 3) Employer of the Year (Medium Category) - Crews Inn Hotel and Yacht Club; 4) Award for Excellence in Staff Development and Industrial Relations - Scotiabank TT; and 5) Award for Excellence in Corporate Social Responsibility and Community Engagement - RHS Marketing Limited.
There Was No Red Wave,
'That's for Darn Sure'
The US is in the midst of a well-documented opioid epidemic, but less well-known is how some people are making money off it through shady treatment centers that bilk insurance companies and do little to help their actual clients. In a feature in the Christian Science Monitor, Jennifer Flory describes working in a job she didn't like mainly because it came with good insurance. She needed it: Her daughter Alison was going through drug treatment, and the bills would've ruined her. Trouble was, the "treatment" was part of an insurance fraud scheme, something Alison eventually worked out herself, once telling her mother that the people running it were scammers in it only for the money. But her mother dismissed those allegations and asked Alison to trust them. "She is looking down and saying, 'I told you so,'" says her mom.
When Alison suffered a fatal overdose in 2016 at age 25 after bouncing between treatment centers for 15 months, it became clear that she'd been a pawn in a money-making scheme in which her addiction was fed instead of treated. In fact, "it is an open secret among addicts enrolled in South Florida treatment facilities that hundreds of suburban homes posing as drug-free recovery residences are little more than co-ed flop houses where the use of drugs is permitted and sometimes encouraged," writes Warren Richey. The houses pay people to recruit addicts, sometimes encouraging them to relapse so they can start a whole new course of expensive treatment all over again. The founder of a now-shuttered treatment center where Alison was enrolled has pleaded guilty to health-care fraud. Read about the problem in Florida and elsewhere at the Monitor. (Read more insurance fraud stories.)
Avocados are all the rage. So much so that Huffington Post recently called the opening of New York's first avocado bar "painfully trendy." Turns out avocados are also, quite literally, part of a painful trend. Emergency room doctors are reporting an increase in the number of amateur chefs winding up with serious "stab and slash" injuries as they attempt to cut through the soft flesh and remove the hard pit, reports the Times of London. The injury even comes with its own name: "avocado hand."
"I had to go to the [ER] and get three stitches and I have lost most of the sensation in my finger," Freya Watson, a TV producer in London, tells Vice's Munchies. "When I was in the [ER], there was a woman with the exact same injury." Sure enough, people are posting pictures with hashtags like #avocadoinjury, and Simon Ecclessecretary and former president of the British Association of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgeonstells the Times he sees four patients a week with avocado hand. So if you're unskilled yourself, maybe watch a few tutorials before attempting to dissect. (Here's why avocados are getting spendy.)
An Egyptian archaeological mission has found a necropolis holding at least 17 mummies near the Nile Valley city of Minya, in the first such find in the area, the antiquities ministry said on Saturday. The discovery was made in the village of Tuna al-Gabal, reports the AP, a vast archaeological site on the edge of the western desert. The area hosts a large necropolis for thousands of mummified birds and animals. It also includes tombs and a funerary building. "It's the first human necropolis to be found here in Tuna al-Gabal," Antiquities Minister Khaled al-Anani told reporters at the site, some 135 miles south of Cairo. The mummies were elaborately preserved, therefore likely belong to officials and priests, he said.
The new discovery also includes six sarcophagi, two clay coffins, two papyri written in demotic script as well as a number of vessels, he said. The necropolis, which is eight yards below ground level, dates back to the Late Period of Ancient Egypt and the Greco-Roman period, the minister noted. Pointing to the edges of the necropolis where legs and feet of other mummies could be seen, the minister said that the find "will be much bigger," as work is currently in only a preliminary stage. Egypt is taking a recent spate of discoveries as something of a blessing for its lagging tourism industry, notes the Washington Post, which has been hit hard by recent political unrest. (Egypt just discovered a tomb believed to belong to a pharaoh's daughter.)
France has inaugurated new president, Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old independent centrist who was elected on May 7, reports the AP. Arriving Sunday at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris, Macron slowly marched alone, under a light rain, in the Elysee courtyard. He shook hands with his predecessor, Francois Hollande, at the front porch and the two men briefly posed for photographers. Macron is the youngest president in the country's history and the 8th president of France's Fifth Republic, created in 1958. His Republic on the Move movement hopes to reinvigorate French politics and win a majority of lawmakers in the June parliamentary election. The centrist, speaking Sunday in his inauguration speech, says "we will take all our responsibilities to provide, every time it's needed, a relevant response to big contemporary crises."
He listed "the excesses of capitalism in the world" and climate change among his future challenges. Macron says all countries in the world are "interdependent ... we are all neighbors." He announced his determination to push ahead with reforms to free up France's economy and pledged to press for a "more efficient, more democratic" European Union. He is the first French president who doesn't originate from one of the country's two mainstream parties. His Republic on the Move movement hopes to reinvigorate French politics and win a majority of lawmakers in the June parliamentary election. Macron takes charge of a nation that, when Britain leaves the European Union in 2019, will become the EU's only member with nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. (Read more Emmanuel Macron stories.)
North Korea on Sunday test-launched a ballistic missile that flew for half an hour and reached an unusually high altitude before landing in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese, and US militaries said. The launch, which Tokyo said could be of a new type of missile, is a direct challenge to the new South Korean president and comes as US, Japanese, and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific. It wasn't immediately clear what type of ballistic missile was launched, the seventh such firing this year, although the US Pacific Command said that "the flight is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile." Japanese officials, however, said the missile flew for about 30 minutes, traveling about 500 miles and reaching an altitude of 1,240 milesa flight pattern that could indicate a new type of missile, reports the AP.
One expert said that the missile could have a range of 2,800 miles if flown on a standard, instead of a lofted, trajectoryconsiderably longer than Pyongyang's current missiles. He said Sunday's launch may have been of a new mobile, two-stage liquid-fueled missile North Korea displayed in an April 15 military parade. Past North Korean missiles have flown farther than Sunday's test, landing closer to Japan, but this launch follows a series of high-profile failures. The White House said North Korea has been "a flagrant menace for far too long," and that Washington maintains its "ironclad commitment" to its allies. "The United States should never expect us to give up our nuclear capability," said the North in commentary carried by KCNA. It said President Trump's "maximum pressure" policy is only aimed at "stifling us." On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat said Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration "if the conditions are set." She did not elaborate. (Read more North Korea stories.)
"What brings us together is that we are white, we are a people, we will not be replaced," intoned Richard Spencer, the man who coined the term "alt-right," at rallies Saturday near a contentious statue of Robert E. Lee in Charlottesville, Va. As the Daily Progress reports, the second rally was attended by several dozen protesters carrying torches and chanting, "Russia is our friend," "you will not replace us," and "blood and soil." Police broke up that protest within about 10 minutes after an altercation broke out; Spencer tweeted a photo of himself from the scene, captioned simply "#torchlight." At issue: The city of Charlottesville's decision to sell the statue of Lee, though a judge has since ordered an injunction preventing any sale for six months.
The town is familiar ground for Spencer, who the Washington Post notes attended the University of Virginia. The protests were attacked by Virginia gubernatorial candidate Tom Perriello, who started a back-and-forth when he tweeted, "Get your white supremacist hate out of my hometown." "We won, you lost, little Tommy," retorted Spencer. "Actually, you lost," responded Perriello. "In 1865. 150 years later, youre still not over it." The Post notes that Perriello's GOP rival, Corey Stewart, has been a staunch defender of the Lee statue, though he was not confirmed to be part of the protests. (Read more Richard Spencer stories.)
Police in South Carolina say a woman has been arrested for hitting her young son after he gave a Mother's Day card to his grandmother but not to her, reports the AP. A Spartanburg Police Department report says Shontrell Murphy is charged with cruelty to children for hitting her 6-year-old son on the head Thursday. Murphy's mother, Tracey Joanne Murphy, told police she saw her daughter hitting her son; when she asked why, the younger Murphy responded "because she could," reports WYFF. The boy's sister told police Shontrell Murphy ripped the card to pieces and hit the boy "hard." He was treated and released from a local hospital. Police say Shontrell Murphy has been released from the Spartanburg County Detention Center. It wasn't clear Sunday if she has an attorney. (Read more Mother's Day stories.)
A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows unfavorable views of President Trumps move to dismiss FBI Director James Comey. The poll, conducted among 800 adults, found that only 29% of Americans approve of Comeys dismissal, though Trumps overall approval dropped only one point from last months NBC/WSJ poll to 39%. Heres a closer look at the numbers:
Party breakdown: While 29% approve of Comey's dismissal, 38% disapprove and 32% have no opinion. Along partisan lines, those who approved of Comeys firing were largely Republican, with a 58% approval rating. Independents and Democrats were more critical, with 36% of Independents and 66% of Democrats giving the move a thumbs down.
While 29% approve of Comey's dismissal, 38% disapprove and 32% have no opinion. Along partisan lines, those who approved of Comeys firing were largely Republican, with a 58% approval rating. Independents and Democrats were more critical, with 36% of Independents and 66% of Democrats giving the move a thumbs down. Altered views of Trump?: 30% of participants say firing Comey lowered their opinion of Trump, while 6% say they now have a more favorable view and 61% say the dismissal did not change their opinion.
30% of participants say firing Comey lowered their opinion of Trump, while 6% say they now have a more favorable view and 61% say the dismissal did not change their opinion. How does Comey measure up?: Only 18% of participants had a positive rating of Comey, against a 26% negative rating. The FBI in general received a 52% approval rating and a 16% negative rating.
Only 18% of participants had a positive rating of Comey, against a 26% negative rating. The FBI in general received a 52% approval rating and a 16% negative rating. Special commission: Nearly half of participants, 46%, agree with the statement that the Russian investigation drove Trumps decision, while 38% say it was over the handling of Hillary Clinton's email. Meanwhile, 78% prefer that a special prosecutor or independent commission handle the investigation instead of Congress.
Read more on NBC News . (Read more James Comey stories.)
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New Delhi:
In a bid to finish the 2015 BBC documentary on the Nirbhaya gangrape case, Anuradha Singh, the editor, had suffered a crack in her tailbone while working 20 hours a day to finish the film that was later banned.
"India's Daughter", based on the life of the 23-year-old paramedic student who was brutally gangraped and died a fortnight later, also left Singh emotionally drained.
It took her over two years to edit more than 100 hours of interview reels and archive material.
"By the time the documentary finally took shape, I was suffering from a crack in the tailbone and heavily swollen wrists as I used to work for nearly 20 hours a day", Singh told PTI.
There was a time when the cameraperson of the documentary left the project mid-way.
Read more: Nirbhaya case: Bollywood lauds Supreme Court's verdict, says 'Justice Prevails'
"But just to save it from getting shelved I took up the camera", she says.
Having worked in the Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire" and "The Hundred-Foot Journey", the filmmaker, now settled in Mumbai, says it was the brutal and inhuman nature of the crime which troubled her on an emotional level.
"Imagine going through the material regarding a gruesome rape again and again every day", she says.
She recalls how she often used to wake up in the middle of the night shocked and afraid while making "India's Daughter".
Asked how she feels now that the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence for the four men convicted of the rape and murder, she says "I had given two-and-a-half-years of my life to the documentary and so am happy that it has finally come out with the verdict."
"More than the actual verdict, the comments and observations made by the apex court have further strengthened my faith in the judicial system of the country."
On the documentary still being banned in India, she says, "Yes, obviously I wish the ban to be lifted but let the authorities concerned or court take the appropriate decision. I have full faith in our judiciary and the government."
The documentary was banned by the government after its content, including the interview of one of the rapists who showed no remorse, triggered outrage.
Read more: 2012 Nirbhaya gang rape case: Juvenile culprit now 'settled' in South India as SC confirms death penalty to other 4 accused
A trial court had restrained the airing of the documentary in March 2015.
Hailing from the small town of Wazirganj in Bihar, Anuradha Singh, now 45, moved to Mumbai 23 years ago to pursue her dream of working in cinema just after finishing her studies in Delhi and a short stint in journalism.
While assisting Renu Saluja, a four-time national award winning editor, on Vidhu Vinod Chopra's "Mission Kashmir", she realised that film editing was her true calling.
She later joined FTII, Pune, to learn the art of editing. During her days in FTII, she came in contact with Alex de Grunwald, production manager of Richard Attenborough's film "Gandhi".
Her documentary "Touch the Sky with Glory" on the Indian Air Force was appreciated by Grunwald, giving her access to Hollywood.
And then one day, Leslee Udwin, with whom she had worked earlier, called her to assist her on "India's Daughter".
She also recalls how Hollywood star Meryl Streep praised her work as "incredible" during a screening of the documentary at the New York Institute of Technology.
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New Delhi:
A heart shivering incident took place after a 10-year-old girl was found to be five months pregnant due to being raped repeatedly by her stepfather.
The police reported the same on Sunday.
The girl's pregnancy was confirmed by the doctors when her mother took her to a hospital, they said, adding the accused was arrested.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam has said that the agency has taken a Suo moto cognizance of the case. An NCW team is likely to visit Rohtak tomorrow to look into the matter.
The police said that the accused, identified as Suresh, was arrested under section 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) of the IPC and relevant section of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) 2012.
The family, originally hailing from Bihar, was residing at Durga Colony here, Rohtak DSP (City) Ramesh Kumar said.
The mother, in a complaint lodged with the police, alleged that the girl's stepfather had been raping her for a long time and threatened the girl of dire consequences if she dared to disclose it to anyone.
The girl was admitted to PGIMS, Rohtak, police said, adding that they were probing further into the matter.
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Deoria:
The family members of slain BSF head constable Prem Sagar were shocked to witness that how the Deoria district administration installed a window airconditioner, put up a sofa and carpet at their home ahead of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's visit, and later removed it within minutes after the chief minister's depart from their residence.
Sagar's family members said they were taken aback when the authorities removed the air conditioner, sofa and carpet soon after the chief minister left their place.
"Officials took away the carpet, sofa and AC soon after Adityanath left our residence....within 15 to 30 minutes of his departure, everything was gone," Dayasagar, the brother of the fallen BSF trooper said.
There was, however, no official word on it. The Deoria administration had installed airconditioners, put up new curtains, sofas and carpets in the living room where the chief minister was to meet the family.
UP CM visited; AC,sofa,carpet were put in room. Officials took back everything after CM left: Brother of Prem Sagar who lost his life in J&K pic.twitter.com/JD9ZK9oNFZ ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 14, 2017
A day before CM's visit, dusty roads in the village were cleaned and drains which always used to remain open were covered.
Head Constable Sagar was on patrol duty on May 1 along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch when Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) crossed the LoC and ambushed the patrol team. While taking cover, Sagar and Naik Subedar Paramjeet Singh of the Army were left behind. They were killed and their bodies mutilated.
Matter of disrespect: Dayashankar, brother of BSF head constable Prem Sagar on removal of AC, sofa & carpet post UP CM's visit #Deoria pic.twitter.com/vzmufgP69Q ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) May 14, 2017
Sagar's family had refused to cremate his body, insisting that the chief minister visit them. They agreed to hold the last rites only after the chief minister spoke to them. Adityanath visited Sagar's family on May 12 at his native village Tikampaar to offer condolences and presented a cheque for Rs 4 lakh. He also reportedly promised employment to Sagar's children after they complete their studies.
The chief minister said a shaheed smarak (martyr's memorial) and a girls inter college will be set up in the village in the memory of the slain trooper. He also promised a road to connect the village to the main road.
Also Read: Now, UP CM Adityanath to monitor crime reports personally through special cell
With regard to a demand for a gas agency for the family, he had said a recommendation will be sent to the central government.
Reacting over the incident, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said if this had happened with Rahul Gandhi instead of UP CM, people can see the outrage on Twitter.
Imagine the twitter outrage if this had happened for Rahul Gandhi to visit instead of for the UP CM. All sorts of name calling would follow. https://t.co/VO0xVQrZXP Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) May 14, 2017
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Amravati:
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu asked the Centre on Saturday to scrap the banknotes of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 denomination in order to speed up digital payments.
"It was I who first demanded abolition of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes. Now, they brought Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes but they too should be scrapped," Naidu, who heads a panel of chief ministers on digital economy, told reporters. He has made the demand in the light of a hawala racket that the Visakhapatnam police busted on Saturday.
"A staggering Rs 1,379 crore was sent out using the hawala route. I once asked the RBI -- after the demonetisation-- to send more money to AP. The RBI Deputy Governor told me money was 'coming to AP but don't know where it's going'. Now, we know where the money is going," the Chief Minister said, referring to the hawala racket.
"So many fake companies were created for these transactions. Some nondescript persons have done all this. Whois the role model for them," Chandrababu asked, indirectly taking a dig at YSR Congress president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy.
"These people are tarnishing the image of AP. Who knows how many such rackets exist (in the state) and who is the role model for them? We have to deal with them in a tough manner and protect the state's image," the Chief Minister remarked.
While attacking the YSRC president, the Naidu said that the former provided support to the NDA in the ensuing presidential election as he had no other option.
"We (TDP and BJP) are coalition partners. Why did he (Jagan) go and meet the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi)? He announced support to the NDA in the presidential election as he has no other option," Chandrababu said. The Narendra Modi-led government had introduced the Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 notes in November 2016 after announcing the demonetisation of old Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 currency notes.
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New Delhi:
Two DRG personnel have been injured in the ongoing encounter between security forces and Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur. The encounter, which became around noon, comes almost a month after over 25 CRPF men lost their lives in an ambush by Maoists in Suka district.
The injured soldiers have been airlifted by Indian Air Force to Raipur, where they have been admitted in Ramakrishna Hospital.
The search operation is currently going on. More details are awaited on this.
The deadly assault occurred around 12:25 PM in Kalapathar area of south Bastar region, one of the worst-hit by Naxalite violence.
Chhattisgarh: Mi-17 helicopter landed in forest area in the midst of Bijapur encounter to evacuate 2 DRG personnel & brought them to Raipur. pic.twitter.com/mTL4rnlR4c ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
Chhattisgarh: Two DRG personnel injured in Bijapur encounter, airlifted by Indian Air Force to Raipur, admitted in Ramakrishna Hospital. pic.twitter.com/NiXVCtYFzO ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
Also read: Chhattisgarh: Naxal killed in fire exchange with police in Bijapur district
Also read: 25 CRPF jawans killed in deadly Naxal attack in Sukma: Here's how it happened
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Chandigarh:
Financial assistance of Rs 10.5 lakh was announced on Sunday for the family of a young woman who was gang-raped and killed in Haryana last week.
As the 23-year old woman was a Dalit, the state welfare department would provide Rs 8.5 lakh to her family under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The remaining Rs 2 lakh will be given by the Red Cross, Sonipat Deputy Commissioner K Makrand Pandurang told PTI over phone.
More gory details of Nirbhaya like gang rape-and-murder of a young Dalit woman from Sonipat emerged today, while her family alleged that their plea to police for help prior to the killing went unheeded.
An autopsy of the victim showed the bones of the womans skull were shattered into pieces and some sharp-edged objects may have been inserted in her private parts.
Read | Haryana's Nirbhaya: Post-mortem report confirms mutilation, states disturbing details about Rohtak gang-rape victim
The findings suggest that it was a brutal rape and murder, said Dr S K Dhatterwal, head of the department of forensic medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak, who conducted the post-mortem examination.
Meanwhile, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged that there is a complete breakdown of law and order in the state and the BJP government has failed to put a check on the rising crime graph.
He demanded exemplary punishment for the culprits in the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman from Sonipat and said such incidents, wherever those happen, shame the humanity.
Read | Haryana's Nirbhaya: Police arrests 2 accused in Rohtak gang-rape, SIT formed for fast track investigation
The mutilated body of the woman was found near the Industrial Model Township in Urban Estate, Rohtak, on May 11, two days after she had gone missing.Stray dogs had bitten away the victims face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passer-by.
The woman, said to be a divorcee, had been kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9 and taken to Rohtak in a car, police said.
The Haryana Police has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the case.
The police have already arrested two men including the one who they claimed was her jilted lover.
Read | Haryana shame! Woman gangraped, mutilated body found in Rohtak after refusing marriage proposal
(With Inputs from PTI)
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New Delhi:
The post-mortem report in the shocking gang-rape and murder of a woman in Haryana's Rohtak has come to the fore. It states that the victim's face is not identifiable and the face, tongue, eye and ears have been totally distorted. Further, it has been revealed in the report that death had been caused by death injury. Multiple wounds were also found on the victim's skull and scalp.
The report further claims that the Oesophagus was missing & gnawing effects were seen over chest of the victim. The brutal crime is said to have occurred on May 9.
Sources claimed that the victim had allegedly refused a marriage proposal from her lover after which the ghastly attack on her took place.
Post -mortem further states that Oesophagus was missing& gnawing effects were seen over chest of the victim in Rohtak gangrape & murder case ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
Haryana Police has arrested two accused in the gruesome case and a SIT has been formed for fast investigation in the case.
Post-mortem report of victim in #Rohtak gangrape&murder case states-face,tongue,eye,ears totally distorted, the face was not identifiable. ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
The distraught parents of the woman have claimed that this ghastly attack was carried out by her neighbour and have demanded capital punishment for the rapists.
ALSO READ: Haryana's Nirbhaya: Police arrests 2 accused in Rohtak gang-rape, SIT formed for fast track investigation
Post-mortem report states that the cause of death is head injury.Blunt force injuries & multiple wounds found on skull and scalp. #Rohtak ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
The horrible incident happened few days after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence for 4 convicts in Nirbhaya gang rape case.
READ: Haryana shame! Woman gangraped, mutilated body found in Rohtak after refusing marriage proposal
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Beijing:
The opening ceremony of Chinas Belt and Road Forum (BRF) was skipped by India on Sunday, following sovereignty concerns over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
No Indian delegation was seen at the opening ceremony addressed by Chinese President, Xi Jinping. When inquired, Indian diplomats here pointed to the statement issued by MEA spokesperson Gopal Bagley on Saturday night.
...No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said. Few Indian scholars attended the meeting. Media was not permitted into the conference hall, where the opening ceremony took place.
ALSO READ: CPEC concerns hold India off from One Belt One Road summit in China
Indian scholars who took part in the meeting said no Indian delegation was spotted. The meeting called the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) is being attended by 29 heads of state and governments including Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif and his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickrmasinghe, besides official delegations from other South Asian countries.
Leaders and officials from various countries including Russia, US, Japan, UK, Germany and France are attending the meeting. In a strongly-worded statement issued on Saturday night, India had said that the connectivity initiative must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, One Belt, One Road which was later renamed as Belt and Road Initiative. We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay had said in a statement.
ALSO READ: China invites India to OBOR summit, says CPEC has 'no direct link' with Kashmir issue
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New Delhi:
Two warships of the Indian Navy on Sunday reached Malaysia on a six-day visit as the force aims to further deepen bilateral maritime cooperation including effectively containing piracy in the Indian Ocean region.
The ships - INS Shivalik and INS Jyoti - are part of an overseas deployment to the South East Asia and Southern Indian Ocean in sync with India's 'Act East Policy'.
"The visit of the Indian Naval Ships seeks to under score India's peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly and harmonious countries towards ensuring good order in the maritime domain and to strengthen existing bonds between Indiaand Malaysia," Navy Spokesperson Capt D K Sharma said.
Indian naval assets have been increasingly deployed inrecent times to address the main maritime concerns of the region.
In addition, as part of the Indian government's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has also been involved in assisting countries in the Indian Ocean Region with surveillance of the exclusive economic zones, search and rescue operations and other capacity-building and capability-enhancement activities.
"The current deployment will contribute towards theIndian Navy's efforts to consolidate inter-operability andforge strong bonds of friendship across the seas," Sharma said.
Indian Navy rescues 4 stranded tugboat crew members off Mumbai coast Also Read:
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New Delhi:
Recalling decisiveness of Indira Gandhi and giving a subtle message to the present Congress leadership, President Pranab Mukherjee described her as the most acceptable Prime Minister of a democratic country till today.
Mukherjee, in a veiled message to the party leadership to speed up decision-making in organisational matters, recalled the former prime ministers decisive style of functioning that helped her party score comeback victories in state elections within a couple of months after the second Congress split of 1978.
Gandhi was one of the most remarkable personalities of the 20th century. And to the people of India, she still remains the most acceptable Prime Minister of a democratic country, the President said to wide applause from the audience that comprised a galaxy of top Congress leaders.
The Congress was defeated in 1977. I was a junior minister. She told me, Pranab, dont get unnerved by the defeat. This is the time to act. And, she acted! Mukherjee recalled.
With Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi seated on the dais, flanked by Vice President Hamid Ansari and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mukherjee paid rich tributes to Indira Gandhi on the occasion of the release of a commemorative centennial volume on her life and works.
He also received the first copy of Indias Indira - A Centennial Tribute that was unveiled by Ansari. The Congress is celebrating the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi.
The book edited by senior Congress leader Anand Sharma is a compilation of life and work of Indira Gandhi and its foreword is written by Sonia Gandhi, who could not attend the function due to her ill health.
Reading out Sonia Gandhis speech on her behalf, Rahul Gandhi said, The brand of patriotism I saw in Indira Gandhi was a noble one that she imbibed from freedom struggle. Sonia said Indira Gandhiher mother in lawwas a friend and a mentor and she was careful not to impose her will on me.
Rahul, while quoting the Congress president said, Indira Gandhi disregarded distinctions of rank, caste and creed. She had no time for snobbishness or ostentatious. She was quick to detect hypocrisy and insincerity. She was a proud Indian, but also a proud citizen of the world with a broad and tolerant outlook.
ALSO READ: Items from Indira Gandhis family collection sell big at Mumbai auction
Recalling the second split in Congress in 1978, President Mukherjee said Indira Gandhi was elected party president on January 2, 1978 and in a matter of few days by January 20 she completed the formation of the working committee, set up the parliamentary board, PCCs and AICC structures and prepared the party to face elections to state assemblies of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Assam, and NEFA.
Soon after that, he said, she led the Congress to a decisive victory by two-thirds majority in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and went on to make her party the single-largest in Maharashtra where it formed the government along with the breakaway faction of the Congress.
Mukherjee said by the difference between January 2 and March 6, one can understand how quickly she had to take decisions and how decisively and determinately she took those decisions.
I think, this is the characteristic of Indira Gandhi, he said, with Rahul Gandhi, her grandson, listening with rapt attention. Indirajis response to the worst moments in her political life was to push herself into more action, he said, adding that in this centenary year, people will remember her for her various contributions.
The President also recalled a series of bold decisions the former prime minister took in the interest of the country, laying special emphasis to her decision to cleanse Golden Temple of militants, which he termed as the most dangerous.
As a student of history I was afraid to do anything with the Golden Temple. And as member of the then CCPA I told at the meeting that perhaps the most dangerous decisions we are taking, he said, referring to Operation Bluestar in 1984. Sometimes history demands some action which may not prove correct later on, but perhaps is most relevant at that time. This decision cannot be avoided, he said.
Mukherjee said the fearlessness in Gandhis actions, she did not make an inch of change in her policy. He said Indira Gandhi played the second longest innings as prime minister of this country in her two terms.
He said her entire life was infused with a tremendous passion for India and its people. Fearlessness in action and boldness in decision making was the unique hallmark of Indirajis character. Indiraji waged throughout her life a relentless war against communal and sectarian violence, he said.
He said she left a great legacy and during the almost 16 years as prime minister, India became the third largest reservoir of technical and scientific manpower, the sixth member of the nuclear club and then began the race for space science and technology.
She proved that what she decides to do, she does not hesitate to have that, he said. Ansari, in his brief address, said she lived in a period of turmoil and change in the country, the neighbourhood and the world and Destiny bestowed on her the role of being a principle actor. He said this volume is in the nature of an offering to her in her birth centennial year.
Former PM Manmohan Singh said, Indira Gandhi was not just Indias prime minister, but was also an acknowledged leader of the developing countries. She believed in world peace and her voice was heard with respect in the world fora.
He also said that history will remember with respect Indira Gandhis sacrifice and her everlasting contribution. Singh also recalled her famous speech at Stockholm during the first Environment Summit, where she had said: Poverty was the biggest polluter.
The audience comprised a galaxy of top Congress leaders, including former Union Ministers and chief ministers. The guests included Congress veterans Ghulam Nabi Azad, Ambika Soni, Janardan Dwivedi, P Chidambaram, besides former chief ministers Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Ashok Gehlot, Shiela Dikshit and Prithviraj Chavan.
ALSO READ: President Pranab Mukherjee signs ordinance to amend Banking Regulation Act
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New Delhi:
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday held a recruitment rally for 698 posts of sub-inspector in the state. The J&K Police got overwhelming response with nearly 3,000 candidates turning up for the rally.
This has come up on the backdrop of various terrorist groups warning youth in the valley against joining security forces. Terror groups had also released many videos to warn youths against joining armed forces.
The recruitment rally was a success despite the incident of abducting and killing of Lieutenant Ummer Fayaz by Hizbul Mujahideen militants in Shopian district four days ago. The incident didnt act as deterrent to the recruitment drive.
Also read: Kashmir valley youths should not go near encounter sites: Nabi Azad
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It was as intense as a turkey hunt could get. By the time Matt Washburn and 7-year-old daughter, Natalie, arrived at their favorite hunting spot, a loud-mouthed gobbler was already sounding off from the opposite side of a grassy hilltop.
The pressure was on. Trying their best to stay calm, the hunters quickly popped up their canvas ground blind near the edge of the trees and hastily placed a pair of decoys a lay-down hen and life-sized jake out front. Jumping inside the blind, they began organizing equipment while Matt announced their presence by scratching out a yelp on the box call.
As soon as the sound reached the gobblers ear, it ignited an instantaneous chain of events that neither hunter will soon forget.
When my dad called, that turkey went nuts, says Natalie. He gobbled and gobbled and gobbled. That really made me excited.
The excitement, and the gobbling, continued with each new sound becoming louder than the one before. Expectations soared as the turkey continued its approach. But the prospect of a turkey dinner was short lived as the sounds suddenly began to grow fainter.
The gobbler had turned and was now moving away. In the span of just a minute or two, the hunters had gone from highest the peak to the lowest valley. It appeared as if the wheels were coming off the cart; the turkey was walking out of their lives.
But turkey hunting can turn on a dime. As Matt continued to call, the gobbles suddenly became louder again the bird was returning. Before long, the duo could see the top of the gobblers fan as he began to crest the hill. But just as the turkey came over the top, the view was obscured by a large brush pile.
Matt kept calling and the frustrated gobbler really began to get its blood up. At a distance of 35 yards or so, the sounds were incredible. But as exciting as the hunt had been so far, things were about to become even better.
Rounding the brush, the magnificent tom finally came into full view. With tail fanned, wings dragging, and iridescent plumage gleaming in the morning sun; the huge gobbler was a sight to behold.
It quickly became apparent, however, that the regal bird was not in the best of moods. Spotting the decoys, the gobbler became instantly enraged at the sight of the counterfeit jake.
In less time than it takes to tell, the bird launched a full-scale assault. Instead of walking, trotting, or even jogging to the decoys, the agitated turkey came at a full out run charging head on as fast as its legs could bring it. The sight of that sprinting gobbler did little to calm the nerves of the waiting hunters.
When I saw him running, I had to put my head down I was so excited that I couldnt even look at him, said Natalie. When I got it all together, I looked back up. When I did, I just freaked out again.
Arriving at the decoys, the angry gobbler lost no time in delivering severe punishment to the plastic jake. The one-sided battle continued until the decoy was on its side and being pounded into the sod.
Although the spectacle was certainly providing a dramatic show, it was also nerve shattering especially for a 7-year-old hunter hoping to fill her youth turkey tag.
The drama continued as the seconds ticked by. By the time the turkey finally came out of its strut and presented a clear shot, Natalie had calmed down to a point that she remembered where to aim. The 20-gauge barked; sending its charge of No. 7 shot in the birds direction.
The gobbler never heard the shot that brought it to bag. There would be a turkey dinner after all. Natalies turkey weighed in at an even 24 pounds, sported a 10-inch beard, and was armed with a needle tipped set of 1 inch spurs. It was her second, and best, turkey.
When I shot, Dad was so excited that he just tipped the blind over and I ran out to my turkey. That was pretty much our hunt, reports Natalie. Everything was so exciting that I didnt even get to eat any of my food before I already shot a turkey.
New Delhi:
Following the drama at former Delhi minister Kapil Mishras residence where a team of Police including DGP reached his house to admit him in the hospital, Kapil alleged that the police were trying to forcibly take him to hospital based on fake reports given by doctors, just a day before he was planning to make another expose.
He claimed that the report of his health is faked by the doctors, who were directly reporting to health minister Satyendar Jain, even as a team of doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital late tonight examined Mishra and said his vitals, including blood pressure and sugar level, were normal.
Before Sundays expose, they are spreading fake news and trying to divert attention. It is a ploy to end my hunger strike, Mishra said in a tweet.
Doctors gave fake report. They report directly to health minister Satyendar Jain, he stated in another tweet.
Mishra, who was recently sacked from Delhi cabinet, had started an indefinite hunger strike on Wednesday demanding Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) divulge details of foreign tours undertaken by five of its leaders.
Doctors had on Saturday advised hospitalisation to Mishra due to drop in blood sugar level and dehydration.
Mishra also asked the Delhi police commissioner to not take actions based on fake reports.
Sir @CPDelhi, Please dont do this just based on a fake report. I am fighting for a big cause. Its a conspiracy, the MLA said in a tweet.
In a late night development, a team of doctors from RML hospital examined Mishra and said his vitals, including blood sugar level, pulse, blood pressure, is normal.
However, he had mild dehydration which is due to no salt intake since last 4 days, the doctors said, adding it was a case of starvation ketosis.
Meanwhile, police officials reached Mishras house to take him to hospital but he remained adamant on not going with them.
Kapil Mishra is adamant to not leave his house before he holds a press conference at 11 AM on Sunday. He has gone inside his house saying he wants to meditate, a source said.
Earlier, a team of doctors from Aruna Asaf Ali hospital had examined him in the afternoon and evening and advised his hospitalisation.
Mishra mounted a fresh attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today, accusing him of using AAP MLAs as shield after party legislator Sanjeev Jha announced a hunger strike to counter the rebel leaders ongoing fast.
Jha was detained by the police twice while he was proceeding to stage the planned hunger strike outside Mishras residence. He later began his indefinite strike at Jantar Mantar.
Also read: AAP crisis | Drama unfolds outside Kapil Mishra's house as Delhi Police tries to take him to hospital; Mishra says 'I am fine'
Jha has demanded that Mishra come clean on the claim that he saw Health Minister Satyendar Jain pay Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal.
In an open letter to Kejriwal, Mishra again pressed for divulging the details of foreign tours undertaken by five leaders of the party.
How much drama will you create to hide one truth. You are trying all tactics to divert attention. Dont try any new tactic tomorrow.
You (Kejriwal) made a strategy to use MLAs as a shield. However, only one MLA came forward to be that shield? Mishra said, adding he would make his next expose on Sunday.
He further said thief is demanding to hand over all the evidences to him.
Then he would prove himself innocent by becoming a judge, a lawyer and a witness, he added.
In the morning, Jha, who is an MLA from Burari, went to Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhis memorial, to seek blessings.
On May 7, Kapil Mishra had said that Arvind Kejriwal had met Satyendar Jain where he paid him Rs 2 crore. My question to him is at what time did he meet the chief minister. Which car did he use? I have the entire days video footage (of people entering Kejriwal).
The whole world knows about Kejriwals credentials and he (Mishra) should give evidence to back his claim. If it turns out to be true, even I will join him in his hunger strike against Kejriwal, Jha said.
Mishra hit back at Jha with another open letter and advised him to drink lots of water during the hunger strike.
Also read: Kapil Mishra writes open letter to Arvind Kejriwal; says planning to reveal big facts on AAP leaders foreign visits on Sunday
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New Delhi:
Sacked Aam Aadmi Party leader Kapil Mishra on Sunday presented facts supporting corruption against Kejriwal. Kapil tweeted picture of documents which were ready for the big expose. Kapil Mishra is currently on hunger strike to protest against corruption by AAP convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Kapil made a presentation revealing facts on irregularity in party funding and nexus with Axis Bank to convert black money into white. Soon after completing the presentation, Kapil Mishra fainted in front of everyone present at the spot and taken to hospital in ambulance.
Here are the live updates:
#12:54 AM
Kapil Mishra admitted to ICU of Ram Manohar Lohia hospital in New Delhi
#11:53 AM
Kapil Mishra taken in ambulance to hospital
#11:50 AM
Kapil Mishra faints during his address
#11:49 AM
Kapil asks Kejriwal to resign after the revelations else he will personally take him to Tihar Jail
#11:44 AM
Kapil Mishra also shares a cheque belonging to Axis Bank without name and date
#11:43 AM
Kapil Mishra shares a bank cheque without a date which has already been encashed
#11:42 AM
Kapil Mishra shares an address where 187 companies have been registered including 8 foreign companies
#11:38 AM
AAP has its bank account at the Krishnanagar branch of Axis Bank and all the transactions happen from there
#11:35 AM
The fund received from these companies were sent to same branch branch of Axis Bank where there were allegations of converting black money into white at the time of demonetisation
#11:32 AM
These fake companies are registered in the name of Shivcharan Goyal. These companies have given Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal at 12 AM
#11:29 AM
Kapil Mishra targets Kejriwal, says 16 shell companies added money worth crores in AAP's bank accounts
#11:27 AM
16 fake companies were shown. AAP was converting black money into white
#11:26 AM
AAP did not inform about some of its fundings which it received from fake companies, says Kapil Mishra
#11:22 AM
Will reveal big scam related to mohalla clinic, says Kapil Mishra
#11:21 AM
For three continuous years, black money was converted into white and spent on foreign trips of AAP leaders
#11:19 AM
Kapil alleges corruption in AAP funding, says facts concealed from Income Tax, Election Commission
#11:17 AM
Kapil showing discrepancy in the actual amount possessed by AAP and disclosed to the Election Commission
#11:12 AM
Kapil Mishra says he is going to back every fact with a supporting document to be shown on projector
#11:10 AM
Kejriwal did a lot of work behind the scene including hawala, many things concealed from Election Commission, says Kapil Mishra
#11:09 AM
Kapil Mishra requests officials to let him continue with the hunger strike
#11:08 AM
Kapil Mishra begins speech for big expose
#11:07 AM
Projector installed in front of Kapil Mishra's residence
#11:04 AM
I am going to present a big truth with documents in front if nation... the truth is very serious, God give me strength: Kapil Mishra
#10:39 AM
Anti-corruption bureau sends notice to Arvind Kejriwals close aide and adviser Vibhav for questioning in water tank scam matter. ACB asks him to appear before it on Wednesday. Kapil Mishra had revealed the name of Vibhav in front of ACB
# 10:05 AM
These are the documents which are ready for expose
Earlier on Saturday, a team of Police including DGP reached his house to admit him in the hospital. To which, Kapil responded by saying that the police were trying to forcibly take him to hospital based on fake reports given by doctors, just a day before he was planning to make another expose.
He claimed that the report of his health is faked by the doctors, who were directly reporting to health minister Satyendar Jain, even as a team of doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital late tonight examined Mishra and said his vitals, including blood pressure and sugar level, were normal.
Before Sundays expose, they are spreading fake news and trying to divert attention. It is a ploy to end my hunger strike, Mishra said in a tweet.
Doctors gave fake report. They report directly to health minister Satyendar Jain, he stated in another tweet.
Mishra, who was recently sacked from Delhi cabinet, had started an indefinite hunger strike on Wednesday demanding Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) divulge details of foreign tours undertaken by five of its leaders.
On May 7, Kapil Mishra on Sunday levied serious corruption allegations against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In a major expose in connection with Water Tanker Scam, Mishra revealed in front of media that he saw Arvind Kejriwal accepting Rs 2 crore from Satyender Jain in cash.
"i (sic) have witnessed HIM taking illegal cash.. have shared all details with Lt. Gov..." Mishra tweeted minutes before his scheduled press conference in Delhi.
Also read: Kapil Mishra alleges police of trying to forcibly take him to hospital on fake reports by doctors just before big expose
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New Delhi:
She is an epitome of selfless love, a God's blessing and to the world she is a mother. India is celebrating motherhood on May 14 and Google with its heart warming doodle has personified the love mothers shower on their children as a part of this celebration.
The animated doodle stages different phases of motherhood, from the first stage of pregnancy to the last stage of happily settled life.
The first gif image shows a cactus standing on the doorstep of motherhood, waiting to give birth and eager to take on the responsibility. The second image shows the process of watering the plant which represents mothers nurturing their kids.
The third, fourth and fifth gifs show the journey of the child (the cacti) growing up under the umbrella of mother's love and guidance and finally ending with a 'happily ever after' family held together by the main root of the house, the mother.
Though everday is a Mother's Day, but for once in a while mothers need to be conveyed that they are special and are an embodiment of universe for their children.
So step up and make this Mother's Day special for your mother, gift her flowers, cook for her, take her out for a drive and tell her she is 'special'.
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New Delhi :
Uttar Pradesh state energy minister Srikant Sharma on Friday informed that a special cell will be set up in Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths office where he would personally monitor states crime reports.
Sharma told reporters that the state government has ensured the security of the common man and checked crime in 50 days.
Reacting on Samajwadi Partys (SP) criticism of the law and order situation in the BJP regime, he said, Those SP leaders, who have carried criminals and rapists with them in their cars should introspect.
A special cell will be constituted in CMs office for crime monitoring, which will be done personally by the chief minister, the minister added.
Discussing the caste-based unrest in Saharanpur, Sharma said law and order was a serious issue and many things have to be worked out.
Also Read: UP CM Yogi Adityanath says his govt wont discriminate between 'teeka' and 'topi'
Questioned about party legislator Radha Mohan Das Agarwals spat with a woman IPS officer in Gorakhpur, the minister said the chief minister had asked all MLAs to exercise restraint while dealing with officers, especially women.
He, however, defended the MLA saying that people in Gorakhpur had complained about the police officers tough actions.
The incident took place in Gorakhpur last week when the police officer, leading a team to evict protesters, was publicly admonished by Agarwal.
Also Read | Swachhta Abhiyaan: UP CM Yogi Adityanath wields broom to clean up Lucknow after Swachh Survekshan-2017
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Beijing:
China on Sunday described its new Silk Road as a project of the century and offered 100 billion yuan for projects that are part of its ambitious initiative linking the country to much of Asia, Europe and Africa.
We should build an open platform of cooperation and uphold and grow an open world economy, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his opening address outlining Chinas vision.
He said China would contribute an additional 100 billion yuan (USD 14.5 billion) to the Silk Road Fund, which was set up in 2014 to finance infrastructure projects, taking it to USD 55 billion and USD 8.75 billion financial assistance to the countries taking part in his Belt and Road initiative aimed at expanding Chinas influence and global connectivity.
Xi said the Belt and Road initiative is a project of the century that will benefit people across the world.
We should foster a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation; and we should forge partnerships of dialogue with no confrontation and of friendship rather than alliance, he said, adding that Belt and Road initiative focuses on the Asian, European and African countries, but is also open to all other countries.
Read | CPEC concerns hold India off from One Belt One Road summit in China
He said China will provide assistance worth 60 billion yuan (USD 8.7 billion) to developing nations and international organizations participating in the Belt and Road initiative to launch more projects to improve peoples well-being.
China will also set up 50 joint laboratories with countries participating in the Belt and Road initiative to enhance cooperation on innovation, he said.Also China will encourage financial institutions to conduct overseas RMB fund business with an estimated amount of 300 billion yuan (about USD 43.5 billion), Xi said.
Named after the historic Silk Road, the Belt and Road initiative was proposed by Xi in 2013 to chart out new territories for international cooperation.
India skipped the meeting due to its sovereignty concerns over the USD 50 billion CPEC, which goes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). However, few Indian scholars attended the opening session of the two-day Belt and Road conference in Beijing that brought together leaders from 29 countries.
Read | Nepal sign agreement on China's new 'Silk route' plan, One Belt One Road Initiative
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickramasinge, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were among the world leaders who attended the high-profile meeting.
The United States sent a delegation led by Matt Pottinger, special assistant to the president and senior director for Asia at the National Security Council.
Other delegates include officials, entrepreneurs and financiers from over 130 countries, and representatives of key international organisations such as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, and International Monetary Fund Director Christine Lagarde.
The B&R includes a maze of roads and port projects. While CPEC is highlighted as flagship project, the B&R included Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor, New Eurasian Land Bridge, China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor and 21st century Maritime Silk Road.
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Dibrugarh:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Indias longest river bridge, capable of withstanding the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank, on May 26 in Assam which is close to the border with China.
With the inauguration of the 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra river, the prime minister will kick start the celebrations of the NDA governments three years in office from this eastern-most part of Assam.
The bridge is seen as an attempt by India to shore up its defence requirements along the Sino-Indian border particularly in the Northeast besides providing easy access to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with air and rail connectivity.
It is 3.55 km longer than the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai, making it the longest bridge in India.
The prime minister will dedicate the strategically important bridge to the nation on May 26. It will bolster the road connectivity in the Northeast as the bridge will be used by people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides defence forces extensively, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal told PTI.
The construction of the bridge began in 2011 at a project cost of Rs 950 crore. The design is such that the bridge can withstand the movement of military tanks.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have huge strategic value to the country. Since the bridge is located close to our border with China, it will help quick movement of military troops and artillery in times of conflict, Sonowal said.
The bridge is located 540-km away from Assam capital Dispur and 300 km away from Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar. The aerial distance to the Chinese border is less than 100 km.
Also Read | Aadhaar Pay: PM Modi launches new digital payment app; Know how to use it
After Kaliabhomora bridge near Tezpur, there is no bridge over the Brahmaputra for the next 375 km upstream till Dhola, where the new bridge is constructed. Currently, all the transport between the two banks of the river are being carried out through water only.
The bridge, when opened for the public, will cut down the travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by as much as four hours.
As there is no civilian airport in Arunachal Pradesh, this bridge will help people of the state to reach the nearest rail head in Tinsukia and the airport in Dibrugarh easily.
Sonowal said the delayed works of the bridge was expedited after Modi assumed the charge in 2014. The bridge was originally scheduled to open in 2015.
The BJP government in Assam will complete one year in office on May 24.
Also Read: PM Narendra Modi unveils Lucky Grahak Yojana, Digi Dhan Vyapaar Yojana to promote digital payments
The bridge is one of the key projects of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Northeast and is built in public-private partnership with a construction company.
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New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Indias longest river bridge on May 26. Capable of withstanding the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank, it will be inaugurated in Assam close to the border with China.
It will be a 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra River. With its inauguration, PM Modi will also kick start NDA governments celebrations of three years in office from the eastern-most part of Assam.
Besides providing easy access to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with air and rail connectivity, the bridge is seen as an attempt by India to shore up its defence requirements along the Sino-Indian border particularly in the Northeast.
ALSO READ: India skips China's BRF summit ceremony following sovereignty concerns over CPEC
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said, The prime minister will dedicate the strategically important bridge to the nation on May 26. It will bolster the road connectivity in the Northeast as the bridge will be used by people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides defence forces extensively.
At a project cost of 950 crore, the construction of the bridge began in 2011. It is designed in such a manner that it can withstand the movement of military tanks.
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have huge strategic value to the country. Since the bridge is located close to our border with China, it will help quick movement of military troops and artillery in times of conflict, Sonowal further added.
The bridge is one of the key projects of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Northeast and is built in public-private partnership with a construction company.
Meanwhile, the BJP government in Assam will one year in office on May 24.
With inputs from PTI.
ALSO READ: CPEC concerns hold India off from One Belt One Road summit in China
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New Delhi:
Sashastra Seema Bal on Sunday apprehended a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist trying to sneak into India from Nepal. The terrorist, identified as Nasser Ahmed, was residing in Pakistan since 2003.
According to an official statement, "An active militant of Hizbul Mujahidin, by name, Nasser Ahmed, was apprehended by Shashastra Seema Bal, 1st Bn, Lucknow Frontier on 13/05/2017 at about 1715 hrs."
"Ahmed is involved in many violent crimes against civilians as security forces including an attack on the STF camp," the statement said.
He was sent to India by his handler, for a specific mission. Details of the same cannot be disclosed, as of now, an official said.
Read | Rift in Hizbul Mujahideen: Zakir Musa quits terror outfit after lack of support to his 'beheading' threats to Hurriyat leaders
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New Delhi:
Twitter is buzzing with news alerts from India and rest of the world. Here are the latest updates from the micro-blogging site in one scroll:
#9:05 PM
BSF Head Constable Prem Sagar was killed by Pak army regulars on May 1 along the #LoC, his body was mutilated 2/2 - PTI
#9:04 PM
Deoria dist admin keeps AC, sofa, carpet at slain BSF jawan Prem Sagar's home to welocme Yogi Adityanath, removes them after he leaves 1/2 - PTI
#9:01 PM
BJP fields its Manipur chief Kshetrimayum Bhabananda Singh for RS bypoll (May 25) in state; sitting Cong MP Haji Abdul Salam died on Feb 28 - PTI
#9:00 PM
Himachal Pradesh: Two children drowned in Beas river in Manali, one body recovered, search operations underway - ANI
#8:37 PM
Someone has cast evil eye on our children's intelligence...children should study, bigger issues should be dealt by elders: Mehbooba Mufti - PTI
#8:36 PM
A magnetic bomb explosion reported in Pul-e-Sokhta area in Kabul's PD5, Afghanistan (Source: TOLOnews) - ANI
#8:27 PM
Anti-Corruption Branch summons Arvind Kejriwal's private secretary Bibhav Kumar in connection with alleged Rs 400-crore Tanker Scam - PTI
#7:45 PM
J&K: Villagers of Handwara district's Lashipora found one AK-47 rifle & 3 magazines during renovation of a mosque, handed it over to police - ANI
#7:19 PM
Chhattisgarh: A Maoist who was carrying reward of Rs. 10 lakh on his head, killed by police in Bastar's Jagdalpur; one AK-47 rifle recovered - ANI
#7:17 PM
My grandmother fell & fractured her leg. She was not able to move; then my mother sold goats to get a toilet constructed: Ramprakash - ANI
#7:13 PM
80-year-old woman gifts a toilet to her 102-year-old mother-in-law by selling six goats in Kanpur's Anantapur (Uttar Pradesh) - ANI
#7:08 PM
We will operate buses tomorrow. there are also private bus services available. Only 10/47 unions are going on strike: TN Transport Minister - ANI
#7:03 PM
India's Sumit wins silver in 125kg class at the Asian Wrestling Championship - PTI
#6:58 PM
Rohtak gang rape victim's kin will get financial assistance of Rs 10.5 lakh. State welfare dept to provide Rs 8.5 lakh, Red Cross Rs 2 lakh - ANI
#6:50 PM
Nepal: Voting concludes in first phase of local elections with about 70% turnout and death of one Nepali Congress cadre in poll violence - ANI
#6:40 PM
Haryana: Woman allegedly abducted and gangraped in a car, last night in Gurugram. Case registered, probe on- ANI
#6:34 PM
Delhi: Ex-servicemen protesting OROP, stopped at Jantar Mantar while marching towards India Gate to pay tribute to fallen soldiers - ANI
#6:30 PM
Brilliant R P Supergiants beat KXIP by nine wickets to enter IPL play-offs -PTI
#6:07 PM
Fishermen are advised not to venture into Sea along&off Nicobar Islands during May14-15& along&off Andaman Islands during May15-17: MeT dept- ANI
#6:06 PM
Southwest monsoon has advanced into parts of southeast Bay of Bengal,Nicobar Islands, south Andaman Sea&parts of north Andaman Sea: MeT dept - ANI
#5:51 PM
We'll continue with proposed strike tomorrow over issues of payment of arrears of pension amounts&wages-M Shanmugam,Labour Progressive Front - ANI
#5:48 PM
2 LeT terrorists killed in an encounter at Handwara's Waripora - ANI
#5:28 PM
Tamil Nadu: Southern Railway will run 3 special trains from tomorrow, in view of proposed strike by employees of State Transport Corporation - ANI
#5:24 PM
Bihar: CRPF arrested two Naxals for planting two cane bombs in Jamui's Charka Patthar - ANI
#5:20 PM
Telangana: A 20-year-old woman allegedly molested by a cab driver and his three friends in Hyderabad, case registered - ANI
#5:17 PM
7 persons, including 3 children, killed in lightning strike in different districts of Bihar, police say; 2 others injured - PTI
#5:11 PM
I respect Akshay Kumar for doing content-driven cinema: SonamKapoor (File pic).
#5:05 PM
South west Monsoon arrives in Andaman & Nicobar Islands: MET - PTI
#5:03 PM
I tried to go a little method to play Baywatch baddie: Priyanka Chopra - PTI
#5:00 PM
Boney Kapoor to approach Salman Khan for 'No Entry' sequel soon - PTI
#4:52 PM
Appeal karunga, Ramzan aa raha hai, kya ye acha ho agar unilateral ceasefire karein. Itna to hoga ki Hindustan yuddh nahi chahta: F Abdullah - ANI
#4:51 PM
Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, UP CM Yogi Adityanath review preparations for International Yoga Day -PTI
#4:50 PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will unveil a roadmap for the conservation of Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh tomorrow - PTI
#4:41 PM
India is going to open 40 new consulate sub-offices in countries with a strong presence of NRIs, says SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra -PTI
#4:37 PM
Told PM it's important to take political initiative.It's not just a law&order issue: Farooq Abdullah on his meeting with PM on J&K situation - ANI
#4:27 PM
Chhattisgarh: Mi-17 helicopter landed in forest area in the midst of Bijapur encounter to evacuate 2 DRG personnel & brought them to Raipur - ANI
#4:21 PM
Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists killed in an encounter between terrorists&security personnel at Handwara's Waripora. Search operation on - ANI
#4:16 PM
Kupwara (J&K): Encounter begins in Handwara's Waripora area between terrorists and security personnel. More details awaited - ANI
#4:15 PM
Delhi: DRI intercepted a truck, seized 44 kg foreign marked gold concealed in metallic case of poultry egg incubator; 1 arrested - ANI
#4:11 PM
Matter of disrespect: Dayashankar, brother of BSF head constable Prem Sagar on removal of AC, sofa & carpet post UP CM's visit Deoria - ANI
#4:10 PM
UP CM visited; AC,sofa,carpet were put in room. Officials took back everything after CM left: Brother of Prem Sagar who lost his life in J&K - ANI
#3:53 PM
Jharkhand: Maoist leader Kundan Pahan, who was carrying a bounty of Rs. 15 lakh on his head, surrendered before police in Ranchi - ANI
#3:46 PM
Need to expose those who distorted history: UP CM Yogi Adityanath - PTI
#3:44 PM
Two-day meet on disaster risk reduction to begin tomorrow - PTI
#3:39 PM
GoI has handed over 1083.34 cr to Tamil Nadu under 3 schemes AMRUT, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna & Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana: Venkaiah Naidu - ANI
#3:33 PM
Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist nabbed from Indo-Nepal border, Pakistan passport recovered - ANI
#3:20 PM
Galat nahi bola, Telangana assembly me maine kaha tha ki Hyderabad Old City ek 'mini Pakistan' ka adda bante ja raha hai: BJP MLA Raja Singh - ANI
#3:07 PM
China to contribute additional USD 14.5 billion to the SilkRoad Fund - PTI
For fresh updates on AAP's press conference click here
For fresh updates on Kapil Mishra's press conference click here
#3:00 PM
Marathi film maker Atul Tapkir commits suicide at a hotel in Pune, writes suicide note on Facebook wall.
#2:43 PM
Outgoing French leader Francois Hollande leaves presidential palace - AFP
#2:36 PM
Time has come for youth in Kashmir to raise question on those who instigate them to join the so-called freedom struggle: Jitendra Singh - ANI
#2:17 PM
Sashastra Seema Bal apprehends a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist trying to sneak into India from Nepal, residing in Pakistan since 2003 - ANI
#2:14 PM
Indian Air Force evacuates the two DRG personnel injured in Bijapur encounter, airlifts them to Raipur. Search operation continues. - ANI
#1:52 PM
#CPEC should not be politicised, says #Pakistan Prime Minister #NawazSharif. - PTI
#1:41 PM
INS Shivalik & Jyoti on overseas deployment to South East Asia&Southern Indian Ocean; Ships will be on a port visit to Kuantan from May14-19 - ANI
#1:26 PM
Dont conspire from background: Sanjay Singh to BJP
#1:25 PM
Sanjay Singh dares BJP to fight with AAP directly and not through 'mouthpieces' like Kapil Mishra
#1:24 PM
Two people arrested in #Kashimira near #Mumbai for betting in @IPL. Police found 4 phones, dairies, and 76 thousand rupees from them.
#1:17 PM
Case registered under IPC 365, 302,376 A,D, 34& 328 against the two accused in #Rohtak gangrape & murder case: Akil Ahmad,Additional DGP - ANI
#1:07 PM
Srinagar(J&K): J&K Police held a recruitment rally for 698 posts of sub inspectors, nearly 3000 candidates turned up for the rally - ANI
#12:48 PM
Mumbai terror attack mastermind and #JuD chief #HafizSaeed spreading terrorism in name of #jihad, says Pakistan's interior ministry. - PTI
#12:20 AM
Chhattisgarh: Encounter between security forces and naxals underway in Bijapur district, 2 security personnel injured; search operation on - ANI
#12:04 PM
#Cowvigilantes in #Ujjain thrash man suspecting that he had cut off the tail of a cow; 2 arrested. - PTI
#12:00 PM
Two District Reserve Group personnel injured in encounter with #Naxals in #Chhattisgarh. Firing on. - PTI
#11:57 AM
Lucknow: HM Rajnath Singh met UP CM Yogi Adityanath to oversee preparations for celebration of International Yoga Day on June 21,in the city - ANI
#11:53 AM
Delhi: Kapil Mishra falls unconscious immediately after his press conference on revelations on AAP 's finances, on 5th day of hunger strike - ANI
#11:45 AM
Madhya Pradesh: Man arrested for a threatening letter to blow up CM House and other important places, interrogation underway. - ANI
#11:26 AM
AAP did not inform about some of its fundings which it received from fake companies, says Kapil Mishra.
#11:24 AM
Post-mortem report of victim in #Rohtak gangrape&murder case states-face,tongue,eye,ears totally distorted, the face was not identifiable. - ANI
#11:22 AM
Will reveal big scam related to mohalla clinic, says Kapil Mishra
#11:21 AM
For three continuous years, black money was converted into white and spent on foreign trips of AAP leaders - Kapil Mishra.
#11:20 AM
Delhi:Kapil Mishra shows a presentation,claims false info given to EC regarding AAP accounts; further alleges black money converted to white - ANI
#11:18 AM
Chennai (TN): Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated underground section of 7.2Km of Chennai Metro line from Thirumangalam to Nehru Park - ANI
#11:10 AM
Mughalsarai: Government Railway Police(GRP) seized 12 pistols & 12 magazines from Mughalsarai railway station; two people arrested - ANI
#10:52 AM
Election to seven municipalities underway: Situation in Pujali remains tense, EVM broken,Rapid Action Force deployed at the spot #WestBengal - ANI
#10:45 AM
National Commission for Women Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam takes Suo moto notice in Rohtak gangrape and murder case - ANI
#10:41 AM
Himachal Pradesh: Three killed, 14 injured after a Tempo Traveller rolled down a cliff in Bilaspur district's Swarghat - ANI
#10:38 AM
Sehore (Madhya Pradesh): Security forces arrested four people for hunting of Chinkara; meat of Chinakara, 1 revolver, 1 knife recovered - ANI
#10:32 AM
West Bengal: Bombs hurled at polling booth in South 24 Parganas's Pujali as election to seven municipalities in the state is underway - ANI
#10:15 AM
15-year-old boy beaten to death with a cricket bat & stumps after a heated argument in Mumbai's Dharavi,murder case registered.2 teens held - ANI
#10:08 AM
Chhattisgarh: Man allegedly murders five members of his family in Sarguja's Mainpat village; police investigation underway - ANI
#10:00 AM
Ramudri Someshwara Rao won a gold in 200 mtrs & Sep Hokato Sema bagged a bronze in shot put,at 2017 World Para Athletics Grand Prix in China - ANI
#9:50 AM
Fire breaks out in Delhi's Mundka, 20 fire tenders on the spot. - ANI
#9:30 AM
Moradabad: Fire broke out at a vehicle parking area in Kundarki in early morning hours,more than 6 cars& trucks torched; fire doused now - ANI
#9:29 AM
Anti-Corruption Bureau hs sent notice to Vaibhav Kumar to be present before ACB fr investigation in WaterTanker scam on Wed:ACB Chief Meena - ANI
#9:13 AM
2 accused arrested, case registered under IPC 376, 365, 302; investigation underway: NS Virk, IG Rohtak Range on woman gangraped in #Rohtak - ANI
#8:50 AM
Missile test calls for 'far stronger sanctions' against North Korea: White House - AFP
#8:45 AM
TN: Agitated over opening of a new liquor shop in Tippampatti village, residents broke lock and vandalized the shop, urged Govt to close it - ANI
#8:45 AM
Tamil Nadu: 8 elephants died in Coimbatore Forest Range due to drought and lack of green fodder, following severe heatwave in the area - ANI
#8:02 AM
Tamil Nadu; 112-foot tall statue dedicated to 'Adiyogi' in Coimbatore, declared worlds largest by Guinness Book of World Records. - ANI
#7:53 AM
Would advise countries joining OBOR to consider the situation in Balochistan before taking any step:Ashraf Sherjan,Baloch Republican Party - ANI
#7:47 AM
#India skips #China's Belt and Road Forum (BRF) summit ceremony in #Beijing. - PTI
#7:45 AM
Pujali: Election to seven municipalities in West Bengal, including four in Darjeeling hills take place today - ANI
#7:35 AM
Kathmandu: Polling has started in 6,642 polling stations of Nepal in first phase of local election commencing after nearly two decades. - ANI
#7:32 AM
158 Bn CRPF along with Jharkhand police unearthed an ammunition dump used by Naxals in Jharkhand's Lohardaga, 5100 detonators also seized - ANI
#7:25 AM
More than 7 villages targeted in firing by Pakistan in Manjakote area of Rajouri. Indian troops retaliating, firing is on - ANI
#7:23 AM
Nepal holds its first local-level polls in two decades, polling for which has begun: People queue up outside polling stations - ANI
#7:18 AM
Pak Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms,automatics,82 mm & 120 mm mortars along the LoC in Rajouri. Indian army retaliating - ANI
#7:16 AM
Polling for municipal bypolls in Maujpur ward of East Delhi Municipal Corp to be held today, which was cancelled after SP candidate's death - ANI
#7:10 AM
Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Chiti Bakri in Chingus area of Jammu and Kashmi's Rajouri - ANI
#6:19 AM
South Korean President Moon Jae-in slams North missile launch as 'reckless provocation' - AFP
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New Delhi:
Yogi Adityanath, who started with a bang as Uttar Pradesh chief minister on March 19, completes two months in office this week. The young chief minister of the biggest state of India, Yogi in this past couple of months has made tremendous strides along with certain law and order incidents threatening to eclipse his achievements.
Yogi Adityanath Governments achievements in last two months
Efficient bureaucracy: Ever since Yogi, the 44-year-old saffron clad priest-turned-politician, took over the reins of the state, the bureaucracy is constantly on its toes. Almost literally.
It is an unusual sight to see that the parking lot at the secretariat building in Lucknow to be full even before the clock strikes 9:25 am.
Adityanath has proved himself to be a tough taskmaster, holding back-to-back meetings with his ministers and bureaucrats well past midnight, only to return to office the next morning before 9.30 am.
Read | UP CM Yogi Adityanath to conduct surprise check by dialing senior babus on their landlines to check if they are in office
For almost a month, some 80-odd presentations were made by as many departments before the CM, with top bureaucrats literally burning their midnight oil.
There have been at least six significant measures the new government has announced so far, starting with the Rs 36,500 crore loan waiver for farmers.
Read | CM Yogi Adityanath's 100-day action plan: Focus on roads, electricity, law and order, security, health
Loan waiver to farmers: An election promise, which many political observers credit the victory of BJP in Uttar Pradesh, was amongst the first decisions made by Yogi cabinet.
Clearance of dues to sugarcane farmers: The UP government managed to clear the Rs 5,558 crore of sugarcane dues of farmers within 40 days. In fact, at the BJP working committee meeting, Adityanath specifically praised cane development minister Suresh Rana for his efforts.
Dawn of illegal mining: A group of ministers constituted by the CM has submitted a report on a new mining policy and clamping down on illegal mining, which is a major problem in UP.
Illegal land grabbing: A portal being started under the chief ministers office to allow people to complain about illegal land grab could be a game-changer, too.
Electricity privileges: The Power for All agreement, signed by the Yogi government with the Centre, promises to provide electricity around the clock to district headquarters and 18 hours a day to all villages.
The erstwhile governments only pushed UP into darkness, providing power to just certain VIP districts or towns, noted BJP general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak.What he (Adityanath) has done in 50 days, the earlier CM did in a years time, he said.
Anti-Romeo squads: One of the first decisions made by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the establishment of anti-romeo squads have reportedly been able to instil fear in the hearts of rowdy youth when it comes to eve-teasing other activities which involve women harassment.
Rowdyism is dying and crime percentages are falling. Peoples confidence in the government has been restored, the state BJP had said in its political resolution at its recent working committee meeting.
Read | Anti-Romeo squad soared UP CM Yogi Adityanath's popularity: Survey
Closure of illegal slaughter houses: A cause of a major uproar and strikes in the very first days of the Yogi Adityanath Government, the issue slaughterhouses was eventually resolved as the government made it clear that the crackdown was only of illegal houses, which permit without a license and sub-standard health conditions.
The change has started to show in UP since the Yogi government took charge. Well-meaning people are feeling relieved with the closure of illegal slaughterhouses. With the constitution of anti-Romeo squads, anti-social elements harassing women and girls are now in fear, BJP working committee observed.
Yogi Adityanath Governments misses in last two months
On the ground, certain recent incidents like caste clash in Saharanpur and communal violence in Bulandshahr, Sambhal and Gonda gave the law enforcing authorities sleepless nights. The BJP came to power in UP on the plank of improving law and order, terming the erstwhile Samajwadi Party rule as goondaraj.
In Bulandshahr, members of the Adityanath-founded Hindu Yuva Vahini are alleged to be behind the murder of an aged Muslim man after a love-jihad-style elopement.
The Bulandshahr incident took place even as Adityanath met senior Yuva Vahini workers during a visit to Gorakhpur and warned them to not take law in their own hands.
The attack on Saharanpur senior superintendent of polices residence by BJP activists, allegedly under the leadership of local MP Raghav Lakhanpal, hogged newspaper headlines and even before the controversy ended, caste violence broke out there involving Dalits and Thakurs.
An upper caste man was killed, triggering violence, arson and torching of Dalit homes.Four persons were injured in Gonda district and some vehicles damaged following a clash between people belonging to two communities, while in Sambhal tension prevailed in a village after some people created a ruckus, claiming that a man had eloped with a married woman from another faith.
Read | UP CM Yogi Adityanath says his govt wont discriminate between 'teeka' and 'topi'
These incidents gave ample opportunity to Samajwadi Party to pillory the newly-elected BJP government on the law and order front.
We were termed the goonda party. Now, what is happening under Yogi ji? Will he act? former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav asked.
Perturbed over the sudden spurt in crime and violence involving different castes and communities, the chief minister has decided to set up a special cell in his office to monitor crime.
A special cell will be constituted in CMs office for crime monitoring, which will be done personally by the chief minister, senior UP cabinet minister Shrikant Sharma said.
Refuting Samajwadi Partys criticism of the law and order situation in the BJP regime, he said, Those SP leaders, who have carried criminals and rapists with them in their cars, should introspect.
Adityanath will be coming out with his 100-day achievement document in June-end and will certainly not want his hits to be outnumbered by misses, say political observers.
(With Inputs from PTI)
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New Delhi:
Healthy babies have been born to approximately 213 HIV-infected women in government-run hospitals of Chhattisgarh in 2016-2017, according to State health official.
The health department is committed to secure the child from infection in the womb of a HIV-positive mother, Chhattisgarhs health services director R. Prasanna told PTI.
He told about good results of multi-medicine treatment process, where 213 women infected with HIV have given birth to healthy babies.
The HIV examination were conducted on as many as 3,93,475 pregnant women in 2016-2017 and of the total 232 tested positive.
Treatment under multi-medicine process was provided to 219 HIV positive pregnant women at government hospitals, he told.
After their deliveries, the babies of 213 women were detected uninfected and healthy, Mr. Prasanna said.
However, the remaining six children were found to be infected. They are now being given medicines through the anti-retroviral therapy (ART) centres, he said.
ART is the combination of several anti-retroviral medicines that help to decease the rate at which HIV makes copies of itself (multiplies) in the body.
Mr. Prasanna said the State has 26,000 HIV positive people and of them, 10,289 were being provided medicines through five ART and 12 link ART centres (which work like sub-centres of ART), according to the set guidelines.
New Delhi:
Pakistan's interior ministry has told a judicial review board that five people including Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed have been detained for "spreading terrorism in the name of jihad".
I have been detained by the Pakistani government in order to stop me from raising voice for Kashmiris, Saeed said who appeared before the board on Saturday.
The interior ministry, however, rejected Saeeds arguments and told the three-member board that he and his four aides have been detained for "spreading terrorism in the name of jihad".
The board then directed the ministry to submit a complete record regarding detention of Saeed and his aides - Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid, Abdullah Ubaid and Qazi Kashif Niaz on next hearing on May 15. The board consists of Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan of the Supreme Court (head), Justice Ayesha A Malik of Lahore High Court and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of Balochistan High Court.
ALSO READ: Pakistan to keep Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed under house arrest for 3 more months
Saeed and his four aides were produced amid high security by the police at Lahore registry of the apex court. His supporters were also gathered outside the court.
Saeed said, "The allegations levelled by the government against me had never been proved by any state institution. My organisation and I have been victimised for raising voice for freedom of Kashmir and criticising the government's weak policy on the Kashmir issue.
Saeed appealed to the board to set aside the Punjab government's detention order. "The government detained the JuD leaders on pressure of United Nations and international organisations," an official representing the federal interior ministry told the board.
With inputs from PTI.
ALSO READ: Lahore high court issues notice to Pakistan govt over detention of Hafiz Saeed
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New Delhi:
Polling for the first phase of local elections has begun in Nepal. It can be termed historic as for the first time in 20 years, such elections are being held in the country.
It is also the first polls after the country adopted a new constitution in September 2015. The last elections was held in 1997 and according to reports, more than 16,000 people have lost their lives till now following Maoist activities.
Nearly 50,000 candidates are in fray for various positions including Mayor, Deputy Mayor, ward chairman and ward member.
ALSO READ: Nepal sign agreement on China's new 'Silk route' plan, One Belt One Road Initiative
An Election Commission spokesman on Sunday said around 15 million people are eligible to cast their votes in countrys 6,641 polling stations. Around 46,000 civil servants are being deployed at the polling stations, who will be guarded by 75,000 security forces.
The second round of polling is scheduled for mid-June. However, the Opposition said that the second phase should be preponed as the date for the announcement of budget is prior to the date of elections.
ALSO READ: Chief justice impeachment: Nepal Army maintains vigil on entire situation
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Seoul:
The South Korean, Japanese and US militaries said that North Korea test-launched a ballistic missile that landed in the Sea of Japan.
The launch is a direct challenge to the new South Korean president elected four days ago and comes as US, Japanese and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific. It wasnt immediately clear what type of ballistic missile was launched, although the US Pacific Command said that the flight is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Outside militaries will closely analyse what the North fired. While Pyongyang regularly tests shorter-range missiles, it is also working to master the technology needed to field nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the US mainland. Past North Korean missiles have flown farther than Sundays test, landing closer to Japan, but this launch follows a series of high-profile failures.
ALSO READ: N Korea accuses CIA of conspiring to assassinate Kim Jong-Un with biochemical weapon
Whatever the type of missile, the launch forces the new South Korean leader, Moon Jae-in, to put dealing with Pyongyang, at least for now, above the domestic economic agenda hed made a priority during his early days in office. Moon, a liberal who favours a softer approach to the North than his conservative predecessors, strongly condemned the launch during an emergency national security meeting, calling it a clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions and a serious challenge to international peace and security, according to senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan.
The president expressed deep regret over the fact that this provocation occurred just days after a new government was launched in South Korea, Yoon told a televised conference. The president said we are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating, he added.
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile flew about 800 kilometers (500 miles) from a launch site on North Koreas western coast for about 30 minutes and landed in the Sea of Japan, but not inside Japans exclusive economic zone. Japans Defense Ministry says the missile likely reached an altitude of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Sunday that the launch is absolutely unacceptable and that Japan will respond resolutely. South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired early Sunday morning from near Kusong, in North Phyongan province.
North Koreas past satellite rocket launches have been called clandestine tests of ICBM technology, but it is not believed to have tested a true intercontinental ballistic missile yet.
The Trump administration has called North Korean ballistic and nuclear efforts unacceptable and has swung between threats of military action and offers to talk as it formulates a policy.
ALSO READ: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un inspects military unit responsible for bombarding an island
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New Delhi:
Tensions arising on the Korean peninsula after a North Korean missile test on Sunday has become a matter of concern for Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Putins spokesperson told.
Meeting on the sidelines of an international forum in Beijing, Putin and Xi discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula in detail and both parties expressed their concern over the escalation of tensions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Xi told in the meeting that Moscow and Beijing have played the role of a ballast stone in protecting regional and global peace and stability, according to Chinas official Xinhua news agency.
Xinhua did not publish other remarks.
Putin and Xi met after the opening ceremony of a summit on the Chinese presidents One Belt, One Road initative. The initiative is a massive global trade infrastructure project in order to connect China to Asian neighbours, Europe and Africa.
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SHERIDAN, Wyo., May 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- . May is Healthy Vision Month, and in recognition of the importance of healthy eyes, WyoVision Associates, Inc. has released several tips for maintaining good eyesight. Following these suggestions can help prevent vision damage in multiple ways, and together, provide plenty of protection. Implementing them as soon as possible is recommended for the best eye health.
One of the best ways to protect healthy vision is to get a yearly eye exam. This allows optometrists to spot any emerging eye diseases or other problems long before they cause noticeable changes to vision. In many cases, problems can be halted or slowed before they cause such changes, but only if they're spotted in time. Eye exams also provide the opportunity to fine-tune any corrective lens prescriptions so that glasses and contacts continue to work their best.
Some eye care practices have only become standard recently. For example, eye doctors now recommend wearing special lenses to block blue light as well as UV rays. The blue light spectrum is commonly emitted by monitors, flat-screen TVs, smartphone screens, and LED lights all things that people are exposed to now more than ever. Even those who don't need prescriptions should wear blue-light-blocking glasses if they look at any sort of screen or LED lighting for more than a couple of hours per day.
"While there are new threats to vision health, it's important to remember that old threats are still present. People should protect their eyes from UV light as well as watch out for crude threats like wood chips and other projectiles. It's important to wear safety glasses while using power tools in the yard as well as in the factory, avoid looking at the sun and other overly-bright light, and take other standard precautions against eye injury," said Dr. Joseph Katschke of WyoVision Associates, Inc.
WyoVision Associates, Inc. recommends eye exams on a yearly basis. Some vision problems can crop up quickly, and yearly exams allow problems to be treated in fairly short order. Changes in the eye can also herald serious body-wide (systemic) diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension. Early treatment of these diseases can prevent many other serious problems.
About WyoVision Associates, Inc.
WyoVision Associates, Inc. has two office locations: one in Sheridan and one in Gillette. The teams at both offices are led by Dr. Katschke, who graduated from the Southern College of Optometry with honors in 2007. Find out more about their hours, services, and locations by visiting their website at http://wyovision.com/.
INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn., May 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cahill Back & Neck Care Center has released information to raise awareness on how chiropractic care can help correct posture. Postural issues are at the root of many ailments, such as pain in the back, neck, hips, legs, and feet. Correcting posture thereby relieves pain in many areas of the body. Good posture also makes it easier to be physically active since it reduces muscle stiffness as well as general physical inefficiency.
It is well known that good posture is important for good health. Plenty of sources offer standard advice for maintaining it, such as to sit up straight. Newer advice generally revolves around the same theme, though it offers specifics such as to avoid craning the neck forward when texting and to avoid hunching over computer keyboards. Experts often say that it's a good idea to use specialized ergonomic furniture to make it easier to keep the back straight.
Unfortunately, it often takes more than following these tips to maintain good posture. This can be due to habit, but often, it's because the body is compensating for some existing misalignment or even an injury. Then, it's a good idea to get some help to bring everything back into its proper position.
"Chiropractic care helps return the body to its proper alignment. This makes it much easier to maintain good posture without the need to consciously think about it. We also recommend therapeutic exercises to strengthen the muscles involved in maintaining posture. For those whose muscles are too tight instead of too weak, we offer massage. Often, it takes a combination of two or three types of treatments to address the issues that contribute to stubborn postural problems," said Dr. Scott Stinson of Cahill Back & Neck Care Center.
Once postural problems are suitably addressed, patients can look forward to a reduction or elimination of pain and stiffness in the back as well as the weight-bearing parts of the body. Other benefits include a reduction of abnormal joint wear, decreased fatigue, and an overall improvement in mobility.
These improvements don't just help in the short-term. Reducing joint wear, for example, can help prevent arthritis down the road. Decreased fatigue makes it easier to exercise, and this will also bring both short- and long-term health benefits. For these reasons and more, it's a good idea to get chiropractic and other treatment for postural problems.
About Cahill Back & Neck Care Center
This chiropractic clinic offers spinal alignment treatments, massage, therapeutic exercise plans, and treatment plans that are tailored for specific conditions. They serve the area of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota.
Call (651) 451-7222 to schedule an appointment or visit them online at http://cbncc.com/ for more information.
CRANBERRY, Pa. (AP) Teen clothing retailer rue21 is closing nearly 400 stores nationwide as it focuses more on its online business.
The privately-held company, based in Cranberry, about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh, still has more than 700 stores in 48 states.
Chances are, if youre building a side hustle, running a business, or trying to grow a startup, you need two things:
I spoke with Chad Grills about how to do just that. Chad is an Army veteran turned entrepreneur. He has shared the stage with Tim Ferriss and created apps featured by Apple. Now, hes working on a stealth startup in education and growing the publication he started on Medium called Life Learning, which is devoted to accelerated learning, antifragility and definite optimism.
I asked Chad five questions on how to help you get eyes on what youre doing, and how to connect with the right people to help you on your journey.
Leonard Kim: What are your tips for connecting with hard to reach people?
Chad Grills: Plan and prepare before you send your message, and consider if it should be sent at all. I would estimate that 80% of the emails most people send dont need to be sent. In most cases, I advise not trying to connect with hard to reach people. Try to forget about it, but if you're absolutely sure you need to, ensure that the subject line of the email conveys the benefit you want to provide them.
Related: How to Start a Business With (Almost) No Money
LK: When connecting with those people, how do you make it easy for them to say yes?
CG: Keep your email simple, yet eye catching. Like we mentioned before, try to convey the benefit you want to give them in the subject line of the email. Then structure the body of the email in advertising/copywriter format: AIDA.
Attention: Convey the benefit of what youre offering. Ideally, fit this into the email subject line.
Interest: Answer why your proposition is interesting for them.
Desire: Clearly communicate how easy it would be for your proposition to help them.
Action: If it makes sense for them, how can they say yes, or take the next step?
Write your email in this format, and then edit it down until you have 1-2 sentences for each line.
Related: 11 Habits of Truly Happy People
LK: Whats the best way to start getting attention or eyes on what youre doing?
CG: Just like when reaching out, convey the benefit to the reader as quickly as possible. Like Paul Graham says, make something that people want. If you only have ideas about what people want, go ask them and confirm if youre right. When youre sure you are doing, writing, or creating something people want, you can test it. Figure out how to get it in front of the people who want it. Put it in front of them, and watch their reaction.
LK: How can people get more eyes on what theyre working on?
CG: After you figure out that people want something, you then have to figure out how to make it easy for them to share. Look at what youre working on, and ask yourself:
How is this remarkable?
Will people be incentivized to tell others about this after they see it?
How can I make it very safe for them to bring up in conversation or share online?
Do my clients or customers know how to convey the benefit of this to others?
After youve asked yourself those questions, go back and improve the product or offering. Ultimately, more eyes on what youre working on comes down to conveying benefit, making your work remarkable, and then incentivizing others to share it.
Related: 8 Reasons a Powerful Personal Brand Will Make You Successful
LK: What are signs that you have "the right idea"?
CG: Its hard to define the "right idea". It can mean so many different things to different people. If youre going to be a maker, a creator, or make a business or relationship succeed, youll need a steady stream of good ideas. Youll need to be generating ideas consistently, and improving on the ones that are working the best for you. In my own life, I look for signs about what to pursue wherever I have the most ideas. I look for what pursuits give me energy, or are a challenge, but feel rewarding once Im done. There wont be one right idea, but there will be hundreds of little ideas that move you in the right direction.
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GATINEAU, QC, May 14, 2017 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to deepening bilateral relations and further meaningful and transparent engagement with important partners in the Americas. As part of this effort, the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development will be travelling to Argentina and Chile from May 14-18, 2017 to share with government officials, civil society and academic representatives Canada's approach to poverty reduction and ensuring that all citizens feel valued and included in society.
Minister Duclos' meetings in Argentina build on the successful visit by Prime Minister Trudeau last November and provide Canada with an opportunity to continue strengthening its relationship with Argentina. Minister Duclos will co-host the Canada-Argentina Symposium on Social Inclusion with Carolina Stanley, Minister of Social Development of the Argentine Nation. The Symposium provides an opportunity to work together to strengthen the middle class and ensure that all citizens have an equal opportunity to share in and contribute to the prosperity of society. Themes that will be discussed include demographic changes, poverty reduction, and social mobility.
The Minister will also advance bilateral relations with Chile and discuss best practices on poverty reduction, social inclusion and access to affordable housing. The Minister will also speak at the University of Chile to discuss social policy and pension reform.
Quotes
"I look forward to continuing to strengthen our strong relationship with Argentina and Chile and to applying a global lens on social inclusion to find innovative approaches to growth and prosperity. I welcome the opportunity to share our countries' experiences, successes and common challenges, and to foster further cooperation in order to build stronger, more inclusive societies."
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Quick Facts
Building on more than 75 years of bilateral relations, Argentina and Canada continue to strengthen their relationship by collaborating to advance priority areas of mutual interest to develop effective policies.
and continue to strengthen their relationship by collaborating to advance priority areas of mutual interest to develop effective policies. The 2018 G20 Buenos Aires summit, held in Argentina , will be the first-ever G20 summit to be hosted in South America .
summit, held in , will be the first-ever G20 summit to be hosted in . The Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2017; it was Canada's first FTA with a South American country.
Associated links
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau concludes successful first official visit to Argentina
Embassy of Canada to Argentina
Embassy of Canada to Chile
Fact Sheet - Strengthening ties between Canada and Argentina and creating new opportunities for trade and investment
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SOURCE Employment and Social Development Canada
For further information: Emilie Gauduchon-Campbell, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P., Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, 819-654-5546; Media Relations Office, Employment and Social Development Canada, 819-994-5559, [email protected]
The Bank of Ghana, the countrys central bank has issued a fraud alert on MMM Ghana.MMM Ghana is owned by MMM Global affiliate. This is the same group of people who ran MMM Nigeria, Ponzi scheme that wrecked many Nigerian investors before it collapsed in December 2016.Bank of Ghana through its spokesperson, Caroline Otoo, said:It has come to the notice of the Management of the Bank of Ghana that anEntity named MMM Ghana apart from operating a virtual office is moving from place to place and mobilizing deposits from the general public.The Bank of Ghana wishes to inform the general public that MMM Ghana is NOT LICENSED by the Bank of Ghana to engage in any form of deposit taking activity. Hence, anyone who does business with MMM Ghana does so at his or her own risk.It was not stated in the statement that the Bank of Ghana will shut down the scheme and or accounts of its promoters as in the case of South Africa where bank accounts of MMM South Africa affiliates and investors were frozen in Capitec Bank and other lenders.There is no basis to think the Bank of Ghana will take up regulatory actions either. In Nigeria, the Securities and Exchange Commission basically issued a decisive fraud alert on MMM Nigeria warning investors and the general public to stay way from MMM Nigeria.As in the case of Nigeria, owners of the scheme came out to deny that they were into investment and or financial services activities. The scheme was majorly headed by one Chuddy Anayo Ugorji and Ernest Mbanefo, a South African-based Nigerian who also claimed to be a Christian cleric.Things went south on towards the end of December 2016 when the scheme suddenly announce a temporary freeze of withdrawals. The planned comeback on the 14th of January, 2017 led to a major rally from frustrated investors who had lost billions of Naira (NGN) to the scheme.Based on analysts estimates, at least NGN15 billion was lost to MMM Nigeria owners. However, the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation said the scheme created a financial loss of about NGN80 billion to its victims. At the tail end of February, MMM finally shocked its members that all invested funds in 2016 can no longer be withdrawn from the system. In short, investors were asked to invest fresh funds to get the jumbo returns.While Chuddy Anayo Ugorji was said to have fled Nigeria for the Philippines, Ernest Mbenefo has remained quiet since then. Since the collapse of the scheme in Nigeria, close to 1,000 other Ponzi schemes have been floated by formr affiliates of the scheme, investors, and other fraudsters. Click here to see some of the major schemes, many of whom have collapsed.As for Ghanaian investors who are getting involved or are already in the scheme, the guarantee of a collapse might be debated.A major sign for Nigerian investors in MMM was the collapse of the scheme in Zimbabwe. many civil servants, artisans and even the underemployed lost their life savings to MMM Zimbabwe after it froze accounts of investors. The scheme later returns announcing it has slashed all their investment by 80%.This might a likely scenario that would play out in Ghana. According to BehindMLM, there are about 10,000 investors who have joined the scheme since it starts operations. The latest announcement by the Bank of Ghana is bound to affect the recruitment flow which might end up quickening the collapse of the scheme.for the records, MMM Ghana floated operations after its collapse in Nigeria, there is no information as to who are the major promoters of the scheme in the country.MMM Global, the parent organization of all MMM affiliates was founded in 1194 by a convicted Russian called Sergey Mavrodi . His whereabout is not known to the public since the collapse of MMM China in 2016.
Estimados amigos,
Les doy cordialmente la bienvenida a este Blog informativo con articulos, analisis y comentarios de publicaciones especializadas y especialmente seleccionadas, principalmente sobre temas economicos, financieros y politicos de actualidad, que esperamos y deseamos, sean de su maximo interes, utilidad y conveniencia.
Pensamos que solo comprendiendo cabalmente el presente, es que podemos proyectarnos acertadamente hacia el futuro.
Las convicciones son mas peligrosos enemigos de la verdad que las mentiras.
There are decades when nothing happens and there are weeks when decades happen.
You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out.
No soy alguien que sabe, sino alguien que busca.
Only Gold is money. Everything else is debt.
Las grandes almas tienen voluntades; las debiles tan solo deseos.
Quien no lo ha dado todo no ha dado nada.
History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.
If you know the other and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.
We are travelers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share.This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.
Joseph Timothy, who was arrested in Asaba, Delta State for burglary and stealing has been released
According to the CEO of Behind Bars Initiative, Prince Gwamnishu Harrison , Timothy was released late yesterday night, May 13, after two weeks in police custody for breaking into his employer's home and stealing food. Below is the report:
FREEDOM AT LAST
Late last night Joseph from released to us and not only was he release, "CASE CLOSED"
His Story:
Joseph like any other Gate man was been owned Salary by his Boss. The Boss traveled and Joseph was hungry. He then sort for alternative and broke his Boss Kitchen door and stole some food and ate.
His Boss returned from travel discovered that his Kitchen door was damaged and the soup he kept in refrigerator stolen.
Joseph been the only Person at home was the first person to ask. Joseph didn't deny stealing food from his Boss.
His Boss alerted his neighbors and Joseph was beaten and handed over to the Nigeria Police.
The best way to not feel hopeless is to get up and do something. Dont wait for good things to happen to you. If you go out and make some good things happen, you will fill the world with hope, you will fill yourself with hope" Barack Obama.
God bless Nigeria.
A Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered Skye Bank Plc to take over a five-star hotel, Intercontinental Hotel, located at Plot 244 and 245 (now 52) Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.The bank had dragged Milan Industries Limited, owner of the 361-room Intercontinental Hotel, to court over an alleged debt.Skye Bank claimed to have granted loan facilities of $29.8m and N3.8bn to Milan Industries Limited to construct the hotel and that it raised an overdraft facility of N500m in favour of Milan Industries Limited to urgently fund payments to contractors and importation of material required for completing the hotel project.The banks lawyer, Mr. Kunle Ogunba (SAN), however, claimed that Milan Industries Limited defaulted in the repayment of the loan to his client, which, he said, necessitated the suit.At the expiration of the tenure of the various facilities extended by the plaintiff, the defendant failed and/or neglected to liquidate the various facilities and same continues to accrue interest.The facilities availed the defendant have since matured and/or expired and the defendant has failed to liquidate same and failed to comply with various repayment plans of the principal and interest despite several magnanimities extended to it by the plaintiff, the bank said.Skye Bank said it was left with no choice but to appoint a receiver/manager in line with the registered deed of legal mortgage.The balance of convenience in the instant suit is in favour of the plaintiff/applicant whose funds are taxpayers monies which ought to be accounted back to the Central Bank of Nigeria, the bank added.Following an ex parte application, Justice Babs Kuewumi ordered Skye Bank to take over all assets of Milan Industries Limited including Intercontinental Hotel, which is covered by a deed of legal mortgage, pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.The judge granted the banks prayer to appoint Ogunba as the receiver-manager of the hotel in order to preserve its assets.He directed the Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Zone 2, the Commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and their agents to assist Ogunba in the performance of his duties as the receiver-manager.The judge ordered all the financial institutions in the country as well as other agencies contractually obligated to Milan Industries to furnish Ogunba with details of sums outstanding to the defendants credit.He restrained Milan Industries Limited and his officials from tampering with the companys funds and assets both within and outside the country pending the outcome of the debt recovery suit.The judge, however, directed Skye Bank to file an undertaking to indemnify the defendant should it turn out that this order ought not to have been made.He adjourned further proceedings in the case till May 17.
The Cross River State Chief Vehicle Officer (VIO), Sir Bepeh Paul, said that about 40 per cent of drivers who ply the roads cannot see pr...
The Cross River State Chief Vehicle Officer (VIO), Sir Bepeh Paul, said that about 40 per cent of drivers who ply the roads cannot see properly.Paul made the assertion when he visited some motor parks in Calabar in the company of the Director General of the State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr. Betta Edu, to mark the United Nations Safety Week in Calabar.He therefore stressed the need for road users to always be careful at all times.Also speaking, Dr. Betta Edu advised the drivers to be careful with what they eat and drink and also sleep very well before plying the road.She said they must be in good state of health for the safety of the passengers they carry and other road users.Vehicle inspections and free medical checks were carried out for the drivers of the motor parks visited. Free insecticide treated mosquito nets were also distributed to the drivers. The parks visited were Calculux, AKTC and Etim-Edem.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has called for heightened vigilance and intensified awareness efforts over the latest outbreak ...
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole has called for heightened vigilance and intensified awareness efforts over the latest outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Minister noted that health care providers and the general public must report any sign of illness to public health officials immediately.
This is coming as the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has assured of adequate surveillance at the nations airports. Henrietta Yakubu, FAANs Acting General Manager, Corporate Affairs, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that there was no direct flight from Congo to Nigeria and that all the preventive measures being put in place at the airports were still in place.
The federal government in response to the announcement by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which confirmed cases of Ebola in the DRC has directed port health officials to step up inspection activities and to report any sick person or suspects to ensure that epidemiologists in the states where they are present are immediately alerted and relevant tests conducted.
The symptoms to look out for include; fever, fatigue, weakness dizziness and muscle aches. Patients with more severe cases show bleeding under the skin, internal organs or even from bodily orifices like mouth, eyes, and the ears.
Nigerians are urged not to panic as the Centre for Disease Control is on ground and equipped to secure the health of citizens. The agency has for a while now, been strengthening states capacities to detect, manage and respond to hemorrhagic fevers including Lassa fever.
The minister called on states to begin social mobilisation and media awareness efforts via TV, radio, print and social media and charged state health ministries to strengthen their supervision services and escalate any incident appropriately.
Yakubu FAANs spokesperson, said that port health officials were at alert at all airports, adding that the authority had also informed them of the need to increase surveillance.
We dont have direct flights from Congo, we only have from Rwanda but I want to assure members of the public that we still have all preventive measures in place at our airports.
There are sanitisers at our arrivals with the scanning apparatus called thermal scanners being installed by the Port Health Services.
The scanners have camera monitors that display pictures aside the capturing of temperature.
Passengers still fill that form to ensure that people arriving the country through our airports are not potential carriers of deadly diseases.
The port health officials are always at alert and we will also inform them of the need to increase their surveillance.
So, there is no cause for alarm, she said.
Nigeria experienced the Ebola virus in July, 2014 when a Liberian-American, Patrick Sawyer, who had the virus flew from Liberia to the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos and died five days later.
Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen Saturday night attacked Etogi community, Gbara ward, in Mokwa local government area of Niger state killing ...
Gunmen suspected to be herdsmen Saturday night attacked Etogi community, Gbara ward, in Mokwa local government area of Niger state killing 21 people. Witnesses said the attack was said to be as a result of an earlier disagreement between some Fulani youth and members of the affected community, which resulted in the death of herder.
According to an account, the herders who maintained a settlement near the community were offered land to farm on the agreement that certain percentage of the proceed goes to the village head.
It was learnt that disagreement ensued when the herders failed to remit the agreed percentage this year, while claiming that the land in question now belongs to them.
Irked by the death of one them, the herders were said to have reached out for support from their kinsmen elsewhere and launched an attack on the community mosque, when Muslim faithful were observing their early morning prayers.
Malam Mairo Mohammed said that the attackers killed everybody in the mosque, including the Imam.
Women and children who were woken by the commotion were said to have fled in different direction with some of them sustaining injuries in the process.
The state police command public relation officer, DSP Bala Elkana confirmed the report said 20 people were killed during an early morning prayers.
He said the attack was a reprisal to an earlier killing of a herder by the villagers. The killing of a herder was managed but it appears they were not satisfied and decided to retaliate, DSP Elkana stated.
According to him eight people sustained various degrees of injuries during the attack and a recuperating in a nearby hospital.
He however mobile policemen have been deployed to the trouble community, while Department of the State Security Service and officers if the commands Criminal Investigation Department were also on ground to keep peace.
Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, spoke with journalists about his face-off with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, his inability t...
Governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, spoke with journalists about his face-off with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, his inability to pay workers salaries and President Buharis health.
Your state is among several others owing workers salaries despite collecting bailouts from the Federal Government and benefiting from the Paris Club loan refund. Why is this so?
We have declared a state of emergency on the payment of salaries. This means that we will scale down other things and give attention to the payment of salaries every month as we get resources. We have agreed with workers that we will launch a manhunt for ghost workers. I believe that the wage bill of more than N4bn every month is too much for Benue State; this wage bill includes pensions. Pensions alone are N570m while the overhead is also about N500m. The salaries of workers are about N3bn. We believe that this is too much and there are traces of infiltration here and there. We are going to work together so that no one will complain about victimisation.
We must eliminate those ghost workers. Let me give you an instance. I set up a committee headed by very seasoned administrators who are retired. These men of high reputation and integrity did verification and discovered many ghost workers. These workers had retired but their names are still on the payroll. They are using the same account to collect money from different payment vouchers.
The committee was able to discover that N1.4bn was being lost monthly to ghost workers. This is just in one third of the MDAs where the verification exercise was carried out. We agreed with workers that we are going to work together to eliminate this.
Why are you not paying salaries with the bailout?
The bailout was a temporary intervention to settle the immediate problems that we had when we were inaugurated. For instance, when we took over, we received N28bn from the Federal Government as bailout. N12.5bn was meant to pay workers on the state governments payroll while N15.5bn was for the local government staff. We were able to judiciously screen people and pay at the state level. We were able to save about N1.6bn which we channeled back to the treasury. We inherited a treasury in deficit.
At the local government level and because of the screening, we were able to save up to N1.4 bn. The money is still in the accounts. I inherited over N69bn as unpaid salaries, pensions and arrears. When we requested for the N69bn, the Federal Government approved just N28bn which was meant for just salaries. The local government took 45 per cent of the Paris Club refund that came, while the state took 55 per cent. I was able to raise money through overdraft and pay two months salaries to clear some backlog. I had more than four months arrears then. The local government administrators too were able to pay about three months salaries and the people were happy.
All these things are not profit yielding; they are not earning interest. I believe that if we are able to streamline and have a realistic wage bill and scale down some of our expenditure, we will be able to meet our obligations, especially now that we are about getting out of the recession.
For instance, last month, what we got from the Federation Account was an increase of about N400m. At the local government level, there was an increase of N200m. This is something that we have not been getting for over one year.
Despite the challenge of paying other category of civil servants, the Benue State University staff were paid as and when due. Right now, they have gone on strike, they are asking for pensions and six years arrears of allowances which I inherited. The negotiation is ongoing. The good news is that six weeks ago, we were able to do a combined convocation, which led to the graduation of over 12,000 people from that school.
You have been engaged in a spat with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State. What is responsible for the face-off?
I went to campaign in Rivers State with other governors because I was nominated by my party. That was where the insults started but you see, as a Christian, I dont want to join issues with Wike. I have allowed the matter to rest. I have even told my aides not to even join issues with him; there is no point talking about Wike. I have no issues with him. We were ministers of state in the government of President Goodluck Jonathan. I think everything is centred on politics. You hear his party saying that (I campaigned against Wike) because of the way the PDP treated me. Though I was the best candidate for the PDP in the 2015 governorship election in Benue State, they treated me in a manner that was not befitting of a gentleman and I left. Till today, they are still dreaming that Ortom is governor. So, this is purely politics. I have displaced PDP in Benue State and they have found an ally in Rivers State.
Are you not worried about the state of health of Mr. President?
It is unfortunate. Buhari remains the medicine for Nigeria. He is a selfless man, a disciplined man, a patriotic Nigerian, who fought for the unity of this country. Despite his age, he is willing to add value to the development of this country, at least by trying to instill discipline and wipe away corruption in Nigeria. Everybody will agree that before his inauguration, we all agreed that our problem in Nigeria is corruption. Nobody was bold enough to stand up to fight it the way he is doing it. So, he is the correct person for this job.
Whatever is happening to him, my advice to Nigerians is what the bible says in Romans 13. The advice is that we should pray for our leaders. Let us continue to pray for him. The doctors can treat but it is God that heals.
For us in Benue State, we have declared a three-day prayer and fasting for him. We have declared it to pray for the quick recovery of Mr. President so that he will come back and continue to do his good work. We need him in this country to give us the inspiration to go back to our glory; we have no business begging in Nigeria. God has given us so much. The only problem is indiscipline, corruption and the impunity that has been going on. With what Mr. President is doing for Nigeria, I think we will get to the right path. Let us continue to pray for him that God heal him and bring him back to us.
Benue State has also been in the news for clashes between herdsmen and farmers. What is the situation?
Like I keep saying, the land is no longer there. Of course, Nigeria has said there is no way we can continue to depend on oil revenues. There is a need for us to diversify the economy. And once we talk about the diversification of the economy, the first thing that comes to mind is agriculture. In agriculture, you have to use the land and there is no way you can combine agriculture with grazing at the same time. That is why for us in Benue State, we have decided that the way forward is to start the ranching system.
When you ranch your cattle, you restrict them in a manner that they will not go into somebodys land and cause destruction, which has been the problem over the years. I know that my people like meat; they eat a lot of it, they appreciate it. They are hardworking and ready to sell their farm produce and buy the meat if the people agree to ranch. The problem has been that the herdsmen are not willing to ranch their cattle.
Each time their cattle graze, no matter how hard they tame them since they are animals and not human beings, they cause damage to farm produce. This has been creating nightmares and challenge to my administration. It has been a very big challenge but we have been coping with it. Through the state security council, we have been able to devise various strategies to ensure that we nip some of these challenges in the bud. We have succeeded to a large extent.
Flaunting an AK-47 in her Boko Haram camp, one of the Chibok girls remaining in the custody of the terror sect, insisted yesterday that ...
Flaunting an AK-47 in her Boko Haram camp, one of the Chibok girls remaining in the custody of the terror sect, insisted yesterday that she is gone with them for good.Maida Yakubu, flanked by three other girls, all dressed in niqob (veil), said in the latest video message from the sect that she is now married to a Boko Haram fighter.But her distraught mother believes Maida could not have willingly said what she said.She said her action came from torture.In a second video released late Friday by the sect, one of the Boko Haram commanders released last week in exchange for freedom for 82 of the Chibok girls vowed that there is no going back for them in fighting the rest of the country.He threatened that Abuja would soon come under a bomb attack.The military responded swiftly to the threat yesterday, branding it mere propaganda.Maida was interviewed in the video by a Boko Haram commander.Below is the interview as obtained by Sahara Reporters:Question: What is your name?Answer: My name is Maida Yakubu.Question: Where are you from?Answer: From Chibok.Question: What are your parents names?Answer: My mothers name is Esther Mutari and my fathers name is Yakubu Kaba.Question: What is the name of your school?Answer: GDSS Chibok.Question: Why did you refuse to return to your parents?Answer: Because they are in the town of infidels. We want them to accept Islam and join us to practise the religion and rest in the hereafter.Question: What is the truth about the allegation that you were married off by force? Is that true?Answer: It is not true, only those who agreed to marry are married off.Question: What message do you have for your parents?Answer: My message to them is for them to accept Islam and practice the religion of God.Question: What message do you have for the people of Nigeria?Answer: I call on all Nigerians to leave any book that is not from God and follow the holy book and the sayings of the Prophet. Gods religion will continue to prosper whether you like it or not. If you refuse, you will die in frustration.A distraught Esther could not believe what her daughter said in the video.She told AFP that Maida acted under duress.For me, this video is torture, she said.I havent slept since I watched it.The tie that binds us is unbreakable. Its just not possible that my daughter prefers her kidnappers to me.Muntari said she immediately understood that she had been forced to say what she said in the video.Another Chibok parent, Enoch Mark, said the video has instilled fear in our minds and has somewhat dampened our hope that our girls will be freed.I dont think any of our girls would choose to stay with Boko Haram if they were given a choice, Mark whose two children are missing, said.The only explanation is that Maida was forced to stay.Maidas comments confirm the statement last week by Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu that one of the Chibok girls refused to return home with the 82 whose freedom was negotiated with the terror sect.Mediator and lawyer Zannah Mustapha spoke in the same vein, saying some of the abducted girls refused to be released, fuelling fears that they have been radicalized.In the second Boko Haram video released on Friday night, a man who identifies himself as Abu Dardaa, or Money, said Boko Haram is back in Sambisa Forest and is preparing to bomb Abuja.More bombs attacks are on the way, including Abuja that you feel is secured, he boasted in Hausa.According to him there can be no peace but war between the group and Nigeria.He also said more than five Commanders from the terror group were released in exchange for the Chibok girls.He said there has been no sulhu or dialogue with the government and there wont be any, he said, saying: only war is between us.Last month, the Department of State Services (DSS) said it had thwarted plans by Boko Haram to attack the British and U.S. embassies in Abuja.The Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman yesterday branded the Boko Haram threat to bomb Abuja as mere propagandaHe said the terrorists have lost touch with current realities.Usman said the video messages were designed to seek relevance and attention.On Abu Dardaas threat, the army spokesman said: As you are all aware, he was a direct beneficiary of the process that led to the release of 82 of the abducted girls and does not have a say or capacity to do anything, therefore his threats should be ignored.He assured Nigerians of continued commitment of the military to federal governments effort to bring back home all the remaining Chibok girls.He said: We will not relent in our determined efforts of clearing the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists as manifested through the ongoing clearance operations.The Nigerian Air Force is unrelenting in its bombardment while other security agencies are equally doing their best.We should not give in to terrorists propaganda and empty threats. We have come to a very critical stage of the fight against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria that requires more patriotism and security consciousness.Gone are the days when people glamorized terrorists and their criminal acts.Dubai-based Nigerian journalist, Ahmad Salkida, reputed to have direct access to top leaders of the sect, released part of the video to Sahara Reporters.He confirmed the identity of Maida in a tweet.The Chibok girl that spoke in the video today, holding an AK47 rifle is Maida Yakubu, he wrote.The Chibok girl that spoke in the video today (Friday), holding an AK47 rifle is Maida Yakubu. Ahmad Salkida (@ContactSalkida) May 12, 2017.
Few days ago, we brought you a tell-it-all interview nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe had with Broadway TV. Well, here is the full intervi...
Few days ago, we brought you a tell-it-all interview nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe had with Broadway TV. Well, here is the full interview with video. She opened up on the crisis that has now engulfed her marriage to Mr. Lanre Gentry, and other related issues
When she walked into our office shortly after the first court hearing with her now estranged husband over alleged battering,Mercy Aigbes look and mien were in sharp contrast to the happy girl, vivacious and slay mama reputation she has.
Mercy looked beaten, battered and broken. The visible black pouch under her left eye bears screeching testimony to her present struggle and tales of a survivor. Popular actor, Mike Ezuruonye who was in our office as at the time she came in couldnt believe his eyes. It appeared he was looking at another Mercy Aigbe. A Mercy who bore no resemblance to the queen on the screens. He kept muttering to himself, whoever did this to Mercy is a monster. This is unbelievable.
Truly, Mercys present state and predicament are unbelievable. Three years ago, she and estranged husband, Lanre Gentry jointly produced a video to debunk rumours of domestic violence. Mercy has consistently portrayed the image of a happily married actress. She is often referred to as an actress with marriage goal in blogsphere.
For the uninitiated, this popular Nollywood actress, Mercy and hubby, Lanre Gentry have been in the news for the wrong reasons. Lanre has been accused of beating Mercy to a pulp and dangerous bend. According to the actress and based on medical reports we sited, certain muscles are trapped in the orbit of her eyes and she coughed blood consistently during the near one-hour interview she reluctantly granted Broadway Tv
In this tear-filled interview, Mercy remains inconsolable and sad that her seven year marriage is headed for the rocks. However,she firmly believes it is better for one to lose her marriage than gamble with the gift of life while trying to keep up appearances. Mercy Aigbe is a convert. Yes. A convert to the cause to say NO to all forms of domestic violence in Nigeria.In her own words,she intoned,I thought I was going to die during the last round of beating he subjected me to. The traumatic experience still brings palpable fear to her eyes as she narrates the events. Not one soul in the office of BROADWAY TV was left without a tearful eye after the interview.
It was obvious after the interview that she had been doing a lot of cover-up, served us false couples goals slogans for years and has a lot of sorting out to do (legal, medical and professionally.)
Few weeks ago, you came out to say your husband didnt beat you but you later shared that he consistently beat you. What should we believe the former or the later?
In the midst of all these, I have never granted any interview and I have never for once come out to say my husband didnt beat me. It was in 2013 that I had one and it was about the news that broke out then that my husband beat me and we had to do that video at that time. He has consistently beaten me.
Why did you stay despite the consistent beating?
Because I just wanted a home, because I loved him because every time he beats me, he begs, he gets family and friends to beg me and he promises that he would change but he never did. I prayed, I fasted and I hoped he was going to change but he never did. My husband is a violent person and when he gets angry, he gets physical so it is not just about me. He has actually beaten a house help of mine before, Oluchi. I was even out of the country when this happened and the girl had to go to the police station closest to us to get the police to arrest him. That is the kind of person he is. Aside the fact that I wanted a home, I stayed because of my children. I didnt want to be moving from one man to the other and a lot of people look up to me as a role model and they respect me because I am married, I didnt want to disappoint a lot of people. Some people would probably say I am a fool right now to have endured everything but God knows and he sees my heart that I just wanted a home. A lot of people already have opinions about actors that we do not want to stay under a mans roof so it wasnt just easy for me to walk away.
What did you do after the incident and how brutal was the beating?
After this whole thing happened I met with my husbands younger brother and told him that this man would just kill me one day. He is not ready to get help or go for therapy as regards to his anger so he can know how to manage his anger, so I told him that this last incident was brutal and he almost killed me. I thought I was going to die. I said to him that I dont feel safe anymore. For a very long time I have been living in fear in that house because any little argument leads to me being beaten up by my husband even in front of my children or my domestic staffs and my neighbors. I just got tired of it. I moved out because I wanted to opt out. I was just scared for my life because a lot of people have died in this kind of process. I just wanted to feel safe and that was why I moved out. 4 weeks after and I am still coughing out blood sometimes the blood is so much. I am bleeding internally and that is how brutal it was.
Why did you take him to court?
A day before Easter Sunday I discovered that my husband was sleeping with a girl who was like a sister to me because we were very close and I was bitter and not very happy about it because that wasnt the first time. My husband has slept with a lot of my PAs and he has done a lot of things but I endured and it wasnt easy. I was bitter because he promised me he was never going to do it anymore so we had an argument on Saturday but at a point I had to keep quiet because I didnt want him to get physical. On Sunday, I cooked, the children ate and I served him. I told him I was going for a burial which I had informed him prior to that day. At first, he said that I was supposed to stay home with my kids and I said I had promised I was going to attend and that if he doesnt mind we can actually go together since I dont plan staying long. He said no problem and I could go for the party. I went to my designers place Luminee to dress up in case of any adjustment that needs to be done on my outfit; my makeup artist, Ayomide and a colleague were there. We got to the party late and by the time we got there they were already rounding up and we spent just a little time and we went back to Luminees place.
At a point my husband called me on the phone to come and pick him up at his office on my way home. I told him to leave me alone and I just want to be left alone that he was choking me. Go home, I will get home soon I told him I wasnt going to come because I was still angry at what I had found out about him sleeping with someone else the previous day and I ended the call. He called me again and asked where I was that I needed to pick him and I told him I was at Luminees place. Then he started shouting that I should pick him up from the office. I knew he was angry and I told him I was going to come.
I told Luminee I had to go that my husband was getting angry and if he gets angry I know that he was going to beat me up. At that point, Luminee walked me to the door.
When we got to the door I heard a car park. I started panicking and I told Luminee that I was sure that was my husband, at that point he had gotten to the door and immediately I got to the door, Lanre beat me mercilessly. He kept punching me, slapping me, hitting my head on the wall. Everyone saw it. I was begging him and scared he was going to kill me. He said he was going to kill me; he was going to damage my face so people wouldnt call me for a job. He was like someone who was possessed. At a point I had to tell him in Yoruba that Lanre mo ma bimo fun e, Kini mo se? (Lanre I have a child for you, what did I do?) Blood was coming out from my nose, he kept beating me. When Luminee and Ayomide saw this I begged them to take me to the hospital. He said he was going to take me to the hospital. Luminee helped me into the car and he told them that if he sees any of them in his car he would beat them when I heard this; I stumbled out of the car. He came to me and matched me on the face. He kept beating me. I started crying for help. I told Luminee to get the security men at their gate else he was going to kill me. She ran to call the security men and when they got there they walked him out of the Estate.
Ayomide had called her husband and Luminee called my husbands friend and when they came, they took me to the hospital, Solid Rock Hospital Ojodu. He followed us to the hospital and he kept shouting that he was going to kill me and I didnt know what I did.
What did the doctors say was wrong with you?
At the hospital, the doctor gave me drip and they tried to stop the blood coming out from my nose and they gave me injections and they stuffed my nose with cotton wool to stop the blood from coming out.
On Monday, which was the following day, Ayomide and her husband were all with me and I was there till about eight oclock and I had to remove the drip myself because I just felt I needed to report the case to the police because I thought I was going to die so I told Luminee to take me to the police station and she took me to Area F where I made the report. Immediately I made the report, I met the Area Commander and I met with one of the human rights representatives at the same station. I wrote a petition and I dropped his number with the Area Commander who tried to reach him but couldnt, so she said the police officer in charge of the case should go with me to invite him to the Police Station so he can also tell his own side of the story. I went to his hotel at Oregun with the Police and when we got there we didnt meet him but met his two brothers.
The Police Officer, ASP Amaka called him on the phone and he said he wasnt in Lagos and was in Ibadan which I knew was a lie because the thing just happened and there was no way he could have gone to Ibadan in the morning and I didnt know what he went to Ibadan to do so we didnt get him on that Monday.
When we didnt see him at the Hotel, we went back to the Police Station and the Officer gave me a note to go to the General Hospital to treat myself and I went there and saw a Doctor at the Surgical and Emergency Department of the Hospital where they gave me drip, injection and he gave me antibiotics to stop the blood. He gave me another note to go to St. Solomon Health Care Ltd to undergo some series of scans so they can determine what exactly is damaged or why I was bleeding and if I had any internal injury. I did series of tests from Brain CT scan, Chest scan and more.
Do you agree on the allegations that you cheated on your husband?
I have never cheated on Lanre and he knows it and that is the most painful part of all these. If or maybe he had shown a bit of remorse after what he did to me, I am a woman instead he went online, started granting interviews and fabricating hideous lies just to tarnish my image. He went on saying I have cheated on him several times, I never cheated on him, never! He came up with those lies so as to get sympathy or justify what he did, that was why I told him to come out with proof. It is not enough that you are alleging that I did this; he should come out with proof. He said a lot of things, a lot of damaging things and the day I read those things online I was completely broken.
I never knew I was married to my enemy because only my enemy can do that. He lied that I was mentally unstable and I do not take care of my parents. He said that he has caught me with men and all those things that he said, he doesnt have a proof; he just said all those things so as to defame my character. I have never cheated on him.
Even when I was single I never had any scandal, so why would he now say that I was cheating on him with different men and none of these so called relationships got out? Is it possible?
For someone like me to cheat on my husband several times and he kept catching me. Is it even possible? If you are reading this Lanre, your conscience will judge you. I have been supportive, a lot of people think I married you because of your money, they do not know the story, they do not know anything. I read a lot of things online and I just shake my head because only God knows. I give you my money a lot of times. 2 months ago, I gave you money to buy ticket for your daughter who was on the sick bed abroad for treatments. I gave you Two Hundred and Sixty thousand naira and this is just one of those many times. A lot of people think I married you because of your money but Lanre, you know, people very close to us know that you have never given me money to even shoot a movie.
All the movies I have shot was with my money and I have had to work hard. I had my son through Caesarean Section (CS), I was on set not even 40 days after because I needed the money. I dont know someone who claims to love me will go to the extent of trying to ruin me or my image. The image I worked so hard to build. Lanre, the fact is that you beat me and you have always been beating me and everybody knows.
3 years ago, I took you to Area F where you signed an undertaking that you arent going to beat me again and ever since then, you have beaten me several times. I know people will call me a fool for staying that long and yes I do agree with them, I agree that I shouldnt have endured for that long but I am just a woman who wanted a home, who wanted to stay married.
I did a series of interviews where I praised you but I just couldnt come out and wash my dirty linens in public. I couldnt come out and tell people about what I was going through. I couldnt come out to put my husband in a bad light. A lot of things that I do by myself I would actually give the credit to you and I agree that I am a fool for doing that but like Yoruba will say Ile eni lati je ekute onidodo (Whatever you are going through should be in the privacy of your home).
I couldnt just come out and say that my husband has been beating me or he isnt financially okay because I believe that a wise woman builds her home and I was ready to do everything and that was why I stayed that long.
Has he ever caught you with anything incriminating or with any man?
No, he has never caught me with any man.
Your husband had raised allegations against some people and also said he never granted any interview what can you say about that?
He has been granting a lot of interviews since this whole thing started and he has concocted a lot of lies and damaging things. He said some people are influencing me but that is a lie, I know my husband very well but he lies alot and I dont know if thats being disrespectful but my husband lies a whole lot. During the course of our relationship he has told me a whole lot of lies which I later found out.
4 years ago, my husband was in cell for over 7 months. I was in the house, I didnt move anywhere. I suffered, I was working back to back to take care of our children and pay their fees. I kept it all to myself, why would I now want to leave him because as he claims he says all the scars are just make up.
It is almost 4 weeks and I still have a black eye, I am coughing out blood and he says it is make up. If I had died he would have lied so hard. Now I cant see well with my left eye and the doctors at the General Hospital say I have to do surgery and I have to do it as soon as possible. They even said that I shouldnt do it here in Nigeria. I cant see well because he broke the orbit and according to the doctors, some of the eye muscles are trapped in broken orbit and they have to do a surgery to release the muscles otherwise I wont be able to see properly. This is what a man who is supposed to be my husband did to me, the father of my child did and he is not showing any form of remorse. Instead he is spreading lies. He has threatened to kill me if I dare to leave him; he said he will damage my image. Like he said, I am the one who has an image to protect. I am going through pains. I cant see but he isnt showing any form of remorse.
What do you hope to achieve with the Court case?
When this incident happened and I saw the way he was going about it, I went to the Lagos State for Domestic Violence Department, I went to see the Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Lola Akande and I think that was a week after the incident. I also went to the office of the public defender; I saw Mrs Tope Salami and I explained everything because I do not feel safe with my kids. I feel like he is going to send some people to kill me. On Thursday after the incident, I went home to get some of my things and he sent 3 thugs to the house to prevent me from taking anything. One of them almost beat me up, I had to run to Ojodu Grammar School Police Station to get some police and they arrested the thugs he sent. A man who can go to that extent, a man who can do all these things to me after beating me he can do anything. I am scared for my life and my childrens lives. The case is in court, it is not in my place to put him in prison, I have a child for him. I dont want people to see me like that. I just want him to know the gravity of what he did to me and see the consequences. He has to.
What is next for you?
I dont know what is next for me. All I know is that I have to take care of myself because I still cough out blood and I have to do the surgery. I have to make sure that I am okay.
Has he ever accused you of cheating on him with another person?
Yes, he accuses me of dating everybody. He has insecurity issues. If he sees anybody close to me he would accuse me of dating the person. At a particular time I sat him down and wanted us to talk about it because I wasnt comfortable anymore. If I go out, he would accuse me, even on set, he would question why I kissed an actor or why I allowed the actor to hold me and more. He knows my job and we never had an agreement that I would stop acting after our marriage. I had to ask him if I have ever given him any reason to doubt me. He is just insecure.
People believe your lifestyle is above your income, could that also be the part of the problem?
No, my lifestyle is not more that my income? Where do we live? It is not like we live on the Island. I am a very contented person. The Dubai I went to was sponsored by Emirate. They had a package they wanted me to help them put out there as a brand influencer which was what I did. I am not living above my means. I drive an Acura MDS. People close to me know this. I am a very hardworking woman.
He said you are mentally unstable, what can you say about that?
When I read it online I was shocked. I cant comprehend it. I dont know why he fabricated the story. I am mentally okay. My husband knows and everybody close to me knows I am mentally okay. Anybody that wants to do their findings can go ahead and do their findings. I can subject myself to any test just to show that I am hundred percent okay. Then again, they are all lies just to tarnish my image.
Why did you stay so long with him?
I have wanted to leave a couple of times but family, friends and my mum kept begging me stay, that they were going to talk to him and he was going to change and he would also beg me after every incident that he would change, yet when I stay two weeks after the incident, he changes then after a while he goes back to his normal self. Since this whole incident happened, It has not been easy for me to refrain myself from granting interviews or talking about this because my person has been bashed. A lot of people have been reading my husbands side of the story and they believe it hook, line and sinker and as a human being I have wanted to defend myself by going online and also granting interviews but my PR team have been on my case asking me not to talk and even if I did talk, people will believe what they want to believe so after this, I promise not to say anything on this issue anymore. The case is already in court so I am not going to talk about it again.
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Two new video by one of the Boko Haram Commanders released by the Federal Government in exchange for the 82 Chibok girls in which he issu...
Two new video by one of the Boko Haram Commanders released by the Federal Government in exchange for the 82 Chibok girls in which he issued threats to attack the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and other locations have been dismissed by the Nigerian Military as mere propaganda.The videos which was posted on social media by a freelance journalist Ahmad Sakilda also featured three of the abducted Chibok girls holding an Ak47 rifle while one identified as Maida Yakubu also spoke threatening the country.The Commander, identified as Shuaibu Moni also issued threats to Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari saying there can be no peace but war between the group and Nigeria. He also said more than five Commanders from the terror group were released in exchange for the Chibok girls while also warning of imminent attack in Abuja.He said there has been no sulhu or dialogue with the government and there wont be saying only war is between us.But in a swift response, the Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Sani Usman said the terrorists have lost touch of current realities. In the first clip, the terrorist among other things made boastful and spurious allegations, while the second clip was about alleged indoctrination of some of the abducted Chibok school girls in captivity. We wish to state that the terrorist has lost touch with current realities, Usman said.He also said the videos were designed and aimed at seeking relevance and attention. As you are all aware, he was a direct beneficiary of the process that led to the release of 82 of the abducted girls and does not have a say or capacity to do anything, therefore his threats should be ignored, the Army declared.The military also assured the public that the Nigerian Army is totally committed to the Federal Governments determined efforts of rescuing all abducted persons and peace in the country.Usman: We will not relent our determined efforts of clearing the remnants of the Boko Haram terrorists as manifested through the ongoing clearance operations. The Nigerian Air Force is unrelenting in its bombardment while other security agencies are equally doing their best. We should not give in to terrorists propaganda and empty threats, we have come to a very critical stage of the fight against terrorism and insurgency in Nigeria that require more patriotism and security consciousness.Gone were the days when people glamourize terrorists and their criminal acts, he said.
The Jonathan administration allegedly overruled the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in disbursing more than $500million cash ...
The Jonathan administration allegedly overruled the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in disbursing more than $500million cash to security agencies as Special Intervention Funds, according to information made available to the Yemi Osinbajo Investigative Committee.The committee probed the $43.4million found at an apartment in Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos; and the alleged involvement of the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, in inappropriate award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE).The $43m cash is being claimed by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) whose Director General, Ambassador Ayo Oke has also been placed on suspension.The Osinbajo Panel, discovered that it was not only the NIA that benefited from the funds.Records made available to the panel indicated that it was only the agency that executed nine projects with funds given to it.There are however issues over the $43.4million which NIA insisted belongs to it.None of the remaining security agencies has submitted any list of projects carried out with their cash.The development made the panel suspect that some of the special intervention funds were used for 2015 Presidential poll.President Muhammadu Buhari is expected to take a final decision soon on the recommendations of the panel and the fate of other agencies which benefitted.It was gathered that the CBN Board strongly opposed direct disbursement of cash to all the security agencies listed for the intervention funds.Apart from the implications of pumping such money into the economy, the board wanted the funds disbursed through due process.It was learnt that the CBN board submitted its caution advisory on the funds to the Osinbajo panel which wound up last week.A Presidency source said the CBN board showed proof that it was opposed to direct cash disbursement to security agencies including the NIA.The source added:but those who testified before the panel said since there was a clear-cut presidential approval, the apex bank was handicapped. It was impossible to ignore the directive of the President.They claimed that since the purposes of the cash were classified matters, the advice of the CBN board was overruled more so when the nation was under security emergency.They explained that the same scenario applied to direct cash disbursement to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) during the tenure of Sambo Dasuki. This was why Dasuki has consistently maintained that he acted on the orders of the ex-President.The source said the panel could not invite the former President because under a presidential system, there are some unquestionable discretionary powers which a president can exercise.Another source said the panel discovered that apart from the NIA, some security agencies were discovered to have benefitted from the special intervention funds.The panel obtained records indicating cash disbursement to NIA and other security agencies.So far, only the NIA has accounted for the $289million given to it. The suspended DG of the agency, Amb. Ayo Oke itemized a list of nine projects and their cost implications.All the details were contained in a memo Oke sent to President Muhammadu Buhari through the National Security Adviser, Gen. Babagana Monguno.Besides acknowledging the receipt of the memo, a team from ONSA also inspected these projects. The only area of disagreement between the panel and the NIA DG was just the status of the $43.4million which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered from Apartment 7B in Osborne Towers.NIA insisted that the cash haul was part of the $289million but the panel said it suspected the money might have been part of the special intervention funds allegedly used for 2015 general elections.The panel said it discovered that NIA was very strict in paying all its contractors through the CBN. Even though the agency avoided direct contact with contractors, the panel could not understand what informed the lodgement of the $43.4million in an apartment.A source in NIA said: The $43.4million was part of the $289million. This agency did not commit any infraction. And the agency was straightforward in explaining that this money forcefully retrieved by EFCC was covert operation.There is nowhere in the world where you keep funds for covert operations in banks or in any account. They are like security votes. You can draw examples from the CIA and FBI.Unless there is a predetermined agenda, the suspended DG has been transparent in managing the agency.It was also gathered that President Buhari will take a final decision on the recommendations of the Osinbajo panel and what to do with indicted security agencies.The presidency source said: The panel has completed its assignment, the buck stops on President Buharis table.Before he left, he rubbed minds with the Acting President on the recommendations. Some directions were obvious but he has to sit down or discuss with his team to finalize some issues.Many people were implicated, the recommendations are far-reaching and heads may roll.When you want to determine the fate of those in strategic positions as a leader, you have to look at all the facts. I think there is internal politics within the presidency with forces trying to outwit each other.The Osinbajo panel last week concluded the probe of the suspended SGF and NIA DG.Lawal was probed over alleged N200million contract awarded to a company, Global Vision Limited, linked with him by the Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) for the clearing of invasive plant species (weeds) in Yobe State.On his part, Oke was investigated over alleged $43.4million which was recovered by the EFCC at 7B apartment in Osborne Towers, Ikoyi in Lagos.
Photo by via Mayor's Flickr
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Philippe Coutinho kept Liverpool's Champions League challenge in their own hands by destroying West Ham at the London Stadium.The Brazilian master provided a moment of magic to set up Daniel Sturridge for the first-half opener, and then scored two sensational solo goals after the break.Divock Origi put the seal on a 4-0 victory as the Reds emphatically ensured a win over relegated Middlesbrough on the final day will take them back to Europe's elite next season.Liverpool travelled to the capital knowing any slip-up could let Arsenal take the initiative in the race for a top-four finish, and faced a West Ham team who had dashed Tottenham's lofty ambitions just nine days earlier.But they need not have worried, and were inches from taking an early lead when Joel Matip met Coutinho's corner with a downward header which bounced back up and clipped the crossbar.West Ham did have their chances to open the scoring, with Sam Byram firing across goal and wide and Edimilson Fernandes shooting too close to Simon Mignolet.But the breakthrough arrived in the 35th minute when Coutinho's exquisite through-ball, from inside his own half, exposed a gap the size of the nearby Blackwall Tunnel in West Ham's defence.With Jose Fonte playing him onside, Sturridge was able to race towards goal before rounding Adrian and tucking in his first goal since January.West Ham should have been level on the stroke of half-time but for an astonishing double miss from Andre Ayew.The 20 million forward prodded Manuel Lanzini's corner onto the far post from two yards out, and, as the ball rebounded to him, he hit the same upright again before Mignolet gathered.Adrian was back in action after the restart as Liverpool peppered the Hammers' goal, with Origi, Adam Lallana and Georginio Wijnaldum all testing the Spaniard in quick succession.But Adrian was a mere spectator as Liverpool grabbed their second, watching on as Wijnaldum's 57th-minute volley crashed back off the crossbar.The ball came out to Coutinho, who weaved his way through what was by now masquerading as West Ham's defence before slotting the ball low into the corner from the edge of the area.Four minutes later it was three, Coutinho again collecting the ball from Wijnaldum before dancing around a statue of James Collins and firing home.The fourth arrived in the 76th minute when Adrian charged out of his goal to collect Sturridge's cross, missed it, and left Origi with a simple tap-in to round off a clinical display and a crucial victory.Credit: ESPN
The prettiest female gangster in Nairobi identified as Clea Addi Vybz was killed by police officers during a gun duel last Tuesday, May 9.T...
The prettiest female gangster in Nairobi identified as Clea Addi Vybz was killed by police officers during a gun duel last Tuesday, May 9.The mother of one and wife of a fellow gangster was shot dead in Kayole estate in Nairobi, Kenya after exchange of gunfire ensued between a group of gangsters and the police.
Police said that the woman, referred by local residents as Nairobi 'prettiest gangster', was in company of three other female colleagues when they were robbing Kayole residents in broad daylight.
Police confronted the four after an alert by the public, ordered them to surrender, but the gang declined and decided to engage the police in a gunfight. Two of the suspects were killed during the incident while the other two escaped.
A pistol was seized at the scene of crime with six rounds of ammunition. The bodies of the two were taken to the city mortuary where they await identification and postmortem.
The deceased is said to be part of the gang that has terrorized the residents of the famous estate for years. She had participated in various robbery operations and always accompanied her husband, who is in hiding, carrying and ferrying weapons.
For years, the lady has managed to escape from the hands of the police, but her proverbial forty days county came to an end when she was killed during the fierce firing battle with the police.
According to Kayole OCPD Joseph Gichangi, the gang was hard to track but the police responded swiftly after they were alerted through a WhatsApp group. Gichangi said that police were able to ask for adequate reinforcement before they came head on with the deadly gang that has killed many in Kayole and environs.
A senior Nigerian surgeon, Dr Lawal Haruna, has been struck off in the UK after accidentally removing a womans ovary instead of her app...
A senior Nigerian surgeon, Dr Lawal Haruna, has been struck off in the UK after accidentally removing a womans ovary instead of her appendix.The 59-year-old mistook the patients reproductive organs for her appendix when she was admitted to hospital with abdominal pain.The unnamed Patient B, who was not of child-bearing age, also had her fallopian tube removed during the bungled procedure.The incident in March 2015 was one of a series of botched operations carried out by Haruna over two years which were so poorly executed colleagues.He said the mistakes were trifling errors while his colleagues described them as never events.Another man, known as Patient A, who had acute appendicitis, had been on a list for emergency surgery yet Haruna mistakenly removed a pad of fat, meaning he was forced to undergo a further operation a month later.Haruna removed a skin tag from a third patient who had been admitted with a cyst.An expert report reads: Dr Haruna was mistaken in his identification of the appendix and removed the ovary and tube in error.This is a serious omission and a breach of duty of care.To have mistaken a fat pad for the appendix and to have failed to deal adequately with the pathology suggests a standard of care which is seriously below that expected of a reasonably competent Staff Grade in General Surgery.Haruna, who says he has 25 years experience, said the appendix and fallopian tubes were similar worm-like structures which lie in a similar area.But at the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service a disciplinary panel found him guilty of misconduct and banned him from treating patients.Chairman Clare Sharp told Haruna his treatment of one patient was reckless.He added: You were asked to put yourself into your patients shoes and to consider how your actions made them feel.Whilst you have apologised to the patients in question, you showed a lack of empathy for them, as well as for the serious consequences of your failings.The Tribunal did not believe that your misconduct was deliberate but it concluded that there was a continuing risk to patients.The incidents occurred between 2013 and 2015 whilst Dr Haruna was working for the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals Trust, which oversees six hospitals.Haruna said it would be harsh to strike him offHaruna apologised to Patients A and C personally and to Patient B via his medical team.The surgeon, who represented himself, told the Manchester hearing, said he had been suffering from poor vision at the time and claimed it would be harsh to strike him off.He added: I want to apologise to all the patients. I didnt experience operative difficulties, in removing whatever I removed. Everything had gone along fine and it was not difficult to remove.It was only later I realised it was not the appropriate part. The operation itself, the technicality, was fine but the wrong specimen was removed.I have performed hundreds of appendectomies. This was due to lapse of judgement.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the federal government of insincerity over the probe and arrest of killings in th...
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the federal government of insincerity over the probe and arrest of killings in the Southern part of Kaduna State.Its President, Rev Supo Ayokunle, said it was unfortunate government has been unable to stop the massive killings in the area.He spoke yesterday in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.Ayokunle said: Till date, no Fulani herdsmen has been arrested for prosecuted.They are still with their guns and if government is sincere to put an end to all this incessant killings there, they ought to probe the procurement and supply of the weapons that the Fulani herdsmen are carrying about.The government is not sincere in bringing reprieve to the victims of the place. The Southern Kaduna rural areas are where the farmers stay but no adequate security has been provided for the farmers and this is rainy season.I believe somebody in position of power is behind the Fulani herdsmen and that is why they are being given preferential treatment.He noted nobody has monopoly of violence, warning if government does not bring the herdsmen to book, it should be prepared for war.Ayokunle added: These Fulani herdsmen are heartless. They also killed many people in Enugu and Benue States and government did not do anything.How will government defend the ammunitions the herdsmen are carrying about? There is hypocrisy and manipulation in this issue and cannot be great if all this continues.The CAN President said the body is praying for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari, urging Nigerians not to relent in praying for him also.He admonished Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo to exercise authority with caution and the fear of God irrespective of religion or ethnicity.
As pro-Biafran groups perfect their plans for the observation of May 30, Biafran Day Anniversary in spite of the stringent bail condition...
As pro-Biafran groups perfect their plans for the observation of May 30, Biafran Day Anniversary in spite of the stringent bail conditions granted Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), gathered during the week that some concerned Igbo leaders, including state governors, have been working round the clock to ensure the situation did not get out of hand.A source confided that while direct efforts have been made to persuade the various groups involved in the Biafran agitation not to go ahead with this years anniversary in view of Kanus bail conditions, many noted Igbo leaders, who were approached on this subject vehemently questioned the rationale behind such suggestion, arguing that Biafra is a major experience that cannot be suppressed by anybody under any guise.Even IPOB, whose leaders bail condition was presented as the reason for the negotiations, said there is no going back on the sit-at-home order it declared on May 30, for Biafra Day celebration in remembrance of fallen heroes of Biafra who died during the civil war of 1967 and 1970.Swearing to go ahead with the celebration, the group alleged that the Federal Government has mapped out plans to deal with the people of Biafra during the Remembrance Day celebration.In a statement by the Media and Publicity Secretary of IPOB, Mr. Emma Powerful, the group warned Biafrans to stay at home on that day to avoid security operatives from killing innocent members of the public or IPOB members. He added that there are series of meetings going on between security agencies and saboteurs in our midst who wish to sabotage the Remembrance Day celebration of our fallen heroes and heroines scheduled to hold on May 30.Aside IPOB, Movement for the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and Biafra Independence Movement (BIM) have not only expressed their determination to go on with the anniversary but have also called on the United Nations (UN) to step-up action by granting freedom to Biafra with a view to stopping unending killings and brutal treatment already meted out to people of the defunct eastern region by Nigerian government.Okigwe zonal leaders of MASSOB and BIM made the call in a statement jointly issued to mark the 50th Anniversary of Biafra and MASSOBs 18th Anniversary.NE investigation during the week showed that while some top Igbo leaders are convinced the best thing is to ensure the said annual anniversary do not hamper the progress so far made through Kanus bail, others contend that Biafrans must never give up on remembering their fallen heroes.According to our source, this disagreement has left South-East governors and leadership of OhanaezeNdigbo with no option than to adopt, what a top state government official in Ebonyi State described as a delicate diplomatic strategy.Explaining why some Igbo leaders are solidly behind Biafran agitators on the anniversary ceremony, Evangelist Elliot Ugochukwu-Uko, the founder of Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) said, I assure you that our people are 100 percent behind NnamdiKanu and the IPOB. They have called on our people to stay at home on that day and meditate on the blood of our brethren unnecessarily shed in our recent history. I will assure you that in spite of the attempt by enemies of the people to sabotage the stay at home order, I believe our people will comply because they know that Kanu and IPOB mean well for our unborn children.Our people are behind him simply because, he has proven devoted, dedicated and committed to freeing our people from the prison called Nigeria. He has also proven that he will willingly make painful sacrifices for the sake of our people, he said.As at press time, sources said all the Biafran agitation groups are mobilizing their members in the villages to observe the stay at home order, while negotiations to stop rallies continue.
Yesterday, there was gist that nollywod actress, Tonto Dike and her estranged husband, Churchhill abandoned their childs nanny in an Abuja...
Yesterday, there was gist that nollywod actress, Tonto Dike and her estranged husband, Churchhill abandoned their childs nanny in an Abuja hospital. A certain Queen Ashley Foundation stumbled upon an elderly woman who was said to be abandoned at Maitama General hospital by her madam, after she developed excruciating pains on her legs from her home.
The woman was discovered to be King Andrea's Nanny, living with Tonto Dikeh after she left her matrimonial home around January, when she had marital issues with her husband Mr.Olakunle Churchill. The lady, on discussing with her, appealed to kind hearted Nigerians to come to her rescue with donations as the nanny needed to carry out series of test, if not she might loose her leg.
TONTO DIKEH has now come out to say that she never abandoned her sons nanny she revealed that she discharged the lady from her duties two months ago, after she realized she was not fit for the job. Here's a video of Tonto Dikeh questioning the nanny, plus a write-up after the cut
Via her friend Halimar Abubakar's IG page, Tonto shared the video and wrote:
DISCLAIMER! DISCLAIMER!! DISCLAIMER!!! This is to inform the general public about the recently uploaded video about the nanny of my beloved dear son who in a video said I abandoned her at the hospital leaving her to fend for herself. It was so far-off from the truth.
She was sadly discharged from her duties 2months ago, after the realization that she wasn't fit enough for the job as she was always suffering from one illness or another which I. Have spent Thousands treating.
So I paid her off and she went back to her base, I suddenly saw her about a week ago believing she came to say hello and leave, but begged to be taken back instead. It was obvious that my son missed her, which led me to permit her to stay for a few days.
To my suprise, she took ill again and I asked that she should be taken to the hospital, which I normally do whenever she fall sick and her on-Call Personal doctor provided By Me Isnt around.
She was rushed to the hospital on Thursday 11th may 2017, and discharged on Friday 12th may 2017, telling me that she is better now. To my greatest surprise, I got a call from one of my domestic staff that she has gone to the hospital again.
Waking up today Saturday 13th may 2017, to see a video posted without due consultations by 'some' foundation
I wondered why people love cheap publicity. How can someone who left the hospital on Friday and return to the hospital be abandoned as she FALSELY claimed.
Nevertheless, I have consulted and instructed my lawyer to serve them with immediate effect for defamation of character and other of charges associated to this act(etc. Using the name of a child for soliciting for money illegally)
I am appealiing to the public and especially my fans to disregard the request of paying into the account published on the blog. It's a scam and a malicious act that should never be allowed or encouraged.
The nanny is an ingrate for allowing her self to be used against me and my son.This is a woman who has visas to 15 different countries courtesy. Of me,Flies first class,eats 6times a day,has call card allowance, hair allowance,Has her nails taken care of by me,Gets freebies for her family and friends,takes lux
Watch the video below:
EAST RUTHERFORD -- A 44-year-old off-duty police officer was killed Saturday while he was driving to work in a collision involving multiple vehicles on Route 3, officials said.
Mark Zeitounia of Lyndhurst, a Union City police sergeant, was identified as the victim in the collision.
Five other people were treated for "relatively minor" and non-life threatening injuries, according to a news release on Sunday from the Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir Grewal's office.
Police responded to the crash at about 11:12 p.m. on Route 3 eastbound and determined that four vehicles were involved in the collision, the release said.
The incident is under investigation and no criminal charges have been filed against any driver, the prosecutor's office said.
Zeitounian was hired at the Union City Police Department in 1999, according to a post from the department.
Zeitounian worked in the patrol division during his career and served as a training officer for newly-hired officers.
He is survived by his wife, Debbie, son, Jason, and sister, Maria, according to the post.
"Prosecutor Grewal extends his deepest condolences to the Zeitounian family and to the men and women of the Union City Police Department at this extraordinarily difficult time," the release said.
Several others posted condolences on social media:
Our condolences go out to the @UnionCityPD. They lost Sgt Mark Zeitounian to a tragic accident. We pray for his wife Debbie & son Jason Hoboken PSOA (@HobokenPSOA2) May 14, 2017
Last night while driving into work UCPD Sgt Mark Zeitounian was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident. Prayers to his family. Union City Police (@UnionCityPD) May 14, 2017
Sara Jerde may be reached at sjerde@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SaraJerde.
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Centenary University graduates walk to the stage at the school's commencement ceremony in Hackettstown on Saturday. The outdoor ceremony was held under tents because of the rainy weather. (Centenary University photo)
HACKETTSTOWN -- Centenary University handed out 391 degrees to soggy, but jubilant, graduates in a ceremony on the school's front lawn Saturday.
Rita King, who has worked as a futurist for NASA, addressed the graduates at the private university in Warren County.
King serves as co-director of Science House, a Manhattan organization focused on imagination and looking to the future. She also helps develop architecture, characters and landscapes for film and TV projects set in the future.
Futurist Rita King speaks at Centenary University's commencement ceremony Saturday. (Centenary University photo)
"Look around at the faces of your peers. Don't just look at them with your eyes. Look at them with your imagination," King told the graduates in her address. "This event is an inflection point in your life, a milestone that signifies that you are about to take your first steps into the future."
University officials went ahead with the ceremony, despite the stormy weather. Tents were put up to help protect the graduates from the rain.
The commencement was the first overseen by David Haney, Centenary's new president. He arrived last fall to take over the presidency of the 2,100-student private college.
"This commencement is my first as university president, so this graduating class is special to me," Haney said before the ceremony. "I wish all of the graduates much success in their future professional and academic endeavors. I urge them to visit their alma mater and stay connected with their professors and peers."
Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KellyHeyboer. Find her at KellyHeyboerReporter on Facebook.
MO0402GOFISH
Greg Hulsman from the The Knee Deep Club releases trout into Lake Hopatcong as they stock the lake for the season. 04/02/2017
(Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media)
Who says there aren't plenty of fish in the sea?
In a boon for New Jersey fishers, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, part of the Department of Environmental Protection, announced last week that because of high productivity at the Pequest Trout Hatchery, extra trout will be added to each load of fish in state-stocked waters for the rest of the spring stocking season.
According to an email from DEP spokesman Bob Considine, approximately 4,000 additional trout were included in this week's stocking. A similar amount is expected to be added to trout loads for the final two weeks of the spring stocking season. Considine added that every water stocked by DFW will receive some of the surplus trout.
To put that in perspective, DFW was scheduled to stock about 47,000 trout around the state this week before the surplus. DFW stocks trout in 176 rivers, streams, ponds and lakes throughout New Jersey. The spring stocking season ends on May 26.
A surplus of trout from Pequest is not uncommon, according to Considine. The spokesman said that most years produce some kind of surplus. Considine said that this is because the hatchery raises more fish than the target in order to account for attrition.
Considine said that the fall stocking season is expected to meet the target number of fish, and that extra fish are not anticipated in the fall.
Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
NEWARK -- Two men serving life sentences for the 2010 fatal shooting of an Irvington man are staying in jail.
An appellate court this week denied the appeals of Derrick Miller and Arthur Thompson, who were convicted in 2013 of breaking into an Irvington home and shooting 47-year-old resident Anthony Hunt.
Miller and Thompson had appealed their convictions and sentences, alleging the courts made a slew of errors that violated their rights and denied them a fair trial.
In a written decision issued Wednesday, Superior Court Judges Ellen Koblitz, John Kennedy, and Robert Gilson disagreed with the more than 15 arguments made by the two Newark men.
"We discern no basis warranting reversal," the judges wrote in the decision. "We affirm the sentences imposed."
The two had said, among other arguments, that a witness's identification of the two as the gunmen in the home was questionable and should not have been allowed in the trial. They also argued their life sentences were excessive.
The appellate court disagreed.
Prosecutors said the two men broke into a two-family Brighton Terrace home on Jan. 18, 2010, and shot Hunt three times in the torso, killing him. At the time, six other people were in the home, including members of Hunt's family and a 6-month old baby.
Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A video shared Thursday by Xi'an Famous Foods CEO Jason Wang documents two men shouting racist insults at employees of the midtown Manhattan location, in an exchange that culminates with one of the customers shouting "F-ck you, n-gger." The altercation occurred on Sunday at the restaurant's 54th Street location, according to Wang's post.
Ellon, the employee in the video who asked only to be identified by his first name, tells Gothamist that the unidentified customers were set off after he informed them that the restaurant doesn't accept American Express. "They basically told me that I was a representative of my race and that I make everyone look lazy," Ellon said. After the manager, who was also black, told the men that they shouldn't bring race into, they "blew it totally out of proportion" and "started screaming the n-word as they walked toward the door," Ellon said.
"There's no reason to mention my blackness; it's obvious if you look at me, it's not like a burden," Ellon added. He described the men as tall and muscular, and said that one was white and one was Asian.
In the video, which was shared to the store's Facebook page Thursday morning, the two customers can be heard taunting the employees, with one shouting: "Being lazy is part of your community," and "black is not a racial slur sweetheart," before yelling the n-word as they stormed out.
In the Facebook post, Wang noted that he "personally would not have taken this as calmly as my staff did, and while there's no 'Yelp' for me to give 1-stars to these two, I want to at least try to get some sense of justice by spreading awareness by highlighting how close racism still hits home." He added that the two culprits had not yet been identified, but would be permanently banned from all Xi'an Famous Foods.
Ellon told Gothamist that he spoke with Wang on the phone earlier in the week, but was trying to "move past it."
"Its New York, you dont think its going to happen, and then it actually happens," Ellon said. "I mean do whatever you want, but saying things like that really hurt, you know?"
Update: The CEO of Xi'an Famous Foods provided Gothamist with the following statement:
NEW YORK CITY -- A drug dealer charged in connection with the overdose death of a doctor and mother of three has been sentenced to five years in prison, according to media reports.
Kiersten Cerveny, 38, who grew up in Gloucester County, died of an overdose in October 2015 after a night of partying in bars and a hotel room.
James Holder and Marc Henry Johnson, an HBO producer, were charged in her death after authorities alleged that the pair dumped her body in the hotel vestibule after Cerveny overdosed in Holder's hotel room.
Her death was attributed to alcohol and cocaine intoxication.
Holder pleaded guilty to maintaining a drug distribution house and was sentenced Thursday. He could have faced up to 20 years in prison on the charge.
Johnson pleaded guilty to a charge of accessory after the fact and is to be sentenced June 26. He faces up to 10 years in prison.
An attorney for Holder has argued that his client should not be required to pay restitution to Cerveny's family, arguing that she was the "victim of her own poor choices."
Cerveny was valedictorian at Gloucester County's Washington Township High School in 1995 and crowned America's Junior Miss that same year. She went on to study at Duke and Tulane Universities before moving to New York.
Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
JERSEY CITY -- Three men received humanitarian awards at the fourth annual Mark Lee Memorial 5K and Fun Run on Saturday morning.
Lee, 54, worked as a firefighter in Jersey City for decades and organized the department's annual toy drive. The fire captain died three years ago after battling cancer.
At the Liberty State Park event, which raises money for the American Cancer Fund, awards were presented to Albert Cocurullo, Deputy Chief Anthony Della Rosa, and Jersey Journal freelance photographer Rich McCormack.
Lee also aided victims at the World Trade Center after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Scroll through the gallery above for a look back on Saturday's event.
Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
BAYONNE -- A heartfelt ceremony was held at the Bayonne Elks Lodge on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the memory of Karen S. Minutella, who was killed in a tragic motorcycle accident two years ago.
The memorial at the lodge was the first of its kind and will be an annual event, according to Carl Angermeyer, the motorcycle committee's president.
The club will raise money each year to go towards a youth reading and mentoring program in her memory, where older school children in the Bayonne School District will read to younger kids in elementary schools.
A Remember Me scholarship, a non profit organization with a mission to decrease motorcycle fatalities and to educate residents on motorcycle awareness, was also created in her name.
"We know Karen will be smiling down on this program," said John Kenneth Healy, fiance of Minutella. "Hopefully inside these books will be a sticker that reads 'Donated by the Karen Minutella mentoring and reading program' -- and as these books get passed down from generation to generation, Karen's name will be read and remembered for years to come."
Minutella died on May 17, 2015 in Bristol, Connecticut after her motorcycle collided head-on with an SUV. She was 47-years-old.
She was pronounced dead at the scene after she and Healey were ejected from their Harley Davidson motorcycles. Healey was sent to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.
Minutella and Healey were riding north on Route 81 with a group of motorcyclists when they collided with a southbound 2008 Honda Pilot driven by a 16-year-old.
Minutella, a mother of three and grandmother of two, had recently moved to Bristol from Bayonne and had been just as active in the Elks Lodge there as she was in Bayonne, according to several friends of hers at the ceremony.
"One of the last duties Karen performed as an Elk in Bristol was reading to grammar school children," Healey said. "She enjoyed it immensely, almost as much as riding her bike."
Lodge members remembered Minutella's incredible passion for life, her dimples, her radiant smile, and the joy those around her felt.
"Karen was just a kick-ass broad, there's no other way to say it," said Lori Dilorenzo the public relations liaison for the Bayonne lodge.
The potential of Stewart Airport
A Jet Blue plane, a new sight at Stewart Airport, which the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey intends to turn into the region's fourth airport on December 20, 2006. 12/20/06 PHOTO BY MARK DYE/FOR THE STAR LEDGER
A Jersey City family was removed from a JetBlue Flight from Kennedy Airport to Las Vegas earlier this month after a dispute over a birthday cake that was brought on board, according to reports.
Cameron Burke set up a surprise 40th birthday trip for his wife Minta and two children on May 3. The family of four brought a birthday cake onto the plane as part of their carry on luggage and placed it in the overhead compartment, The NY Daily News reported.
The family was told they couldn't keep the cake overhead and it was placed under Cameron Burke's seat. The father said a flight attendant berated him and then his family was asked to leave the plane, according to the reports.
Port Authority police officers were called onto the flight and Cameron Burke began recording the incident. One officer is heard telling the family he doesn't "see any wrongdoing" while their young son is crying in a video obtained by WABC.
The crew removed all the passengers from the plane citing security reasons. The Burke family was not allowed back on board, the reports state.
JetBlue said the flight's captain made the decision to boot the family, saying the family refused to move the cake from a space designated for emergency equipment, according to the reports.
"The customers became agitated, cursed and yelled at the crew, and made false accusations about a crewmember's fitness to fly," JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw said in a statement to the paper.
The Jersey Journal could not immediately reach the Burke family for comment on the incident.
Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
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("The Book Browsers," oil painting by Fran Wood)
You know how, when you're reading a book that's really gripping, you can't make yourself put it down? You know how, when you're forced to take a pause just to slow down your racing heart, you look at the clock and realize it's way past time to turn out the light, but you just can't? You know how, when the
suspense keeps ratcheting up, you think, "Why am I doing this to myself?," and truly want to close the book, but you just can't?
If the above adds up to a fresh memory, you must already be reading Dennis Lehane's "Since We Fell" (Ecco, 432 pp., $27.99). It's riddled with tension, almost from beginning to end. Which is to say you're likely to wake up bleary-eyed until you finish it. You may even decide to call in sick so you don't have to stop reading.
Just warning you.
Rachel Childs has issues with her late mother, chief (but far from only) among them her mother's refusal to divulge the name of her father. Okay, not precisely refusal. She dangled the possibility throughout Rachel's life - maybe if she got all As in school, or after she graduated from high school, Or, or, or. But then her mother ran a stop sign and was demolished by a truck, and Rachel was left with no clue to her father's identity.
Although Rachel has a promising career as a journalist, she continues to obsess over finding the dad who split when she was three. An investigator she consults tells her he'd be stealing if he gave her the slightest confidence he could locate a man known to her only as "George," so she embarks on some detecting of her own.
But that's not the crux of the story, and certainly not the part that keeps you turning pages.
After moving from newspapers to a reporting job on a local Boston TV station, Rachel marries an ambitious executive with the parent network. They quickly become a celebrated couple, recognized on sight, invited everywhere, and frequently mentioned in society columns.
Rachel's big career break comes when she is sent to Haiti to cover a devastating earthquake. Her experiences with the poverty-stricken country's displaced prove debilitating. The smell of the dead is everywhere, and the makeshift camp where she spends her nights finds her frantically trying to keep several pre-teen girls from being raped by predators.
Haunted by Haiti following her return, Rachel begs her boss to send her back with a cameraman. But her second visit renders her even more fragile, and she has a public, on-air breakdown. This costs her her job and her marriage, and leaves Rachel with paralyzing panic attacks. In short order, she becomes an agoraphobic recluse.
When Brian, a minor acquaintance from her past, reappears, Rachel feels she's been saved. As his infinite patience helps her start healing, they fall in love and marry. Rachel's life seems back on track - until a chance sighting of Brian leaves her with doubts about the validity of her happiness. She trades one obsession for another as she plots ways to track her husband.
It's sweaty palms all the way, as layer upon layer of revelations erode Rachel's newly-repossessed self-confidence, and put her life in danger.
If suspense and terror are your thing, "Since We Fell" is your next must-read.
Fran Wood, retired Star-Ledger op-ed columnist and books editor, blogs at nj.com.
The Internet is nothing if not filled with artistically-inclined dogs, whether it's the dog who paints to raise awareness of gas chambers or the blind dog who rocks a beret like no other. But we've spent so much time expecting masterpieces from creative souls such as Dogvinci, we've never stopped to think about providing dogs with a forum so they too can appreciate art. But a former Washington Post art critic is about to make the art world a lot more ruff.
Jessica Dawson, in conjunction with Arts Brookfield, will open the world's first art exhibit for dogs, dOGUMENTA, this summer. Dawson explained to W that the idea was sparked as she travelled to various art galleries in the city with Rocky, her Maltese/Yorkshire terrier. Rocky is listed as a curator for the exhibit, along with co-organizer Mica Scalin, which will be physically installed at dog-eye view from August 11th to 13th:
[Rocky] makes studio visits and personally approved each of the 10 new works contributed by 10 New York-based artists, like Merav Ezer and Eric Hibit. Come August, as a part of Arts Brookfield, each will be installed outdoors at Brookfield Place in lower Manhattan between the carefully chosen hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., to be respectful of the heat sensitivities of our four-legged friends.
Dawson is fully aware that some might giggle at the idea, as she's been telling people about it at various art-world cocktail parties for awhile now: "Some people get it right away and see the multiple levels: the humor and satirical quality, but also how it's heartfelt, how I earnestly believe in it," she said. "Any really revolutionary new art-world action is going to be met with both this look of 'What are you thinking?' and with a real show of solidarity. Thats what happens when youre innovating."
In an essay for the Criterion Collection, Dawson expanded on her genesis for the gallery:
My own gallery-going experience has been transformed by Rocky, a spirited Morkie whom I met several years ago in a SoHo shelter. To my surprise, Rocky panted with pleasure each time I suggested a Chelsea gallery crawl, even as I remained wary of the dealers overhyped wares. I wondered: What was Rockys secret? As we spent more and more time together, it became clear that Rocky had something to teach meto teach all of usabout finding joy in todays art world. Among his many skills, I noticed a singular capacity to remain in the moment and to see each artwork with fresh eyes. Rockys fearlessness, his capacity to remain curious, and, most importantly, his indifference to the pronouncements of New York Times reviews, were the inspiration for a talk I gave in February to a group of art world insiders gathered in a gallery in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bushwick. The lecture, titled Five Things My Dog Taught Me About Art, not only considered the dogs capacity to teach us about human ingenuity but also served as the launch event for a radical new exhibition Im organizing called dOGUMENTA. The premise of dOGUMENTA is this: If canines like Rocky and Lolabelle can teach us so much about human creativity, what if they had a show of their own? How would artists respond to this massive new audience?
You can get more info about the project here.
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The head of Louisiana's largest and most influential anti-abortion group said Monday his organization intends to push the Legislature to not give up any ground from the state's strict ban on abortion and make the law even stricter by removing one
Get your tissues readywe have an update about the adorable pit bull mix who spent a year (!) recovering from an abusive living situation while looking for a furever homeand she found it. She was recently reunited with the dog she was rescued with... and the ASPCA believes they are mother-and-daughter!
The puppers known as Jamie and Zaza were found severely underweight by police officers in Brooklyn's 63rd Precinct in April 2016. One-year-old Zaza's ears were both infected and she also had a skin infection between her toes, but by June, she joined then-Police Commissioner Bill Bratton for "Take Your Dog to Work Day" and was adopted right after.
Jamie, who was four at time, was more seriously injured: Her coat was paws were "soaked in urine and feces and her nails had grown so long they were curving into her feet," according to the ASPCA, who looked over her during her six-month road to recovery.
By the time she was healthy and ready to be adopted, police officers from 12 different NYPD precincts took her for a special day out.
Earlier this month, Jamie and Zaza met each other for the first time since being rescued. The ASPCA believes that Zaza is one of Jamie's daughters, and a spokeswoman said, "It's remarkable how they recognized each other immediately. Jamie doesn't like other dogs much, but she seems to love Zaza! She was rolling around in joy (something her adopters said she's never done) and was giving Zaza lots of ear kisses."
Jamie at the 20th Precinct, during her special day out (ASPCA)
Zaza was adopted by Stacey Richmanwho also renamed her Daniafter she went with her company to volunteer at the ASPCA. "I wasn't honestly expecting to adopt... I just saw this dog, and that was all she wrote. I needed her. You could say it was fate. I really believe she and I were meant to find one another. I couldn't be more grateful for the day if I tried. She's the best thing to happen to me," she said.
Einat Lapidot and her husband Matt Winum are Jamie's new humans and recalled, "We had wanted to adopt for awhile, and when we walked into the ASPCA to look, we knew we wanted to rescue a dog that had the slimmest chances of finding a home. [She] had been in the Adoption Center awhile, and the minute we met her, we knew she was meant to be with us!"
They also renamed Jamie "Lucinda." Lapidot added, "She's also completely changed our perceptions of pit bulls. Lucinda is sweet and gentle. We're so happy to have her in our lives!"
Richman and Lapidot also plan to have Dani and and Lucinda meet up again. Lapidot said, "We were as happy as Lucinda to see her playing and having a good time," while Richman said, "It would be unfair at this point not to. It's clear it brings them such joy, and I will do anything to make my baby happy."
"Dani and Lucinda's story is an incredible example of how dogs can overcome past tragedy to become loving companions," said Howard Lawrence, Vice President, ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement. "Their reunion was made possible through the ASPCA's partnership with the NYPD and the generosity of adopters opening their homes and hearts to canine cruelty victims. We encourage everyone to always make adoption their first option."
Gov. Terry Branstad will be in Council Bluffs Tuesday to pronounce Pottawattamie County a Home Base Iowa certified community.
The Home Base Iowa program connects veterans and transitioning service members with its partners and resources throughout the state, according to the programs website.
Its wonderful for our community and county to showcase that were a veteran-friendly community, said Lori Shields, director of marketing, communications and workforce development for the Council Bluffs Area Chamber of Commerce, which played a key role in receiving the designation.
We always knew we were; this is a step that certifies it and announces it to the state, she said.
Shields explained the process to become a certified Home Base Community started with collecting the signatures of the countys 14 mayors. From there, organizers worked with area businesses to ensure they are committed to hiring qualified veterans.
We didnt have any trouble getting them signed up, Shields said.
Pottawattamie County Home Base committee members then put together a list of businesses and organizations that offer discounts and incentives to veterans.
Shields said the process took a year, with work by a committee of 11 people that included representatives from the public, private and nonprofit sector. The final step is certification from Branstad.
The ceremony on Tuesday will be held at 3 p.m. at the Pottawattamie County Veterans Affairs Building, 623 Sixth Ave.
One of the things that makes us unique is were the first and only county to have every towns mayor sign a resolution of support, Shields said.
The program was approved by the Legislature in 2014 on a recommendation from Branstad and Major General Tim Orr, according to the Home Base Iowa website. Shields said, after official certification, leaders will place Home Base Iowa signs throughout the county.
When vets are looking for a place to live after their service, we want them to know were a good place to stay, Shields said.
The Treynor Community School District is paying Kevin Elwood more than the average annual salary of a teacher in exchange for him resigning his role as superintendent.
Elwood agreed to resign after 14 years as the leader of the Treynor schools, almost a year after serving a 30-day suspension for violations of professional ethics and after nearly four years of public criticism and challenges in the wake of his sons arrest for suspected sexual assault, as well as other concerns.
In a letter to the school board, which was released Thursday, Elwood explained that his relationship with the board had eroded, so he decided to step aside so the district could move forward.
Amy Graber, president of the Treynor school board, declined a telephone interview with The Nonpareil on Thursday but responded Friday afternoon to a list of questions emailed by the newspaper.
No decision has been reached about how the district will replace Elwood. Possibilities would include hiring a new superintendent for the 2017-18 school year although many potential candidates would already have contracts for the upcoming school year or naming an interim superintendent.
The Board currently is reviewing several options regarding the employment of a superintendent for the 2017-18 school year, Graber said. The Board is focused on acting in the best interests of the students, staff, the school district, and the community in selecting a superintendent for the 2017-18 school year.
Questions about how long the board has considered making a change in leadership, the timing of the decision to do so, the reasons for wanting a change in leadership, what it wants in a future leader, any specific concerns with Elwoods leadership and Elwoods characterization of the board-superintendent relationship each were responded to with a statement that the district is required to keep information regarding Mr. Elwoods employment with the District confidential.
Graber did provide The Nonpareil with a copy of the resignation, separation agreement and release document that was approved Wednesday during a special school board meeting.
The first stipulation of the document is that Elwood resigns his employment effective June 30.
The agreement commits the district to paying Elwood severance of two months salary worth about $21,856.16, based on Elwoods 2016-17 contract in addition to paying out $1,513.14 for six days of unused vacation and $35,306.60 for 140 days of unused sick leave.
In total, the separation agreement agrees to payments of $58,675.90, according to a Nonpareil analysis, which exceeds the districts average annual salary of $50,230 for a full-time teacher, according to 2016-17 data from the Iowa Department of Education.
The districts contract with Elwood entitles him to the payouts for unused leave upon the end of his employment. The separation agreement represents a complete financial settlement, and provides Elwood the severance pay as well as a promise by the district to represent him in any civil legal claim against him arising out of an alleged act or omission occurring during his employment.
In exchange for those incentives, Elwood agrees not to bring any legal action against the district related to his employment, as well as to cooperate in any litigation, investigation or governmental proceeding related to his employment with the district.
Elwood has seven days to revoke the agreement, which would eliminate the districts obligation to pay his severance. Graber told The Nonpareil that Elwoods resignation was submitted and approved by the board, and that decision is final.
Treynor board policy states that, should the board not renew a superintendents contract, it would have automatically been extended for one year unless both parties agreed otherwise as was the case with the separation agreement or the board moved to terminate the superintendent.
In addition, board policy states that, in the absence of a superintendent, the responsibilities would fall to the high school principal, Gary McNeal, unless the board names an acting superintendent.
McNeal does not currently hold a license endorsement to be a permanent superintendent, though, nor do the districts other administrators, according to Board of Educational Examiners online records.
Did you know that Doniphan recently had almost 3,000 kids with guns descend upon the townand no one got hurt! The reason was the 48th annual Cornhusker Trap Shoot. High School and Junior High age shooters from all over the country attended. The event is open to all shooters in grades 6-12 who have completed a hunter education course.
This great, family-friendly shoot is the largest youth event in the state, said Shoot Director Terry Brentzel of Oshkosh. Parents, grandparents and siblings come out in force to support their shooters. Its fun time for all, with a state fair atmosphere.
As Brentzal pointed out, this is the biggest event of its kind in Nebraska, but in my research I cannot find anything bigger is the United States, or the world for that matter. This is a big deal!
The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission hosts the event. Early estimates from the NGPC indicated that a record 2,700 students were expected to compete in the event, which was held May 4-6 on the home grounds of the Nebraska Trapshooting Association in Doniphan.
The competition has individual and team divisions. Junior high students (grades 6-8) shot 100 16-yard targets. High school competitors (grades 9-12) shot 75 16-yard targets and 75 handicap targets the next day.
This events history stretches back to 1970 when Dave Wells and Jim Carlisle set up a college shooting contest between Northeast Community College in Norfolk and Chadron State College. The meet was held in Norfolk. Nine more college teams participated the next year. In 1973 high school students were allowed to shoot and the competition continued to grow. That was also the year that the event moved to Doniphan.
In 1987, Dave Wells stepped down as event director and meet was taken over by the NGPC. Rocky Hoffman, who worked for the NGPC here in North Platte, became the event director and held that position until 2010.
North Platte has long been the home of some great shotgunners and a lot of young shooters have begun their shooting careers at the Lincoln County Wildlife Gun Club at Lake Maloney. One shooter in particular that I remember was Elle Shad from North Platte. Shad sharpened her aim here with the high school trap team and ultimately went on to shoot in the Olympics with the USA Trap Team.
The tradition of grooming good shotgunners continues. A number of young local shooters participated in the Cornhusker shoot. The North Platte Junior High School Team did very well. They finished third out of 81teams. A total of 843 junior high age students shot in this division.
Zack Smith and Harley Yenni were the sixth grade shooters. Johnny Gustafson, Jacob Kohler and Zac Silos were the eighth grade shooters that filled out the team. These young men have spent hundreds of hours on the firing line and have developed an extremely high level of discipline to compete at this level. It takes thousands of rounds of shooting to hone the shooting skills and timing that it takes to shoot trap like these kids! They are true athletes in their own right.
Being able to shoot at this level takes more than being just a good shot. Each of these young shooters has a real passion for the sport. You can tell it by the way they talk and watch others shoot. There is a high level of comradery with the group, too.
I asked the team if they could tell me what they liked about trap shooting before their began their practice. I got some great answers:
Being with my friends and shooting is what I like the most, Harley Yenni said.
I like it all! Its fun, Zack Smith said.
I like the smell (of gunpowder) and the competition, Johnny Gustafson said.
It is being able to shoot and have fun is what it is for me, Jacob Kohler said.
I like shooting and the awards, Zac Silos said.
Although the team is known as the North Platte Junior High School Trap Team, I discovered that it is only the name the team shares with anything related with the North Platte schools. No financial aid is given to the team by North Platte schools. Im guessing it is too politically incorrect to have the words students and guns in the same sentence. The kids even had to be marked absent from their classes to attend this nationally recognized eventthe bane of political correctness run amuck!
Congratulations to Team Blue and to all the area shooters who participated in the event.
Colt New Cobra
One of the biggest news items that came out of the SHOT show back in February was that Colt was going to begin making revolvers again. The first model projected to hit the market was to be the New Colt Cobra .38 Special. It is reminiscent of the snub-nosed detective pistols, but it has been totally re-designed.
The Cobra was designed for concealed carry, with its 2 barrel and .38 Special chambering to offer new shooters a rewarding experience, we focused on the manageable .38 Special round, said Paul Spitale, senior vice president for Colt Manufacturing. We want folks to be equally comfortable carrying this great firearm for defense and enjoying it at the range with family and friends.
Colt says they have begun to ship these pistols to dealers. Ive heard the MSRP will be $699.
Have a great week outdoors!
Happy Mothers Day!
If you are wondering what is going on at the old Starbucks location at the downtown ONeill and Last Chance Gulch location it is being remodeled for a new T-Mobile store.
Out on the west side of town at 600 Shepherd Way, Nistler Construction is building 14 new housing units. They are located southeast of Robert Allen Nissan.
A Street Printing, the State of Montana printing facility, is moving to its new location by the Airport Tower on Airport Road. This has been located at the Capitol Complex and they will be moving their equipment in stages to this new location.
Vigilante Auto Body is doing a remodel project. They are located at 785 Carter Drive and do auto body and fender work. They can repair your vehicle from fixing the dents to the final, professional paint job. You can contact them at (406) 449-4515.
Mountain View Meadows is working to complete annexation of more lots in this subdivision (above the new Blue Cross Blue Shield building) to enable more homes to be built with full city services. Mark Runkle is the owner and can be contacted at 431-7305 or 475-4542. Check out their website at www.MVMeadows.com .
The new brewery that I previously mentioned going in off of McHugh Drive will be called Snow Hop Brewery and be located at 685 Barney. The design work for the facility is being done by architect John Mueller.
The downtown business district was sad to see Sweetgrass Bakery close its doors. It has been a mainstay on Fuller Avenue for many years and always had amazing baked goods! Next door to the former bakery is Minds Eye Tattoo and Art Studio that appears to be putting a new updated facade on the front of the building. They are located at 324 Fuller Avenue and can be contacted at 449-8287.
As reported in the IR previously, St. Peters Hospital is purchasing the Student Assistance Foundation building located across the street from the hospital on Broadway. The hospital is working to bring 30-40 new doctors to Helena to address current needs for primary and specialized care. The building will be used for additional clinic space.
The site where the former Recreation Station and the current location of Early Bird Cafe has been for sale for quite some time. It reportedly has sold to a Great Falls developer who has plans to develop the site into a gas station and convenience store. The cafe has up to a year to relocate.
Power Townsend is doing a remodeling project to expand their cabinet, appliance, and carpet departments along with other improvements. Seems like just yesterday they did their multi-million dollar expansion to the mega store they are today. It is very impressive that the Wall family just keeps investing in Helena and working to meet the needs of their customers.
Congratulations to the community for passing the recent school bond that will not only build three new schools but make improvements to all K-12 facilities in School District 1. This has been a long time coming and will give Helena the high quality facilities that will increase our ability to attract people and businesses to the capital city! Great for the kids, great for businesses, and great for our community!
With the spring weather, the Helena Chambers Charm Trail is getting busier and it is getting bigger! We have six new locations coming on board for a total of 40 locations! There are now 48 charms to collect and they are only $1.50 each. The trailheads where the starter bracelets with the Montana Charms can be purchased for only $5 are located at the Montana Historical Society, Radisson Colonial Hotel, Best Western Premier Great Northern Hotel, Helena Chamber and Holiday Inn Downtown. (Please note: Until July, the Holiday Inn Downtown is undergoing major remodeling, so their charms are temporarily at the chamber office) Not only are visitors enjoying the charm trail, but we are seeing local citizens, families, and even parents taking their children & friends around during birthday parties! It is a fun way to get out and enjoy Helena!
DETROIT In just a few years, well-mannered self-driving robotaxis will share the roads with reckless, law-breaking human drivers. The prospect is causing migraines for the people developing the robotaxis.
A self-driving car would be programmed to drive at the speed limit. Humans routinely exceed it by 10 to 15 mph (16 to 24 kph) just try entering the New Jersey Turnpike at normal speed. Self-driving cars wouldn't dare cross a double yellow line; humans do it all the time. And then there are those odd local traffic customs to which humans quickly adapt.
In Los Angeles and other places, for instance, there's the "California Stop," where drivers roll through stop signs if no traffic is crossing. In Southwestern Pennsylvania, courteous drivers practice the "Pittsburgh Left," where it's customary to let one oncoming car turn left in front of them when a traffic light turns green. The same thing happens in Boston. During rush hours near Ann Arbor, Michigan, drivers regularly cross a double-yellow line to queue up for a left-turn onto a freeway.
"There's an endless list of these cases where we as humans know the context, we know when to bend the rules and when to break the rules," says Raj Rajkumar, a computer engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University who leads the school's autonomous car research.
Although autonomous cars are likely to carry passengers or cargo in limited areas during the next three to five years, experts say it will take many years before robotaxis can coexist with human-piloted vehicles on most side streets, boulevards and freeways. That's because programmers have to figure out human behavior and local traffic idiosyncrasies. And teaching a car to use that knowledge will require massive amounts of data and big computing power that is prohibitively expensive at the moment.
"Driverless cars are very rule-based, and they don't understand social graces," says Missy Cummings, director of Duke University's Humans and Autonomy Lab.
Driving customs and road conditions are dramatically different across the globe, with narrow, congested lanes in European cities, and anarchy in Beijing's giant traffic jams. In India's capital, New Delhi, luxury cars share poorly marked and congested lanes with bicycles, scooters, trucks, and even an occasional cow or elephant.
Then there is the problem of aggressive humans who make dangerous moves such as cutting cars off on freeways or turning left in front of oncoming traffic. In India, for example, even when lanes are marked, drivers swing from lane to lane without hesitation.
Already there have been isolated cases of human drivers pulling into the path of cars such as Teslas, knowing they will stop because they're equipped with automatic emergency braking.
"It's hard to program in human stupidity or someone who really tries to game the technology," says John Hanson, spokesman for Toyota's autonomous car unit.
Kathy Winter, vice president of automated driving solutions for Intel, is optimistic that the cars will be able to see and think like humans before 2030.
Cars with sensors for driver-assist systems already are gathering data about road signs, lane lines and human driver behavior. Winter hopes auto and tech companies developing autonomous systems and cars will contribute this information to a giant database.
Artificial intelligence developed by Intel and other companies eventually could access the data and make quick decisions similar to humans, Winter says.
Programmers are optimistic that someday the cars will be able to handle even Beijing's traffic. But the cost could be high, and it might be a decade or more before Chinese regulators deem self-driving cars reliable enough for widespread public use, says John Zeng of LMC Automotive Consulting.
Intel's Winter expects fully autonomous cars to collect, process and analyze four terabytes of data in 1 hours of driving, which is the average amount a person spends in a car each day. That's equal to storing over 1.2 million photos or 2,000 hours of movies. Such computing power now costs over $100,000 per vehicle, Zeng says. But that cost could fall as more cars are built.
Someday autonomous cars will have common sense programmed in so they will cross a double-yellow line when warranted or to speed up and find a gap to enter a freeway. Carnegie Mellon has taught its cars to handle the "Pittsburgh Left" by waiting a full second or longer for an intersection to clear before proceeding at a green light. Sensors also track crossing traffic and can figure out if a driver is going to stop for a sign or red light. Eventually there will be vehicle-to-vehicle communication to avoid crashes.
Still, some skeptics say computerized cars will never be able to think exactly like humans.
"You'll never be able to make up a person's ability to perceive what's the right move at the time, I don't think," says New Jersey State Police Sgt. Ed Long, who works in the traffic and public safety office.
Allen G. Breed in Raleigh, North Carolina; Joe McDonald in Beijing; Nirmala George in New Delhi; and Michael Liedtke in San Francisco contributed to this report.
NEW YORK Whole Foods announced a board shake-up and cost-cutting plan last week as it fights to appease investors and hold onto shoppers who have more choices about where to buy organic foods.
The company, which has seen sales at established stores fall for seven straight quarters, is under pressure from activist investor Jana Partners. The group disclosed its stake in the chain last month and pushed for a shake-up of the senior management, among other changes.
Gabby Sulzberger, Whole Foods' newly appointed board chair, said Wednesday the company had offered to name two of Jana's nominees to its board in exchange for an agreement that would let the company focus on its improvement plan. She said Jana declined.
Jana said in a statement that it decided to "keep all options on the table" and will see if the new board "can show a real commitment to fixing the operations at Whole Foods and pursuing all avenues to shareholder value creation."
The five new independent board members include Panera CEO Ron Shaich and Sharon McCollam, who was most recently chief financial officer of Best Buy. The company also named a new chief financial officer, and said it plans to cut $300 million in costs by its fiscal 2020. That will be in part through more effective labor scheduling, it said.
Whole Foods Market Inc., founded in 1978, disrupted the supermarket industry but is now being unsettled by the trends it helped popularize. The company says people are turning to "good enough alternatives" to its organic and natural foods. Overall competition is also intensifying, with more places where people can buy groceries.
"It's become this hypercompetitive space, in which someone's going to end up losing," said Diana Sheehan, director of retail insights at consulting firm Kantar Retail.
The pressure on Whole Foods doesn't look to let up. European grocery chain Lidl is planning to enter the U.S. market with 100 stores starting this summer along the East Coast. Aldi has 1,600 U.S. locations and plans to expand to 2,000 stores by the end of next year. The chain focuses on private label products that sell for low prices, similar to Trader Joe's, which has about 460 locations.
In the latest quarter, Whole Foods said sales fell 2.8 percent at established locations. As sales have slumped, Whole Foods executives have tried to highlight what distinguishes their chain from rivals. And the company last year launched an offshoot chain named after its "365" private label brand, a nod to the popularity of no-frills chains that draw shoppers with low prices.
But in February, the company said it no longer sees the potential for expanding its flagship chain to 1,200 locations, up from the approximately 460 it has in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
On Wednesday, Whole Foods said it expects its various initiatives, including the rollout of a loyalty program to help sales at established locations, turn positive by the end of its fiscal 2018. For this fiscal year, it still expects sales to fall as much as 2.5 percent at established locations.
It expects total sales to increase by 1 percent or more, and earnings to be $1.30 per share or more. Previously, the company had forecast total sales growth of 1.5 percent and earnings of $1.33 per share for its 2017.
For its fiscal second quarter, Whole Foods Market Inc. said its profit fell to $99 million, or 31 cents per share. Not including one-time items, it earned 37 cents per share, which was in line with Wall Street expectations, according to Zacks Investment Research. Total revenue was $3.74 billion, above the $3.73 billion analysts expected.
ANACONDA Months after being gutted by fire in an incident that struck an emotional chord with residents, the Club Moderne bar reopened in Anaconda.
Stephanie Hekkel, who owns the historic building, 801 E. Park Ave., with her husband John Hekkel, reopened in style with a celebration that included an outside block party along with food, prizes and music.
In earlier interviews with The Montana Standard, Hekkel described the Club Moderne as a place thats been home to generations of Anacondans. The building, famous for its Art Deco design, is on the National Register of Historic Places. It opened in 1937, and some of its most loyal customers were smeltermen from the Washoe Smelter, Hekkel told The Standard in December.
At the scene of the fires aftermath in October, The Standard interviewed residents, one of whom described the loss of the Club Moderne the most devastating thing to happen to Anaconda. Later on, Victor Zenahlik, a captain with the Anaconda Fire Department, said he felt "heartbroken" and "sickened" when he got the call to respond to the Club Moderne.
In the months after the fire, the Hekkels have been busy rebuilding the bar, receiving in-kind support and material donations from Anaconda residents along the way.
When asked what its like to see the faces of the Modernes regular customers, Hekkel said it feels good to be back home.
John Hekkel, meanwhile, gave The Standard a tour of the work thats been done on the 20th Century bar.
In addition to new electric wiring, air-conditioning and plumbing, Hekkel said most of the interior has been completed, including the installation of new lighting and flooring and the refurbishing of the Modernes front and back bars, both of which survived the fire.
He pointed to a few dark shapes along the top of the front-room bar, which are burn marks from the fire, he said.
He added that he and his wife were able to salvage several items and materials that preceded the fire, including some of the furniture which theyve reupholstered three gaming machines and parts of a quilted, leather ornamentation. Hekkel has repurposed the leather, which now decorates the sides of the bar in the back room.
From the outside, meanwhile, passers-by can see the bars yellow siding has been replaced and that a new Art Deco door leads to the bars main entrance. The trim came from the original door, Stephanie Hekkel said, adding to the list of repurposed material.
As for the buildings iconic neon lights and curved carrere-glass facade that frames the main entrance, the Hekkels said theyre waiting for their lights to be repaired and that a new glass facade is being shipped from St. Louis.
In addition, the Hekkels have purchased the building next door to the Club Moderne, but John Hekkel said hes not sure what the family will do with the new space yet.
On Tuesday evening a line of patrons sat at the newly refurbished front room bar munching on popcorn and taking in libations, many of whom said theyre happy to be back at their favorite watering hole.
Anaconda resident Jason McElroy described the Club Moderne as a neighborhood bar that exists in a time when neighborhood bars are disappearing.
He said the interior of the bar, although slightly altered, still boasts the vibe that hes used to.
Its great, said McElroy. It has the same feeling.
Anaconda resident Ken Parks, meanwhile, is a man of few words.
Parks, who began patronizing the bar almost as soon as it was back in business, described his reaction to the October fire as simply sad eyes.
And what was the feeling elicited by the Club Modernes reemergence?
Parks only had three words to say:
Home sweet home, he said.
INDIANAPOLIS Gov. Eric Holcomb is poised to give rehabilitated criminals the opportunity to apply for state jobs without disclosing prior illegal acts, even as he prohibits local governments from requiring businesses to similarly "ban the box."
The Republican chief executive has signed into law Senate Enrolled Act 312, which bars localities from adopting ordinances that prevent companies from asking about arrest and criminal history information on employment applications, typically in a box separate from the rest of the form.
The new law, which takes effect July 1, effectively scuttles the 2014 "ban the box" ordinance in place in Indianapolis that's similar to statutes enacted in 24 other states, including Illinois, and 150 municipalities across the country.
At the same time, the first-year governor vowed to issue an executive order in coming weeks directing the state personnel department not to ask about criminal history in the early part of its hiring process.
"The executive branch of the state of Indiana will be banning the box for future state employment," Holcomb said.
It's not clear exactly how many Hoosiers with a criminal past will be helped by the governor's forthcoming order, since hiring for numerous state jobs is contingent on a background check that shows no criminal convictions.
But state Sen. Eddie Melton, D-Merrillville, and other lawmakers agreed that potential employees should at least have an opportunity to show they are the best candidate before an employer considers his or her criminal record.
"All applicants deserve the chance to be judged based on their qualifications, not their past convictions," Melton said.
Localities not allowed to prohibit employers from asking
State Rep. Matt Pierce, D-Bloomington, said barring localities from prohibiting employers asking about prior crimes is "business as usual for the General Assembly.
"Someone doesn't like a local ordinance, so they come up here and they get us to kind of be the city council of the whole and basically wipe out the local ordinance," Pierce said.
In recent years, the Republican-controlled Legislature also has blocked local governments from requiring businesses to pay a minimum wage higher than the federal rate of $7.25 per hour, provide employees their work schedules in advance, and limit the use of plastic and other non-biodegradable food packaging.
The influential Indiana Chamber of Commerce announced in November that banning "ban the box" ordinances was among its top priorities for the 2017 legislative session.
Nevertheless, Pierce and many other Democrats voted in favor of the proposal, because it also limits the civil liability of employers who take a chance on hiring a former criminal by not allowing evidence of the employee's past to be used in a lawsuit unless it directly relates to the facts of the case.
Pierce said he isn't entirely convinced that will result in many ex-cons getting hired, but he noted that advocates for post-prison employment, including the author of Indianapolis' "ban the box" ordinance, endorsed the proposal due to that provision.
The legislation passed the House, 79-12, and was approved by the Senate, 38-10.
Holcomb said prior to signing the measure into law that his support was based on the local government pre-emption language.
"I don't believe that I have the authority, or should have the authority, to tell other employers their hiring practices at those initial stages," Holcomb said.
LOWELL The Town Council will meet in a special joint session with the Lowell Stormwater Drainage Board at 7 p.m. Tuesday to act on proposals for major repairs to 171st Avenue which has been closed since March 31 due to the collapse of a culvert over McConnell Ditch.
The council has been hearing recommendations for both wet weather and dry weather repairs. During the wet season, pumping is necessary and increases the price, but could begin quickly. A dry season project would probably not be done until August.
At the same time, the council will consider engineering proposals for the replacement of pavement in Bel Aire subdivision. It is the largest of the projects funded through a Community Crossings grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation. The state grant is $1 million; the town matches that with another $1 million.
CROWN POINT For this mom and daughter, on this Mother's Day, the roles have been reversed.
After Maria Gonzalez spent much of her life raising her eldest daughter, Elba Rivas, Rivas now takes care of her mom.
"I was cleaning her up one time and taking her to the bathroom and she said, 'You're like my mother, and I'm the kid,'" Rivas recalled, seated on the bed at her mother's nursing home, Gonzalez in a wheelchair next to her. "I said, 'No, you're my mother, and I'm your kid.' She is still my mother."
And that's why Rivas essentially put her life on hold seven years ago, when Gonzalez began the descent into Alzheimer's disease. For the first 5 1/2 years, Rivas was at her mom's East Chicago home every day, to get her out of bed, feed her and get her ready for the day. Rivas would take her to a caregiver before going to work, then bring her mom back home in the evening. And do it all again the next day.
But Gonzalez's condition eventually worsened to the point she could no longer safely live at home. And Rivas had to make the heart-wrenching decision to put her in a nursing home. Rivas had promised her father, on his deathbed 20 years earlier, that she would never do so. But she was out of options. Her doctor told her she was working so hard she was putting her own health at risk.
Even so, the guilt can be overwhelming.
"I talked to priests. They say I'm doing the right thing. I would have had to quit my job," she said, unable to hold back her tears. "But she is still my mother."
Still, Rivas visits her almost every day. And Rivas' daughter, Marriza Negrete, works at the facility where Gonzalez lives, Wittenberg Village in Crown Point, so family is never far away.
Mother's Day different but special
On this Mother's Day, Rivas and Negrete plan to take Gonzalez out for her favorite meal, huevos rancheros. Rivas, ever festive, already has decorated Gonzalez's room for the holiday, with spring-colored flowers and decals like the one that reads, "Family where life begins and love never ends."
Negrete assures her mother that she is doing the right thing.
"I tell my mom all the time, 'I hope and I pray that I will be just as half a good a daughter as she has been to my grandma,'" she said, noting the experience also has reinforced the importance of spending time with family. "Pictures, pictures, pictures, memories, visiting. Cherish every moment you have. Don't let anything pass you by. Because this disease is affecting more and more people every day and at a younger age."
More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer's, a number that is expected to climb to 16 million by the year 20150.
Celebrating Mother's Day with a loved one with Alzheimer's is about changing expectations, said Sarah Milligan, a social worker with the Alzheimer's Association in Northwest Indiana.
"Sometimes traditions that families may have had, especially large group gatherings, may overwhelm people with the disease," she said. "We have to find ways to carry out traditions that are important to us as a family and adjust slightly so people with the disease can still participate to the best of their ability and be comfortable."
Cherishing the memories
At one point during the recent visit, Rivas was talking about her father. Gonzalez, 90, starting looking at a photo board that included pictures of him, pointing at it and making a grunting noise.
A few minutes later, a nursing home staffer brought her a bouquet of artificial flowers. Her face lit up with joy. She used to make flower arrangements, including for her granddaughter's wedding, seven years ago, right before her health started to decline.
"She loves flowers," said Rivas, 63. "She always said, 'Bring me flowers when I'm alive, not when I'm dead.'"
Negrete, 35, pointed out her favorite picture of her grandmother. In it, Gonzalez is sitting next to her husband, Pedro, at their kitchen table, holding a rose, a red-and-white cake on the table in front of them. Negrete took a closer look at the photo. "It was Mother's Day!" she said. "I never realized it was Mother's Day."
"The thing that never dies is the memories," Rivas said. "The best thing you have is the memories."
VALPARAISO Ken Hackett, who served as the 10th ambassador to the Vatican, will be Valparaiso University's commencement speaker next Sunday.
The 1:30 p.m. undergraduate commencement is one of three commencement ceremonies held throughout the weekend, conferring degrees upon 772 undergraduate students.
Hackett was nominated to the post by President Barack Obama and served from Oct. 21, 2013, to Jan. 16, 2017.
He is an exemplary figure a man of character and wisdom determined to elevate the marginalized who will undoubtedly inspire our graduates," VU President Mark Heckler said.
Prior to his appointment as ambassador to the Holy See, Hackett was president of Catholic Relief Services, an international humanitarian agency, from 1993 until he retired in December 2011. Hackett joined CRS in 1972, commencing his career in Sierra Leone, where he managed a nationwide leprosy program and a maternal and child health program.
Memorial Elementary students celebrated Indianas history May 5 in a special assembly called "Celebrate Indiana" showcasing students talents and bringing the entire school together.
This was a long work in progress that began last year when teacher Megan Becker had an idea to guide her class through the writing of a program that would be a kid-friendly narrative of how Indiana gained statehood honoring the bicentennial.
This was an opportunity for learning across the curriculum, as students learned state songs during music class, created costumes in art, while also learning about history in the classroom. By June 2016, a program was written that not only communicated our states history, but also encouraged students to be productive citizens who work hard to serve in their communities by showing HEART (Honesty,Effort, Attitude, Respect, Teamwork) which is our school motto.
In front of scenery created by parent volunteers and students, this student-led program began with a welcome message from the student council president, the Pledge of Allegiance and the singing of the national anthem. The choir, accompanied by music teacher, Elizabeth Larson, then sang "Fifty Nifty United States," showcasing all of the states!
A fifth grade readers theater group read the narrative as Alicia Watkins third grade class acted out each event describing the great migration, the building of mounds, the settling of Native Americans, the exploring of the French and LaSalle and the trading of furs.
After the singing of Indianas state song, "On the Banks of the Wabash," Megan Beckers third grade class acted out events including the signing of treaties over control of the land and trade, the taxing of colonists, the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the rise of population in the Indiana Territory, the writing of a state constitution and finally Indiana gaining statehood.
The entire student body sang their hearts out to "My Country Tis of Thee" and "Back Home Again in Indiana" featuring fourth grade soloists.
The program came to a close with an exciting reminder that even though Indiana has been a state now for 201 years, as young Hoosiers, we have an important role in creating a bright future for our communities by working together, caring for others and being strong leaders.
As a couple students held a heart with Indiana in the middle high in the air, we sang our school song loud and proud, "Show Your HEART."
This was a collaborative effort that brought staff, parents and students together! Thats what education is all about!
I want to wish a Happy Mothers Day to all those wonderful moms out there including our two daughters-in-law, Miranda and Jessi, who are celebrating their first.
My Methodist roots have a place in history of Mothers Day. In 1908, Anna Jarvis held a memorial to her mother at St. Andrews Methodist Church in West Virginia. Her mom was a peaceful women who cared for wounded soldiers during our Civil War on both sides. To this day, St. Andrews UMC holds the International Mothers Day Shrine.
The first Mothers Day that was officially recognized in this country was in 1914 by President Woodrow Wilson signing a proclamation declaring the second Sunday of May should celebrate motherhood over all our fair land. It is now celebrated all over the world in a whole host of countries.
But before they become mothers, we have quite a few young women busy this last weekend and next weekend in Portage.
Prom is over, and its getting closer to the time where the class of 2017 will toss their caps in the air and embark on a new journey.
This time of year is also the time when our young soon-to-be-senior women are competing in one of the oldest contests in Portages history. Im talking about the Portage Distinguished Young Woman Scholarship Program.
This year marks the 37th year for the program in Portage which has a specific purpose to spotlight young women who are trying to better themselves and the world around them. This program has successfully opened the door for high school senior girls by allowing them the chance to receive scholarship money to assist them in pursuing their educational goals at a school of higher learning.
The Distinguished Young Woman program directs attention on their achievements in scholastics, extracurricular activities, community involvement and also leadership qualities. Positive achievements as a personal objective are what theyre looking for in these young hopefuls.
Ive always followed this program ever year because I really wished we had something like this when I was in school, but this year I get to be up close and personal with these young ladies. Im honored to be a judge alongside some other noteworthy women, including Chris Broughman, Lisa Ford, Jennifer Smolnicky and former DYW winner Mariah Blackwell.
This year there are 27 amazing young women taking the stage this Friday and Saturday for the final nights of competition. They are Johnna Vaughan, Jessica Cretors, Daniela Demko, Corinne Ball, Mary Yong, Jasmine Cuadrado, Kristen Gaffney, Megan Stilwell, Kara Denvit, Cassie Prohl, Mickayla Edmaiston, Faith Zettler, Shelby Rollins, Alexa Burney, Andrea Vance, Macy Danko, Sydney Ford, Emma Garzella, Ariana Delgado, Alexis Serrano, Alexandria White, Kristen Morris, Isabella Paglicci, Madeline Aldrich, Jordan Simko, Jamie Valadez and Autumn Maiden.
So come on out and support your favorite outstanding young woman this weekend.
Hats off to the DYW committee which includes Carrie Martin, Troy Williams and Kevin Giese. This a great program in a great city with great people running the show.
Portage Distinguished Young Woman, youve come a long way, baby.
Marc Chase Editor Marc Chase is a veteran investigative reporter, columnist and editor of more than two decades. He currently leads The Times news staff as local news editor. He can be reached at 219-933-3327. Follow Marc Chase 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
The smoke plumes of alleged impropriety are again billowing from the Lake County Government Center in thick figurative clouds.
Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors should follow their senses on this one and determine if the smoke emanates from the criminal fires of public corruption.
We learned about the smoke earlier this week in a civil lawsuit filed against Lake County Recorder Mike Brown. The lawsuit alleges he compelled a part-time government employee of his office to engage in sex acts as a condition of possible promotion to full-time status.
But right now, it's just a civil lawsuit claims stacked like firewood into a smoking pit of flaming allegations.
Regardless of their veracity, such civil accusations carry enough smoky odor that they should be garnering a probe for possible criminal fires.
In fact, the allegations seem to be rooted in the same soils from which other local government officials have been convicted in criminal public corruption cases.
The civil lawsuit, filed by former part-time recorder's employee Estela Montalvo, specifically alleges that Brown compelled her to engage in sex acts with him in Brown's county government office in Crown Point as well as at Brown's residences.
Montalvo claims Brown tied offers of a future promotion to these encounters and that he perpetrated a similar quid pro quo cycle by rewarding another woman with a promotion.
The allegations go beyond their face-value repugnance of possible predation by a person of power on subordinates.
As the elected county recorder, Brown oversees 22 employees and a $1 million annual budget in the county's official archive of legal property and other documents.
If Brown was compelling a government employee to engage in sexual conduct with him, particularly on county hours and in his taxpayer-funded office, it's no stretch to say he was misappropriating public money and resources.
If Montalvo's allegations are true, the case is not much different, on its base, than other Region public officials who've been criminally convicted for using county workers or money for personal purposes or to fuel their political campaigns.
In the end, it's alleged personal use of taxpayer resources.
Then there's state and federal bribery laws to consider.
If sex were traded as a condition of employment or with the enticement of a possible promotion, how is it substantially different from a public official who offers or receives bribes?
And if Brown used his position as an elected official and department head to compel sex from Montalvo and others, as is alleged in the lawsuit, it sure seems to fit the spirit of official misconduct, which also is a crime defined in Indiana statute. Most reasonable people would infer official misconduct from an elected official using his or her government office for sexual encounters with government employees.
I'm no lawyer and don't even play one on TV. No doubt, truth can be elusive in such cases.
However, the smoke of these allegations begs a thorough investigation by the fire marshals that are state and federal agents and prosecutors.
Lake County Prosecutor Bernard Carter told us he's looking into the allegations for any basis of criminal activity.
That's a start, but most taxpayers would have a lot more faith in the results of a criminal probe orchestrated by the U.S. attorney's office in Hammond. You know, the same office that has garnered 70-plus criminal convictions against corrupt Region politicians or their politically connected crony contractors since the 1980s.
Lake County taxpayers deserve to know a thorough search for any fires of criminal wrongdoing has occurred.
Most civil lawsuits of this magnitude end up being settled out of court, with no regard for revealing fact or showing true culpability.
Such a situation, in this case, would leave embers of distrust burning in the hearts and minds of Lake County citizens.
A criminal probe by federal agents, whose offices aren't so close to the smoke of the Lake County Government Center or its partisan politics, could go a long way to truly sorting this one out.
Among our Region's greatest attributes is our location in one of the most business-friendly states in the country and our proximity to Chicago, putting us in one of the world's richest economies.
Recent rankings in the Wall Street Journal and Chief Executive magazine help illustrate these positives for our Region.
But we shouldn't allow the rankings to keep us from needed investment and new innovations to take us to the next level.
On Thursday, The Times reported rankings from Chief Executive magazine, which placed Indiana first in the Midwest and fifth in the nation for business.
The ranking was based on a survey of more than 500 CEOs, who favored states with business friendly tax and regulatory climates.
Indiana has long been known as a state with low business and other taxes and fewer encumbering regulations.
Meanwhile, a recent Wall Street Journal article revealed a United Nations-compiled list of the world's richest cities, based on data compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
Based on 2012 GDP, the Chicago metro area was ranked 9th in terms of the world's richest, just below San Francisco and just above Houston.
These are all great reminders of the strong assets upon which Northwest Indiana, a part of both the greater Indiana and Chicago communities, can build.
Most also would agree, however, that our Region can do so much better.
It's not enough just to have business-friendly taxes and regulations.
We also need quality-of-life enhancements to attract and retain a top workforce, one of the main attributes businesses seek when choosing regions to call home.
Business-ready spec buildings, industrial parks and shovel-ready land also should remain a priority for attracting businesses to our area.
An emergence of a long-term Indiana road funding plan in the most recent legislative session bodes well for ensuring quality infrastructure for both workers and businesses.
Most business leaders are encouraged by the economic bedrock that planned commuter rail expansion represents.
These all are the beginnings of transformational investment.
The recent rankings provide nice laurels for our Region's marketability and sustainability.
But we can't rest on those laurels. We must be willing to roll up our sleeves and invest in the next steps to building a sterling Region economy.
While a Carroll College graduate strolled down the aisle Saturday, she stopped for a few seconds to peer up into the stands. As she watched the cheering mass, her eyes began to well up with tears.
This was a moment she shared with her 267 fellow graduates alongside their loved ones. Many took selfies while others posed for their parents just before the commencement ceremony began in the Carroll PE Center.
All around her, the graduates celebrated their completion of college as well as their personalities with the decorations on their caps. The adornments ranged for pictures of pet dogs to a tiara. Others opted for glitter and confetti. Some represented their major such as depictions of apples for teachers.
One degree-related pun scrolled atop a cap was "keep your ion the prize."
Another simply read "I already forgot everything."
Student speaker Chase Farrell looked out upon his fellow seniors as he reminisced sitting in the same area when he started at the school.
"It's amazing how quickly time flies," said Farrell, who is from Spokane, Washington.
Farrell, a business administration graduate, was elected by his classmates to speak on their behalf.
In what started as a somewhat embarrassing story, Farrell recalled a time he fell down Guadalupe Hill in the dead of winter. It's not an especially tall or impressive hill, he added.
But, that experience taught him it's how you pick yourself up that's vital.
"No doubt I have stumbled on my way here today," Farrell said.
"It's not the fall -- it's the recovery," he added.
Farrell, who served as student body president for two years, encouraged his classmates and everyone gathered for Carroll's 107th commencement ceremony to give their personal best every time. It may sound cliche, Farrell said, but he believes his cohorts can and will change the world for the better.
"The only way to win is to work harder than anyone else," Farrell said.
One graduate who is already making a difference in the community is Theodore Olenick, who received an award for being an embodiment of everything for which Carroll stands. Olenick was chosen for the Michael Murphy Award for Outstanding Collegiate Citizenship, which is presented to the graduate who through achievement and leadership has excelled in promoting the spirit and ideals of the school. The honor is bestowed in memory of Murphy, a former student.
Olenick served as a mental health technician at Shodair Children's Hospital while attending Carroll. He graduated with a biology degree.
Two graduates were honored with the Bishop Gilmore Memorial Award for Outstanding Scholarship. Celena Louise Alduenda, an elementary education major from Helena, and Alexa Marie Daskalos, a nursing major from Albany, Oregon, were recognized with the award for having the highest grade point averages in their years at the school.
Leslie Angel, an associate professor and chairperson of the psychology department, received the Outstanding Teaching Award. Angel was recognized for her legacy of being a giving educator both inside and outside of the classroom. She has been an instructor at the school since 2009. Angel teaches classes ranging from cognitive psychology to human sexuality to canine science.
The Distinguished Scholar Award went to Lauri Travis, an assistant sociology professor. Her research focuses on archaeology, evolutionary ecology and prehistoric subsistence. She also leads an archaeological field school in which students excavate and survey in the Big Belt Mountains each summer.
Faculty speaker Gary Fischer, who received the Outstanding Teaching Award two years ago, said he always says he learns more from his students than they do from him. Fischer, an associate professor of engineering, said his students continue to enlighten and inspire him.
Fischer spoke on three topics he said are the basis for life.
The first is faith in God.
Next is what he called "show up and step you." Fischer said those graduating must remember to arrive on time and ready to go.
The last is to be honest with one's reflection in the mirror. Your image will be different depending on the day, he said.
"There are times the mirror is a little too honest and even a little cruel," Fischer said.
When in doubt, seek the opinions of people you trust to get the truth, he added.
In his advice, Fischer threw in one last piece: "You may have to put down your phone."
Author and historian Wayne Flynts connection to southern novelist Harper Lee began decades before the two spoke, or wrote, a word to each other.
As a student of southern history, Auburn University professor emeritus Flynt saw no way to separate his interest from its literary traditions. He took a break from poring over history books before his dissertation at Florida State University in the early 60s and picked up a piece of fiction for the first time in three years.
Flynt chose To Kill a Mockingbird for his reprieve and, like any good piece of fiction, it illuminated something Flynt thought he knew so well.
I thought, Good Lord, if a woman like that from the black belt of Alabama could write a book like that, maybe theres something about Alabama I missed, said Flynt, who had vowed with his wife never to return to Alabama after the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in 1963. Maybe its more complicated than just Klansman and bombsters and righteous Baptist people who just stay silent in the face of evil.
Flynt and his wife, Dartie, fell in love with Nelle (Harpers first name) Lee in absentia, returned to Alabama and never dreamed they would meet Harper Lee.
But a late-life friendship formed in the early 2000s first through a friendship with Lees sister, Louise Conner, and later through care for each other.
Flynts newest book, Mockingbird Songs: My Friendship with Harper Lee was released on May 2. Through letters exchanged between Flynt and Lee, the book gives a glimpse into their relationship and the inner workings of Lees mind.
Chapter 1
Their first meeting was in 1983.
Flynt, professor emeritus in the history department at Auburn University and Auburn resident, helped start the Auburn Humanities Center, and through the centers first conference in Eufaula, Flynt connected with Auburn University alumna Conner, Lees sister.
The group planning the conference wanted to use Conners connections to invite Lee to speak, but they werent sure she would come. Lee eschewed speaking engagements and had not given an interview to a reporter since 1964.
Some suggested reaching out to Truman Capote - the novelist and screenwriter as well as Lees childhood friend - to speak. Flynt saw the horror overcome Conners face at the thought.
He learned years later of Capotes tradition of showing up drunk to speaking engagements and said Lees agreement to come was the ultimate gift of love to her sister so that her sister would not be humiliated by Truman Capote.
Lee signed scores of copies of To Kill a Mockingbird for children at the event, including Flynts 14-year-old son who would go on to name his daughterthe first female Flynt in three generationsHarper.
When Flynt held out his copy, Lee said, I only sign for children, then got up and left.
Thats the end of it, Flynt laughed. Thats my one and only meeting with Harper Leenot a very pleasant one. She didnt seem like somebody Id like to get to know well. But Louisewe fell in love with Louise.
The Flynts grew closer to Conner and Alice Lee, the eldest sister, over the next 10 years, despite not saying a word to Lee. They would drive to Eufaula once a quarter, taking Conner to get soul food and sit on the porch while talking everything Alabama.
The first letter from Harper came in 1992.
Flynt wrote an op-ed column about the three Lee sisters that was published across Alabama, and Lee wrote to thank him.
To learn that a man of your gifts, by faith in onenovel (To Kill a Mockingbird), chose to make his life in Alabama makes the author humble indeed. I can only say thank you for honoring the state with your presence, Lee said.
She continued, pointing out one small error Flynt had made. Lee jested that his mistake, writing that Harper was older than Conner (actually she was the youngest of the siblings) made Louise chortle with delight.
Another 10 years passed before the next letter came. Lee knew of Flynts relationship with her sister who was slipping into dementia and wrote, If she were responsive to anybody, she would be responsive to you.
Flynt wrote and called Conner, but her memory of their relationship was gone.
Then we began to write, Flynt said.
Evolving letters
The letters were first between distant friends. They would write about 12 to 15 pages of handwritten notes about every six months.
Lee would sometimes send stationery or greeting cards simply because she thought it was beautiful and wanted the Flynts to have it. Flynts daughter-in-law would send Lee stationery from Italy. Lee told Flynt, Tell the children I love the stationery. Im just like baby bear; its just right.
But after Lees stroke in 2007, the Flynts developed a more intimate relationship with Harper. She was in Birmingham for six months, then moved to the Meadows, an assisted-living home in her hometown Monroeville. The Flynts came for a visit at least once a month
The letters took a darker turn. They focused on health and death, and most of all, shes worried about having to go back to Monroeville.
All the wads of biographers and people who write about her say she split her time living in New York and Monroevilleshe never lived in Monroeville again, Flynt said. She never owned a house, which is what living someplace means.
She would visit Alice during the holidays, before moving back following her stroke, but she could never wait to get on the train (to return to Manhattan), Flynt said.
The letters morphed into more and more visits, which Flynt documented in more than 300 pages that he hopes to turn into a book called Afternoons with Nelle. During the last years, Flynt saw himself as a counselor for Lee.
She was frightened, Flynt said. To me, this is just part of what I had done as a minister. I felt very comfortable about the relationship, but I certainly didnt feel like I could reveal anything about her.
Beginnings of the book
Flynt said he promised Lee not to write anything about her during her lifetime, adding that she was furious with the biographies written about her.
There are words like reclusive or introvert or shy, all of which are gradations of the same understanding of a persons personality. All are totally wrong as applied to Harper Lee; she is intensely private, Flynt said. Her view was that if people loved her work, thats fine, but she owed them nothing as a result of that.
And since Flynt didnt pry into her personal life, and never asked things such as whether she was a lesbian, she opened up to Flynt.
She shared a lot of things with me that were very personal, but she shared them in her way on her time and, like I say, in terms of her sexual identity - I never asked, and she never said. I dont care, Flynt said.
The thought never crossed his mind to do something with the letters until rumors began to shroud the publication of Lees Go Set a Watchman in July 2015.
Flynt was furious about suspicions that accused Lees lawyer Tonya Carter of pushing Lee to publish the novel. While some have questioned his intent with publishing the letters as well, Flynt said he had one motivation.
I decide, if only these people could read her letters, they would know that what theyre saying is just bunk, Flynt said. I know she wont defend herself. She wont try to explain. She never tried to explain anything. But I can explain this in her own words. Theres no one thats going to think Tonya Carter or anybody else manipulates Harper Lee because theres nobody who manipulated Harper Lee ever in her entire life, and all I have to do is publish these letters.
Flynt brought the letters to Lees agent Andrew Nurnberg and asked if he would be interested. He returned with a first draft, and Nurnberg told Flynt the interest in Go Set a Watchman would make it a perfect time to publish the letters.
No, that will not do, Flynt told Nurnberg. Were not going to publish this until Nelle dies.
Nurnberg asked Flynt what would happen if Lee were to live another 10 years, and Flynt defended his stance.
She was betrayed enough in her lifetime, Flynt said.
Why the letters?
The manuscript was nearly finished when Lee passed in February 2016. Flynt, inspired by Sally Fitzgeralds edited letters of Flannery OConnor and a collection of Jane Austens, selected and compiled the letters interwoven with commentary and finishing with the eulogy and tribute Flynt gave at her funeral.
Flynt said he hoped Lee would be glad to finally have her say.
I think in some ways she would chortle and grin and laugh and shed say, Right on, brother. You gave it to em, Flynt said.
He had hoped to give readers insight by sharing their written discussions and dispel rumors that Lee had lost her mind by including discussions about C.S. Lewiss works or her memory of what her grandfather said about his role on the second day of Gettysburg.
I hope people will go around and say, At last, I understand Harper Lee, Flynt said.
WASHINGTON -- Rod Rosenstein: Save yourself.
For years, the man who just became the No. 2 official in the Justice Department painstakingly built a reputation as a gifted prosecutor and an above-the-fray lawman, serving Democratic and Republican administrations alike.
Now, just over two weeks into his new job, he has become a national joke.
He has destroyed his credibility by giving cover and legitimacy to Trump's decision to fire FBI Director James Comey, the man overseeing the agency's probe of the Trump campaign's possible collusion with Russia in tilting the 2016 election Trump's way.
The Washington Post reported that Rosenstein threatened to resign because the White House was turning him into a stooge. Others matched the Post report. But Rosenstein says: No, he made no such threat.
So he therefore must be content in the work environment he just joined. In case he missed it, this is what we've seen from that administration in the past week:
-- The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, hiding among the bushes on the White House north lawn and demanding that journalists turn off their camera lights before he would speak to them about the Comey affair.
-- Comey learning that he had been fired when he saw it on TV on a West Coast swing; he thought it was a prank.
-- The White House offering a profusion of conflicting accounts about Comey's dismissal, culminating in Trump contradicting his own aides by saying he would have fired Comey even if Rosenstein hadn't written that preposterous memo citing the Clinton email case.
-- The White House blocking American reporters and photographers from covering Trump's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov but admitting a photographer from the Russian state news agency Tass, which published photos of the meeting.
-- The president went on Twitter to attack, again, a Democratic senator for mischaracterizing his military service years ago and to renew his long-standing feud with Rosie O'Donnell.
-- The very same president registering the approval of just 36 percent of the country in a new Quinnipiac University poll. When Americans were asked to volunteer a word that comes to mind when they think of Trump, the top answer was "idiot."
But the most surreal happening of the week was none of the above. It was The Wall Street Journal's report that Rosenstein "pressed White House counsel Don McGahn to correct what he felt was an inaccurate White House depiction of the events surrounding FBI Director James Comey's firing." The Journal reported that "Rosenstein left the impression that he couldn't work in an environment where facts weren't accurately reported."
Rosenstein can't work in an environment where facts aren't accurately reported? And yet he goes to work for the alternative-fact president, who, by the Post's Fact Checker's tally, churned out 492 false and misleading claims in his first 100 days?
Rosenstein is either the most naive man in town, or he's not the honest man we all thought him to be. Let's give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's an ingenue who was chewed up and spit out by the Trump White House, which commandeered his unsullied reputation to justify its Comey sacking and left his once-vaunted standing in tatters.
In that case, Rosenstein needs to wake up to the reality that he has been -- and continues to be -- used by Trump and his defenders to provide a veneer of legitimacy to his decision to eliminate the head of the Russia probe.
Trump may now say he would have fired Comey anyway, but everybody else has used Rosenstein, and his three-page memo justifying Comey's dismissal, as cover.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.: "Mr. Rosenstein recommended Mr. Comey's removal."
Spicer: "It was all him. ... No one from the White House. That was a DOJ decision."
Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Thune, R-S.D.,: "They decided to take this action, based upon a recommendation from Rob Rosenstein, who was just confirmed by the Senate, 94-6, a couple of weeks ago, and a man who people have a tremendous amount of confidence in."
Rosenstein now makes Comey look like Solomon. If he cares at all about rehabilitating the reputation he built, Rosenstein has one option: He can appoint a serious, independent and above-reproach special counsel -- the sort of person Rosenstein was seen as, until this week -- to continue the Russia probe.
Rosenstein may never recover his honor. But this is his only chance.
Dana Milbank is a columnist for The Washington Post.
A man was shot Saturday inside a car parked in a residential section of South Omaha, then was pulled from the vehicle and left in the street to die, police said.
Police have identified the victim as Oziel Vazquez-Serrano, 21.
As the assailant sped from the scene near 36th and H Streets about 6:30 p.m., a witness noted the cars license plate and reported it to authorities, Lt. Mark Matuza said.
Police went to an address, at 40th and Browne Streets in northeast Omaha, connected to the car. There they arrested Benjamin Guevara, 21. He was booked early Sunday on suspicion of first-degree murder and using a gun to commit a felony.
Police were not looking for other suspects in the killing, a spokesman said.
It was the 10th homicide in Omaha in 2017 and the first south of Dodge Street.
A neighbor said she watched as firefighters performed CPR on the victim as he lay on a gurney outside an ambulance.
The victim was taken in grave condition to Nebraska Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
Bruce Whittenberg and Denise King spent the last few days of the legislative session sitting in the Senate gallery, hoping a bill funding an expansion of the Montana Historical Society would be scheduled for a vote.
Whittenberg, the executive director, and King, the central administrator, had spent all session promoting the project and fighting off bills they said would have jeopardized the integrity of the state museum.
The legislation they hoped would pass was sponsored by House minority leader Jenny Eck, D-Helena, and would eventually fund the $44 million project by increasing the states lodging tax. Ecks bill had passed out of the House and a Senate committee with bipartisan support and was scheduled to be voted on the Senate floor on April 24, the last week of the session.
But the bill was wrapped up in partisan politics. It was delayed on April 24 and wasnt scheduled again. When the governor and House leadership failed to reach an agreement on an infrastructure bonding bill, the House voted to adjourn on April 28. Instead of letting House Bill 660 get a vote and possibly move forward, Senate leadership also adjourned, allowing the historical society funding to die.
We were very disappointed, Whittenberg said. When bonding was not resolved, they sure as heck werent going to approve a museum project in Helena.
Senate President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, said the decision not to take a vote on the bill was an agreement made by both Democrats and Republicans.
It was part of a larger negotiation. Had infrastructure come across along with House Bill 8 (a bill that would have funded rural water projects) it would have gotten scheduled, Sales said.
Sales said there was an understanding that the bills would only pass if they all went together.
Eck said she agreed, and knew the Senate leadership was uncomfortable putting it to a vote without the infrastructure bill.
It kind of got snagged by that whole fiasco, she said.
While Eck acknowledged the agreements existence, she said passing the bill would have relieved both Democrats and Republicans of another session arguing over the museum.
I felt really good about how creative of a solution it was and it made a lot of sense, She said. It wouldnt have happened overnight. It wasnt everyones first choice. What can you move forward that people can live with?
The Montana Historical Society, a state agency under the executive branch, has been asking the Legislature to fund a portion of its expansion since 2005. Whittenberg has concerns about the age of the building and air quality issues that could damage the collection. Due to space limitations, the museum is only able to show 8 percent of its collection at one time.
An expansion would fund the construction of the Montana Heritage Center in a nearby parking lot and connect it to the Montana Historical Society via an underground concourse. There would be 65,000 additional square feet for new exhibits, educational space, an outdoor amphitheatre and secure storage space.
In the past, the project has been rejected after some legislators refused to vote for any bonding, a form of state debt. Others said they would only vote for a bonding bill that includes what they classify as critical needs, such as sewer, bridges and road projects. The proposal to partially fund the $44 million expansion was again included in versions of the bonding bill, and as expected, faced criticism from a good portion of Republicans.
Democrats have been trying to pass a bonding bill to fund a mix of urban and rural projects for several sessions. Theyve also broadly supported the inclusion of the Montana Historical Society, but have been willing to use it as a bargaining chip to win over Republicans. When it became clear they didnt have the support this session to push a bill through if the Montana Historical Society was included, Eck started working on her proposal to raise the state lodging tax from 3 percent to 3.5 percent to fund the expansion project.
Eck said the bill was proven to be palatable after several successful votes. Republicans would hopefully be encouraged to vote for the infrastructure bill without an urban building project included. A proposal with a half percent tax increase would largely be paid by people visiting from out of state to finally fund the Montana Historical Society.
After the Montana Historical Society found a way around bonding, which had plagued them in previous sessions, they watched their bill die purely due to politics, Whittenberg said.
While certain theyll return to the 2019 session making a similar ask, Whittenberg said he wasnt decided on a strategy. During past sessions, The Montana Historical Society has been unable to convince some legislators the museum benefits the entire state, not just Helena. The collection is made up of artifacts from every corner of the state and people are willing to travel to Helena to visit, Whittenberg said.
Whittenberg said the complaint about the location of the museum is old and its now clear that preserving Montanas history isnt a priority for certain legislators.
Its been suggested multiple times that moving it to a more rural part of the state would provide adequate space at a lower cost. Whittenberg and King said it wouldnt be less costly and said the decision to be in Helena, where the center of government is, was made over a century ago.
Whittenberg said the museum constantly loans out portions of its collection to other museums in the state and supports 200 institutions through loans or expertise. There are approximately 30 collections out on loan now. The museum staff provides workshops on how to preserve collections and travels to schools that cant afford to take field trips. Whittenberg said theyd prefer to keep providing support, not replace a museum in a more rural area.
Should we keep providing expertise, or is moving in next door and taking over the better option? Whittenberg said.
This session, the Montana Historical Society dedicated extensive time and input from experts to fight off bills that they say appeared to be an attempt to save the expansion project, but would only cause harm.
When Rep. Dennis Lenz, R-Billings, introduced legislation that would require the Montana Historical Society to sell objects or artifacts to fund the project, Whittenberg and King spent three weeks preparing for the first committee hearing, where it eventually died.
But testimony took hours and people came from across the state to oppose the bill that Lenz called creative.
Whittenberg received a flood of emails from donors concerned about family heirlooms, and some prominent Montana families said they would refuse to donate if the bill passed.
During testimony, Lenz said everyone has to sell things they dont want to and added Id suggest to you there may be a fine line between a hoard and a museum.
Whittenberg said certain bills that surface every session, such as the one by Lenz, demonstrate a misunderstanding of the museums role.
This isnt a flea market, he said.
For now, a first priority is encouraging more legislators to visit the museum to prove its nothing like a flea market, Whittenberg said. The Native American collection has 6,000 pieces, there are 1,000 firearms including a rifle used by Sitting Bull and 200 pieces by artist Charles M. Russell.
And while Whittenberg is optimistic about other creative proposals next session, its impossible to know when a bill will be used as a political bargaining chip.
We inch a little closer every time, he said. You keep working at it.
Jane Kleeb says Democrats need to focus on the 2018 election rather than argue among themselves whether it was a tactical mistake to bring Bernie Sanders to Omaha to stump for Democratic mayoral candidate Heath Mello.
Kleeb, chairwoman of the Nebraska Democratic Party, has been criticized by some Democrats for her decision to invite Sanders to Nebraska. She said the criticism is silly and counterproductive.
Democrats in this state have got to start looking in the mirror and stop pointing fingers. This is not the first race we have lost, said Kleeb, the partys new leader who supported Sanders in last years presidential election.
Kleeb invited Sanders to Nebraska, saying she believed the Vermont U.S. senator would energize the Democratic base and bring national attention to the race. Mello agreed to attend the rally after the invite had already been issued.
Paul Landow, who served as chief of staff for then-Omaha Mayor Mike Fahey, a Democrat, lambasted Kleeb for inviting Sanders to Omaha, saying it failed to significantly boost Democratic turnout and, he argued, served only to energize Republican voters to go to the polls.
Mello lost to Republican Jean Stothert by nearly 7 percentage points in last Tuesdays election.
Youre running in a moderate to conservative town in a conservative state and youre bringing in an East Coast socialist to campaign? How is that good strategy? asked Landow, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Stotherts campaign manager, Sam Fischer, agreed with Landow. He said the Stothert campaign came to believe the Sanders visit energized their own GOP base. Fischer said that after the visit was announced, the campaign noticed an uptick in volunteers showing up at their office to canvass on Stotherts behalf.
Mello was unavailable for comment Friday, but his chief political consultant, Ian Russell, defended the decision to bring Sanders to Omaha. Russell said the campaign needed to take some risks in order to defeat Stothert, an incumbent mayor with high favorability ratings in Mellos own internal polls.
Russell also said his own polling showed that Sanders was viewed favorably by many Omahans, and he believed Sanders would be able to energize the base. In the end, about 35 percent of registered voters cast ballots, only slightly above the 33 percent that voted in 2013.
The problem with the rally, Russell said, came when Mello found himself embroiled in a national debate over whether Democrats should embrace an anti-abortion candidate.
Tom Perez, who is chairman of the national Democratic Party, released a statement that appeared to rebuke Mello as a Democratic candidate for his anti-abortion track record in the Nebraska Legislature, where he served eight years.
Every Democrat, like every American, should support a womans right to make her own choices about her body and her health, Perez said in a statement aimed at Mello. That is not negotiable and should not change city by city or state by state.
The debate over abortion and not the Sanders rally slowed Mellos momentum that he had garnered in the wake of his strong showing in the primary election, Russell argued.
If it had just been a get-out-the-vote rally with Sanders, that would have been great, Russell said. It became a problem when we found ourselves stuck in someone elses conflict over party orthodoxy.
As for Kleeb, she said she has no regrets. She argued that Democrats have to take some chances in this state if they plan to win races.
She said she would focus her attention on trying to determine why the Democratic base didnt turn out in greater numbers in Omaha. She also said she will now turn her attention to recruiting candidates to run in state and local races in 2018.
The top race will likely be the Omaha-based 2nd District congressional race as Democrats try to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, a freshman lawmaker.
Several Democrats are said to be eyeing the race, including Mello and former U.S. Rep. Brad Ashford, who lost to Bacon in 2016. In addition, Kara Eastman, who is the head of a nonprofit group known as Omaha Healthy Kids Alliance, is considering a bid.
Correction: Jane Kleeb was misquoted regarding Democrats looking in the mirror in a previous version of this story.
Rep. Don Bacon said he expected a barrage of tough questions at his Saturday town hall meeting in Bennington.
And got em.
About 300 people filled the Bennington Elementary gym to hear Bacon, R-Neb., answer questions attendees had written on slips of paper and turned in at the door. With few exceptions the questions drawn during the hour-and-a-half town hall centered on Bacons stances on health care and appointing a special counsel to oversee an investigation into the Trump campaigns contacts with Russia.
Drilled repeatedly on the House GOP plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, Bacon stood by his support of the bill.
Frankly this is an emergency mission to save our health care, Bacon said.
Every week its getting worse, he said, referring to Aetna Healths announcement last week that it would withdraw from individual health plan markets under the Affordable Care Act in Nebraska and Delaware in 2018.
Amid booing and shouts of Lies, Bacon said that under the GOP plan called the American Health Care Act high-risk people will be charged the same as a healthy person the same age and that rates will decrease.
The plan added funds for high-risk pools with the aim of keeping those costs down, but many are skeptical the rates still wont increase.
When asked about President Donald Trumps recent firing of FBI Director James Comey, Bacon said Comey had lost support from both parties.
If theres any information on the president, it doesnt go away now that Comey is gone, Bacon said over loud shouts of disapproval.
Later, when a woman asked him why he wasnt concerned about the timing of the firing, Bacon had to take a long pause as the crowd stomped on the bleachers and yelled Do your job!
Bacon also said that until there is a red flag to show there was actual collusion, he does not support the appointing of an independent special counsel to investigate Trumps ties with Russia, though he believes that Russia has been trying to throw gasoline on our partisan divide.
Bacon announced earlier this year that he didnt plan to hold any town hall meetings, worrying about disruptions. Hes since changed course, hosting his first public town halls at the end of April.
It wasnt pleasant, but it does embolden me, he said of the noisy crowd at Saturdays event.
To 48-year-old Lisa Schwetschenau of Omaha, those words arent enough. Shes written to Bacon several times and visited his office in Washington, D.C., to share her concerns about the future of health care.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis three years ago, Schwetschenau said that aside from voting, shed never been politically active until this year.
But I have to now, she said, wearing her Nevertheless, she pre-existed T-shirt. The AHCA could drastically change my life and the lives of all those with pre-existing conditions.
Though she appreciated that Bacon held the town hall, she said she felt he dodged tough questions and repeated the same lines.
Justin Carrizales, a 21-year-old student at Creighton University and a Bacon supporter, said he thought Bacon answered the questions the best he could.
Its frustrating that people come and yell over him, he said. But everyone is going to disagree, and Im just glad he came out to listen.
Before the town hall about 50 people with Indivisible Nebraskans and a few other groups gathered in Bennington for a rally in support of womens health and Planned Parenthood.
We will keep coming to these events as long as he has them, said Layne Jensen with Indivisible Nebraskans. We are ready to hold his feet to the fire on these issues, including health care.
10 year old raped by cop with mother's consent in MP
India
oi-Madhuri
A police constable of Madhya Pradesh was on Saturday arrested for allegedly raping a 10-year-old- girl by taking her mother's consent.
According to the complaint, the victim's father had a job which involved much of travelling and was always away from his home. About a year a year-and-a-half ago, he had purchased a TV and a motorbike on installment but his cheques bounced which led to a warrant being issued in his name.
Then the constable went to the home with the warrant and struck up a relationship with his wife and then targeted the kid.
The crime was reported only when the victim had gathered enough courage and confessed the matter to her grandmother who then lodged a complaint with the police. She even said that the policeman used to beat her when she resisted the abuse. Recalling the horror, the girl said that the accused constable sexually abused her repeatedly for nearly a year. The child's grandparents have also informed the Child Welfare Committee about the abuse.
The girl also underwent a medical examination and the results are not known.
Jabalpur women's empowerment officer Akhilesh Mishra was quoted saying in a leading daily that it was hard for them to believe that the child's mother had allowed a man to rape her. The girl is traumatised. However, she clearly told us what she had gone through.
OneIndia News
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Story first published: Sunday, May 14, 2017, 8:45 [IST]
No govt offices will be closed
No government offices would be closed on May 23 as the strike has been postponed. Trains too would run normally on that day. The Confederation of central government employees, has temporarily postponed the strike scheduled on May 23 following assurance of government to hike allowances shortly.
Govt assurance on 7th Pay Commission
The strike was put off following the assurance by the government. The confederation has however said that it would ensure that the genuine demands of the employees would be met. The government has assured that it would hike the allowances soon and hence the strike was put off.
Regret expressed
The confederation had expressed regret over the fact that the government was delaying the hike in allowances. After the government implemented the recommendation of the 7th Pay Commission from January 1, 2016 in respect of basic pay and dearness allowances, the Committee on Allowances, headed by Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa was constituted in June last year.
192 allowances assured
The 7th Pay Commission had recommended that of a total of 196 allowances, 52 be abolished altogether and 36 be abolished as separate identities by subsuming them in another allowance, which triggered resentment among central government employees that governments complied with formation of the Committee on Allowances.
Screening the report
The report is being currently examined by the Department of Expenditure. It will be placed before the Empowered Committee of Secretaries set up to screen the 7th Pay Commission recommendations and to firm up the proposal for approval of the Cabinet.
MISSOULA -- A stabbing victim used social media to get help after leaving a 34th Street apartment Saturday night, walking more than a mile with a stab wound in his neck, according to Missoula Police.
Sgt. Collin Rose said police responded to a call from an apartment on the 1200 block of 34th Street at 10:30 p.m. Saturday and found a bloody apartment with a man and woman inside, both very intoxicated.
The man, Natheniel Gregory Burd, was arrested on a felony charge of assault with a weapon, and booked into Missoula County Jail at 6:04 a.m. Sunday.
But police didnt charge him with a crime until another call came in, this time from Lake County.
The victim used social media Rose wasnt sure which site to ask for help, and a friend in Lake County called police.
A search for the victim, who had left the apartment before police arrived, ended more than a mile away and several hours later on the 1900 block of South Avenue.
It appears he went that whole way on foot with a neck wound, Rose said. He was pretty disoriented and lost a pretty significant amount of blood.
The stab wound was from some type of edged weapon.
Rose said police are still investigating the incident and couldnt give a cause for the attack.
India's longest bridge 'Dhola-Sadiya'
The bridge will run over the Lohit river, a tributary of the mighty Brahmaputra river. In Assam, the bridge is located 540-km away from the state capital Guwahati in Sadia. The other end, which is located in Dhola, is at a distance of nearly 300-km from Arunachal's capital city of Itanagar.
The Centre sanctioned a package of 50,000 crore in 2011 aimed at improving road connectivity between border states in the country. This project was part of the sanctioned package.The construction of the bridge began in 2011 at a sanctioned project cost of 950 crore. The design of the bridge is such that it can even accommodate and withstand the movement of military tanks.
According to reports, the Dhola-Sadiya bridge will be longer than Mumbai's Bandra-Worli Sealink by 3.55 km.
Strategic importance
After Kaliabor bridge in Central Assam throughout the 375 km of river bank there is no bridge for transportation across Mighty Brahmaputra river. In the upstream there is a bridge available for crossing the same but it travels through difficult hilly tarrain on north bank. At present all the transport are being carried out through water only. This project serves important logistics for Military personnel for Indo China border at Arunachal Pradesh.
A major boost to road connectivity
It will bolster the road connectivity in the Northeast as the bridge will be used by people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides defence forces extensively. The bridge, when opened for the public, will cut down the travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by as much as four hours. Since there is no operational airport in Arunachal Pradesh, this bridge will become as the most convenient way of travel between the two states.
Modi to inaugurate on May 26
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra river on May 26. With this, the BJP will start the celebrations of the NDA government's three years in office from this eastern-most part of Assam. The event also co-incides with the first year of the BJP-led government in Assam.
OneIndia News
Delhi brokers tried to bribe four TRS MLAs: KCR targets BJP
Hyderabad should remember Sardar Patel the most: Kishan Reddy
RRR box office collection in Japan: SS Rajamouli's flick likely to beat '3 Idiots' record
BJP MLA stands by his Hyderabad old city becoming mini-Pakistan' remark
India
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
BJP MLA Raja Singh on Sunday said there was 'nothing wrong' in his remark describing old city of Hyderabad as "mini Pakistan".
Galat nahi bola, Telangana assembly me maine kaha tha ki Hyderabad Old City ek 'mini Pakistan' ka adda bante ja raha hai: BJP MLA Raja Singh pic.twitter.com/GEwUfHBEV2 ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
Singh, who is a member of Telangana state assembly from Goshamahal constituency, remained defiant even after Hyderabad police registered a case against him for the objectionable comment.
Singh is also said to have made other communal remarks during an interview to a TV channel, said reports.
Deputy Commissioner of Police of Hyderabad V. Satyanarayana said that BJP legislator's remarks were 'provocative' and may lead to 'disturbance of peace, public order and communal harmony'.
A case was booked at Mir Chowk police station in the old city under section 153-A of Indian Penal Code.
(OneIndia News with agency inputs)
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Story first published: Sunday, May 14, 2017, 16:07 [IST]
'Kejriwal must break silence'
BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi said anomalies in the information given by AAP to income tax department must be probed. She said that truth must come out in the open'. Another BJP leader Prabhat Jha said that Kejriwal must speak up and clear the air, adding that his silence shows that he is guilty.
Congress called for thorough probe into the matter
Congress' Ajay Maken termed the allegations as' grave' and called for thorough investigation into the matter. Maken said that these accusations come under the Money Laundering Act and a special audit should take place to unearth the truth.
AAP rubbished the allegations
Meanwhile, the Aam Aadmi Party has rubbished Mishra's allegations and called it a BJP conspiracy'. AAP leader Sanjay Singh told the media that over 70-80 percent of the donations received by the Congress and the BJP were from unknown sources.
Singh also questioned the authenticity of the cheques shown by Mishra and said that the BJP was using Mishra to malign the AAP's reputation.
Kapil Mishra hospitalised
Mishra, who is on a hunger strike to protest against corruption in AAP, said that 16 shell companies added money worth crores in AAP's bank accounts.
At the end of the press conference, Mishra dared Kejriwal to resign by evening or he will drag Kejriwal with his collar and put him in Tihar Jail. However, immediately after his press conference on revelations on AAP 's finances ended, Mishra who has been on hunger strike for 5th day fell unconscious and was later taken to the RML hospital.
Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000
Country not safe in BJP's hands, hold fresh polls: Lalu
India
ians-IANS
By Ians English
Patna, May 14: RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Sunday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to dissolve the Lok Sabha and hold fresh general elections, as he claimed that the BJP-led central government had "failed on all fronts" in the last three years.
"Modi should dissolve the Lok Sabha and get fresh polls conducted along with assembly polls coming up in some states because his government has failed to fulfil the promises made to the people ahead of the 2014 general elections," he told media here.
The former Union Minister also demanded that Modi explain to the people about his promise of providing jobs to two crore persons annually.
"What happened to his promise of jobs to two crore people every year? The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government should reveal how many persons were provided jobs since May 2014," the former Bihar Chief Minister said.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal chief said the Modi government should also come out with official data on how much black money stashed in foreign banks had been brought back to the country in three years.
"The country is not safe in BJP hands as it is hell-bent on dividing society and create hatred among different communities to continue in power at all cost."
The BJP has been doing everything to finish regional parties to end true federalism in the country, the RJD leader said.
IANS
Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist trying to sneak into India from Nepal arrested
India
oi-Madhuri
Sashastra Seema Bal on Sunday apprehended a Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist trying to sneak into India from Nepal. According to reports, Naseer Ahmed alias Sadiq, who is 34-year old, was residing in Pakistan since 2003. Sadiq was involved in many violent crimes against civilians, including an attack on the STF camp. He was sent to India by his handler, for a specific mission.
#FLASJ Sashastra Seema Bal apprehends a Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorist trying to sneak into India from Nepal, residing in Pakistan since 2003 pic.twitter.com/oNBQGebdpA ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
During the interrrogation, Sadiq said that in an attempt to carry out terrrorist attack in India, he left Pakistan and landed in Kathmandu on May 10 along with his accomplice Mohd Shafi. However, he was apprehended by SSB officials and Maharajganj District Police when he was unable to produce any documents to prove his identity. After physical search, a Pakistani passport and identity card having address of Pakistan were recovered.
Disguised as a vendor selling carpets and Kashmiri shawls, Sadiq had attempted to sneak into Indian from Nepal but was later nabbed by SSB. Sadiq is well trained in weapons such as AK-47, Ak-56, SLR, Rocket Launcher (RPG7), Assault Rifle (G3 and G2) and grenades.
Earlier on Saturday, Hizbul Mujahideen commander Zakir Musa, who on Friday threatened to slit the throats of Hurriyat leaders for calling the Kashmir issue "political", quit the militant outfit on Saturday after the group refused to back his statement.
It is also believed that Militants from this group are believed to be behind the killing of Kashmiri Army officer Ummer Fayaz earlier this week.
OneIndia News
FM Nirmala Sitharaman hints at possibility of Centre considering restoration of state status to J&K
In J&K, 14,000 dropouts find their way back to schools
J&K: Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Rajouri's Chingus
India
oi-Madhuri
In a fresh ceasefire violation on Sunday, Pakistan has resorted to heavy firing and mortar shelling in Chiti Bakri in Chingus area of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri sector.
Ceasefire violation by Pakistan in Chiti Bakri in Chingus area of Jammu and Kashmi's Rajouri pic.twitter.com/3phDVivf3l ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
The firing started 6:45 a.m. and more than 7 villages have been targeted.
Since Saturday, at least two civilians including a minor girl were killed and nine people, including four soldiers were injured as Pakistan pounded 35 villages and Indian posts with mortars along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district.
Meanwhile, schools of the Nowshera region, Manjakote and Doongi zones have been closed.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday called for 'brotherhood and peace' between India and Pakistan post the cross-border firing in the state's Nowshera sector. "I would like to appeal to both nations, Pakistan and India, to not to indulge in unprovoked firings. We should maintain brotherhood and peace as we used to do during the former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee government," she said.
OneIndia News
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Story first published: Sunday, May 14, 2017, 8:50 [IST]
J&K: Security forces gun down two LeT militants in Kupwara
India
ians-IANS
By Ians English
Srinagar, May 14: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed on Sunday in a gunfight with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district, defence sources said.
The gunfight occurred in Warpora forest area of Handwara tehsil in Kupwara, the sources told IANS.
"Following specific information about the presence of militants in Warpora forest area of Handwara tehsil, security forces launched an operation but were fired upon by the hiding militants, triggering the gunfight. Two militants of LeT outfit have been killed in this operation," the source said, adding that searches were still going on in the area to track any more militants.
On May 6, two policemen and two civilians were killed in a terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam region.
Last week, The Indian Armed forces began a major operation in Kashmir to snuff out terrorists. The operation comprising nearly 3,000 security personnel was undertaken after videos of terrorists moving around freely in the Shopian district surfaced.
IANS
Kapil Mishra's fresh expose, claims Kejriwal involved in money laundering
India
oi-Madhuri
In a dramatic press conference that ended with him fainting, suspended AAP leader Kapil Mishra accused CM Arvind Kejriwal of money laundering and dared him to resign by Sunday evening. While addressing Mishra said that Kejriwal and those close to him were involved in converting black money to white. For three continuous years, black money was converted into white and spent on foreign trips.
Delhi:Kapil Mishra shows a presentation,claims false info given to EC regarding AAP accounts; further alleges black money converted to white pic.twitter.com/0SteHaiUDF ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
Mishra alleged that the police were trying to forcibly take him to hospital based on fake reports given by doctors, just a day before he was planning to make another expose. He also said that the report of his health is faked by the doctors, who were directly reporting to health minister Satyendar Jain, even as a team of doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia hospital examined Mishra and said his vitals, including blood pressure and sugar level, were normal.
Also, Mishra said that Kejriwal hid funds from Election Commission, income tax department and people. He further alleges that AAP has not given clear details of it's funding to the I-T and EC, says there is bogus entry in the accounts. Mishra said that he submit all these evidences to the CBI and demand a probe into AAP's political funding
At the end of the press conference, Mishra dared Kejriwal to resign by evening or he will drag Kejriwal with his collar and put him in Tihar Jail. However, immediately after his press conference on revelations on AAP 's finances ended, Mishra who has been on 5th day of hunger strike fell unconscious and was later taken to the hospital.
Earlier today, Mishra, took to Twitter to post a picture of several documents and said that "through these documents, truth will be revealed today".
Mishra was removed as Delhi's Water Minister on March 6 in a sudden move and was later suspended from the AAP. He then said he saw Kejriwal taking Rs 2 crore from Health Minister Satyendra Jain.
OneIndia News
Who started this:
Anna Jarvis was the first person who held a campaign to make Mother's Day a recognised holiday in the United States in 1905, the year her mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, died.
First celebrated in 1908:
The day was first celebrated in 1908, when Anna Jarvis held a memorial for her mother at St Andrew's Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia. The church now holds the International Mother's Day Shrine.
How Mother's Day celebrated in different countries:
In most Arab countries, the celebrations of Mother's Day are carried out on March 21, which is the Spring equinox. A few Catholic countries observe it on the Virgin Mary Day. In Greece, honouring motherhood has been linked to the Eastern Orthodox celebration of the presentation of Jesus Christ to the temple. The day is marked on February 2.
Why did Google doodle showed animated cactus mom
The Google's animated doodle represents the celebration of 'motherhood' and 'mothering' with a series of events related to a pregnant cactus and her milestones as a mother bearing baby cacti, looking after them and finally living family life with the grown up babies. It seems that Google chose the illustration of a cactus mom to show that a true mom's love is unconditional for the child even if the conditions are adverse.
Coastal Andhra to get heavy rainfall in next 2-3 days: IMD
ISRO's LVM3 to launch 36 satellites of UKs global communications network OneWeb on Oct 23
Lightning kills five Andhra farmers
India
ians-IANS
By Ians English
Vijayawada, May 14: Five farmers were killed after being struck by lightning in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district on Sunday, officials said.
Three others were also injured in the incident which occurred in Kalugudu village in Gummagattu block.
The farmers had taken shelter in some huts under a tree during rains.
In another incident, two cows died of lightening in the same district.
Cabinet minister Kalva Srinivasulu, who hails from the district, rushed to the village.
He directed officials to provide all help to the families of the victims and ensure best treatment of the injured.
IANS
In UP 166 criminals killed in encounters in past five years: Yogi
Martyr's family given AC, sofa only for show, taken back after CM's visit
India
oi-Vikas
By Vikas
It turns out that the Air Conditioner, sofa and carpet given to martyred BSF Head Constable Prem Sagar's family were only for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's visit, as the family is saying that all the items have now been taken back by the authorities.
Prem Sagar's brother, Dayasagar told news agency ANI that officials took carpet, sofa and AC back soon after CM Adityanath left their residence in Uttar Pradesh's Deoria.
"UP CM visited, AC,sofa,carpet were put in the room but officials took back everything after CM left," Dayasagar was quoted as saying.
According to reports, the local administration in Deoria district, installed airconditioners, new curtains, sofas and carpets in the martyr's living room where the chief minister was to meet the family. A day before CM's visit, dusty roads in the village were cleaned and drains which always used to remain open in the village were closed.
Head Constable Sagar was on patrol duty on May 1 along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch when Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) crossed the LoC and ambushed the patrol team. While taking cover, Head Constable Sagar and Naik Subedar Paramjeet Singh of the Army were left behind. They were killed and their bodies were mutilated.
Head Constable Prem Sagar was from the 200th batallion of the BSF and Naik Subedar Paramjeet Singh was from the Army's 22 Sikh regiment.
Head Constable Sagar's family had refused to cremate his body, insisting that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visit them. They agreed to hold the last rites after the Chief Minister spoke to them on May 3.
[Yogi keeps his word, visits village of martyred BSF soldier]
Adityanath visited martyr's family on Friday and presented a cheque for Rs. 4 lakh. He also reportedly promised employment to Sagar's children after completion of their studies
The Chief Minister said a 'shaheed smarak' (martyr's memorial) and a girls' inter college will be set up in the village in the memory of Prem Sagar.
OneIndia News
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Story first published: Sunday, May 14, 2017, 17:22 [IST]
NCW sends notices to Amit Malviya, Digvijay Singh and Swara Bhasker for revealing identity of Hathras victim
If Bengal fails to reply on complaints, will handover matter to MHA: NCW chief
UP gangrape & murder: NCW meets victim's family, says not satisfied with police probe
NCW calls for fair, speedy trial of Rohtak gang-rape case
India
ians-IANS
By Ians English
New Delhi, May 14: Taking suo motu cognisance of a brutal gang-rape in Haryana -- reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case in Delhi, the National Commission for Women has sought a fair and speedy trial in the case, its Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam said on Sunday.
"We have written to officials concerned to ensure a speedy and fair inquiry. We have also sent a team to inquire into the matter," Kumaramangalam told IANS.
Rohtak gang rape victim's kin will get financial assistance of Rs 10.5 lakh. State welfare dept to provide Rs 8.5 lakh, Red Cross Rs 2 lakh ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
In a savage crime reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case in Delhi, a young woman from Haryana's Sonepat district was abducted, gang-raped and brutally murdered.
The woman, aged around 23, went missing on May 9. Her body was found on the outskirts of Rohtak town early on Friday.
Reminiscent of the December 16, 2012 Delhi gang rape, the rapists had inserted a sharp-edged weapon in her private parts. Police also said that sedatives were found in her stomach.
Her head and face were smashed with a blunt object and later crushed under the wheels of a vehicle. Two men, including her neighbour Sumit who was stalking her, were arrested.
Stray dogs had eaten the victim's face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passerby in a secluded area of the city in Haryana on May 11.
The incident comes days after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence awarded to four convicts in the December 16, 2012, Nirbhaya gang-rape case.
IANS
Indian origin doctor had predicted mammoth cyber attack called "WannaCry"
International
oi-Vicky
By Vicky
The world was hit by WannaCry, a ransomware. It would be interesting to note that a doctor of Indian origin had warned against the cyber-hack of the UK's state run National Health Service just a few days before it crippled the country's network.
On Friday there were 75,000 ransomware attacks in 99 countries . Ransomeware attacks have been targeting organisations across the world. A majority of the attacks targeted Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan. The ransomware locks down all the files on an infected computer and asks the computer's administrator to pay in order to regain control of them. The ransomware, called "WannaCry," is spread by taking advantage of a Windows vulnerability that Microsoft released a security patch for in March.
But computers and networks that haven't updated their systems are at risk.
Dr Krishna Chinthapalli, a neurology registrar at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, had warned that an increasing number of hospitals could be shut down by ransomware attacks in an article on the vulnerability of the NHS network in the 'British Medical Journal' on Wednesday, two days before the major cyber-hack.
He had highlighted an incident at Papworth Hospital near Cambridge where a nurse clicked on a malicious link and malware infected her computer and started to encrypt sensitive files.
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Story first published: Sunday, May 14, 2017, 8:52 [IST]
North Korea launches ballistic missile
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Seoul, May 14: North Korea on Sunday launched a ballistic missile which flew around 700 km into the East Sea, the South Korean Joints Chief of Staff said.
"North Korea fired an unidentified missile at around 5.27 am on Sunday from an area in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan province."
In response, President Moon has strongly condemned North Korea for the launch, describing it as a grave threat to regional security and a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
He also called on Pyongyang to reverse its course of provocations for the resumption of dialogue while warning that his administration would deal resolutely in order to ensure it would not miscalculate the situation.
"Even if dialogue is possible, we should show to North Korea that it's possible only in case of North Korea changing its attitude," Moon said, presiding over a session of the National Security Council.
The US Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, also announced that it detected and tracked the launch of the missile, which landed in the East Sea.
"The type of missile is being assessed, and the flight was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile," it said.
"The US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security."
The Japanese government said the North's missile flew for half an hour. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed Pyongyang for again violating the UN Security Council resolutions.
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Story first published: Sunday, May 14, 2017, 11:15 [IST]
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Four thousand miles is a long way to go to turn on the lights.
Matt Eisenmenger, along with 11 other employees of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, traveled to South America to do their job of providing electricity to families.
As a safety instructor for the cooperative, Eisenmenger has a knowledge of how to electrify an area while at the same time keeping his employees safe.
His knowledge was tested when the group arrived in a rural area of Bolivia.
The Illinois linemen came from various areas including Bloomington, Paxton, Petersburg, Winchester, Jacksonville and Mount Vernon. They spent three weeks working alongside Bolivian linemen stringing electrical wire and other equipment from poles. The terrain was rough and dangerous, making progress slow.
We put up nine miles of line, but it was 22 miles by road, Eisenmenger said.
Both groups had different work techniques to get the job done. Their conflicts were amplified because of a language barrier.
Duane Noland, President of Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives, joined the group.
This isn't Central Illinois landscape, he said. There are a lot of ravines and thousand-foot drop-offs. It is very rough terrain, he said.
Although the work was hard under primitive conditions, the men were happy to have had the experience. They found an appreciation for home, and also a fondness for the people they were helping.
Linemen have a tendency to be outdoorsy, independent, macho kind of guys. And their linemen were too, Noland said. Before we left, it was fun to watch our linemen and their linemen shaking hands and hugging. Through their sunglasses, you could see tears.
Bolivia employs several thousand cooperative employees. However, they have only nine bucket trucks to use in a 950-mile area. Eisenmenger said most Illinois crews of less than five employees have two trucks available at any time.
It is 14 hours from one side of the territory to the other, he said.
While in Bolivia, the linemen often used ladders and ropes to climb an electrical pole. The wages are low, allowing the company to hire more people to do the manual labor.
But they are happy to have the job, Eisenmenger said of his Bolivian co-workers.
The rural area is located three hours from the largest nearby city of Santa Cruz. According to Noland, most areas do not have electricity.
An occasional town will, but the rural areas do not, he said.
Families live in primitive houses consisting of just one room. Toilets are flushed by pouring a bucket of water down the drain. Noland said many residents used telephones and laptops for school and marketing their farm produce. However, they had no nearby facility to charge them.
They had to take public transportation to the next town just to charge their laptop, he said.
Safety for the workers was another concern. According to the lineman, Bolivian safety practices are not as stringent as those in the United States. A few of the Illinois men chose not to participate during particularly dangerous situations.
As part of their safety measures, Bolivian linemen have their names, dominant hand and their blood type embroidered on their shirts.
You could be out in the middle of nowhere when you get hurt, Noland said.
Although the men could not speak each others' language, they were given more opportunities to bond during leisure days.
It was a three-mile walk to see a waterfall, Eisenmenger said. And we walked an hour an a half to see a rock that everybody carved in.
When the work was finished, the residents and linemen had a ceremony to turn the lights on, complete with schoolchildren singing and performing skits and a ribbon cutting.
They don't cut the ribbon, Noland said. They just pull the knot apart.
NRECA National Rural Electric Cooperative Association has been sending volunteers from the United States to Bolivia and other countries as a way of paying back the help their ancestors received more than 70 years ago.
According to the organization's website, the program began in the 1930s in the U.S. It was designed to provide electricity to farm communities across the country. The cooperatives are owned by members, similar to credit unions.
By the 1960s, most farms were powered by electricity, but the cooperative wanted to continue the work of helping others.
The cooperative in Bolivia was started by the cooperative from the United States, Noland said.
Bolivia will need more help adding electrical outlets and wires to rural homes. American cooperatives have sent linemen to Bolivia from Missouri, Oklahoma and Arkansas for years and has plans to send crews from Illinois in the future.
This group did the same thing in Bolivia that we did in 1936 in Illinois, Noland said. We just are giving back.
Name: Katie Gross
Occupation: Childrens Librarian at Decatur Public Library
Age: 65
City of residence: Decatur
How and why did you come to be a librarian in Decatur?
Our family moved to Decatur from Virginia in 1985 so that I could accept the job as childrens librarian and my husband could go to graduate school (also in library science) at the U of I. I mentally made a two-year commitment, and here I am almost 32 years later! Decatur was a great place to raise three boys, (my husband) Arthur went on to be the A.V. librarian at DPL (since retired) and we put down roots!
Whats the best and worst part of your job?
Connecting kids and books and watching children become eager readers is very rewarding. Were building literacy, encouraging curiosity, and readers are gaining knowledge, understanding and empathy, more important than ever in todays world! The most frustrating part of the job is that I rarely accomplish even a third of the things I intend to do. Its certainly never boring!
Favorite childrens book and why?
Out of a multitude of favorites, one would be Newbery Medal winner "Bud, Not Buddy" by Christopher Paul Curtis. Bud, a motherless 10-year-old in Depression-era Flint, Michigan, runs away from an abusive foster home in search of a father he has never known. The reader will find adventure, mystery, laugh-aloud funny bits, and maybe shed a tear or two while rooting for the ever-so-likable Bud! My favorite fiction books take me inside a characters skin, mind and soul. Reading this one, I shed my older-white-librarian-who grew-up-in-Alabama persona, and become a young African-American boy on a quest in Michigan 25 years before I was even born. Though I came back to reality at the end, I still carry a little of Bud in my heart.
Since you work with kids a lot: What lessons do you think adults could take from them?
Kids live in the moment, without a lot of preconceived notions, and everything is fresh and new to them. Try to see the world through their unjaundiced eyes!
What upcoming programs and opportunities at the Decatur Public Library should people know about?
The annual summer reading program starts June 1. Read (or listen to) books and collect rewards! Generations of children have participated in this popular library program. Of course we hope the ultimate reward they take away is the pleasure of reading. Other rewards are a ticket to a performance of the new summer 17 READiculous show, and a paperback book from the Friends.
New this summer will be the radio frequency identification system the library is busy installing, which will make it possible for people to easily check out their materials, which will then be instantly checked in upon return. Among other advantages, were hoping for no waiting lines and increased efficiency in getting materials back on the shelves.
DECATUR Teaching Spanish is a lifelong calling that Maria Jacobs continues to answer, even five years after retiring.
Jacobs taught Spanish for 42 years before she retired in 2012 from Johns Hill Magnet School, but she wasn't away from the classroom for long.
Jacobs, who is from Cuba, began teaching her native language again to community members within a few weeks of retiring. She knows Decatur has a large Mexican population, having taught English as a Second Language, or ESL, classes to Hispanic students. She also knew teaching adults would be different.
Children are not inhibited. They aren't afraid of making a mistake, and they pick it up quickly, she said. The adults are afraid of making a mistake.
As an educator, Jacobs knows how to reach the adults, so she created an adult Spanish class at her church, Central Christian Church. Her students began to tell others creating further interest in the community.
Michael Karunas, senior minister at the church, allowed Jacobs to begin the class shortly after her request. He knew the class would be beneficial to the entire community, not just his congregation.
Learning another language is really important, he said. It is the best way to build bridges of understanding.
The first class had 25 students. For the second semester, church added a second class for advanced students. The 12-week Spanish classes have continued to grow throughout the years.
Jacobs promises her adult students no tests, no homework and no pressure.
They want to be here and learn, she said. And we have fun.
The free classes are offered on Thursday evening for beginners and Tuesday evening for advanced students. Most of her students are simply interested in learning, or relearning, a foreign language.
A few of her students plan to travel to Spanish-speaking countries on mission trips. Others want to prepare for vacations to Spain, Mexico and Florida.
That's like going to another country, Jacobs said.
One of her students, Brad Cain, works for the state of Illinois and encounters several bilingual people. He believes being fluent in Spanish can help his career.
Understanding a new language gives an opportunity for professional growth, he said.
In teaching children as well as adults, Jacobs refers to the way she was taught English when she first moved to America in 1963.
When I learned English, I learned a lot of songs, she said. That is one of the best ways to learn a new language, through music.
Jacobs arrived in Miami, Fla., as a teenager from Cuba. She finished high school there and began teaching shortly after college. She met husband, Edwin, while teaching. They married in 1984. The couple along with their daughter, Vicki, lived in South Florida for another 10 years.
When Hurricane Andrew hit the area in 1992, it destroyed their hometown of Homestead, Fla., and the church where he preached. Most of the people of the congregation left and never came back. After two years of struggling with Florida weather and a destroyed church, Edwin decided to leave the area.
He was originally from Indiana, so he was a Yankee to begin with, Jacobs said of her husband. He said he had had it with hurricanes and he wanted to go home.
Edwin was able to find a job as a minister at a Decatur church. After six years, he retired.
Edwin passed away two years ago. His wife has made a home for herself in Decatur and doesn't plan to leave anytime soon.
I have a lot of friends here, and I like the change of seasons, she said. I like the church; it is like my second family.
Leslie Johnson worked with Jacobs at Johns Hill for three years. She learned a lot from her teacher before she retired. Johnson is also a ESL teacher.
I have a lot of her former students in my class, Johnson said.
She began taking the adult class from Jacobs as a refresher. She has fun in the Spanish class.
Maria teaches us to have conversations with each other, Johnson said. But I can understand more Spanish than I can speak.
Linda Helton is taking Jacob's advanced class on Tuesdays. She remembers the class from high school as being difficult.
I was 14 the last time I used Spanish, I'm now 68, she said.
She is picking it up quickly, Jacobs said.
Mothers deserve more than a day every 12 months. Twenty-four hours isnt enough for such a daunting title with just three letters Mom.
The website Salary.com calculates how much a mother would be paid if it were a paying gig: it works out to $143,102 a year in compensation for stay-at-home moms and $90,223 for working ones.
That seems low for such an all-encompassing, 24/7 job. After all, what other job requires the diverse and demanding skills of judge, janitor, housekeeper, caregiver, teacher, grief counselor, fashion consultant, personal shopper, chauffer, therapist, chef, tutor, event planner, academic advisor, dish washer, nutritionist, tailor, nurse, laundry manager, referee and (on really bad days) plumber all in one shift, and occasionally all at the same time?
Moms are dozens of unofficial titles, many taken for granted.
And, that's only for the first 18 years. Motherhood doesnt end when a son or daughter hits 18. It's a lifetime investment.
For non-moms, the job can seem overwhelming, simultaneously requiring both spines of steel, open hearts and the emotional improv skills of a Second City performer. As the abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe is quoted as saying, Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.
Or to put another way, to quote the jurist Oliver Wendell Holmes: Youth fades, love droops, the leaves of friendship fall; a mothers secret hope outlives them all.
Thats why moms get top billing above all others.
Sure, dads and other family members do their part rearing families and keeping houses in order. And every family is a little different there are adopted families, mixed families, every other kind of family all with their own roles and dynamics, just as there are single moms, married moms, working moms and guardian moms who arent blood relatives.
But by and large, there is one mom of the house, whether by birth or otherwise, who runs the show and has her hand on the controls. Theyre the ones juggling life in this hectic modern age. Theyre the ones with just the right tone, organizational skills and optimistic outlook to make this crazy world seem OK.
That need doesnt go away when children become adults. The world needs moms. We all need them.
Mary Towles Sasseen, of Henderson, Ky., gets credit for founding Mothers Day in the 1880s, although it seems curious it took that long for humans to realize we should recognize the everyday miracle that is motherhood.
Society places so many unfair expectations on moms, along with countless sacrifices professional goals delayed, careers altered, dreams deferred. Moms carry the load, weather the storm and keep the faith.
Every mom deserves to be honored this Mothers Day.
And how should we show our appreciation? Flowers are nice. Cards never hurt. But a more appropriate gift might be two words that should be used liberally and frequently all year long: Thank you.
Thank you for all you do, have done and will do, moms.
Yours is a tough job. We cant imagine anyone else doing it.
It has become evident that the Trump administration, and in many cases several states as well, are bent on turning this nations public school system into a private, for-profit enterprise. The choice of Betsy DeVos, an individual without a single day of public school on her resume, as our secretary of education has led us to expect a bleak future for our public schools.
She has absolutely no experience for this position except as a supporter of vouchers and other public funding for private, parochial and for-profit institutions.
Meanwhile, the public schools that have powered this countrys literacy rate to among the highest in the world have been neglected.
It is time for the federal and state governments to boost public schools funding, not force them to fight with its private, unregulated and unaccountable competitor for the all too meager amount available.
Gerald Gordon, Strawn
Mrs. Matilda Amissah- Arthur , wife of the former Vice President of Ghana Kwesi AmissahArthur has taken it upon herself to help and continue to wiping away tears on the faces of less privileged in the society, particularly children.
As part of helping the less privileged, Mrs. Amissah-Arthur has donated quantities of assorted fruits and food stuffs, medical equipment and some orthopedic materials to the staff and children of the Nsawam Orthopedic Training Centre in the Eastern Region.
Mrs. Amissah-Arthur commended the hospital and staff for their good job and encouraged them to do more to ensure quality healthcare in the country.
Giving a speech during her first visit to the Centre, Mrs. Amissah Arthur noted that her visit was upon a request by Father Campbell of the Christ the King Parish to assist the facility, that trains patients how to use their orthopedic appliances and young people to manufacture all the appliances needed by the physically challenged, leg braces and artificial limbs among others.
As a crusader for environmental cleanliness, she also lauded the authorities for observing strict environmental cleanliness in the hospital.
She further used the opportunity to acquaint herself with the services of the OTC.
Sister-in-charge of the Center, Elizabeth Newman welcomed the former Veeps wife and her team during the visit to the Center. She is the Director Educator and administrator with over 25 years of experience in Ghana.
Committed to improving the lives of the physically challenged and dedicated to helping each child reach their highest potential, she has been with the OTC since 1975 and responsible for the day to day management of the OTC and fundraising.
Sister Newman also thanked her for her kind gesture especially in the area of providing resources for quality healthcare delivery in the country and urged her to continue with her good works.
The Orthopedic Training Centre (OTC) was established by the Divine Word Missionaries in 1961.
The primary purpose of the Centre is the rehabilitation of the physically challenged in Ghana and people from other countries.
Source: Maxwell Okamafo Addo
Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.
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The Minister of Energy, Hon. Boakye Agyarko on May 12, 2017 addressed the Committee of Ministers (COM) of the West African Gas Pipeline Project in Cotonou, Benin. The agenda of the meeting was to follow up on action points from the previous meeting held in Accra last year, provide feedback on WAGPs operational and financial issues as well as tariff issues and to finalize the Western Interconnection Agreement.
The meeting was hosted by the Benin Minister of Energy, Water and Mines, Dona Jean-Claude Houssou and brought together senior government officials from Ghana, Nigeria and Togo as well as key stakeholders such as West African Gas Pipeline Authority (WAGPA) and West African Pipeline Company Limited (WAPCo).
Proceedings were opened by Dona Jean-Claude Houssou. In his inaugural address, the Minister reinstated the importance of the project and urged for a fruitful deliberation. He further thanked his colleague Ministers present for taking time out of their busy schedule to honour the invitation.
Hon. Boakye Agyarko, chairman of the COM, in his address tasked all member states to work together and help ensure that the project succeeds. We need to dedicate ourselves in ensuring that WAPCo survives he said. He further urged stakeholders to find common ground in resolving key issues such as reliable supply of gas and payment guarantee.
Representative of the Nigerian Minister of state in charge of Petroleum Resources, Engr. Saidu A. Mohammed affirmed Nigerias commitment to the project. He emphasized that the Nigerian Government is working assiduously to ramp-up gas supply to about 70 mmscfd this year. According to Engr. Mohammed, the ramping up of gas supply will be achieved because the Nigerian Government is making headways in resolving onshore gas pipeline vandalization.
The COM re-affirmed its commitment to the project and tasked WAPCo to look into expanding its business model. The Ministers expressed their profound gratitude to the people and Government of Benin, for the warm hospitality accorded to them and their delegation during their stay in Cotonou.
Other dignitaries present were representatives from ECOWAS, Ghanas Ministry of Energy, N-Gas, WAGPA and WAPCo.
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.
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The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) are trading blames over who is actually responsible for the ballooned judgments that have accrued at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).
Mr Osei Assibey Antwi the Kumasi Mayor late last week revealed that the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) is indebted to the tune of over Gh100 million.
He further stated that beyond the Gh119,213,333.22 accumulated debt accued over many years, the assemblys judgment debt portfolio increased from Gh?6,427,287.75 to Gh?50,602,874.43 between October and December in 2016 alone when the then Ashanti regional minister John Alexander Ackon was acting.
Many questions have been asked as to how the KMA managed to accrue such GH ?44million cedis debt in 3 months with an additional $3.5 million spent on the Rattray Park above what was initially approved.
But a former government appointee of the assembly Francis Dodovi has taken the new administration of the cleaners describing their utterances as amateurish.
According to him, the comments of the current mayor indicating that the former signed fake contracts smacks of childish talk and does not augur well for a better understanding of the issues at stake.
He should stop talking like a class one pupil, and mention names of the previous mayors who signed fake contracts. Is it Samuel Sarpong, Kojo Bonsu, Madam Patricia Appiagyei or Maxwell Kofi Jumah, he should not hesitate to name and shame. He should also mention the companies which also signed fake contracts with the assembly, he fumed.
Mr Dodovi challenged the new administration to back their claims that the debt portfolio of the assembly ballooned within three months of the former administration describing their comments as fabrications to dent the hard won reputation of Mr Kojo Bonsu the former Mayor.
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.
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Last year we reported on the Redefine Women campaign: a movement thats trying to get Google to address the subtle sexism in its dictionary definitions.
Not sure what were talking about? Have a butchers at this:
Hey @google we think youd agree, this sounds straight from the 1950s! Help #redefinewomen @redefinewomen #womensequalityday #womensequalityday2016 A post shared by @redefinewomen on Aug 25, 2016 at 3:03pm PDT
The campaign is run by two Aussie women, Georgia Patch and Kiah Nicholas. When we spoke to them last year, they told us:
Redefine Women is about changing perceptions of women starting with definitions. We realised that definitions were reinforcing prejudices against women [and] knew we had to do something. We perceive Google as a progressive company, and were reaching out to them for help. Theyre an aggregator, we know theyre not the ones publishing [the definitions]. But theyre so powerful, I think together we can make a big change.
Welp, the big change is afoot. Google have started addressing the gendered example sentences that pop up when you type in words like conniving, flighty, promiscuous, shrill basically a whole lot of words that are often used to denigrate or dismiss women.
Check it out: the example sentence for conniving used to be a heartless and conniving woman. Now:
And while shrill used to have the eye roll-inducing example of the rising shrill of womens voices, it now reads:
Even promiscuous has been changed from shes a wild, promiscuous, good-time girl to promiscuous teenagers and the city fathers were promiscuous with their honours.
Nice one, Google. Microaggressions like these make a big difference in peoples subconscious biases, and moving towards gender-neutral definitions is always going to be a good thing. Now lets do hysterical, yeah?
Source: Redefine Women.
Cassie Sainsburys fiance Scott Broadbridge arrived in Colombia on Friday, local time, but has yet to see her, having been turned away from prison during an attempt to visit.
Footage obtained by Nine News shows Broadbridge outside the El Buen Pastor prison on Saturday morning, the day allocated for male visitors.
He attempted to gain entry to the facility with the help of several representatives, and though they negotiated for around half an hour, he was ultimately not allowed inside.
It is understood that an issue concerning paperwork may have held him up, and this means that Monday is now the earliest that he will be allowed to visit the 22-year-old.
Fiance of Cassandra Sainsbury is still waiting to be reunited with his partner after he was refused entry to the Colombian jail. #9News pic.twitter.com/93SEZDX0Uc Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) May 13, 2017
Broadbridge continues to maintain his fiancees innocence, and told reporters in Australia: I will support her no matter how long this takes. Cass and I are engaged to be married and I intend to marry her.
Sainsburys mother and sister are expected to visit her on Sunday, the day set aside for female visitors. They were earlier seen trying to communicate with her by shouting over a prison moat.
Source: Nine News.
Photo: Facebook.
As a student in a rural, economically-disadvantaged area, I thought all schools were just like mine. My high school had one science laboratory for the entire school. We used an outdoor building as a classroom that was intended to be temporary, but is still in use today. The building lacked air conditioning, so large utility fans were placed at each end of the hallway. Surely, every other school was just the same. It was not until our school district was in the newspaper because the publication date of our textbooks was so old that I realized how underfunded my school truly was. As a student, I was offended and knew it was not right, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I now teach in a district that is financially very different from the one in which I grew up. We have well-kept school buildings and our middle school is looked to by others as a School to Watch. We have a science lab for each of the grade levels in our middle school and our building is air conditioned. When I was still new to teaching in the district, I signed my science students up for a building design competition at the University of Illinois.
On competition day, we were bursting with pride as we loaded the projects onto the bus. As kids from wealthier districts wheeled their projects in on carts and used cordless power drills to open the crates, the looks on my students faces quickly changed from pride to defeat. My students did not place in the competition, but I felt more horrible for them because the projects they had worked so hard to complete had now become objects of shame.
I realized that the financial differences I thought I had left behind in high school were still a factor. Even though the school where I was teaching was far better off than the high school I attended, there were still schools that were able to spend double the money per student.
If were to ensure that every student in Illinois has access to quality education, we must level the playing field. For this to happen, our lawmakers must commit to pass legislation that guarantees equitable funding. The two current bills in the legislature, HB2808 and SB1, have the power to do this. Both bills use as their basis the evidence-based models that consider the needs of the students and a districts ability to fund their education.
The disparities I have observed and experienced in education funding are clearly evidenced in the per-pupil spending made by districts around the state. Based on the Illinois State Board of Educations Evidence Based Model Calculations for 2017, the school where I teach in Monticello is one of only four schools in our legislative district, Senate district 51, being funded at full adequacy, with many of the schools in our area are funded between 60 percent and 80 percent adequacy. The school district I grew up in, North Clay, is being funded at 60 percent adequacy. In comparison, there are some districts in the state spending over 200 percent of the adequacy target.
My students learned a lot by competing in the science competition. Had our access to materials matched their level of understanding, my students still may not have won the competition, but they would have been proud of their entry and carried that pride back into the classroom.
Funding inequity doesnt have to continue. Student learning should not be constrained by their schools access to materials. All students in our state are capable of greatness and they should be provided with the tools they need to achieve it, regardless of their schools ZIP code.
Overnight, around 40 patrons were evacuated from the Perseverance Hotel in Fitzroy, Melbourne, after a noxious substance believed to be capsicum spray was released on the dancefloor.
Police were responding to reports of a minor assault at the Brunswick Street venue at around 1am, when people nearby began to complain of shortness of breath.
Up to a dozen of those evacuated were treated by paramedics, and one woman was hospitalised.
Police believe an unidentified woman might have released the spray after being hassled by a number of men on the dance floor. Senior Sergeant Steve Mills told media:
Ultimately what weve determined is that a girl might have been approached and hassled a bit by a couple of blokes in the hotel and shes used some sort of personal spray that shes had. But we dont know that for sure, neither the girl nor the two blokes who were apparently sprayed came forward.
Mills noted that police now use capsicum foam rather than spray, because gases have the potential to spread and injure innocent bystanders, especially in older buildings with recirculation for air conditioning. He added:
Im assuming the girl who did it felt genuinely scared. Its important to note that those sorts of things are illegal, although I sympathise with her for using it.
Source: ABC News.
Photo: Instagram.
In this Friday, May 5, 2017 photo, a general view, foreground, of the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon. On Monday, Palestinians mark 69 years since hundreds of thousands of them were forced from their homes during the 1948 war that led to the creation of Israel. Palestinians in Lebanon suffer discrimination in nearly every aspect of daily life, feeding a desperation that is tearing their community apart. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
New Braunfels, TX (78130)
Today
Partly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..
Tonight
Partly cloudy skies this evening. A few showers developing late. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%.
Local clerks report slightly down percentages in voter turnout
Nearly 75,000 people in five Northern Michigan counties had their ballots counted, according to clerks' unofficial election results.
There was no mistaking the intent with the word JUROR emblazoned in red. I'd been summoned for duty and not for the first time; only now I decided to give new thought as to how to answer one of the standard, preliminary questions:
"Would you be more likely to believe the testimony of a police officer or any other law enforcement officer because of his or her job?"
On prior occasions, my answer has been a reflexive "yes," but a lot has happened since I was last commanded to appear. The video age gave me pause before answering that question, but did not delay my response to the follow-up, which asked whether I would be less likely to believe the word of a cop. On that I remain an emphatic "no."
It's worth noting that the widespread use of video has not increased the conviction of cops in cases of alleged manslaughter or murder. In fact, videotape has often exonerated police officers, and in some high-profile cases where video played a role, charges were never brought, such as the 2014 killing of Michael Brown by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, Mo. Wilson was not charged after investigations by both a state grand jury and the Justice Department.
Video also played a role in the evaluation of the Eric Garner case on Staten Island, N.Y. Garner was placed in a chokehold after selling loose cigarettes. There were no charges filed against police concerning Garner's death. And in Ohio, a grand jury watched an enhanced video of the arrival of Cleveland police responsible for the killing of 12-year-old Tamir Rice. Again, no charges.
In Baltimore, six police were charged in connection with the death of Freddie Gray. There, video captured him being dragged to the police van but not what happened inside. Three cops were acquitted at trial; charges against three others were dismissed.
But two weeks ago, and for the first time since Ferguson raised awareness, a police officer pleaded guilty based largely on what was captured on video. Former North Charleston, S.C., police officer Michael Slager pleaded guilty to civil rights charges for shooting Walter Scott five times in the back. Scott ran after being pulled over for a broken taillight.
To be clear, the combination of these instances has not made me think less of police they've just made me think more deeply about whether my prior position of giving them an edge in testimony was proper. The data suggest I've not been alone in giving that benefit.
Since 2004, Philip Stinson, a former cop-turned-associate professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green University, has been tracking what he refers to as "police crime." He told me that police officers get arrested in this country about 1,100 times each year (everything from shoplifting to murder). Stinson said data from 2015-16 show that about 1,000 people are shot and killed by on-duty officers annually and that it's rare for a police officer to be charged with murder or manslaughter resulting from an on-duty shooting.
"By my count, since the beginning of 2005, there have only been 80 police officers across the country charged with murder or manslaughter resulting from an on-duty shooting," he said. The dispositions (current as of today) of the criminal cases for those 80 officers are: 29 convicted, 31 not convicted, and 20 still pending (which include a few with mistrials awaiting retrial). Of the 31 non-convictions, 48 percent were acquitted at a jury trial.
"Here is what I have concluded from all of this: It seems that jurors are very reluctant to second-guess the split-second life-or-death decisions made by an on-duty police officer who decided to use deadly force in a violent street encounter," Stinson said. "Something happens behind the closed doors of the jury room during deliberations, and jurors just don't want to convict an officer in these cases. Jurors seem to give the benefit of every doubt to the defendant/officer."
But are those numbers in decline? It's tough to say.
Brian J. McMonagle, who is on Bill Cosby's defense team, told me he still sees a greater number of prospective jurors more inclined to believe police, but conceded that his representation of the Fraternal Order of Police might "shape his opinion somewhat."
Veteran criminal defense attorney William J. Brennan said he has seen a change in the responses to these questions. "In 2016 I represented a Caucasian Philadelphia police officer charged with threatening an African American in front of Pat's Steaks and using the N-word repeatedly," Brennan said. "I can tell you the pool of jurors and their responses to the questionnaire gave me great pause while picking the jury."
Locally, no data are kept that allow a determination as to whether fewer are inclined to give cops the benefit of the doubt, but here's a snapshot: Last week, plaintiff's trial lawyer Tom Kline, of the firm Kline & Specter, where I am of counsel, picked a jury in Philadelphia concerning a medical-device product-liability case.
Kline told me that among his 60 prospective jurors, nine said they'd be more likely to believe an officer, and six said they'd be less likely. There was gender and employment balance in both those responses. The men more likely to believe a cop included a teacher, a letter carrier, a retired police officer, a bus mechanic, and a retiree. The women were a social worker, a cashier, a word processor, and an underwriter assistant. The men less likely to believe a police officer were a marketing employee, a teacher, and a custodian. The women less likely were a social worker, a business service representative, and an IT worker.
Former Philadelphia Commissioner Charles Ramsey feels differently.
"I am biased toward police, so I would give greater weight to their testimony," he told me.
Ramsey said that part of his bias is based in his belief that cops "see things normal persons don't see," but he did acknowledge instances where police have not been honest on the stand and cited the work of the Innocence Project. He also told me that when he was a young cop, together with his partner, he made many "gun pinches" but only once saw the butt of a gun. That's why he's often circumspect in disputed shootings when there is such an alleged sighting. Still, he said that he'd make an assumption that the law enforcement officers were being truthful, while not surrendering to naivete.
I'll be at the courthouse in a few weeks. And committed to treating everyone as equals.
Michael Smerconish can be heard 9 a.m. to noon on SiriusXM's POTUS Channel 124. He hosts Smerconish at 9 a.m. Saturdays on CNN.
The criminal justice pendulum swung in an unexpected direction with the indictment of District Attorney Seth Williams on corruption charges. With Democrats holding an overwhelming voter registration edge in the city, that raises the stakes in Tuesday's primary to choose the party's nominee to replace Williams.
Among an impressive field that includes a judge who resigned to run for the office, four former assistant district attorneys, a former federal prosecutor, and a civil rights defense attorney, RICH NEGRIN stands out. His background and reputation make him better prepared to restore the office's dignity.
Negrin is a former assistant district attorney who built his administrative chops as managing director for Mayor Michael Nutter. He is well prepared to manage a $52 million budget and 594-employee department.
Negrin's independence from the oligarchy known as the city Democratic Party should help him keep his promise to go after corruption. But his first job, if elected, will be to improve morale in an office that was battered by Williams' indictment for allegedly taking gifts in exchange for favors.
Negrin also has a deep emotional understanding of what it means to be a crime victim. At age 13, he witnessed his father's murder by a Cuban terrorist group.
Beth Grossman, another former assistant district attorney, is unopposed in the Republican primary.
In the primary for city controller REBECCA RHYNHART, a former city treasurer, would bring a fresh perspective to an office adequately run by Alan Butkovitz for nearly 12 years. Rhynhart's past roles as city budget director and chief administrative officer should give her powerful insight in monitoring how the city spends its taxpayers' dollars.
Count Rhynhart as a member of the city's growing cadre of enthusiastic policy wonks who have figured out the best way to achieve good government is to be a part of it. Like Negrin, she hasn't been part of the old Democratic Party guard, which should ensure the independence needed to ignore petty politics and keep an eye on the public's money.
Republican Mike Tomlinson, a certified public accountant, is unopposed in the Republican primary.
Two questions are also on Tuesday's ballot:
The first rather innocuously asks: "Shall the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter be amended to allow award of certain contracts based on best value to the City?" Sounds reasonable until you realize "best value" doesn't necessarily mean "lowest bid." The question assumes it is impossible to write bid specifications to ensure both value and price. The city already has the power to demand quality work from contractors and fire them for poor performance. Vote No.
The second ballot question asks for a charter change to create a Community Reinvestment Commission, which would include representatives of the public, private, and philanthropic sectors who would create strategies to improve low-income neighborhoods. Seems like it shouldn't take a charter change to create a committee for that purpose. But the goal is worthy of a YES vote.
Also on the primary ballot are elections to fill seats on the state Supreme, Superior, and Commonwealth courts, and the city's Common Pleas and municipal courts. For guidance, voters can refer to the recommendations of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (www.pabar.org) and Philadelphia Bar Association (www.philadelphiabar.org).
Monaco have had an astounding season. They are on course to win their first French league title since 2000. When you consider they finished 31 points behind PSG last season, it is an amazing turnaround. On top of their domestic success, they also managed to reach the Champions League semi-final for the first time since 2004.
It is a special time for the Monegasques. However, the vultures are circling, aiming to capture their best players. Monaco are gearing up for a big summer break up, and with that in mind, we take a look at four of their stars likely to leave this summer, where they might go and how much it will likely cost to prize them away.
Thomas Lemar
Signed from Caen in 2015, Lemar is the latest French midfielder taking the world by storm. Despite being only 21, he has already received two caps for France and has been a key figure for Monaco this season. He plays primarily on the left flank and is a super set-piece taker and an incredible dribbler. Lemar is a real talent and will be coveted by many top European sides.
Both the Mirror and ESPN claim that Arsenal have earmarked him as their number one transfer target. The Mirror notes that they would want a fee well more than 30 million euros but with Alexis Sanchez likely to leave, dont be surprised to see Arsenal put in a bid.
Bernardo Silva
The stylish Portuguese attacking midfielder joined Monaco from Benfica in 2015 and has come on leaps and bounds since then. The 22-years-old has 21 goals in 83 Monaco games and still has plenty of playing time left in him to improve even further.
Silva has been linked with a number of clubs, but Frances Le10Sport have strongly linked him with both of the Manchester clubs as well as Real Madrid. Concerning the cost, The Independent state that he would cost at least 60 million and suggest that Jose Mourinhos side are favourites to capture him.
Benjamin Mendy
Great fullbacks are very hard to come by at the moment with many of the big clubs looking to improve in that position this summer. Mendy has been superb at left back for Monaco this season and at only 22-years-old will continue to grow into a world class fullback. He is an excellent passer, very pacey and a fantastic crosser with 8 assists this season. He is the perfect modern fullback who can both attack and defend well.
As with Bernardo, he has been mentioned as a target for both Manchester United and City by the Manchester Evening News (MEN.) MEN goes on to suggest that Monaco would want around 65 million, a world record fee for a full-back. If that price tag doesnt come down, then Monaco could hold onto him but if he puts in a transfer request then expect him to line up outside France next season.
Leonardo Jardim
Not strictly a player but very much one of the Monegasques jewels, Monacos manager has done a stellar job. He has had to deal with owner Dmitry Rybolovlev scaling back his spending on the club as well as losing top players like James Rodriguez and Anthony Martial to bigger sides.
Despite all the challenges, he has managed to craft a team with devastating attacking powers scoring a nearly incredible 98 goals in just 35 league games.
Telefoot have reported that Arsenal have made Jardim their number one target if Arsene Wenger leaves this summer, they also note Inter Milans interest. He is under contract until 2019, so there would likely be some kind of compensation involved, but that would be unlikely to keep the interested parties away.
If Monaco do win the title, it is hard to see Jardim taking them any further and if the Arsenal job does become available, expect to see the Portuguese manager in London. If not, and if Inter fail in their attempts to capture Conte or Simeone, then the clubs new owners will likely turn to Jardim.
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By Jeremy Wagstaff and Eric Auchard
SINGAPORE/FRANKFURT (Reuters) A global cyber attack described as unprecedented in scale forced a major European automaker to halt some production lines while hitting schools in China and hospitals in Indonesia on Saturday, though it appeared to die down a day after its launch.
Capitalizing on spying tools believed to have been developed by the U.S. National Security Agency, the cyber assault has infected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries, with Britains health system suffering the worst disruptions.
Cyber extortionists tricked victims into opening malicious malware attachments to spam emails that seemed to contain invoices, job offers, security warnings and other legitimate files.
Once inside the targeted network, so-called ransomware made use of recently revealed spy tools to silently infect other out-of-date machines without any human intervention. This, security experts said, marked an unprecedented escalation in the risk of fresh attacks spreading in the coming days and weeks.
The ransomware encrypted data on the computers, demanding payments of $300 to $600 to restore access. Researchers observed some victims paying via the digital currency bitcoin, though no one knows how much may have been transferred to extortionists because of the largely anonymous nature of such transactions.
Researchers with security software maker Avast said they had observed 126,534 ransomware infections in 99 countries, with Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan the top targets.
The hackers, who have not come forward to claim responsibility or otherwise been identified, took advantage of a worm, or self-spreading malware, by exploiting a piece of NSA spy code known as Eternal Blue that was released last month by a hackers group known as the Shadow Brokers, according to researchers with several private cyber security firms.
Renault said it had halted auto production at several sites including Sandouville in northwestern France and Renault-owned Dacia plants in Romania on Saturday to prevent the spread of ransomware in its systems.
Nissans manufacturing plant in Sunderland, northeast England, was also affected by the cyber assault though there has been no major impact on our business, a spokesman for the Japanese carmaker said.German rail operator Deutsche Bahn [DBN.UL] said some electronic signs at stations announcing arrivals and departures were infected, with travelers posting pictures showing some bearing a message demanding a cash payment to restore access.
UNPRECEDENTED ATTACK EASES
Europols European Cybercrime Center said it was working closely with country investigators and private security firms to combat the threat and help victims. The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits, it said in a statement.
Some experts said the threat had receded for now, in part because a British-based researcher, who declined to give his name, registered a domain that he noticed the malware was trying to connect to, and so limited the worms spread.
We are on a downward slope, the infections are extremely few, because the malware is not able to connect to the registered domain, said Vikram Thakur, principal research manager at Symantec.
The numbers are extremely low and coming down fast.
But the attackers may yet tweak the code and restart the cycle. The researcher in Britain widely credited with foiling the ransomwares proliferation told Reuters he had not seen any such tweaks yet, but they will (happen).
Researchers said the worm deployed in the latest attack, or similar tools released by Shadow Brokers, are likely to be used for fresh assaults not just with ransomware but other malware to break into firms, seize control of networks and steal data.
Finance chiefs from the Group of Seven rich countries were to commit on Saturday to joining forces to fight the growing threat of international cyber attacks, according to a draft statement of a meeting they are holding in Italy.
Appropriate economy-wide policy responses are needed, the ministers said in their draft statement, seen by Reuters.
HOSPITALS IN FIRING LINE
In Asia, some hospitals, schools, universities and other institutions were affected, though the full extent of the damage is not yet known because it is the weekend.
I believe many companies have not yet noticed, said William Saito, a cyber security adviser to Japans government. Things could likely emerge on Monday as staff return to work.
Chinas information security watchdog said a portion of Windows systems users in the country were infected, according to a notice posted on the official Weibo page of the Beijing branch of the Public Security Bureau on Saturday. Xinhua state news agency said some secondary schools and universities were hit.
In Vietnam, Vu Ngoc Son, a director of Bkav Anti Malware, said dozens of cases of infection had been reported there, but he declined to identify any of the victims.
South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported a university hospital had been affected, while a communications official in Indonesia said two hospitals there had been hit.
The most disruptive attacks were reported in Britain, where hospitals and clinics were forced to turn away patients after losing access to computers on Friday.
International shipper FedEx Corp said some of its Windows computers were also breached. We are implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible, a FedEx statement said.
Telecommunications company Telefonica was among many targets in Spain. Portugal Telecom and Telefonica Argentina both said they were also targeted.
Only a small number of U.S.-headquartered organizations were hit because the hackers appear to have begun the campaign by focusing on targets in Europe, said Thakur.
By the time they turned their attention to the United States, spam filters had identified the new threat and flagged the ransomware-laden emails as malicious, he added.
MICROSOFT BOLSTERS WINDOWS DEFENCES
Private security firms identified the ransomware as a new variant of WannaCry that had the ability to automatically spread across large networks by exploiting a known bug in Microsofts Windows operating system.
This is one of the largest global ransomware attacks the cyber community has ever seen, said Rich Barger, director of threat research with Splunk, one of the firms that linked WannaCry to the NSA.
The Shadow Brokers released Eternal Blue as part of a trove of hacking tools that they said belonged to the U.S. spy agency.
The attack targeted Windows computers that had not installed patches released by Microsoft in March, or older machines running software that Microsoft no longer supports and for which patches did not exist, including the 16-year-old Windows XP system, researchers said.
Microsoft said it pushed out automatic Windows updates to defend existing clients from WannaCry. It had issued a patch on March 14 to protect them from Eternal Blue. Late on Friday, Microsoft also released patches for a range of long discontinued software, including Windows XP and Windows Server 2003.
Today our engineers added detection and protection against new malicious software known as Ransom:Win32.WannaCrypt, Microsoft said in a statement on Friday, adding it was working with customers to provide additional assistance.
POLITICALLY SENSITIVE TIMING
The spread of the ransomware capped a week of cyber turmoil in Europe that began when hackers posted a trove of campaign documents tied to French candidate Emmanuel Macron just before a run-off vote in which he was elected president of France.
On Wednesday, hackers disrupted the websites of several French media companies and aerospace giant Airbus. The hack happened four weeks before a British general election in which national security and the management of the state-run National Health Service are important issues.
Authorities in Britain have been braced for cyber attacks in the run-up to the election, as happened during last years U.S. election and on the eve of the French run-off vote on May 7.
But those attacks blamed on Russia, which has repeatedly denied them followed a different modus operandi involving penetrating the accounts of individuals and political organizations and then releasing hacked material online.
On Friday, Russias interior and emergencies ministries, as well as its biggest bank, Sberbank, said they were targeted by ransomware. The interior ministry said about 1,000 computers had been infected but it had localized the virus.
Although cyber extortion cases have been rising for several years, they have to date affected small- to mid-sized organizations. Seeing a large telco like Telefonica get hit is going to get everybody worried, said Chris Wysopal, chief technology officer with cyber security firm Veracode.
(Additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka, Jim Finkle, Eric Auchard, Jose Rodriguez, Alistair Smout, Andrea Shalal, Jack Stubbs, Antonella Cinelli, Dustin Volz, Kate Holton, Andy Bruce, Michael Holden, David Milliken, Rosalba OBrien, Julien Toyer, Tim Hepher, Luiza Ilie, Patricia Rua, Axel Bugge, Sabine Siebold and Eric Walsh, Engen Tham, Fransiska Nangoy, Soyoung Kim, Mai Nguyen; editing by Mark Heinrich)
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By David Shepardson and Mark Hosenball
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security officials met with major U.S. airlines and a trade group to discuss the impact of possibly expanding a ban on large electronic gadgets on planes to flights from some European airports, three sources briefed on the meeting said.
The afternoon meeting included high level executives from Delta Air Lines Inc 
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) will host its 2022 Population Health Management Summit December 7-8 at the Gaylord National Harbor in Maryland. This event has grown each year, as value based care and risk-based models move into the forefront of how long term care communitiesincluding assisted living (AL)continue to deliver quality care and improve the lives of residents.
You may recall that population health management (PHM) is the process of improving the health and quality of life for groups of residents. It focuses on wellness, prevention, and proactive care coordination/management. PHM models help achieve the triple aimthe right care, at the right time, in the right place. Although still a fairly new concept within AL, PHM is something that you not only need to understand but also be able to evaluate employing within your communities in order to improve quality outcomes for your residents, position yourself well in the market, and manage risk within communities.
That is why it is so important for AL providers to attend this year's PHM Summit. This event features an AL-specific track with sessions that will cover the why, what, and how to help you stay ahead of the curve.
Highlights include:
Wednesday, Dec. 7
Thursday, Dec. 8
The time to plan for the future of AL is nowand that includes population health management. This Summit offers an invaluable opportunity to learn more about how to be successful utilizing PHM strategies and models in your communities.
I look forward to seeing you there!
Online registration for the Population Health Management Summit is open through November 30. Register today!
LaShuan Bethea is the executive director of the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL).
2022-11-07T05:00:00Z
Population Health Management This event has grown each year, as value based care and risk-based models move into the forefront of how long term care communitiesincluding assisted living (AL)continue to deliver quality care and improve the lives of residents.
Finding Answers to the Workforce Crisis 
Employing and retaining staff at long term care (LTC) facilities continues to be a challenge with nursing shortages, leading to potentially lower staff morale from more challenging workload and insufficient nurse-to-resident ratios.
Many LTC companies are at their wits end over the situation while others are thinking creatively to help develop more certified nursing assistants.
Frank Romano is owner of Massachusetts-based Elder Services, and he said that in his 45 years in this industry hes never seen anything like it. Our centers are about 80 percent occupied so we have empty bedsnot because there arent patients, but because we dont have enough staff.
Christopher Schmidt, president and CEO, Schmidt Wallace Healthcare, based in Alabama, said, lately, we lost some workers who we never thought wed lose as they pursued other professional opportunities. These were workers who we thought would spend their entire careers with us, but things are different now. You have situations where if one person contracts COVID-19 then 20 walk out the door.
Matthew Yarnell, president of SEIU Healthcare Pennsylvania, which negotiated the recent contract with several nursing-home operators, recently told The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that 30 percent of the industrys workforce nationwide exited during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, in 2019 in Pennsylvania, 7,000 people applied for CNA certification. That dropped to 2,000 a year in 2020 and 2021. The overall rigors of the job can be measured through CNA-to-patient ratios. In a 7.5-hour day shift, Yarnell said a CNA could expect to serve 20and perhaps as many as 50residents.
People cannot take care of 20 individuals on a day shift and feel good about their work, he said. The new contract raises hourly pay by an average of 20 to 25 percent and incorporates new state rules limiting a CNA to just 12 residents per day shift, later dropping to 10, WSJ reported.
Romano said raising wages can help to make a difference.
Other industries are stealing our workers, he said. In Milford, Amazon was offering $22 per hour with full benefits and was supporting their employees college tuitions. Bank tellers are making $22 per hour. Its hard for us to pay that. I believe wages for CNAs will be $30 by next year. And, making it tougher, Medicare and Medicaid havent been keeping up with the wage hikes.
Romano added that long term care employment agencies are stealing our full-time workers because they can offer them the opportunity to work four days per week (not five) and have a three-day weekend. Who wouldnt want that? Our industry needs to do a better job at creating a career ladder. There are nursing schools, but enrollment is limited because there arent enough certified instructors.
Romano said nursing schools are receiving 4,000 applicants, but have only 120 slots because of faculty shortages.
Class sizes probably wont be getting bigger any time soon because nurses typically arent the type that pursue secondary education in order to teach, he said.
Tom Grape is founder, chairman, and CEO of Benchmark Senior Living, a Waltham, Mass.-based provider of senior living in the Northeast with 64 communities. He said that at Benchmark, the company is building an entire team of recruiters within an entirely new structure, headed by a new leader of the talent and acquisition teams. It is also hiring a recruiter for each region; someone who is well-versed in the needs and issues particular to their regions.
Having an entire team dedicated to recruitment will also lead to more robust brainstorming and innovation, Grape said.
Benchmark also continues to expand its partnerships with vocational schools, high schools, and colleges, helping students who are interested in long term care to begin working with the company, in appropriate roles, even before they are certified or have graduated.
Once theyve achieved certification or a degree, they can move into essential care roles with a full understanding of our communities, the residents, and the work we do, Grape said. He said his companys longevity is indicative of their satisfaction. It has more than 100 employees who have been with Benchmark for at least 20 years.
The company has been successful by living our values and creating a supportive and inclusive culturean attribute that our employees consistently cite as the reason they choose to work here, Grape said.
Were retooling our marketing to depict this culture and highlight our accomplishments in ways that will capture the attention of young people launching their careers. One way is to do a better job bringing this information forward at job fairs and onto popular social media channels, Grape said.
Our investment in these workforce recruitment efforts, as well as our retention programs, demonstrates the vital importance of attracting talented caregivers, and giving them the ongoing support that they need to develop and grow in their careers, he added.
Schmidt Wallace Healthcare is a family-run business with five facilities and 780 patients. It employs 1,110 and does not use a hiring agency.
Weve put in new systems to help recruit, retain, and develop a stronger culture, Schmidt said.
Every Friday, it has a Zoom call with its centers and checks in to see how many and what type of job openings they have. Team members then share ideas on how to fill them, Schmidt said. These meetings also are a chance for Schmidt to get his facility leaders minds organized because their jobs are tough with so many things are going on all the time.
Schmidt recruits aggressively when pursuing candidates, reaching out via call, text, and email.
We determine where our population of workers is hanging out and go there to recruit, he said. We visit grocery stores, soccer fields, churches during their evening classes. We are working to establish better apprenticeship programs at the community colleges.
Four years ago, Schmidt established a strong international recruiting programfocused on Kenya.
Weve hired employees from Kenya, but more than that, we ask them to reach out to their relatives and try to persuade them to work in the US. Weve established liaisons to these potential candidates through local taxi drivers, and weve traveled to Nairobi the past two summers and set up job fairs that about 300 locals attended.
He said hes persuaded about 30 to start working for Schmidt Wallace Healthcare. At his facility in Talladega, Ala., he provides housing for them at an apartment building across the street.
For his existing employees, Schmidt relies on the career-ladder approach, letting those who first join his team know that they can better themselves if they stay with the company. Three of his five nursing directors began at the company as CNAs. To further address the shortage of nurses, Schmidt created four Nursing Assistant Academies that teach students how to become sanctioned through the Alabama Health Department; 450 CNAs graduated from the academies last year.
Owners also are becoming more focused on improving company culture, in the hopes it prevents staff from walking away. For example, Schmidt makes an effort to have every staff member know every teammates and patient's names.
At orientation, he has all new hires fill out a card, listing their favorite animal, candy bar, hobby, and television show. The information is entered into a spreadsheet, which everyone has access so that it helps them get to know each other more easily and build relationships. For fun, on every new persons first day, they are given their favorite candy bar.
He also has supervisors share their cellphone numbers with their staffs so that each member can reach them at all times if there is a problem.
Our employees know that at any time if a problem such as a materials shortage or difficult situation arises, they can reach out for help, he said.
The company also established its Gold Standard of service. Comprised of 10 rules, all employees are trained to help each other. One rule is, when walking the halls, no staff member should bypass a call light or spill light if it has been activated. Another is, when passing each other in the hallway, they are to address the other person by name or with a wave.
All of these little things make a huge difference in improving our culture, Schmidt said. We want to make a such a strong connection with each employee that they can truly feel it.
Paul Bergeron is a freelance writer based in Herndon, VA.
Workforce Employing and retaining staff at LTC facilities continues to be a challenge with nursing shortages, leading to potentially lower staff morale from more challenging workload and insufficient nurse-to-resident ratios.
AHCA Announces PointClickCare as New Partner of the Long Term Care Data Cooperative The American Health Care Association (AHCA) announced today that PointClickCare, a leading health care technology platform enabling meaningful collaboration and access to realtime insights, has joined the Long Term Care Data Cooperative, a collective of leading long term care providers, working together to develop the most comprehensive health records system in the nation to monitor the impact of care treatments among nursing home residents and conduct robust public health surveillance of infections. The Cooperative is the first of its kind where providers oversee how their data is used, particularly by academic researchers and public health specialists.
PointClickCare joins MatrixCare, American HealthTech, Inc., Brown University, and Exponent Inc. in aggregating electronic medical records (EMR) and associated data representing geographically and structurally diverse nursing facilities to create comprehensive health records to monitor the needs and outcomes of residents. The innovative system will allow providers to receive targeted data reports that can help improve care. It will also support public health surveillance and academic research to generate real-world evidence on the effectiveness of different treatments and care practices.
We are extremely excited to have PointClickCare, a company committed to improving residents outcomes with data, join the Cooperative to help us continue to protect and care for our most vulnerable resident population in an ever-changing environment, said Dr. David Gifford, chief medical officer at AHCA and a board-certified gerontologist. Before we started this effort, we found little academic research or evidence on what clinical treatments work in elderly nursing home residents because they are often excluded from federally funded research due to lack of data. Todays announcement opens the door for research to help understand how best to treat our residents.
The pandemic has driven long term and post-acute care providers as well as life sciences companies to leverage longitudinal patient data to alleviate challenges with site based clinical trials, and we can expect this collaboration to pave the way for future health care innovation, said Jeff Wessinger, vice president and general manager of Life Sciences at PointClickCare. We have a pulse on the majority of aging patients in North America, and were proud to share that data, when authorized, with health care organizations, government agencies, and life sciences companies to help unearth cures and improve outcomes.
A barrier to developing appropriate clinical and operational responses to the novel coronavirus has been the lack of comprehensive data. In fact, most clinical guidelines are based on studies among younger and healthier individuals, with little known on what works for older individuals living in nursing homes, often with multiple chronic diseases. While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have data reporting systems, they do not provide sufficient clinical information to understand and evaluate the impact treatments such as vaccines and antivirals have on the lives of residents. The Cooperative will attempt to address these challenges and was recently featured in an article in JAMDA outlining its potential.
Visit ahcancal.org/datacooperative to learn more.
Quality The partners work together to develop the most comprehensive health records system in the nation to monitor the impact of care treatments among nursing home residents and conduct robust public health surveillance of infections.
VOTE NOW! AHCA/NCAL's Mark Parkinson a Finalist for Modern Healthcare's Most Influential People Modern Healthcare recently published the finalists for its annual listing of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare.
Among this year's list of finalists includes AHCA/NCAL's Mark Parkinson. He has received this recognition in previous years which continues to elevate the voice of AHCA/NCAL.
Voting is open to the public and members are encouraged to vote before the deadline on September 27, 2022.
Quality He has received this recognition in previous years which continues to elevate the voice of AHCA/NCAL.
NCAL Report States Continue Strengthening Assisted Living Regulations Assisted living regulations, statutes, and policies in 33 states were updated between 2020-2022, according to the National Center for Assisted Living's (NCAL) 2022 edition of the Assisted Living State Regulatory Review" released today.
States continue to demonstrate their ability to respond to the evolving assisted living environment, foster quality improvement, support transparency for consumers, and maintain resident safeguards," said LaShuan Bethea, NCAL Executive Director. NCAL supports ongoing collaborative efforts between assisted living providers, state regulators, and all stakeholders to properly balance oversight while continuing to honor residents' needs and desires."
The report also found the following:
It is clear from the trends we have seen over the years that state regulations continue to increase in assisted living," said Jill Schewe, NCAL's director of policy and regulatory affairs and the report's author. States are making changes as they determine how to best serve their specific resident populations in the years ahead, and we anticipate this trend will continue."
The Assisted Living State Regulatory Review" summarizes key selected state requirements for assisted living licensure or certification. It provides information for every state and the District of Columbia on topics such as which state agency licenses assisted living, recent legislative and regulatory updates affecting assisted living, and requirements for resident agreements, admission and discharge, units serving people with Alzheimer's or other dementias, staffing, and training.
The report also includes requirements for communities that offer seniors and people with disabilities housing, supportive services, person-centered assistance with activities of daily living, and some level of health care but may use a different term than assisted living (such as residential care and personal care homes).
The full report along with summaries for each state are available on the NCAL website.
Assisted Living AL regulations, statutes, and policies were updated, according to a new NCAL report summarizing key selected requirements for AL licensure or certification in every state and the DC.
Americas Assisted Living Communities Celebrate Joyful Moments Beginning today and continuing through Saturday, Sept. 17, Americas assisted living communities are participating in National Assisted Living Week (NALW). The national observancewhich begins each year on National Grandparents Day and is supported this year by official sponsor First Qualityhonors the individuals who reside, work, and volunteer in assisted living and residential care communities with special activities and events.
Created by the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) in 1995, this years NALW theme Joyful Moments reflects the strong connection between residents and staff and encourages them to join with their families and local communities to celebrate and create happy memories. This week also provides the opportunity to educate communities across the country about this sector of long term care and the dedicated, hardworking caregivers.
Assisted living staff have continued to provide high-quality care to residents in senior living and should be celebrated for the incredible work they do every day, said NCAL Executive Director LaShuan Bethea. This years theme is special because it recognizes the extraordinary bonds built in assisted living communities. It recognizes the fact that residents, staff, and families are truly one big extended family finding joy in caring for each other throughout every moment in life no matter how big or small.
The annual observance encourages assisted living communities around the country to offer a variety of events and activities to bring together residents, staff, and volunteers, while adhering to infection control requirements and precautions in place for COVID-19. Participants are asked to share their celebrations throughout the week on social media with the hashtag #NALW.
For more information on National Assisted Living Week, please visit www.nalw.org.
Assisted Living Joyful Moments reflects the strong connection between residents and staff and encourages them to join with their families and local communities to celebrate and create happy memories.
The sought-after American actor, Rob Lowe, hosts the Informed program to help educate the public on important topics. One issue impacting the lives of over 100 million Americans today is chronic pain. The program will visit with some of the top muscle and joint pain specialists on Informed.
Whether a patient has chronic pain from an accident injury or pain from degenerative diseases like arthritis, viewers shouldn't miss this special episode. Chronic pain can make the individual feel like a full and active life is now impossible, but this is not true. There are techniques and ways of treating chronic pain by those who specialize in pain control that can help find relief.
The "Informed" series will help be a guide and discuss these issues with specialists to help educate consumers on chronic pain and the latest treatment options available today. Due to the large number of people suffering from chronic pain, the treatment of it has become more specialized. If individuals are not working with a pain specialist or are unsure of their treatment and options, this piece should be especially relevant.
Informed is an educational program on public television with a goal to educate and inform the public on topics that can affect their daily lives. Rob Lowe hosts to help showcase important issues like pain management and treatment.
Give Something Back, a national organization devoted to mentoring and college scholarships for students facing economic adversity, has hired Domenic Merendino as Mentor Manager for Give Back scholars in South Jersey.
Were very excited to have Domenic join our staff, said Kelly Dun, executive director of Give Backs Mid-Atlantic Chapter. Domenic is great with kids. He taught English in public junior high schools in Yokohama, Japan for two years, and worked at the United Advocacy Group (UAG) in Bridgeton, NJ, writing grants and planning educational programs for students.
Born and raised in Penns Grove, NJ, Merendino attended high school at the Salem County Vo-Tech. At Stockton University, he majored in economics and minored in writing; served as an Admissions Ambassador and Economics Society President; and tutored students in writing, economics and statistics. Merendino graduated summa cum laude in 2013. Despite studying economics, he became very interested in the field of education, even writing his college thesis on the rise of student loan debt over the last decade.
Domenic will be instrumental in assisting Give Back with recruiting and training of mentors and developing programming for our scholars, added Dun.
For more information about the Give Something Back mentoring program, visit http://www.giveback.ngo/mentors/
About Giving Something Back
Give Back awards scholarships to academically driven students of modest means who might not otherwise attend college. Pell Grant-eligible students are selected in the ninth grade and mentored throughout high school. After graduation, Give Back scholars attend one of Give Backs partner universities or colleges in Delaware, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. It is the focus of the organization to help students graduate college in four years, debt free for tuition, fees, or room and board.
Volunteer public safety workers generally expect certain hazards when they serve and protect the public.....[but] never do they imagine that politics and personal agendas would be allowed to put their freedoms and families at risk.
On December 8, 2015, Engine Company 28 (West Lanham Hills) responded to a working house fire in Hyattsville, Maryland and the all-volunteer crew of five personnel proceeded to extinguish the fire within a few short minutes of arrival. Also on the scene of the incident was a three-person crew of paid firefighters (Prince Georges County employees) from a nearby station.
The two female members from that engine company alleged that they were prevented from entering the house and further claimed that the two male volunteers from Engine Company 28 pushed and fought with them while the other volunteers were finishing the extinguishment of the fire. However, these allegations proved to be untrue, said Scott Vazquez, President of the West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department.
The States Attorney for Prince Georges County issued a statement in December of 2016, announcing the charges against the two volunteers: then-Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Miller and Firefighter/EMT Christopher Kelly. That statement and other media reports attempted to highlight the fact that the allegations were not only by career (paid) firefighters against volunteer (unpaid) firefighters, but also the male / female aspect of the accusations.
Brian R. Bregman, the attorney for the West Lanham Hills Volunteer Fire Department, which is one of only a small few 100% all-volunteer fire stations in Prince Georges County, commented We feel that the public statements, made by Prince Georges States Attorney Angela Alsobrooks immediately after her office filed the charges in this case, were unfair, premature, and designed for maximum political impact. I will not repeat them because they should not have been made in the first place or before our system of justice was finished.
President Vazquez also noted that, Then-County Fire Chief Marc S. Bashoor made public comments after this incident first occurred, insinuating that Company 28 and its volunteers were somehow responsible, which again proved to be wrong after a jury of twelve citizens of this County were finally able to hear all of the evidence.
Mr. Bregman, who represented Kelly at the 5-day trial in Upper Marlboro, said, The exoneration of these fine volunteer members is a reminder that accusations should never be reported as fact or certainty. These men never committed any crimes whatsoever. They merely did their jobs and did them well, putting the fire out and protecting lives and property. The complainants eagerly leapt at the chance to cry wolf for political, financial, and other ulterior motives. It was further aggravated when the government chose to side with the career personnel in this situation, perhaps because of the male-female undertones that they saw an opportunity to create, and despite an unbelievable amount of evidence showing that these members were innocentevidence that even included videos and photographs.
There were other egregious violations of the members rights, Mr. Bregman said, including their right to a speedy trial because the States Attorneys Office took nearly a year just to present the charges even when they failed to conduct an investigation. He also reported that the claims and allegations were all but completely discredited and exposed during the trial.
Prince Georges County, Maryland has the largest combination volunteer and career fire department in the United States of America. It also has the strongest, most experienced, and most dedicated volunteer professionals of any combination department, anywhere, President Vazquez stated.
Mr. Bregman, on behalf of the volunteer station, made the following remarks: Volunteer public safety workers such as firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics generally expect certain hazards when they serve and protect the public. These men and women are exposed to harsh and dangerous conditions. They have a surprisingly high rate of heart attacks, high blood pressure, and even cancer as compared with other occupations. However, never do they imagine that politics and personal agendas would be allowed to put their freedoms and families at risk. These two gentlemen can now return to their personal lives and full-time careers with some semblance of normalcy. I just hope that, after this ordeal, we have not lost them as volunteer professionals in our community.
At trial, Volunteer Firefighter/EMT Christopher Kelly was represented by Attorney Brian R. Bregman of Laurel, Maryland, and Volunteer Assistant Fire Chief Jeffrey Miller was represented by Ann E. Koshy and Patrick J. McAndrew of Greenbelt, Maryland.
The case was heard in the Circuit Court for Prince George's County, Maryland, Case Nos. CT161455A (Miller) and CT161455B (Kelly).
For More Information, Contact: Brian R. Bregman, Attorney (http://www.BB-Law.com)
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DAVENPORT -- A couple killed in Kentucky when their plane crashed has been identified as Domenic "Don" Giammetta and Dr. Dianne Giammetta, Bettendorf.
A Beechcraft BE36 crashed Friday near Hopkinsville, Ky., said National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Terry Williams. The aircraft was on its way to Muscle Shoals, Ala. The NTSB is leading the investigation with the support of the Federal Aviation Administration.
The identities were released by Randy Graham, Christian County emergency management director.
Mr. Williams said the investigation was in its preliminary stages, but the NTSB and FAA will look at the wreckage, the weather, and records related to the aircraft, including its maintenance history.
The BE36 is also known as the Bonanza 36, according to the FAA. It has a single engine, can seat up to six people and has a range of about 1,000 miles, according to the Beechcraft website.
The crash occurred near 8694 Shurdan Creek Road, according to FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen..
A spokesman for the Christian County Sheriff's Office could not be reached for additional information.
Al Jazeera, May 14, 2017
From opportunistic guns for hire on the fringe of domestic conflicts to a global force operating within a multibillion-dollar industry - the private military sector seems to be flourishing.
As armies and war increasingly become 'outsourced', private military companies have taken on a wider increasing range of responsibilities, from security and intelligence analysis to training and combat roles.
"The private military industry is a part of how the countries fight wars today ... The US government doesn't track the number of contractors used in places like Iraq or Afghanistan. We know it's a lot, we don't know exactly how many," says Sean McFate, a professor at Georgetown University who used to work for a private military company.
The employees of these contractors can come from anywhere, and sometimes those leading the missions don't know exactly who is working for them.
"They [the companies] hire and they sometimes create what they call 'subs', subcontractors. There's been commanders in Afghanistan who just simply say, 'We don't know who the subs of the subs of the subs are.' So you've all these, like, layers of a contract.
"It's the complete opposite of the private military world. You look at the budget first," says McFate. "Company self-interest is different than national self-interest. Companies are profit-maximisers, that's what they do, that's natural."
As the military trade grows and private military companies try to find the cheapest available soldiers around the world, who are the mercenaries? And what are the consequences of the privatisation of war?
Child Soldiers Reloaded looks at the changing nature of war, the business of warfare and the issues behind it.
The business of warfare: Aegis Defence Services
In 2004, the US Department of Defense signed a deal estimated at $293m with the private military company Aegis to execute operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Aegis Defence Services is a British private military company founded in 2002 by former British Army officer Tim Spicer. Spicer was involved in the 1998 "arms to Africa" scandal, in which his previous company, Sandline International, was found to be breaching UN sanctions by importing weapons to Sierra Leone.
But according to journalist and author Stephen Armstrong, "He's a dashing and charming, public school-educated guards' officer. And that really wasn't massively a feature of the industry before then. It changed the global agenda of what a private military company was."
During the US invasion of Iraq, Aegis was contracted to oversee the communication and coordination for all the private security companies on the ground providing guards to protect US military bases.
"In effect, it meant that they were the general in charge of all of the private contractors. Now, at that point, the US military was the largest military presence in Iraq. But if you added together all of the private military contractors, Spicer was effectively in charge of the second-largest armed force in Iraq," says Armstrong.
However, when the US decided to end its military mission in Iraq, budgets decreased and the private military industry had to start offering different types of deals. As a result, they started to hire cheaper soldiers, many of them from the developing world.
Aegis employed many mercenaries from Sierra Leone and Uganda to work in Iraq because they were cheaper than other options.
"The Sierra Leonean war has been fought mainly by young combatants. If you're looking for young men to perform military jobs, the chances are quite good that they have also been child soldiers," says Maya Mynster Christensen, anthropologist, Royal Danish Defence College.
She explains that "from a Sierra Leone government perspective, the Iraq recruitment was considered a quite good deal, in the sense that they could actually take local troublemakers, sending them away to Iraq for a couple of years, and then returning them after two years with money earned from their overseas deployment. This could serve to stabilise security in Sierra Leone."
In 2010, the US Congress appointed a commission to investigate outsourcing to private military companies, but the recruitment of former child soldiers was not part of the investigation.
The commission concluded that the US government has been too dependent on private military companies in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that between $30bn and $60bn disappeared to waste and fraud.
The number of former child soldiers recruited by private companies to take part in active combat is unknown, as is the total number of employees from the developing world is also unknown.
"On the one hand, Western countries have pumped large sums of money into the reintegration of former child soldiers, but now we have governments like the US supporting these so-called security companies that recruit people and continue their exposure to violence and cement their identities as perpetrators of violence as soldiers, that make it impossible to ever reintegrate into civilian life," says Michael Wessels, a psychologist and adviser to the UN and NGOs.
"We pride ourselves on being a moral people, trying to do the right thing. What we're doing is, we're exploiting people, using young people who've been child soldiers, deliberately sinking them into the jaws of combat and further violence. Nothing could be worse for these young people, nothing could be worse for security."
Originally published on May 1, 2017
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Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra fainted at a media conference on Sunday but not before he had accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party of massive financial irregularities.
Mishra demanded Kejriwal's resignation and said if he didnt step down, the former water minister would drag the chief minister by his collar and lock him up in Delhis Tihar Jail.
It has now become clear that Arvind Kejriwal is a corrupt man, Mishra said before he swooned, apparently weakened by five days of fasting in protest against AAPs refusal to disclose details of five party leaders travels abroad.
Mishra told the media at his residence that AAP had received crores of rupees from shell companies run by people close to Kejriwal, mentioning in particular AAP legislators Shiv Charan Goel and Naresh Yadav.
These shell companies, Mishra alleged, also had ghost directors who donated money to the party and converted black money into white.
He said there were also discrepancies in the money received by AAP and the amount it declared before the Election Commission.
The party refuted Mishras charges and said he was parroting the Bharatiya Janata Party.
In another press conference, AAP MLAs Goel and Yadav denied links with the entities named by Mishra and said they would file a defamation suit against him.
Mishra fainted before he could share with the media documents he said proved his charges.
He was taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, where doctors said he was stable and conscious, but suffered from a little weakness and mild dehydration.
His vital signs are all normal, an RML doctor said.
Earlier, referring to one of the cases of alleged discrepancies, Mishra said AAP received Rs 90 lakh as donation from a person identified as Priya Bansal of Bengaluru for 2014-15 and 2015-16, but the tax payable on her income was merely Rs 4,000.
In 2014-15, AAP had Rs 65,52,40,752 (Rs 65.5 crore) in its bank account, but the Election Commission was informed about only Rs 32,46,16,662 (Rs 32.4 crore) while the party put only Rs 27,38,71,611 (Rs 27.3 crore) in the public domain and told its volunteers it had no money, Mishra said.
He also held that the party had made 461 bogus entries.
All this happened with the knowledge of Arvind Kejriwal as these shell companies deposited money in AAPs bank account on the same day and time in January 2014, Mishra said, brandishing a sheaf of documents.
Mishra was accompanied at the meet by a man identified as Neil Haslam, who he said helped in exposing the funding.
This is why I have been demanding foreign travel details of five AAP leaders, Mishra said.
He added that he would also approach the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday with documents and would soon expose another scam related to AAPs mohalla or health clinics.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said Mishra was echoing the allegations the BJP voiced just before the 2015 assembly polls.
This is the BJPs ploy to finish AAP. It should stop questioning the credentials of AAP and Arvind Kejriwal. He (Kejriwal) quit as the joint commissioner with the income tax department as well as the chief minister (during his first term as CM). We have ensured all transparency while accepting funds, Singh said.
On May 7, Mishra had claimed that he had seen Health Minister Satyendra Jain pay Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal.
Meanwhile, the Congress demanded a thorough probe into the allegations levelled by Mishra.
The allegations are serious. Kejriwal should step down on moral and legal grounds, Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken said at a press conference in New Delhi.
IMAGE: MLA Kapil Mishra, who fainted after his press conference on revelations on AAP's finances, being taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, in New Delhi on Sunday. Photograph: PTI Photo
The post-mortem report of the Rohtak gang rape victim states that the cause of her death was due to head injury as blunt force injuries and multiple wounds were found on her skull and scalp.
The report said the victim's face, tongue, eye, ears was totally distorted, which made the face totally unidentifiable.
What makes the brutality every more evident, is that her oesophagus was missing and gnawing effects were seen over chest of the victim.
Financial assistance of Rs 10.5 lakh was announced on Sunday for the family the victim.
As the 23-year old woman was a Dalit, the state welfare department would provide Rs 8.5 lakh to her family under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The remaining Rs 2 lakh will be given by the Red Cross, Sonipat Deputy Commissioner K Makrand Pandurang said.
Meanwhile, Haryana Inspector general of police Inspector general of police informed that two accused have been arrested in connection with the case.
"We cannot tell the investigation details. Two accused has been arrested till now. The investigation is underway," said IG.
A case has been registered under the Indian Penal Code sections 376, 365, 302 against the accused.
On May 9, a woman was brutally gang-raped and murdered, wherein later her mutilated body was found in an empty plot in Haryana's Rohtak.
The incident came to light when the victim's body was found in city's IMT area. The victim had allegedly refused a marriage proposal, following which the accused reached her home a week later with his friends.
A heated argument broke out which resulted in the woman slapping him.
In revenge, the accused along with his friends allegedly raped and murdered her. The family of the victim said that on May 9, at least five to six youth abducted her from the gate of a private company.
After that the accused took her to a deserted place and gang-raped her.
The victim's mother said that the accused have been pressurising the woman for marriage for the past one year.
The forensic reports suggested that the victim was mutilated with sharp-edged weapons.
Later, the accused tried to run her over to hide her identity.
"The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated after the gang rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people. Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated.
The victim was living with her mother and brother and used to work in a private medicine company.
The woman's parents had filed a missing complaint, based on which the police tracked her parents down.
The parents were called to Rohtak to identify her body.
The distraught parents have claimed that this ghastly attack was carried out by the girl's neighbour and have demanded capital punishment for the rapists.
With PTI inputs.
Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud Dawah chief Hafiz Saeed and his four aides have been detained for spreading terrorism in the name of jihad, Pakistans interior ministry has told a judicial review board.
Saeed appeared before the board on Saturday and told it that he had been detained by the Pakistani government in order to stop him for raising voice for Kashmiris.
However, the interior ministry rejected his arguments and told the three-member board that Saeed and his four aides have been detained for spreading terrorism in the name of jihad.
The board comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan of the Supreme Court (head), Justice Ayesha A Malik of Lahore high court and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of Balochistan high court directed the ministry to submit a complete record regarding detention of Saeed and his aides -- Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid, Abdullah Ubaid and Qazi Kashif Niaz -- on next hearing on May 15.
The board also sought personal appearance of the attorney general of Pakistan on next hearing.
Police produced Saeed and his four aides before the board at Lahore registry of the apex court amid high security. A large number of Saeeds supporters gathered outside the court.
Saeeds counsel advocate A K Dogar was also present but the founder of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba chose to plead his case before the court.
The allegations levelled by the government against me had never been proved by any state institution. My organisation and I have been victimised for raising voice for freedom of Kashmir and criticising the governments weak policy on the Kashmir issue, Saeed said.
He said that he had been placed under house in order to stop him for raising voice for Kashmiri people.
Saeed appealed to the board to set aside the Punjab governments detention order.
The government detained the JuD leaders on pressure of United Nations and international organisations, an official representing the federal interior ministry told the board.
Last Thursday Lahore high court division bench had questioned as why Saeed and others were not presented before a review board before the government issued notification for extension to his detention for another 90 days.
On April 30, detention of Saeed and his four aides was extended by the Punjab government for another 90 days under preventative detention under 11 EEE (I) and 11D of Anti-Terrorism Act 1997.
The Punjab government on January 30 had put these five under house arrest in Lahore for their involvement in activities which can be prejudicial to peace and security.
The government has also placed JuD and FIF under second schedule of the anti-terrorism act.
The Nawaz government had reportedly taken action against Saeed after the US clearly told Islamabad that in case of not taking action against JuD and Saeed it may face sanctions.
JuD is said to be the front for the banned Lashkar-e-Tayyaba. The organisation has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in June 2014.
Saeed and his aides said in their petition that the government detained them without any legal justification. They said the UN resolution followed by the government did not seek detention of any citizen.
The detention of the JuD leaders is a simple case of mala fide intention and ulterior motive on part of the government as it has been done so to please India and the United States, the petition said.
From 2-7 to sectional champs, Monrovia has one question: 'Why not us?'
Three weeks ago, Monrovia's football team sat at 2-7. Now, after claiming a sectional championship, the Bulldogs are asking themselves, 'Why not us?'
DENVER Police are continuing to investigate the death of a woman who had been living in Racine and was found dead last fall on a train upon its arrival in Denver.
On Sept. 1, Marina Placensia, 28, a mother of four who lived on the 600 Block of Ninth Avenue in Racine for about three years, was declared dead after being found unresponsive in her train seat by her boyfriend, a resident of a Denver suburb and father of three of Placensias children; he also had been living in Racine.
The couple had been together about 10 years, according to Placensias brother, Denver resident Christopher Medina. She was trying to get away from him in April 2015, and then we found out he was out there with her again, Medina said. We thought, why is this fool out there with you?
According to Medina, the family had been trying to get Placensia and her children away from the boyfriend, who was charged with battery in March 2015 and was subsequently court-ordered to have no contact with the victim MAP, initials that match Placensias.
The Journal Times is not naming the boyfriend because he has not been charged in connection to Placensias death.
The family had planned to separate the boyfriend from Placensia and the children when they arrived.
We were there to tell him, Youre done, Medina said. I cannot for sure say he beat her to death, I mean, Im not a medical expert, but the kids have been very open and said he beat her and them.
After Placensias death, the couples children stayed with the boyfriend for three days, but the children were subsequently removed from his care, Medina said.
No sign of a struggle
Placensia was pronounced dead at 7:54 a.m. Sept. 1 after attempts to resuscitate her were unsuccessful. Her cause of death was ruled to be undetermined. Train personnel, however, didnt notice any disturbances during the trip and saw no signs of a struggle, the autopsy said.
The autopsy, which was completed on Sept. 2, showed that Placensia had 35 different injuries to her body, several bruises and was the victim of past domestic abuse at the hands of her boyfriend.
Priscilla Placensia, an aunt of Marinas who lives in Mequon, was in contact with Marina when she first moved to Racine and said the boyfriend arrived a year after Marina.
For the most part, however, Priscilla said she didnt notice any issues until near the end of Marinas life.
I saw how my brother was really stressing, Priscilla said. I had invited Marina last year to a quinceanera, but my brother said, Shes not going to come. She was always bruised and beat up, so she wouldnt come around family.
According to Priscilla, Marina was afraid to tell anyone what was going on for fear of losing her children. She really loved her kids, Priscilla said. There wasnt anything that she wouldnt have done for those kids.
Marina, who Priscilla said had aspirations to become a beautician, had been experiencing a sudden loss issue with her eyesight but no other startling medical issues. A girl who had perfect vision suddenly couldnt see anymore, Priscilla said.
Marina Placensias death remains under investigation, the Denver Police Department confirmed this week.
You think you know your family, but you really have no clue whats going on, Priscilla said.
The Virginia is for Lovers advertising slogan, the automated teller machine and the stay-on tab for aluminum cans were all market innovations that have at least one thing in common.
They were ideas that came to fruition partly because of work done by the Southeastern Institute of Research.
Created in the early 1960s as a division of Bob Klines advertising agency Kline & Co., the consulting firm in Richmond has worked behind the scenes on market research, strategic planning and communications for numerous Richmond-area organizations.
An outgrowth of one of the first ad agencies in America to have a full-service research arm, Southeastern Institute of Researchs influence has reached businesses, nonprofits, government agencies and cities across the nation, and globally.
Weve worked on more than 15,000 projects, said John W. Martin, the firms CEO and managing partner. This firm has been part of a lot of things.
Martin, a longtime advertising and marketing professional in Virginia, acquired the business in 2003 from Bob Miller and Richard Steele, who had become its owners after it was spun off from Kline & Co. in 1964 as a separate business.
Now, the firm is doing some rebranding of its own.
Southeastern Institute of Research has officially changed its name to SIR.
We decided to call ourselves what everybody calls us everybody knows us as SIR, Martin said.
And the firm is re-emphasizing its role as a strategic advisory consultancy, in addition to its market research capabilities.
We went from being a market research firm some time ago to being a strategic firm that has market research capability, said J.R. Hipple, a longtime public relations professional who merged his practice with SIRs in 2016. There are very few organizations our size that have that in-house. That gives us a real advantage.
***
SIRs office on Floyd Avenue in Richmonds Fan District a renovated building that first opened as a bank branch in the early 1920s practically drips with history. It has retained its historic facade but, inside, SIRs 20-person staff is constantly looking into the future for clients.
They include businesses and other organizations who hire the firm to do detailed research among their stakeholders, including customers, employees and suppliers, and then help formulate and implement strategic plans and organizational changes to meet future challenges.
SIR is different from some other research firms in that what they do is almost exclusively original research, said Gary Rhodes, president of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, one of SIRs clients.
When SIR started, the best practice in consumer research was intercepts, or door-to-door interviews. Later, the firm became known for consumer telephone surveys.
These days, technology has changed its approach to consumer research. For instance, the internet has enabled it to do bulletin board focus groups.
You get a focus group and expand the time to three or four days, said Erin Bishop, an SIR principal who leads qualitative research. You put it online and let people log in and join whenever it is convenient for them. There are several advantages to that.
One is that it eliminates the problem with traditional focus groups of having one or a few people who dominate the conversation.
One of the great things about it is the geographic reach, said Michael Norvell, an SIR principal who leads business development. We can have a group that participates and somebody is from California and somebody is from Europe. It has made it easier for us to expand our reach.
Often, clients will come to SIR looking to complete a five-year strategic plan and then get help implementing it, said Susan Baxter, an SIR principal who leads the strategic consulting practice.
Then we also get those clients who say wed like to figure out what business we should be in, so we do the research and then help them create that plan, Baxter said. People have trouble taking research into action, and we help them through that path.
***
SIR did the consumer research in 1966 behind Virginia is for Lovers for Martin & Woltz, the precursor to todays The Martin Agency (and no relation to SIRs John Martin).
The firm did work for Reynolds Aluminum when that company developed the stay-on tab for soft drinks and beer cans, as well as the cutting strip now found on aluminum foil packages.
Recent or ongoing local clients have included Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia, which operates thrift stores and provides job training and job placement services, and the Richmond-based commercial building contractor ColonialWebb.
SIR has worked with Goodwill on improving public awareness of its mission and on improving its operational efficiency, said Charles Layman, president and CEO of Goodwill of Central and Coastal Virginia.
ColonialWebb, which has 800 employees in nine Southeastern offices, engaged the firm to help it work on branding and strategic planning since the company was acquired by ComfortSystems USA in 2010.
They know how to do research, either one-on-one or through focus groups, or digital surveys, and really ask the right questions and get the right information to understand your brand proposition how your customer views you and how your employees view you, said Mitch Haddon, ColonialWebbs president and CEO.
SIR has worked with J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College on several projects in the past few years, including a revamp of the schools branding, Rhodes said.
J. Sargeant Reynolds is a little bit of a complicated name, he said. Sargeant was constantly misspelled.
We have been referring to it as Reynolds Community College, not changing the legal name, but just branding it that way, which was helpful to us.
SIR also conducted research that showed about one in four people in the Richmond regions workforce has attended classes at the college, and one in three health care workers, Rhodes said.
SIR research showed there is strong demand in the region for the schools culinary institute, as the Richmond areas restaurant scene has blossomed.
***
Martin said he used to cringe at the word futurist, a moniker that could be applied to him, given the kind of public speaking he does.
Now, the label doesnt bother him so much.
Now, it makes perfect sense, he said. Every single person who hires us wants to be a futurist. They value it. We all have to figure out what is next. The world is going to change more in the next 10 years than it did in the last 100. The question people are asking is, how do you maintain relevance? Everybody is asking these questions.
Along with SIRs consulting work, Martin and SIR Managing Partner Matt Thornhill lead the firms Institute for Tomorrow, a strategic think tank that utilizes the companys research to develop trend-related insights, often about how technology and generational differences are driving changes in society.
In 2003, for instance, they launched the Boomer Project, a marketing research and consulting firm that is one of the nations leading authorities on the boomer consumer.
Martin and Thornhill now travel the world to share those insights through speaking engagements at various industry and civic meetings.
One really big question is disintermediation of jobs, said Martin, referring to the dislocation or disappearance of jobs caused by advances in technology. He pointed to one widely cited study by Oxford University researchers that predicted 47 percent of U.S. jobs now performed by people will be handled by computerized technology in 20 years.
In recent talks, Martin has spoken about one specific example of that the impact of autonomous vehicles. On a recent trip to Copenhagen, he addressed the board of directors of one of the worlds largest convenience store chains.
They asked me to speak on the trends shaping the convenience store industry and what we see for the future, Martin said. They also wanted to talk about the millennial generation, their perception of branding, and what they see as winning brands.
When autonomous vehicles become the norm, there are going to be fleets and fleets of these vehicles driving around, Martin said.
If they function as taxi services, people may not see the need to own their own cars anymore. That could be especially true of younger generations who do not grow up with a sense of personal ownership of vehicles.
The shift could mean the whole economic model surrounding the refueling of vehicles will change, Martin said, so the convenience store industry may need to rethink its value proposition.
Martins advice was to tap into the sense of the local store as a community gathering place. But autonomous cars will have a much more widespread effect, on everything from insurance and automobile design, to urban planning and personal injury law, to organ donation, he said.
Speaking at a convention of parking industry professionals in Las Vegas, I told them, in front of a crowd of a few thousand people, that they are the only guys in history who know they are going to get disintermediated, he said.
It is going to be fascinating, he said. It is going to change communities, and it is going to be one of those game changers that people are not talking about enough.
Gov. Terry McAuliffe urged graduates of Virginia Union University to take risks, fight for others and shatter barriers during the historically black institutions 118th commencement.
You have an education from an institution that no one else in America can say has grown out of the depths of one of the worst slave trading facilities in the country, he said.
That is your history. That is your legacy. You march out that door and you never turn back and you get out there and fight for the rights of everyone.
McAuliffe addressed 329 graduates during a Saturday morning ceremony that was moved from VUUs Hovey Field to Saint Pauls Baptist Church in eastern Henrico County because of inclement weather. He left immediately after his 16-minute address to head to his daughters college graduation.
The governor noted that 2017 has been a unique year. Id be lying if I sugarcoated the world you are about to inherit, he told the graduates.
Like generations past, youll be charged with doing everything in your power to make it a better world. The good news is Virginia Union University has prepared you to rise to that challenge.
He called Saturdays graduation address bittersweet because it would be his last as governor of Virginia.
As you know when most of you arrived here on campus for the first time, we had just re-elected Americas first black president. ISIS was not yet a household name. And for some people, for some reason, they thought Macklemore was actually a good rapper, he said, drawing laughter.
Today, we find ourselves in a world where saying black lives matter is somehow a political statement. And where a president of the United States, just this week, questioned the value and constitutionality of HBCUs, he said to groans from some of the graduates.
McAuliffe was referring to a signing statement by President Trump apparently questioning the constitutionality of a program that helps historically black colleges and universities get low-cost construction loans. The White House said it would treat that program in a manner consistent with the requirement to afford equal protection of the laws.
Its easy to wonder how can it be 2017 if were still having this debate in this country, McAuliffe said. As we gather here today in Richmond, a place full of extraordinary, complicated and sometimes shameful history, we know that that question is hundreds of years in the making.
But even the most complicated stories can have a silver lining, he said, citing VUUs origins at the site of Lumpkins Slave Jail, the notorious Devils Half-Acre whose land was leased to educators by the black widow of the deceased jailer.
Among the students McAuliffe cited for praise was co-valedictorian Nhat Hoang Van Le, who maintained a perfect GPA while carrying a triple major in physics, chemistry and mathematics and a minor in biology. He was raised in a household in Vietnam and decided early that education was his passport out of poverty, McAuliffe said.
The governor then reflected on his own childhood, recalling the moment he realized hed have to pay for his college education. He launched his own paving business at age 14 before he expanded it a year later with a truck he salvaged from a junkyard. An entrepreneur was born.
Take risks. Youre gonna fail. We all fail. The key is what you do that next day, he said, recalling his disastrous run for governor in 2009.
I told folks if you dont like my big ideas, dont vote for me. Ha! And they didnt. I got crushed, two to one.
But he went back to work, and thats how he became Virginias 72nd governor, part of a chain that began with Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson, he said.
Follow your dreams, follow your passions. ... Take some risks, take some chances, and fight for people. He said his proudest moment as governor came when he restored the voting rights to more than 200,000 felons, 114 years after a state constitutional convention set in motion laws to disenfranchise black voters.
When challenged by the Republican Party and told by the Virginia Supreme Court that he couldnt enact a blanket clemency, he signed the restoration orders individually.
People wanna be with winners, not whiners, he told the graduates. If you see a glass ceiling, you knock that down into millions of different pieces.
When most people think of a CSA short for Community Supported Agriculture they envision a box of fresh veggies delivered straight from the farmer to the consumer.
Now, substitute the A in CSA with art. And the word farmer for artist.
Thats the concept behind CSArt Madison, the latest innovative project of the Madison community arts space known as the Arts + Literature Laboratory, or ALL: Buy fresh and original art and get it straight from the producer.
Fifty shares of CSArt (pronounced C-S-art) went on sale to the public May 1. Full shares cost $300 and yield 10 small artworks, each created this spring or summer by an accomplished local artist; $150 buys a half-share, or five small works of art.
Share-buyers also get to visit the studios of artists creating works for CSArt, and are invited to a celebratory pick-up of the finished artworks, tucked into a tote bag, on July 29. A public exhibition of larger artworks by CSArtists will be on display at the ALL gallery space, 2021 Winnebago St., from July 7-29.
CSArt Madison is designed, in part, to show how much valuable, home-grown talent is right in Madisons backyard, said CSArt coordinator Simone Doing, a co-lead curator at ALL.
We were looking for alternative distribution models for artists, and thinking about ways of helping connect artists to buyers, and vice versa and how that buy local mentality could be facilitated here in Madison, given that we have such a strong sense of buy local with our food, she said. Agricultural CSAs have a really strong presence in Madison, and we thought that would translate well.
The project even will include a series of dinners hosted with VEA Events, where area chefs prepare locally sourced food inspired by the CSArtists works. The dinners will take place July 8, 22 and 23 and serve as a fundraiser for ALL.
Some of what will grow out of CSArt Madison is still in the early stages. CSArtist Faisal AbduAllah, an associate professor of printmaking at UW-Madison, is departing from 2D art and making a 7-inch vinyl record as his CSArt piece. Working with him is UW-Madison graduating senior Daniel Kaplan, known as Son!, this years student artist-in-residence at Memorial Unions Wheelhouse Studios.
When AbduAllah moved to Madison from London, his huge, diverse record collection moved with him, he said.
When I pull up a song, I can place myself 15 years ago the date, the time, the temperature, what I was feeling, he said. The records almost annotate my life. My (art) work does the same thing.
He discovered a musical connection when Kaplan, a generation younger, started working with him on an independent study project, AbduAllah said.
When CSArt asked me to do something, I thought, well, music, he said. I always ask students to embrace uncertainty and go beyond their own expectations. So he invited Kaplan to do a kind of mash-up of a few songs resonating with the artist right now.
The resulting record for the CSArt project complete with original cover and liner notes will be done with the thinking that if you dont have a record player, youll probably have to go to someones house. Theres a journey involved, AbduAllah said. Or if you have one, you have the benefit of putting the needle on the record.
Other artists selected for CSArt Madison whose projects are still under wraps include handmade paper artist Katharine Delamater; printmaker and UW-Madison professor John Hitchcock; glass artist Helen Lee, head of glass in the UW-Madison art department; J. Myszka Lewis, a curator at Tandem Press and one-third of the feminist art group Spooky Boobs Collective; and Dakota Mace, who is currently working with Navajo textile design as an MFA candidate at UW-Madison.
Also creating CSArt are Jason Ruhl, a master printer at Tandem Press; visual artist Chelsea Thompto, an MFA candidate at UW-Madison; and mixed media artists Bernadette Witzack and Ariel Wood. The artists, selected from among 75 applicants, receive a stipend.
CSArt Madison was inspired by a similar program developed by Minnesota-based Springboard for the Arts and now used in 40 cities, said Max Puchalsky, also a co-lead curator for ALL.
Since we started working professionally in Madison in the arts, we realized there really isnt that collector class here thats going to contemporary art exhibitions for the purpose of collecting artwork, said Puchalsky, who with Doing makes up the collaborative art team known as Simone and Max.
So if you want to be an artist in Madison and sustain your practice, youre going to have to find other ways of making ends meet. We got really interested in alternative models for distribution, or making money as an artist.
Located in a refurbished brick building at 2021 Winnebago St., ALL mixes modern gallery space with the buildings industrial past. Founded by graphic artist Jolynne Roorda who helped found the first ALL in New Haven, Connecticut, and brought the concept to Madison the center is a nonprofit community art space designed for visual, literary and performing artists to connect and share their creative work.
Roorda, Doing, Puchalsky and others are building ALL into a creative hub, with art exhibitions, literary readings, concerts, workshops and, this August, a series of outdoor screenings of contemporary video art.
This summer ALL is hosting Bike the Art, a free, monthly, curated tour of art spaces by bicycle. The first is Saturday, when wheelers of all ages will meet at 5 p.m. at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art to learn about a collaborative project between MMOCA and ALL called Digital Aura, then pedal (or walk or drive) on to the Old Sugar Distillery and lastly to the ALL gallery.
Artists Jennifer Bastian and Jamie Ho were selected this year for ALLs Dane County Emerging Artist Series, another ALL program designed to showcase local talent and help artists advance their careers.
As for the artworks being developed right now for CSArt shares, Were trying to keep it exciting and somewhat mysterious, because it will be a fun reveal at the end, Doing said.
Like your CSA box, Roorda added. You never know what youre going to get.
For two days the White House insisted, loudly and at length, that President Trump fired FBI Director Jim Comey because of a memo from Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, which blasted Comey for his handling of the Clinton email scandal. Then Trump went on TV and told Lester Holt, Regardless of the recommendation, I was going to fire Comey. In other words, the stated rationale was organic fertilizer as everyone pretty much knew all along.
The White House also wanted the public to believe the firing had nothing to do with the Russian investigation, even though Comey recently had asked for more resources to put into it. Then Trump told Holt, When I decided to (fire Comey), this Russia thing, with Trump and Russia is an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election they should have won. Oh.
Trump spokesmen said the FBI rank-and-file had lost confidence in Comey. Andrew McCabe, Comeys temporary replacement, testified to Congress that that was simply not the case. Then came reports that Trump had demanded Comeys loyalty during a private dinner in January. Comey reportedly said he would always be honest, but could not be counted on to be politically reliable.
Friday morning, Trump took to Twitter to push back. He suggested that perhaps he should simply cancel White House press briefings, because it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy. Then he issued a threat that sounded positively Nixonian: James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!
Along the way the president took a detour so he could demonstrate his expertise in the field of advanced weapons systems, by teeing off on the digital catapult on the aircraft carrier Gerald L. Ford: Digital. They have digital. What is digital? And its very complicated, you have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out. And I said and now they want to buy more aircraft carriers. I said what system are you going to be Sir, were staying with digital. I said, No youre not. (Youre) going (back) to goddamned steam.
Pretty soon were going to see the president storming around in his bathrobe demanding to know why he cant put metal in the microwave.
By Jeff Lighthiser and Andrew Browning
Springtime heralds a number of transitions. One such transition is the closing weeks of classes on college campuses as students prepare to graduate and pursue careers. The job market is looking up for the class of 2017.
The first three months of this year have been very positive for job creation as the government and ADP both reported the addition of hundreds of thousands of new jobs. This is good news for the economy, our country, and graduates.
However, this jobs boom is not impacting every sector in the same way and one industry, particularly in Central Virginia, continues to face a significant job shortage: land development.
This sector is composed of engineers and developers who are responsible for designing, planning, and developing residential neighborhoods, mixed-use communities, commercial and industrial sites, and critical municipal projects, from new schools and transportation to utilities and storm water management.
***
For many years, the land development sector has faced a shortage of qualified engineers and struggled to meet the demand for new projects. As the industry in our region and across the state looked to address this issue, a promising solution emerged: partnerships between universities and the land-development community.
Estimates from civil engineering departments at leading universities in the United States show that as many as a quarter to a third of graduates work in the land-development sector.
Yet for years no academic institution had a dedicated program to prepare students to tackle the unique issues associated with land development and design.
That changed when Virginia Tech launched the Land Development Design Initiative (LDDI), which educates and prepares civil engineering students for a career in the land-development industry, including positions with engineering firms, developers, home builders, equipment manufacturers, and contractors.
Partnerships between academic institutions and industries, like LDDI, take many forms. For example, both of us and many other engineers from the Richmond area serve as mentors for students. We also are guest lecturers in classes and assist students on project work.
Engineering firms then attract students to Central Virginia for internships and eventual full-time positions. This collaboration is a critical component to the success of these programs.
***
When universities and leaders from the private sector work together to establish a dedicated track of course work to address a topic, such as land development, a programs impact for both students and the private sector is tremendous.
Among the most significant benefits, three stand out.
First, programs that specialize in land development and design produce new professionals who can contribute to projects immediately rather than needing months of on-the-job training. Thanks to a program that cultivates and enhances land-development skills, graduates can tackle a variety of issues right away, from regulatory and zoning requirements, to design challenges, to sustainability concerns.
Second, its critical that those professionals who design sites for development manage complex regulatory environments, such as storm-water and erosion controls.
Universities can deliver the educational background needed on these topics as well as help develop new insights and solutions.
Third, these university programs are key tools to address the labor shortage in the engineering and land-development fields. Its vital that firms have a robust pipeline for talent from college campuses. For example, both of our firms have hired graduates from a dedicated land-development program and seen the difference firsthand. If additional universities created these land-development partnerships, the existing labor shortage could be tackled more quickly.
As with all types of partnerships, programs that rely on collaboration between universities and the private sector demand buy-in from both sides. Continued success of an academic program, such as LDDI, requires ongoing support from private sector businesses.
Engineers, developers, and others in the land-development sector need to support these programs through sponsorships, mentorships, and internships.
Only by raising funds from the private sector and leveraging that support through the university can these innovative and essential programs continue to thrive.
Given the impact in the Richmond area, and around the state, its paramount that the engineering and land-development sector support programs like LDDI so our industry can tackle the current labor shortage and cultivate the next generation of leaders.
AG wants to target abuse against Medicaid recipients
RICHMOND Virginias attorney general is calling on federal officials to let states use federal funds to target more cases of abuse and neglect committed against Medicaid beneficiaries.
Attorney General Mark R. Herring was among more than three dozen attorneys general who requested the policy change in a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.
Herrings office says Medicaid Fraud Control Units are currently only allowed to investigate and prosecute abuse and neglect cases that happen in connection with Medicaid-funded services, like nursing homes.
Herring and the other attorneys general want to be able to use federal funds to prosecute abuse and neglect of Medicaid patients in non-institutional settings, like home health care.
Navy continues cleaning up jet fuel spill in Virginia Beach
VIRGINIA BEACH The cleanup of Navy jet fuel is continuing in Virginia Beach.
The Navy said Friday in a news release that it has contained the spill of nearly 100,000 gallons. It leaked from a tank at Naval Air Station Oceana and onto some adjoining properties and some waterways.
Experts have been called in to respond to reports of impacted wildlife, and vacuum trucks and skimmers have joined the cleanup effort.
Crews have removed nearly 20,000 gallons from areas that sit outside the base. Response teams are also monitoring the quality of the water and air. Cleanup efforts are expected to continue through the weekend.
George Mason plans 5.5% tuition increase for 2017-18
FAIRFAX George Mason University is planning a tuition increase of nearly 6 percent for the upcoming school year.
The schools board of visitors approved a $1 billion budget Thursday for the 2017-18 year that includes a 5.5 percent hike for in-state and out-of-state students. That translates to an additional $624 for in-state undergrads and $1,788 for out-of-staters. Mason says the money will help fund an average pay increase of 3 percent for faculty and staff.
The increase is larger than those passed recently by other Virginia schools. The University of Virginia is increasing in-state tuition by 2.2 percent and out-of-state tuition by 3.5 percent. Virginia Techs in-state and out-of-state increases are 2.9 and 3.5 percent, respectively.
Mason says its tuition and fees are eighth-highest among Virginias 16 public four-year institutions.
Teenager, juveniles charged in use of counterfeit money
CHARLOTTESVILLE A 19-year-old man and two juveniles have been arrested after authorities say they used counterfeit money to purchase merchandise online.
The Albemarle County Police Department said Thursday in a news release that Yahmil Deyshon Payne and two juveniles were arrested on April 8.
Police say the investigation began after citizens reported receiving motion-picture-use-only money in exchange for electronic equipment posted on Letgo, an application that allows users to buy and sell items locally. Local businesses also reported the use of counterfeit money.
Authorities say Payne was charged with multiple offenses, including using a false bank note and obtaining money by false pretenses. Authorities say the juveniles face similar charges.
Its unclear if they have attorneys.
Q: What type of
cheese does
Wisconsin make
the most of?
A: Mozzarella production beat out all other types of cheese produced in Wisconsin in 2016 by a long shot, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Americas Dairyland produces more than 3 billion pounds of cheese each year, and nearly a third of that is mozzarella.
Mozzarella even trumps all American cheese types put together.
In 2016, the production of American cheddar, Colby and Monterey Jack cheeses combined accounted for 955 million pounds compared to mozzarellas almost 1.1 billion pounds.
Of the 128 plants that make cheese in Wisconsin, 38 produced mozzarella last year.
As cheese production in Wisconsin continues to rise, so does the amount of mozzarella coming from the state.
Mozzarella production grew by 3.9 percent between 2015 and 2016, which may not sound like much, but that accounts for 40 million pounds of cheese.
Of the cheeses the NASS collects data on, Swiss was the least popular among cheese producers.
Just 18.2 million pounds of the holey cheese was produced in the state.
Shelley K. Mesch
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
CULPEPER Sgt. Cameron Thomas protected his loved ones fiercely, exuded confidence that was contagious and pursued excellence in everything he did.
In service to his country, the 23-year-old Army Ranger died on the battlefield in Afghanistan on April 27, leaving behind family and friends inspired by his example.
Hundreds of mourners packed into the Salem Volunteer Fire Hall in Culpeper Saturday for an hour-long memorial service that had music, laughter, tears, honor and tradition prior to Thomas burial with full military honors at Culpeper National Cemetery.
A sea of fellow Rangers in navy blue and gold filled row after row in the fire hall near his flag-draped casket in the front where those who knew him best stood up to tell of a life lived with zest, enthusiasm, bravery and determination.
Sgt. Matt Summers served five years with Thomas, every day, full-time, describing him as a leader who would rather die than quit.
Cameron had a fire that burned inside him, one that could not be contained, Summers said.
Thomas graduated early from Fairmont High School in Kettering, Ohio, where he grew up, to pursue his dream of being a Ranger, which he achieved, earning his tab as a 19-year-old.
He was on his fifth deployment when he was fatally shot during a night raid on a remote stronghold that killed the head of ISIS in Afghanistan.
We decided we wanted to be those guys that young Rangers like us looked up to, Summers said. Camerons drive to be bigger, better and harder than anyone else made me who I am. Everything Cameron did, he did with purpose.
At the end of his remarks, Summers commanded, Rangers on your feet! to repeat the Rangers Creed, which they did thunderously and with vigor loud enough to reach the heavens.
Local citizens holding American flags, both large and small, lined the funeral route along U.S. 522 to show their respect Saturday morning.
We cant explain why it happens, said Col. Marcus Evans, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Georgia, of losing service members in combat.
We cannot explain why it always seems to happen to the best of the best, those that everyone loves respects and admires. Cam certainly met that criteria.
Police arrested an inmate on Sunday who had been AWOL from the Dane County Jail for nearly a month, the Dane County Sheriff's Office said.
Sorrell A. Gilmore, 22, was caught by the Madison Police Department around 3 a.m. and brought back to the jail, sheriff's Lt. Chris Nygaard said. Gilmore left for work around 6:45 a.m. on April 15 on a work release program but didn't return later that evening, Nygaard said.
He was in the jail initially for knowingly fleeing an officer, theft and resisting, Nygaard said.
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Amendment 3, which Missouri voters passed on Tuesday, will go into effect on Dec. 8. Under the newly-approved constitutional amendment, Missourians over 21 will be able to go to a dispensary without a ... Read More Deep red Missouri is joining 20 other states that have legalized marijuana sales for adult use after Tuesdays election. Like the approval of Medicaid expansion in 2020 and the rejection of an ... Read More Legal Missouri 2022, the campaign behind the petition, has earned the support of a number of prominent lawmakers and organizations. But it has also been criticized by ... is a Joplin business owner ... Read More When can you buy legal weed? Who can get a license to sell? What happens to criminal records? Heres what Amendment 3 means for Missourians. Read More Missourians voted Tuesday to become the 21st state to legalize recreational marijuana, approving a constitutional amendment that also establishes a process to clear nonviolent marijuana-related ... Read More In Missouri, though, senseless shootings in a high school, in a parking lot, at a weekend fair are entirely predictable. Its lawmakers have ... For now, it is also bad law. Read More Missouri will likely become the latest state to legalize recreational marijuana. Legal Missouri 2022 claimed victory for Amendment 3 around 11:30 p.m., but the race has not officially been called yet ... Read More WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Department of Treasury announced Tuesday afternoon 11 states, including Missouri, will receive funding to help small business financing. In total, 1 billion dollars ... Read More A new survey from Emerson College and The Hill shows the race over an amendment legalizing recreational marijuana in Missouri is tightening with 47 % in favor, 39% against and 14% undecided. If passed ... Read More It puts Missouri behind only Louisiana in the number of lawsuits against the Biden ... President Donald Trumps administration. It also marks a significant departure from the way Missouri ... Read More Missouri lawmakers and marijuana legalization advocates ... opposed to the governor taking action prior to that, but were also happy to see the voters act on it. Eapen Thampy, a Jefferson ... Read More
Health News Health Briefs Hepatitis A On The Rise In Colorado | RobinsPost News & Noticias
There are 684 in the Alleghany Health District, and 406 in the Roanoke City Health District, the health district said. According to the health district, the current CDC Variant Proportions ... Read More A berry mix has been recalled across Europe after a number of people were sickened in Hungary by Hepatitis A. Two sizes of Ardo Fruitberry mix were recalled after the Hepatitis A virus was found. ... Read More Reuters Health ... cure for hepatitis B will not be easily achieved with the drugs currently in development. Medscape Medical News, July 05, 2022 ILC 2022 Fatty Liver Disease Drives Rise in ... Read More The largest hepatitis outbreak scare in the nation is playing out in Las Vegas, where 50,000 patients at an endoscopy center may have been exposed to infectious diseases because of unhygienic ... Read More Florida officials declared a public health emergency over the rapid spread of Hepatitis A across the Sunshine State, as thousands of vaccines are being handed out for free each week. (CN) Florida ... Read More More recently, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data from an August Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report showed that infections continued to rise ... hepatitis as a public health ... Read More Three more cases of hepatitis A have been detected in the past week linked to the recent imported frozen berry outbreak. The Ministry of Health said on Thursday afternoon that the number of ... Read More early in the course of HIV infection when the immune system is stronger results in better long-term health ... Three-Dose Hepatitis B Vaccine Regimen Protects People With HIV Oct. 21, 2022 A ... Read More OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) The Oklahoma Health Care Authority says it has launched an initiative to cure SoonerCare members who have been diagnosed with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV). Health officials ... Read More Screening for hepatitis C has been routine for pregnant ... its important to meet with a hepatologist now to assess your health, prepare, and check whether the virus has caused any liver ... Read More While national efforts to eliminate hepatitis C have faced setbacks because of increased drug use, the impact of COVID-19 and insurance complications, theres a bright spot: Some states are now ... Read More No vaccine against hepatitis C is currently available. Science X Daily and the Weekly Email Newsletter are free features that allow you to receive your favorite sci-tech news updates in your email ... Read More
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Politics News Bipartisan Consensus Defies Everything We Thought We Knew About Australian Politics | RobinsPost News & Noticias
Politics News California Politics Updates Gov Brown S Adds Cash To Budget Mcclintock Calls For Independent Prosecutor For Russia Investigation | RobinsPost News & Noticias
According to the latest finance bulletin from the California Department of Finance, general fund agency cash receipts for ... with the states politics is at least part of the reason why ... Read More If it sounds like theres a familiar name already on the ballot, heres why: When Harris left office, Gov ... unlikely jump into politics in his mid-20s. Like many of Californias most ... Read More Republican Tom McClintock wins reelection to U.S. House in Californias 5th Congressional District. Californians reject sports gambling by wide margins after most expensive ballot question races in U. Read More San Francisco's three-year plan to build a single public toilet for $1.7 million could be going down the drain as California Gov ... updates, exclusive interviews, and more Fox News politics ... Read More California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday again ... Get the latest race updates, exclusive interviews, and more Fox News politics content. Read More Theres always politics involved ... OFarrell said in a news conference. The expanding fallout from the recordings has included calls for Los Angeles to adopt an independent redistricting ... Read More LOS ANGELES (AP) Californias ... calls to address the way politics can still influence the redrawing of district maps after the census count each decade. My office will conduct an ... Read More This year, California voters could play a key role in determining the balance of power in the House of Representatives. Do you know what congressional district you live in? Or whos competing to ... Read More Gavin Newsom will almost certainly win reelection as governor of California ... politics at the same time and place as Newsom, with the pair even sharing political advisers. While Newsoms ... Read More Calls for all three councilmembers to ... JW: Yes, that could be the main way it could cut. But politics are rarely binary. Its very possible it will play both of those ways and also six ... Read More Black and Latino constituents often build alliances in politics ... former executive director of the Pat Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles, said ... Read More
Elections News Nepal Votes In First Local Elections In 20 Years | RobinsPost News & Noticias
With just three weeks left for the November 20 elections, political parties in Nepal are campaigning at a feverish pitch ... Read More KATHMANDU, Nov 2: Chairman of CPN-UML and former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the country will suffer if the CPN-UML does not win the upcoming elections. He said this while addressing ... Read More And the arrests in August of 20 people for alleged illegal voting hasnt helped, according to experts. Also:Voter fraud charge dismissed in first ... of Elections Paul Lux told The News Service ... Read More See live Hawaii midterm election results for the Senate in 2022. View live election maps by county as Brian E. Schatz, Bob McDermott race and other candidates race for Congress. Read More Former Prime Minister KP Sharma Olis attempt to rake up Nepali nationalism by raising Kathmandus border row with India is an opportunistic attempt to win the November 20 elections, say Nepal experts. Read More In 30 states where Catalist has data for 2018 and 2022, pre-election voting ... up 20% of those who have returned pre-election ballots so far, up from their 14% share at this point two years ... Read More This may be an off-year election, but there is a lot on the ballot this fall from federal to county offices, and there is more competition for some of those local seats than you might be used to. Read More One of the 20 people arrested ... had voted in 2020, the first major elections since a state constitutional amendment allowed many felons to have their voting rights automatically restored ... Read More Oregon implemented full vote-by-mail in 1998, and Washington made the switch in 2011. Still, the states were not exempt from skepticism among residents about the 2020 general election first ... Read More Now, two years ... needed by local election officials. A few examples of how stadiums will be used: For this election, the NFL has also expanded its efforts. As part of the NFL Votes initiative ... Read More ST. PAUL Attending college often means packing up and moving to a new place for the first ... or state to vote in person. After applying for an absentee ballot, your local elections office ... Read More While the UMNO fell out of favor with voters six years ago, a string of victories in local elections over the past ... address climate concerns. World News // 20 hours ago Highly anticipated ... Read More
Elections News Nepal Heads To The Polls For First Local Elections In Two Decades | RobinsPost News & Noticias
KATHMANDU - Nepal votes in local elections ... two phases, will lead to a general election later in the year. A recent dispute between the poor Himalayan nation's Maoist-led government and the ... Read More Ahead of this months elections, Nepals democracy faces a dual challenge: its own factionalism and the Chinese Communist Partys growing influence. Read More A sense of frustration is brewing in Sudurpaschim Province, the home turf of Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, where the youth, disenchanted with traditional political parties, is looking at ... Read More Nepal will hold national and provincial elections on Nov. 20, in a contest that the country's ruling coalition, led by the centrist Nepali Congress party, hopes to win against a loose alliance of ... Read More The Himalayan republic is holding general elections on Nov.20 to elect a new 275-member parliament. The country will also hold provincial elections to elect 550 assembly members. We have urged the ... Read More WASHINGTON Millions of Americans will submit their ballots or head to the polls ... election years, but the races can make a big impact on national and local politics. This year's elections ... Read More
Elections News Counting Underway After Polls Closed At Yerevan City Council Elections | RobinsPost News & Noticias
A city employee in Houston was killed on Election Day after reportedly being electrocuted near a polling place. Houston Mayor Sylvester turner said the unidentified city employee was killed in a work ... Read More More:Vote Yes referendum back on Fayetteville ballots after NC Appeals Court order. Fayetteville voters on Tuesday voted against dramatically changing the structure of the City Co ... Read More Voters in the New York City started casting their ballots on Tuesday in the first national election of Joe Biden's US presidency. With polls open, Democrats were braced for disappointing ... Read More
A man was arrested Saturday after allegedly stealing a man's wallet and pepper-spraying the victim and a co-worker who came to his aid, Madison police said.
The incident Saturday morning began when a 28-year-old employee of Fuegos restaurant, 904 Williamson St., arranged to meet Brandon L. Nelson, 19, at the restaurant to buy a cellphone, police said.
Nelson allegedly grabbed the man's wallet and fled. The man chased down Nelson and a fight ensued, police said, with a fellow employee of the restaurant joining the fray. During the fight, Nelson used pepper spray on both men, police said, before running off and dropping the stolen wallet.
Nelson was arrested later in the day at place of employment, Madison police Sgt. Rosemarie Mansavage said. He's being held on a parole violation pending tentative charges relating to Saturday's incident, she said.
Potus News Trump Let Congress Do Russia Investigation | RobinsPost News & Noticias
Russian President Vladimir Putin has monitored drills of the countrys strategic nuclear forces involving multiple practice launches of ballistic and cruise missiles. Russian Defense Minister Sergei S ... Read More
Potus News North Korea Launches Missile Trump Speculates On Russia Response | RobinsPost News & Noticias
(Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service ... to wipe out any and all enemies. North Korea has said recent missile launches were in response to U.S.-South Korean naval drills. Read More Fridays ballistic launch extended a record number of missile demonstrations by North Korea this year as it exploits the distraction created by Russia ... In response to North Koreas ... Read More He said South Korea has the ability to deliver an overwhelming response ... on Russias Iskander missile. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement the North Korean launch didn ... Read More North Korea fired a ballistic missile and hundreds of artillery shells toward the sea Friday and flew warplanes near the tense border with South Korea, further raising animosities triggered by the ... Read More A station employee cleans near a television showing a news ... missiles over more than 20 launch events this year. North Korea has made use of the stalled diplomacy with the United States and ... Read More
Potus News Gop Rep Probably More Links Between Clinton And Russia Than Trump | RobinsPost News & Noticias
Following nearly every major GOP loss on Tuesday, conservative pundits on Fox News averted attention to the major reelection victory for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the red wave in the Sunshine ... Read More
Potus News White House Says Trump Cannot Imagine That Russia Is Pleased Over North Korea Missile | RobinsPost News & Noticias
Any response on U.S. infrastructure will be met with a response, the White House said on Thursday after Western commercial satellites could become legitimate targets for Russia if they were involved ... Read More
Potus News Warner Trump Firing Comey Has Appearance Of Quashing Fbi S Russia Probe | RobinsPost News & Noticias
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell resorted to partisan sniping to give cover to President Donald Trumps suspiciously timed firing of FBI director James Comey. If anything has ever demanded ... Read More Getty Images What is not in doubt, though, is that the trial is highlighting the FBIs shocking malfeasance in the Trump-Russia collusion probe ... s investigation has concluded the ... Read More With the FBI as witting accessories, the Russia hoax took flight and a dilating witch hunt ensued. Any intelligent person who has ever read Steeles ... Trump. Ever the Machiavellian actor ... Read More Fox News contributor Lara Trump responded to revelations that the FBI offered $1 million to Christopher Steele if he could corroborate accusations against former President Trump in his dossier. Read More The portrayal of the FBI as a victim was yet another disappointment for Mr. Trump and his allies, who hoped Mr. Durham would expose a far-left conspiracy within the bureau and other U.S ... Read More Durham took a bat to Crossfire Hurricane, which was the codename for the FBIs Trump-Russia probe before special counsel Robert Mueller took over. The Russia probe has been a major focus of ... Read More ALEXANDRIA, Va. A federal jury acquitted Russian analyst Igor Danchenko on Tuesday on four counts of lying to the FBI in what is expected to be the final case stemming from special counsel ... Read More Former President Donald Trump ... FBI Director James Comey to frame him after he made overtures to Russia to help him win by releasing Clinton's hacked emails. In total, the Durham probe has ... Read More Generally, however, Horowitzs conclusion was one Trump didnt want to hear: The Russia probe ... FBI that opened the investigation in the first place, until the firing of FBI Director James B ... Read More A Trump employee has told federal agents about ... the most direct account to date of Trumps actions and instructions leading up to the FBIs Aug. 8 search of the Florida residence and ... Read More Special counsel John Durham, who once enjoyed a solid reputation as a prosecutor, now owns what may be the worst trial record of any special counsel or independent prosecutor in American history ... Read More Durham has taken two cases to trial, and both have ended in acquittals. After more than three years looking for misconduct in the FBIs Trump-Russia probe, Durham has only secured one conviction ... Read More
Potus News Top Dem On Intel Committee Says Trump Fired Comey Because Of The Russia Investigation | RobinsPost News & Noticias
Former president Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) experienced two very different election nights. Read More
Science News Students Present Science Fair Projects At Washington Pavilion | RobinsPost News & Noticias
About 20 students took part in a STEAM Day at the Washington Pavilion, learning more about science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM) through an educational program at the center. Read More You may have heard the big long COVID news ... for science. Morehouse is participating in a long COVID study at Howard University in Washington D.C. Its part of a many-armed giant of a project ... Read More The University of Washingtons Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering ... help ensure that our students are up-to-date with where the industry is at present and become the ... Read More The Washington Parish Sheriffs Office says five people were arrested over the weekend at the 2022 Washington Parish Free Fair ... substance with a weapon present. The Sheriffs Office ... Read More Barack Obama, in Scotland and seated at the roundtable in the fight against global warming or global cooling or whatever the latest leftist fad is, says communication between the White House and ... Read More (Alex Panetta/CBC News) This item is part of Watching Washington ... projects might qualify. "Yes there are sums in these acts which Canadian companies can tap into," Champagne, the innovation ... Read More High school students take AP exams and IB exams to earn college credit and demonstrate success at college-level coursework. U.S. News calculated a College Readiness Index based on AP/IB exam ... Read More High school students take AP exams and IB exams to earn college credit and demonstrate success at college-level coursework. U.S. News calculated a College Readiness Index based on AP/IB exam ... Read More With $5 billion invested across more than 100 deals in 2021, Washington's biotechnology, medical technology and digital health sectors are poised for continued growth Life Science Washington ... Read More In September, Sweden announced that teens who werent in certain vulnerable groups were no longer eligible for COVID-19 shots. That same month, Britain rolled back its policy of ... Read More On Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. Pacific time, USGS research statistician Manuela Huso will present Blowing in the Wind: Science to Help Understand and Help Reduce Wildlife Impacts From Wind Energy ... Read More
Science News Bringing Social Science Rigor To Jailhouse Programs | RobinsPost News & Noticias
That was a prevailing idea in 2019, when I started as the social sciences reporter at Science News. But when I began digging into a possible story on the phenomenon, I encountered an incoherent mess. Read More Despite starting the development for the new jail in Winona through some adversity, construction of the new Winona County Jail is back on track and set to finish in June 2023. With completion of ... Read More If you're looking to bolster that particular argument, you might want to look at the new research published in Discover Science and Health ... in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin ... Read More By David Badash,The New Civil Rights Movement The Arizona Republican Partys nominee for governor, Kari Lake, is telling supporters theres no reason for schools to spend so much time teaching science ... Read More LA GRANDE Northeast Oregon Area Health Education Centers long-standing Girls in Science program has a new moniker Investigators of Science. After running the girls-only program for more ... Read More The Virginia State Board of Education is delaying review of the states social science standards at the request of Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow, who said there was a need ... Read More Fortune is launching its first-ever ranking of the top in-person masters degree programs in data science. Data science is one of the fastest growing fieldsjob openings have increased 480% ... Read More Joseph Vazquez is a third-year mechanical engineering student from Rochester and is a part of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP ... Women get fewer chances to speak on CNN, ... Read More LIMA Apollo Career Center board members learned about the apprenticeship program in the health sciences program. More than 50 students are involved with a two-week on, two-week off school ... Read More To improve on his father's creation and bring the product to a larger market, Gomez Andonaegui joined up with co-founders Philip Winter and Gabriel Parisi-Amon. Their first investor, Tim Cook ... Read More At the University of Amsterdam's Van 't Hoff Institute for Molecular Sciences, the Noel Research ... this presents an important step in bringing photocatalysis to industrial application. Read More Excelencia in Education honored four programs, one in each of four categories, as 2022 Examples of Excelencia from a pool of 93 submissions. The M.S. in Environmental Science was recognized ... the ... Read More
Technology News Haiti Technology First International Summit Of Women Of Digital | RobinsPost News & Noticias
Bermudas digital business was highlighted this week in the islands first in-person tech summit since 2019. The fourth annual summit was presented by the Bermuda Business Development Agency with ... Read More Editors note: WRAL TechWires weekly Deep Dive feature this week focuses on challenges facing women in technology ... was NC TECHs third Summit, it was the first time it was able to ... Read More Women enter technology-related fields from different angles. Many look for positions in which they can contribute to and grow with an existing company, and some, like me, jump headfirst into the ... Read More The Datec Fiji Tech summit will have the worlds 25 leading technology companies present in Fiji collaborating and connecting with local and regional businesses. Chief Executive, Satyen Singh says the ... Read More Our journey began in 2011 with the tagline ''Big Brand Strategies For Small Business". While PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Marketing: Kylie Nero 503.560.8041 kylie.nero@fairwayamerica.com ... Read More ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--World Wide Technology (WWT), a global technology solutions provider, announces six of its employees will be honored during the Women of Color STEM Conference ... Read More International ... with Technology Vendors Will Be Critical to Building Sustainable Digital Innovation Many enterprises are undertaking software development at scale for the first time working ... Read More Women in Technology (WIT) announced the winners of its' 2022 Women of the Year Awards in STEAM at their Gala held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday, October 8th. Read More ParetoHealth has achieved a significant milestone with the 2000th employer joining its captive program, marking Ernest D. Menold, Inc. was contracted for a wide array of miscellaneous metals on ... Read More Theres a shortage of women in science, technology, engineering and math. But within the legal tech community, there are many women with thriving careers. Legaltech News presents our latest ... Read More In one 2013 episode, a woman who loses her partner re-creates a digital ... Technology Reviews podcast team that Id record my reaction as I spoke to my parents avatars for the first ... Read More Web Summit, the largest technology conference in Europe, has withdrawn an invitation for speakers from the Grayzone, after a backlash against the websites anti-Ukrainian government narratives ... Read More
Travel News Washington State Travel Alerts | RobinsPost News & Noticias
KING 5 has activated First Alert for this weather event, which could affect lives, property or travel in the Pacific Northwest region. Read More A serious injury is involved, the State Road 80 westbound lanes are blocked and traffic is heavily congested in the area. Please avoid if possible or approach with caution. 7:38 A.M. Traffic ... Read More A 52-year-old Western Washington man died and two others were taken to the hospital after a two-vehicle crash Tuesday morning 9 miles south of Chewelah. Read More Heading into the general election Tuesday, Lincoln and Ferry counties have indicated no interest in reinstalling the device. Read More "Don't wait until the last minute: Travel insurance is intended to protect travelers against sudden and unforeseen events," the Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking in Washington ... Read More Oregon State Police found 83 pounds of suspected cocaine and a firearm during a traffic stop on I-5 after being alerted by a drug detection K9. Read More Oregon State Police found 83 pounds of suspected cocaine and a firearm during a traffic stop on I-5 after being alerted by a drug detection K9. Read More backing up traffic for commuters in the Tacoma area. Washington State Department of Transportation Peter Talbot covers crime and breaking news in Pierce County. He started with The News Tribune in ... Read More The instant traffic ... news" in the lock screen summary, although some publishers share breaking news without explicitly using the term in the alert. Publishers such as Metro, Washington Post ... Read More Through this deal, you can fly from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood ... How to book: Directly through Plays website. Travel dates: Oct. 1 through Dec. 10; dates vary by destination. Read More
Assailants shot a person and assaulted another during a home invasion in Sun Prairie on Saturday, the Sun Prairie Police Department said.
The invaders entered a home on the 1000 block of Andrews Drive around 10:20 p.m. and ordered the residents to the ground at gunpoint, police Sgt. Brian Luckus said. The person who was shot had non life-threatening injuries, was brought to a hospital and released, Luckus said. The other victim was injured in the invasion, he said.
The assailants left before police arrived, Luckus said. Sun Prairie police Sgt. Jason Lefeber said at least three people were involved in the break-in, and they demanded money.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Sun Prairie Police at 608-837-7336 or anonymously at 608-837-6300.
Us News South Korea Japan Us Condemn North Korean Missile Test | RobinsPost News & Noticias
T he United States condemned North Koreas latest missile tests. In a statement issued Wednesday, the U.S. condemned the tests and said it would take all necessary measures t ... Read More North Korea's suspected launch of its most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) failed on Thursday morning, according to a South Korean government source, as Pyongyang intensified its ... Read More The United States and South Korea have agreed to strengthen their alliance and defenses and increase training after a flurry of new missile launches this week by North Korea, the military leaders of ... Read More North Korea fired a short-range ballistic missile toward its eastern sea on Wednesday, extending a recent barrage of weapons demonstrations. Read More South Korea denounced North Korea's latest missile test on Friday, saying Pyongyang was escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula and throughout the region. Earlier in the day, North Korea launched ... Read More South Korea says the recovered debris of a North Korean missile fired toward the South amid a barrage of sea launches last week was determined to be a Soviet-era anti-aircraft weapon that dates back ... Read More North Korea on Thursday fired at least six missiles into the sea, including a long-range ICBM, which prompted Japan to issue evacuation warnings to residents of three northern regions. Read More North Korea fired at least six missiles ... tensions between South Korea and Japan flared, but Lee said South Korea had agreed to trilateral senior-level policy talks, information sharing and training ... Read More North Korea continued to launch missiles on Thursday, drawing condemnation from the U.S. and others. The Japanese government issued evacuation orders because of an ICBM launch. Read More After already setting an annual record with dozens of ballistic launches in 2022, North Korea has further dialed up its testing activity since late September, including what it described as simulated ... Read More The US Indo Pacific Command said the launches highlighted the destabilizing impact of North Koreas illicit nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. Read More SEOUL SOUTH KOREA - North Korea continued its unprecedented pace of missile launches Thursday sending six more missiles into the sea as it continued ... Read More
Us News North Korean Missile Landed In Water Off Russian Region Us Official Says | RobinsPost News & Noticias
The United States on Friday assailed China and Russia at the UN Security Council for having "enabled" North Korea, which has launched a record-breaking blitz of missile tests. The 10 non-permanent ... Read More The denial came in the wake of dozens of weapons tests by North Korea, including nuclear capable missiles with the ability to strike the continental United States. Read More The latest missiles were launched 22 minutes apart from the Norths capital region and landed between ... of a North Korean weapon modeled after Russias Iskander missile, which travels ... Read More South Korea -- South Korea says North Korea has launched a ballistic missile toward its eastern waters. 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events ... Read More Despite Moons comments, some observers have said a portion of the Norths newly developed weapons such as a highly maneuverable KN-23 missile modeled on Russias Iskander missile and a ... Read More South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement the missile lifted off from the Norths capital region at 1:49 a.m ... which created buffer zones along land and sea boundaries and ... Read More The United States and South Korea have decided to extend military exercises in response to a recent spate of missile launches from North Korea, offering stern warnings for North Korean leader ... Read More North Korean ... the full," the Korean Central News Agency said. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un indicated additional provocative tests were to come. The KCNA reported the missile tests were ... Read More some observers have said a portion of the Norths newly developed weapons such as a highly maneuverable KN-23 missile modeled on Russias Iskander missile and a developmental hypersonic missile ... Read More VLADIMIR Putins hands appear to be turning black and may suggest hes very ill, a former British Army chief said. Putins health has long been the source of speculation, with ... Read More South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement the missile lifted off from the Norths capital region at 1:49 a.m ... Peninsula and Japan. The US Indo-Pacific Command said in a ... Read More
Us News Us Japan Request Emergency Un Security Council Session On N Korea | RobinsPost News & Noticias
The United States has asked the U.N. Security Council to meet publicly on North Korea on Friday, diplomats said, after Pyongyang fired multiple missiles, including a possible failed intercontinental ... Read More Senior officials from the United States, Japan and South Korea will meet ... denuclearized Korean Peninsula. But North Koreas leader Kim Jong-un has rejected Washingtons proposal for ... Read More The US, Japan, and South Korea ... for the security of the entire world, she said, sending a thinly veiled message to Pyongyangs supporters, China and Russia, in the UN Security Council. Read More The United States criticized China and Russia at the U.N. Security Council on Friday for providing "blanket protection" to North Korea after Pyongyang launched a series of missile tests. North Korea ... Read More North Korea needs to understand that the US commitment to the security of South Korea and Japan is iron clad, she said. And we will use the full range of US defence capabilities to defend ... Read More North Korea was warned on Wednesday that there would be an "unparalleled" response from the U.S., Japan and South Korea ... that blocked additional U.N. Security Council sanctions on Pyongyang ... Read More Envoys from the US, Japan and South Korea ... indeed that everyone on the [UN] Security Council would understand that any use of a nuclear weapon will change the world in incredible ways. For the ... Read More Cho was speaking alongside his Japanese and US counterparts, Vice Foreign Minister Takeo Mori and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. "We urge (North Korea ... in the UN Security Council. Read More The United States, Japan and South Korea warned on Wednesday ... Cho Hyun-dong told a news conference in Tokyo. Cho was speaking alongside his Japanese and US counterparts, Vice Foreign Minister ... Read More TOKYO The United States, Japan ... North Korea began testing nuclear weapons in 2006, China and Russia this year vetoed a US-led push for additional United Nations Security Council sanctions ... Read More The United States, Japan and South Korea have warned that an "unparalleled scale of response" would be warranted if North Korea conducts a seventh nuclear bomb test. The US, South Korea and ... Read More
World News China Strong Pillar Of Open Multilateral World Un Chief | RobinsPost News & Noticias
Largely in response to pressure from liberal democracies, more help from multilateral bodieswhether World Bank loans or missions by UN peacekeepers ... forcing China to open markets and ... Read More [Photo/Xinhua] China will open its door wider to the rest of the world, Xi Jinping ... Xi said. "Its strong fundamentals will not change, and it will remain on the positive trajectory over ... Read More In the eyes of Xi, China is closer than ever to achieving its dream of national rejuvenation and reclaiming its rightful place in the world. But the path ahead is also beset with high ... Read More China Will Accelerate Building of World-Class Military, Strong Strategic Deterrent - Xi BEIJING (Reuters) - China will accelerate the building of a world-class military and strengthen its ability ... Read More Talk to well-connected scholars in Beijing and Shanghai about the world order ... Should Chinas clout at the UN continue to grow, multilateral sanctions will become rarer. Read More Xi Jinping said "the world needs China" as he spoke to the press after ... bur-reb/cwl The Barron's news department was not involved in the creation of the content above. This story was produced ... Read More Fleming warned that the world is approaching ... of its intelligence on China and Russia. Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every ... Read More Heres a look at how the country has changed under his decadelong rule: The economy has experienced strong growth in ... turning China into the worlds second-largest economy after the United ... Read More European Union Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell ... Borrell said Xi had made a "very strong statement" about China's desire to have influence across the world. The EU paper said Beijing was ... Read More EU Should Treat China More as a Competitor, Says Diplomat Chief BRUSSELS ... Xi had made a "very strong statement" about China's desire to have influence across the world. The EU paper said ... Read More Taiwan which China regards as a breakaway province to be reclaimed by force if necessary is a world leader in their production. Events in the Taiwan Straits any risk to that vital ... Read More
World News World Bank Signs Trilateral Agreement With Mozambique And Brazil | RobinsPost News & Noticias
But that could change next month, when an estimated 1.2 million soccer fans descend on the tiny Gulf Arab nation for the World Cup. Authorities may face calls for labor rights, LGBTQ equality and ... Read More When David Malpass, president of the World Bank, was asked point-blank in September ... And while they commit to aligning with the goals of the Paris Agreement and tackling the climate crisis ... Read More The heads of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank on Monday warned of economic headwinds that are raising the risk of a global financial recession. Theres the risk and ... Read More A report released last week by a coalition of more than 50 NGOs called Big Shift Global said since the Paris climate agreement in 2015, the World Bank has provided nearly $15 billion of finance ... Read More World Bank and World Health Organization spoke World Bank Group President David Malpass held a news conference during the World Bank Group/International Monetary Fund International Monetary ... Read More Its a good thing this conversation with the World Bank has started, Thanu Yakupitiyage, the head of U.S. Communications for environmental group 350.org, told ABC News. But it cant ... Read More WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank said on Monday it had disbursed an additional $500 million to help Ukraine meet urgent spending needs created by Russia's Feb. 24 invasion and the ongoing war. Read More Bank Asia has signed an "Issuing Bank Agreement" with the Export-Import ... and stability in trade finance systems. For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Read More Climate campaigners also want the World Bank to more clearly describe how it aligns its financing with Paris Climate Agreement targets. Thats the very big first problem, said Kyle Ash ... Read More 17 (UPI) --The European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Monday signed the first-ever bloc-to-bloc agreement ... attempt. World News // 1 day ago Putin signs law mobilizing ... Read More World Bank warned of a rising risk of a global recession as advanced economies slow and faster inflation forces the Federal Reserve to keep raising interest rates, adding to the debt pressures on ... Read More
World News Story Armed Inmate Killed Hostage Rescued At Illinois Hospital | RobinsPost News & Noticias
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) - A female inmate died at the hospital after being transported from Champaign County jail Thursday. The News Gazette reports the inmate collapsed at the jail Thursday morning. Read More (WHNT) One inmate at Limestone Correctional Facility was killed following an inmate-on ... Limestone County Coroner Mike West told News 19 that, while a cause of death has not officially ... Read More Two inmates at a Northern California prison killed another inmate on Friday ... Lutts also was seriously injured and taken to an outside hospital, while Smith was moved to an isolation unit ... Read More The inmate landed face-first on the concrete floor, breaking his jaw and several teeth. He was being treated in a hospital two days later when he died of a pulmonary embolism. Four months earlier ... Read More An inmate died last week at the Downtown Detention Center in Denver, and another inmate died in the El Paso County Jail, authorities said. Related Articles Crime and Public Safety | Suspect in ... Read More The two students killed were a 16-year-old male from Republic and a 15-year-old male from Billings. Billings: A police officer shot an armed ... an inmate who tried to escape from a hospital ... Read More (AP/ CBS DETROIT) A state prisoner in southeastern Michigan apparently was attacked and killed, authorities said ... who was stabbed was treated at the hospital and returned to the prison ... Read More SYCAMORE A mountain lion that was struck and killed last weekend along a northern Illinois highway will be analyzed by biologists seeking to uncover the rare animal's origins, state wildlife ... Read More MANILA, Philippines -- Philippine police killed ... taken to a hospital for a checkup following the escape attempt and hostage-taking at the detention center for high-profile inmates at the ... Read More There were no guards around, according to the lawyer. An inmate texted Smith's father and told him "somebody killed" his son and there had been "no security" around. The family of Denarieya Smith, a ... Read More
A fire destroyed a house in Mazomanie Saturday night while the family was able to escape unharmed, according to the Dane County Sheriff's Office.
Several agencies responded to 417 Meadow Lane at about 11:05 p.m. after a family of five noticed smoke coming into their home from an attached garage, Lt. Chris Nygaard said. The family left the house without incident, he said, but the home and two vehicles are considered a total loss.
The blaze is thought to have started in the garage from a vehicle that was having repairs done on it, Nygaard said. The family was assisted by the Red Cross, he said.
Damage estimates were not available. Crews from Mazomanie and Sauk also responded to the fire.
China will on Monday release April figures for retail sales, industrial production and fixed asset investment, highlighting a busy day in Asia-Pacific economic activity.
Retail sales are expected to add 10.8 percent on year, down from 10.9 percent in March. Output is called higher by 7.0 percent on year, slowing from 7.6 percent in the previous month. FAI is pegged at 9.1 percent on year, slowing from 9.2 percent in the previous month.
Australia will provide March figures for home loans - which are expected to be flat on month after slipping 0.5 percent in February. Investment lending dropped 5.9 percent in the previous month, while the value of loans fell 0.5 percent.
Japan will see April data for producer prices, with forecasts suggesting a decline of 0.1 percent on month and a gain of 1.8 percent on year. That follows the 0.2 percent monthly increase and the 1.4 percent yearly gain in the previous month.
New Zealand will release Q1 numbers for retail sales, and also see April numbers for its Performance of Services Index. Sales are expected to add 0.9 percent on quarter after rising 0.6 percent in the previous three months. The services index had a score of 59.0 in March.
Thailand will provide Q1 numbers for gross domestic product, with forecasts suggesting an increase of 1.0 percent on quarter and 3.0 percent on year. That follows the 0.4 percent quarterly increase and the 3.0 percent yearly gain in the previous three months.
Indonesia will see April figures for imports, exports and trade balance. In March, imports were worth $13.36 billion and exports were at $14.59 billion for a trade surplus of $1.23 billion.
Malaysia will release unemployment data for March; in February, the jobless rate was 3.4 percent and the participation rate was 67.8 percent.
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Turnout for general election less than expected for Saline County
Ballots are still being counted as of Wednesday, but it seems the turnout for the 2022 general election was lower than expected by the county clerk.
Last minute Mothers Day shopping yesterday was cut short no thanks to flooding and heavy downpours throughout the country.
The town area, especially Fugalei, Saleufi and Taufusi, was flooded after a night of heavy rain.
Up the hill at Palisi, residents and motorists were affected by a landslide.
Aside from blocking the driveway to the Ah Liki residence, the heavy rain caused the mud to flow into a family home.
The mud entered the residence of a family around 4am while they were sleeping. The woman who did not wish to be named expressed her disappointment about what had happened.
She said the flooding and landslide ruined a lot of her furniture, clothes, shoes and other valuables. She was grateful however that no one was injured.
According to the Assistant C.E.O of the Meteorology Division, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mulipola Ausetalia Titimaea, the bad weather is the result of a tropical depression to the southwest of Apia.
The Meteorology Office released a warning for heavy rainfall and small craft advisory on the 9th May 2017 due to a tropical depression that was located Southwest of Apia which was later on named as Tropical Cyclone Ella and it is slowly drifting westward towards Fiji, a press statement said.
The warning on heavy rainfall was then cancelled on the 12th May 2017."
The GFS and the UK Model predicted for the 12th May 2017 (00UTC) that rainfall will be below the advisory threshold for the next 24 hours."
The Severe Weather Guidance Forecast for the Pacific Region also agreed to what the models predicted and placing the heavy rain potential areas over and northeast of Fiji. That warrant the cancellation of the heavy rainfall warning as mentioned above.
According to Mulipola, the Global Forecast System Models suggested a weak divergence aloft however the CIMMS observations yesterday revealed that the divergence aloft was actually stronger which enhanced the development of deep convections leading to heavy rainfall as witnessed today (yesterday).
The rainfall is expected to ease today.
But the convergence zone is still active over Samoa and the public is advised that another wet weather episode is expected to impact the country at the beginning of next week.
A slight inconvenience to traffic was caused on Friday morning as a cavalcade of trailer truck transported Taula Beverages German made Fermenting Tanks
The expansion project at Samoa Beverages Company (S.B.C) caused a slight inconvenience to traffic on route from Vaimoso towards the Airport on Friday.
This was due to the transportation of six fermenting tanks from the Matautu Wharf to the Samoa Beverages Companys premises at Falelauniu.
Samoa Beverage Company has recently commissioned top of the line brewhouse that was assembled by Braukon GMBH, a leading manufacturer of Brewing Technology based in Germany.
The fermenting tanks that caused the inconvenience to traffic were also assembled by Braukon and will be commissioned by the technical team at S.B.C. The expansion project will provide S.B.C. the much needed production capacity to satisfy the growing local demand and improve the quality of the products sold in the market.
S.B.C. is committed to deliver world class product quality through its product line and dispensing units.
The company earlier in the year introduced the Reverse Tap Draught dispensing unit at events like Julia Zahra Show, Samoa Tourism Exchange and Survivor Welcome event. Local customers and visitors were genuinely awed by the Reverse Tap as it is the latest technology and it is already in Samoa. S.B.C is committed to positively contribute to Samoa.
Enele Westerlund, General Manager of S.B.C. is excited about the developments.
Our new Brewhouse and current expansion delivers global standards product to our local consumer as well as tourist and visitors to our shores, he said.
Our products are traditionally brewed using all natural ingredients and is preservative free."
We thank our customers for supporting our products and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. SBC strives to deliver the best quality at the best price."
About SBC
Samoa Beverages Company (SBC) is a 100% Samoan owned company established in 2012. The main office is based at Falelauniu. SBC produces and distributes a beer products namely Samoa Taula 4.9% lager in two sizes 330mls and 660mls, Samoa Taula 7% Lager in 660mls, Manutagi 4.9% Pilsner in 330mls and Pure Sama 4.9% in 330mls. SBC also produces and distributes carbonised soft drink (CSD) product under the brand name Taxi in 330mls and 660mls size in 7 flavours Cola, Lemonade, Cool Lime, Orange, Raspberry, Blueberry and Strawberry Cream.
SBC is a proud supporter of grass roots development in Rugby through its support to Apia Rugby Union (ARU) and Rugby Academy Samoa (RAS). We also sponsored Rumble in Paradise featuring the current WBO champion Lupesoliai Laauli Joseph Parker, Miss Samoa Pageant and many more.
About Braukon GMBH
Beer with Character is our passion.
We deliver our brewery systems specifically to mid-sized breweries worldwide. More than 25 master brewers and engineers work in the development department. Together they plan, design and build top-quality brewery systems that are highly flexible, economically efficient and profitable without compromising on beer quality.
We guarantee the value and reliability of our systems thanks to high-quality workmanship of first class components. What drives us most is our pride when your passion and our brewery systems come together and create something that is one of a kind Beer with Character.
Outstanding beer quality
BrauKon systems fulfil the highest technical and design standards. Our individual, ready-to-use brewery systems guarantee brewers worldwide outstanding beer quality and optimal operational procedures. We do everything for your Beer with Character this motto is the centre of our activities. Our customers happy faces are the best references we could ask for.
Innovative, individual solutions for your beer
Economically efficient, energy saving and innovative. At BrauKon we are more than one step ahead and pride ourselves on revolutionizing the brewery industry over and over again. BrauKon is dedicated to fulfilling your needs and committed to your beer. We create custom breweries tailored to meet your individual requirements.
Turnkey breweries: All-in-one solution
We deliver turnkey brewery systems worldwide. The process of your entire project, from planning to realization, lies with only one partner us. Our competent, experienced brewers and engineers are always on hand for customer support and advice, for planning, preparing recipes, supplying raw materials and operational controls. BrauKon turnkey breweries are tailored to meet your individual requirements. From brewers for brewers.
Own production Made in Germany
In our production site in Obing more than 30 professionals assemble your brewery system in a 900 m production hall. There, each brewery system is completely piped, electrically wired and, depending on the size of the brewhouse, mounted on stainless steel frames. In our own production site we currently train 5 apprentices as system mechanics and teach them our quality standards as well as company values right from the start.
A Sun Prairie student won an award Sunday after the high school's jazz band competed in a national competition.
The Sun Prairie High School Jazz Ensemble I joined 14 other bands from across the country in the "Essentially Ellington" competition. The event, which ran from Thursday through Saturday, brought aspiring musicians together in New York City to celebrate their shared passion and compete against each other.
At the end of the week, Bennett LeClaire won an individual award for outstanding tenor saxophone performance, while Dillon Crawford earned an honorable mention for the instrument. Both are juniors.
This year was the fifth year in a row that Sun Prairie High School was invited to "Essentially Ellington" and the 11th time overall since 1998.
Judges selected the 15 finalists from a group of nearly 100 high schools hoping to take part in the contest, several of which are schools dedicated to performing arts.
As a finalist, the Sun Prairie High School will receive $500 to improve its jazz education program.
[Editor's note: This story has been updated since it was originally published to note that LeClaire and Crawford are both juniors.]
To mark the late Tupua Fred Wetzells 84th birthday, Apia Concrete Products (A.C.P) launched their latest venture last night.
It is a Concrete High Tech Turbo mixer (C.H.T.T.), which was unveiled at their compound, Vaitele.
The mixer is understood to be the first of its kind in the southern hemisphere.
Its a proud moment for Masoe Norman Wetzell, their family and the A.C.P, who have poured more than $2million into the project.
This plant at least doubles its output capacity and puts us on par with some plants in New Zealand and Australia, he said.
It gives us better quality controls and consistency in our mixes and allows us to provide detailed reports on each truck that is batched.
The event last night was well attended.
Present was the Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi and the Masiofo, Her Highness Filifilia Tamasese, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegao, Members of Parliament, the diplomatic core and members of the business community.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa hailed the unveiling as a mark to prove to the world that Samoa is ready and capable to take on major projects.
The gathering here is so important to know that Samoa is moving fast into a very modern economy, in which, any kind of construction, we can attend to, he said.
Especially speaking to the diplomatic core in attendance, you can see now we have the means to develop, you dont have to wonder, we have the capacity.
Tuilaepa paid tribute to the mercurial rise of the A.C.P.
Over close to 45 years ago, this company was formed up. I discussed the prospects of the company with the Wetzels as I was evaluating projects for government incentive scheme to benefit.
I was then working in the Ministry of the Economics Department. Its amazing that over 40 years later, I am still around and this company has grown."
It is extremely difficult in a small economy for companies to grow fast because many of these companies depend on funding and funding does not always come readily and cheap. "
As you know, commercial loans are always difficult to get. Unless you have enough security and many of us at the time, as small companies, are discouraged to see the banks because the banks are very strict in the application of their funding rules."
From that time to today, we have gathered to witness this major expansion, we have to be grateful to the man himself who started this business for the foresight A.C.P. has provided."
For this forty odd years, A.C.P. has provided the opportunity to grow fast. We are at the position to move further up and why? Because the belief that we do have the prospects for greater growth."
We now have in the government, huge projects that require concrete material. Not only projects that are on going but projects in the pipeline.
His Highness Tui Atua unveiled the plaque while Her Highness Filifilia Tamasese officially opened the plant by cutting the ribbon.
The celebrations continued well into the night with a dinner at Sheraton Samoa Aggie Greys Hotel in Apia.
Its Mothers Day today!
And what do mothers really want today?
For Sii Leaupepe, she just wants to celebrate with the people that matter. That includes her children, immediate families and church members.
This whole week, weve been having practice for mothers day, she said. I never missed a day and Im happy to be part of this special day.
He children are her greatest gift.
For some moms, mothers day wouldnt be the same without their children.
This is so true and this is me.
At this point of Mothers Day I only wish to spend it with my children. I dont want any presents but their presence.
My children will make my Mothers Day complete.
We all know, we lose access to our children when they have families of their own, and we only make contact when we need help, but during these special occasions it the only time we spend time together.
It was really tough living without my children; I also dont know how to do Facebook, phone calls, skype or what so ever, so communication is tough, so I barely have time to talk to my kids.
Despite the fact they are growing and away from her, she misses them every day.
I just want to be together with them, she said. That is all I want for Mothers day.
She went on to say the bond between a mother and her children is unbreakable.
This is why children are especially closer to their mothers, she said.
Even though our kids are old enough to live life; there is always this part where they still need the parents to lead the way.
Without the mothers love, the successful child wouldnt be where they are today.
As far as a gift, I dont want to be asked what I want.
If my child is old enough to make or buy me a gift on his/her own, then I want them to think about me, who I am, who they know me to be.
She added Happy Mothers Day to all the mothers of Samoa.
No matter how often humans develop crops resistant to a pest, evolution helps the pest find a way around that resistance. But in a counterintuitive study, University of Arizona and Chinese researchers found that resistance to a pesticide in transgenic cotton can be halted by deliberately leaving some plants vulnerable to their global predator, the pink bollworm.
The genetically engineered cotton makes insecticidal proteins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Sold by Monsanto and Dow Chemical subsidiary Dow AgroSciences, Bt cotton is used in the United States and overseas. The GE cotton allows reduction of pesticide use, and the Bt toxin itself is harmless to animals.
Dow AgroSciences version came from San Diegos Mycogen Corp., a biotech company that pioneered the use of Bt crops. Dow ultimately purchased Mycogen. Dow and Monsanto spent years on patent battles over the technology. In 2006, they made peace and cross-licensed each others technology.
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While the litigants were struggling in court, the pink bollworm fought in its own way, by developing reisistance against the Bt toxins. And unless some way is found to counter that resistance, cotton farmers will face potentially huge crop losses, forcing them to use more pesticides.
Foiling resistance
Scientists led by Bruce E. Tabashnik of the University of Arizona, Tuscon say than in an 11-year field study, they reversed resistance by crossing transgenic and unmodified cotton, then breeding the resultant hybrid plants together. This produces a 75 percent to 25 percent ratio of resistant to unmodified cotton.
That 25 percent enabled enough Bt-vulnerable pink bollworms to survive that the spread of resistance was halted. And unlike the United States, which mandates planting areas of unmodified cotton to repel resistance, this strategy produced a mixture of unmodified and resistant cotton that prevailed throughout the cotton-growing region.
The study was published May 8 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It can be found at j.mp/btcotton. Tabashnik was the senior author. The first author was Peng Wan of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Beijing.
Chinas Yangtze River Valley, a region with millions of small-scale farmers, was the test for this experiment. The farmers began planting Bt cotton in 2000; after 2005 pink bollworms began to exhibit resistance.
Without major changes, rapid increases in resistance were anticipated after 2010 because refuges of non-Bt cotton varieties had decreased to only 6 percent of all cotton hectares planted and evolution of resistance is an exponential process expected to accelerate after more than 1 percent of the population is resistant, the study stated.
However, the results reported here show that pink bollworm resistance to (the Bt toxin) Cry1Ac did not increase from 20082010 to 20112015.
The study noted that the farmers themselves voluntarily adopted the strategy, because it produced short-term benefits in better yields and lower costs, as well as the long-term preservation of Bt cottons effectiveness.
The efficacy of this strategy for managing resistance in other regions and against other pests remains to be determined, the study stated.
Higher yields
We have seen blips of resistance going up and down in a small area, Tabashnik said in a University of Arizona press release. But this isnt a blip. Resistance had increased significantly across an entire region, then it decreased below detection level after this novel strategy was implemented.
Tabashnik said the results show 96 percent pest suppression and 69 percent fewer insecticide sprays. Moreover, the hybrid plants tend to have higher yields than their parents.
Producing the hybrid plants is labor-intensive, as the crossings must be done by hand. But once the first generation has been created, subsequent ones can be produced easily through self-pollination.
The major advantage of a seed mixture generated with F2 hybrids is a built-in refuge of roughly one-quarter non-Bt plants, which could be especially important in developing countries where planting of separate refuges is low or nil, the study stated.
Whereas compliance with refuge requirements is considered a key factor that delayed evolution of pink bollworm resistance to Bt cotton in the United States, the scarcity of non-Bt cotton refuges probably hastened this pests resistance to Bt cotton in India.
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
CITY COUNCILS
CARLSBAD
The Carlsbad City Council will meet in closed session to discuss labor negotiations at 8 a.m. Tuesday in council chambers at 1200 Carlsbad Village Drive. In open session at 9 a.m., the council will discuss a pilot program establishing two police ranger positions, and using asset forfeiture funds to buy a ranger vehicle and computer; and a resolution to buy a public safety mobile command vehicle from Lynch Display Vehicles for no more than $708,839. Reports on the MiraCosta Technology Career Center and the Arts & Culture Plan are scheduled.
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DEL MAR
The Del Mar City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in Suite 100 at 2010 Jimmy Durante Blvd., when it will discuss the proposed Public Art Policy and establishment of an arts advisory committee; hear public comments about converting the Surfside Race Place at the fairgrounds to a concert venue; and hear a report on the citys plans to prepare for summer events. The council also will discuss opposing Assembly Bill 805, which would change the governance of SANDAG. A hearing on a request for a permit to build a pedestrian walkway near 1525 Luneta Drive was moved to the June 5 meeting.
ENCINITAS
The Encinitas City Council will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday in council chambers, 505 S. Vulcan Ave.
ESCONDIDO
Escondido Mayor Sam Abed will hold a town hall meeting at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 201 N. Broadway. The meeting will start with a brief city update, followed by a question-and-answer period on any topic relating to local government.
OCEANSIDE
The Oceanside City Council will meet in closed session at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday in City Council Chambers at 300 N. Coast Highway to discuss labor and property negotiations and litigation. In open session at 4:30 p.m., the council will discuss a proposal to sell surplus property to Sheldon Development for $3.16 million to develop a residential community. The council will also hold hearings on tax assessment districts and on proposed districts to be created for upcoming by-district elections.
POWAY
The Poway City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Council Chambers, 13325 Civic Center Drive, when it will hold public hearings on ordinances that would establish two underground utility districts. It will then go into closed session to discuss labor negotiations.
VISTA
The Vista City Council has scheduled a special public hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Vista Civic Center to review possible district boundary maps for the citys new by-district elections. Dr. Justin Levitt, vice president of the citys demographers, National Demographics Corporation, will be available to discuss the draft maps that have been reviewed and approved by NDC as of May 11.
SCHOOL DISTRICTS
CARLSBAD
The Carlsbad Unified School District board is scheduled to meet in closed session at 5 p.m. Wednesday at the district office, 6225 El Camino Real, and in open session at 6 p.m.
ESCONDIDO
The Escondido Union High School District board will meet in closed session at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the district office, 302 N. Midway Drive, and in open session at 7 p.m.
FALLBROOK
The Fallbrook Union Elementary School District board will meet at 5 p.m. Monday in Room 106 of the district office, 321 N. Iowa St., when it will discuss an agreement to organize and operate the San Diego County Office of Education Migrant Summer School Program for FUESD participating migrant students. The program will provide 20 days of instruction for kindergarten through grade 8. The board will then go into closed session to discuss student discipline and personnel.
POWAY
The Poway Unified School District board will meet in special session at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the district office, 15250 Avenue of Science, San Diego, for a governance workshop led by the superintendent. The workshop will cover board norms and protocols, board/superintendent roles, responsibilities and goals.
RAMONA
The Ramona Unified School District board is scheduled to meet in closed session at 6 p.m. Thursday at the district office, 720 Ninth St., and in open session at 7 p.m.
SAN MARCOS
The San Marcos Unified School District board will meet in closed session at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Media Center of the North County Regional Education Center, 255 Pico Ave., to discuss litigation and labor negotiations. In regular session at 6 p.m., the board will hold a short reception to honor its teachers and employees of the year. The board will hold a public hearing on the School Facilities Needs Analysis Report before it imposes new fees for new residential construction; and will consider raising lunch prices at the elementary and middle schools by 25 cents to $2.75 and $3 respectively. The board will also consider contracts for services, including awarding a bid to replace the HVAC system at Richland Elementary to West Coast Air Conditioning Company Inc. for $232,950.
SOLANA BEACH
The Solana Beach School District board will meet in closed session at 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the district office, 309 N. Rios Ave., to discuss labor negotiations. In regular session at 6:30 p.m., the board will discuss awarding contracts for services, as well as confirming an increase in the school lunch price from $3.75 to $4.50 per meal.and revisions to board policies.
laura.groch@sduniontribune.com
Mothers Day is usually a time when moms and their children get together to reminisce over brunch and flowers or maybe a long-distance phone call. But for mother-daughter zookeepers Jane Kennedy and Katie Garagarza, every day is cause for celebration.
The two Escondido women have worked together at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for 21 years, after Garagarza decided to follow in her mothers well-worn footsteps. Kennedy, 59, is one of the parks lead zookeepers and is known as the Rhino lady for her decades of devotion to saving the critically endangered African species. Garagarza, who at 37 is a senior zookeeper and has spent more than half her life working in the San Pasqual Valley animal park, most recently with Australian mammals.
Besides the family connection the women are also close friends, colleagues, animal experts and passionate conservationists.
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Working together has made our relationship much deeper than just a regular mother-daughter thing, Garagarza said. We have so much more in common and we can bounce ideas off each other.
The two dont work in the same department, but they do cross paths every day and are frequently together in their off hours spending time with Garagarzas three children: Sofia, 7, Tomas, 5, and Elena, who will soon turn 4.
Im very proud of who she is, what shes become and what shes doing with her life, Kennedy said of Garagarza, whos a single mom. Shes a great mother and role model for her children. And Im impressed by her dedication to conservation of all these species that are in such desperate need of our help.
Another of the parks longtime employees, associate nutritionist Michele Gaffney, said shes enjoyed watching Garagarza grow from girlhood to motherhood at the park.
I have spent a lot of time with both Jane and Katie over the last 30-plus years and have watched their relationship grow and deepen, Gaffney said. Katie definitely possesses the same passion and dedication for the animals here at the park, just like her mom.
Kennedys connection with the zoo began a half-century ago, when the L.A. native visited the San Diego Zoo with her parents when she was 9 years old. That day I told my mom that when I grow up Im going to work at the zoo.
It took a little extra time to achieve her goal because when she turned 18 she married her sweetheart, Ed Kennedy. Both had overcome difficult childhoods and vowed to forge a permanent future together. After a few years on the East Coast, they moved in 1979 to San Diego, where Ed worked in the Navys submarine corps. For the first few years in San Diego, Kennedy was busy raising their son Christopher, whos now 39 and lives in Boise, Idaho, with his family, and Katie, who was born shortly after their move here.
In 1983, Kennedy was able to fulfill her dream by landing a job in food service at the San Diego Wild Animal Park (which was renamed the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in 2010). Within a year, she transferred into animal care and has worked with every species in the park over the past 33 years.
Garagarza said the park has been a part of her life for as long as she can remember. When she was 4 years old, her mom brought her and her brother to the parks animal nursery to bottle-feed baby wisent (European bison), rhinoceros and zebras.
I knew that what we got to do was pretty special and it was really fun, she said.
At age 14, she spent a day at the park for Take Your Daughter to Work Day. Then at age 15, she started working there as a summer job, setting up tents for campers in the Roar & Snore program. At first, Garagarza said she wasnt excited by the heavy physical work, and she wasnt sure that she wanted to make a career in the park. But Kennedy knew her daughter had a natural affinity for animals. Growing up, Katie enjoyed playing with stuffed animals and took good care of the familys pets, which included dogs, cats, birds and chinchillas.
I wasnt sure what I wanted to do when I was in high school, Garagarza said. I wanted to be myself and find my own identity. Then in my senior year, I realized this was the path I wanted. Having my mother here helped. Seeing her at work and all the fun things she got to do, it looked like a lot of fun.
Kennedy said she never pushed her daughter to make a career at the park, but she didnt discourage her, either, because the conservation work theyre doing is so significant.
Id like to believe I had some influence in that I loved my life and tried to be a good role model, Kennedy said. I think passion is contagious. If youre around other people and youre passionate about what you do, it rubs off.
After starting out in the campers program, Garagarza worked as a walking tour guide, then she worked in the childrens petting kraal. In 2004, she was promoted to a zookeeper position at the Lion Camp exhibition. In 2007, she moved to the Village area with gorillas, bonobos, wild pigs and hoofed animals.
Then she worked for a few years in the South African area of the large field enclosure, which is home to rhinos, gemsbok, sable antelopes and more. In January, she transferred to the staging ground for the Australian Walkabout exhibit that will open next year. Shes helping set up an animal quarantine area for animals that will populate the new exhibit, including five female Bennetts wallabies that arrived three weeks ago from a zoo in Chicago.
Kennedy transferred out of the South African field area last year to move to the parks cheetah breeding center. Because mother and daughter work with different species from different parts of the world, they carefully avoid close contact during work hours to avoid cross-contaminating the animals with foreign germs.
In all their years at the park together, Kennedy said her favorite and most poignant memory with her daughter was in 2015 when they both worked in the South Africa field area. Kennedy, who is the president of the International Rhino Keepers Association, has dedicated years of care to the parks population of endangered rhinoceros species, including eastern black and southern white rhinos. She was also lead keeper for Nola, a 41-year-old female, who was one of just four Northern white rhinos left in the world.
By early November 2015, Nola was suffering from a bacterial infection and age-related health issues and park medical staff knew she was dying. In Nolas final days, Kennedy and her fellow keepers were on 24-hour watch with Nola. After weeks of overnight shifts, she was mentally and physically exhausted. So on Nov. 21, Garagarza insisted on taking Kennedys midnight shift so she could get some sleep. Around 1:30 a.m., Nola began to struggle and park medical staff made the decision to euthanize her.
Kennedy was sad she wasnt there to say goodbye to Nola, but in retrospect shes grateful her daughter stepped in. She believes that she and Nola were holding on for each other and by going home that night at her daughters insistence, they were both able to let go.
Katie stepped in for me and for Nola, Kennedy said. Katie has always been there for me. I adore my daughter.
Kennedy plans to wind down her career at the cheetah breeding center, with the goal of retiring at age 62. Then she and Ed are planning to move to a cabin they own on Lake Arrowhead.
Shes happy that her daughter will carry on their family passion for conservation. And as for those footsteps? They might one day be filled by Garagarzas children, who are all avid park visitors.
I would be very proud if my children followed in my footsteps, Garagarza said. They have a good base of knowledge to spread the conservation message and they truly care about animals.
pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
The Los Angeles Police Departments disciplinary system is complicated and often criticized, drawing complaints from both inside and outside the department.
Some officers feel they are treated inconsistently or unfairly. Department brass has said disciplinary panels routinely impede the chiefs desire to fire problem officers. Outsiders are frustrated that the boards activities are kept confidential under state law.
The departments disciplinary process could undergo one of the most significant changes in decades if Los Angeles voters approve Charter Amendment C on Tuesdays ballot. Heres a breakdown of the measure.
What would Charter Amendment C change about the LAPDs disciplinary system?
Under the current system, LAPD officers facing serious discipline usually terminations have their cases heard by a disciplinary panel, formally known as a Board of Rights. Currently, those panels are made up of two high-ranking officers and one civilian.
If approved by voters, Charter Amendment C would revise the City Charter to allow officers the option of having their cases heard by three-person boards composed entirely of civilians.
City Council approves ballot measure that could put more civilians on LAPD discipline panels
Who are the civilians who sit on the panels?
Hired by the Police Commission and paid for their work, civilian panelists must have at least seven years of experience with arbitration, mediation or similar work preferably residents of Los Angeles. Thirty-eight people currently are civilian panelists, most of them attorneys or professional arbitrators.
Amid complaints from opponents that the requirements exclude too many Angelenos, some city lawmakers have signaled an interest in exploring how to expand the pool of candidates.
Who supports Charter Amendment C?
The Los Angeles Police Protective League, the union that sponsored the campaign for Charter Amendment C, along with Mayor Eric Garcetti , Council President Herb Wesson and every member of the City Council all support the measure.
Who opposes Charter Amendment C?
Organizations that focus heavily on police accountability are campaigning against the measure, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California, Black Lives Matter, Los Angeles Community Action Network and Community Coalition. United Teachers Los Angeles, the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and other groups have also come out against Charter Amendment C.
What does LAPD Chief Charlie Beck think?
Beck has not publicly expressed a position, saying recently he did not think it would be appropriate to do so. He did, however, point to a city report one that relied heavily on LAPD statistics that concluded civilians on the disciplinary panels tend to be more lenient than their sworn counterparts. Civilians, Beck said, tend to be less likely to hold officers accountable.
I think the changes proposed in C would exacerbate that, he added.
The systems of discipline are only as good as peoples belief that theyre being treated fairly. Deputy Mayor Jeff Gorell
How did it get on Tuesdays ballot?
Charter Amendment C was the product of extensive talks between Garcetti and the Los Angeles Police Protective League, which represents roughly 9,800 LAPD officers and has significant political clout at City Hall. The mayors top public safety advisor worked on the issue for more than a year with the union, which sought changes to the LAPDs disciplinary process.
Those talks have prompted critics to portray the ballot measure as the product of a backroom deal between Garcetti and the union, which endorsed the mayor during his recent reelection campaign. Organizations that focus heavily on policing say they were locked out of the conversation and were only asked to weigh in after the measure was a done deal.
Backers of Charter Amendment C dispute the notion that the measure is a backroom deal, saying voters will have the final say this week .
A 'backroom deal'? Groups that pushed crackdown on police misconduct were left out of talks between Garcetti and the LAPD union
Why do supporters like Charter Amendment C?
The police union and city officials say officers have long felt that they wont be treated fairly by a disciplinary panel on which two-thirds of the members work under a police chief who is suggesting serious punishment. They point to lawsuits filed by a handful of LAPD captains alleging they were retaliated against after going against Beck in a decision about discipline.
Allowing the option of all-civilian disciplinary panels, supporters say, will help assure officers that theyll get a fair hearing.
We have four current lawsuits against the city from senior officers, Deputy Mayor Jeff Gorell said in a recent interview. All of them include the accusation that there was retribution as a result of their decisions at a Board of Rights. So whether there's reality there, or whether there's just the perception of influence, the systems of discipline are only as good as people's belief that they're being treated fairly.
Backers say the change would also allow greater civilian oversight of the Police Department.
This isnt how policy should be made. Peter Bibring, director of police practices for the ACLU of Southern California
Why are opponents fighting it?
Opponents of the measure also have major complaints about the LAPDs disciplinary system pointing out that the hearings and decisions are kept secret. But they argue that Charter Amendment C is a bad remedy that could result in more lenient treatment of misbehaving LAPD officers.
They point to the city report, issued in January, that concluded civilians are less severe than their sworn counterparts when weighing LAPD disciplinary cases. They also say Charter Amendment C does not allow for true civilian participation, because most residents dont have seven years of arbitration-like experience required for the job.
Finally, critics contend the mayors behind-the-scenes talks with the union show that elected officials were intent from the beginning on delivering a political favor to a powerful constituency.
This isnt how policy should be made. If elected officials are interested in public policy, they should invite input from all stakeholders and experts and have a public process to reach the best result possible, said Peter Bibring of the ACLU of Southern California. Thats not what happened here.
Police Chief Charlie Beck, second from right, and Mayor Eric Garcetti, right. inspect a new group of LAPD officers at a 2015 graduation ceremony. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
What exactly did that city report say?
The report, prepared for city lawmakers using LAPD data, looked at 287 Board of Rights hearings held from 2011 to late 2016. In 190 of those cases, officers were found guilty of the accusations. Fewer than half of the officers Beck sent to a Board of Rights to be fired were terminated.
The report found that the civilian panelists were consistently more lenient than the sworn members. There were 39 cases in which Beck had suggested an officer be fired, but a board acquitted the officer instead, the report said. In all of those cases, the civilian voted to acquit.
Supporters of Charter Amendment C say the numbers dont back up claims that civilians are too lenient. Union officials have said that cases are rarely decided by a divided vote. Out of 229 cases in which Beck recommended termination, just 7% involved decisions in which the civilian member was more lenient than at least one of his or her sworn counterparts.
There were no cases in which a civilian voted for a harsher outcome.
Legislative report on LAPD Board of Rights panels
Why do voters make decisions about the LAPDs disciplinary system anyway?
The Board of Rights system is outlined in the City Charter, the citys governing document, whose language can be changed only by voters.
Although the Board of Rights hearings were established in 1935, it wasnt until 1992 that civilians were added to the panels as part of Charter Amendment F a police reform measure that won overwhelming support from voters on the heels of the Rodney King beating.
This year, opponents say such an important issue should not have been put before voters in an election that is expected to have extremely low turnout. There are no citywide candidates on the ballot, and only two of the councils 15 seats are up for grabs Tuesday.
The program started with a few kids from the Sunday school at his church. But after a few years, word got around about the computer programming classes Vic Wintriss was teaching to kids, and his program grew.
Officially, Wintriss Technical Schools is the name of his non-profit that teaches the Java programming language to kids beginning in fifth grade. Unofficially? They are The League of Amazing Programmers.
After 20 years of running a local electronics manufacturing company that I founded, a management dispute forced my departure. I remember clearly standing in the kitchen the next day and talking to my wife, wondering what I was going to do next, he says. The idea popped into my head that I should start a non-profit school teaching kids Java.
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He didnt know Java himself hed studied electrical engineering at Cornell University and spent 20 years as a Navy pilot but he took classes at UC San Diego Extension, rented a classroom and donated $100,000 of start-up funding to begin giving free programming classes.
When demand grew, he began charging students whose families could afford to pay and provides scholarships to students whose families cant. They now have more than 200 students attending classes all over San Diego County, along with more students on a waiting list.
Wintriss, 85, lives in Carmel Valley with his wife Diane, and they have two children and three grandchildren. He took some time to talk about The League, his focus on getting more girls and underserved kids into programming, and one of his well-known classmates from Cornell.
Q: Tell us about Wintriss Technical Schools.
A: Although the official, non-profit name of our school is Wintriss Technical Schools, we operate as The League Of Amazing Programmers, a cooler name. The League teaches kids, starting in the fifth grade, the Java computer programming language. We are one of the few schools in the country that teaches professional-level programming to kids this young. There are many short-term enrichment programs around that use graphical, short-cut systems where the computer writes the actual Java code. Our kids write real code. We graduate job-ready programmers, ready for entry-level programming jobs. There is a huge shortage of computer programmers in this country and programming jobs are plentiful. Entry-level programmers earn yearly salaries close to $100,000 in San Diego. Since our founding in 2006, we have made our program available to everyone but are especially interested in helping girls and kids in underserved communities into this satisfying and rewarding career.
Q: For those of us who are unfamiliar with computer programming in general, what difference does it make to teach your students Java as opposed to another programming language?
A: Java is probably the most popular and widely used computer programming language. Android cell phones are programmed in Java and the computer science Advanced Placement exam is given in Java. The Java syntax is very similar to many other languages, so our students will find it relatively easy to learn another computer language.
Q: Why focus on kids?
A: Kids in the fragile 10-to-15 age group are most likely to go astray without some compelling interest in their lives. We feel that learning a valuable skill, such as computer programming, can create a focus and a desire in these kids to learn more and become valuable additions to society. Occasionally, we take a fourth-grader, but typically find that they usually cant sit still for 90 minutes, so we generally accept students in fifth grade or older.
What I love about Carmel Valley ...
Coastal Carmel Valley is near everything, has great weather and is a wonderful community.
Q: Walk us through The Leagues program.
A: The League curriculum consists of 10 graded, UC San Diego Extension certificated levels, which normally take four to five years to complete. Students attend weekly, 90-minute after-school classes. In the classes, we use step-by-step guides to help the student through the programming process. The students write their own computer games and sometimes dont even realize that they are learning, they are having so much fun. We consider ourselves a trade school that graduates job-ready programmers who can enter the workforce directly, without college. Kids who are able to go on to college start off with a big advantage over their peers and with excellent experience to show on their college applications. Much of our teaching is done by our 30 Java-professional volunteers who donate their time each week. Teachers stay with the same kids all the way through the five-year curriculum, watching them grow in knowledge and maturity. Each of the 10 curriculum levels ends with an exam and a UC San Diego Extension-graded transcript certificate. We prep the kids for the computer science Advanced Placement exam that they normally pass in the ninth or 10th grade. For graduation, they pass the Oracle Professional Certification Exam, which is good at many companies for direct entry into the workforce as a programmer, without college.
Q: Whats required of a child who wants to join your program?
A: Anyone can join and learn to program. Contrary to common wisdom, computer programming does not require math. A computer program is a sequence of steps, written down in a logical, sequential manner. What we really teach is abstract thinking. Many parents tell us that their kids do better in school after taking our computer-programming classes. As a prerequisite for our longterm program, we require attendance at a weeklong workshop that runs for two hours a day for one week, usually during school vacation periods. The workshop exposes kids to computer programming, many for the first time, and lets them decide whether they like it or not. Students come from all over the county and we teach at the San Diego Central Library, Valencia Park/Malcolm X Branch Library & Performing Arts Center, e3 Civic High School, Gompers Preparatory Academy, Serra High School, Wilson Middle School and at our main campus in Carmel Valley. Students who attend Title I, free-lunch schools, may apply to receive our training free of charge. We use the Robin Hood model: students who can afford the tuition cover for students who cant.
Q: Can you tell us about children in your program who stand out in your mind?
A: Alex started our classes in the fourth grade. We dont normally take kids that young, but he was cute and his mother insistent. He became one of the youngest Apple Certified Technicians in the country, is graduating from our program this year and going on to college in computer science. Sean and his brother Ryan started with me in the fourth and sixth grades, and Sean graduated from Stanford with a computer science degree last year and Ryan is a senior in computer science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Deyvid, who also graduated from Reality Changers, just got his first paying gig as an IT expert for a local attorney and is interviewing for a summer job as a computer technician for Staples in Solana Beach. Sherlin and Melissa, who attended Wilson Middle School, have been with us for four years and I am hoping they will be our first graduates who started at Wilson.
Q: Why focus on educating girls and underprivileged kids in The League? Why are these two groups, in particular, important to you?
A: Women represent only 15 percent of the computer engineering workforce. Programming is a satisfying, rewarding field that can be presented in a non-threatening way without an emphasis on math. For underserved kids, it is a ticket to the middle class. I am convinced that the income and wealth gap in this country is in reality a gap in educational opportunity. In our small way, we want to help change this. We are aiming to have 50 percent of our kids on scholarship. Thirty percent of our present students are girls.
Q: Whats been rewarding about your work with The League?
A: I cant describe how rewarding it is for me to see our underserved kids become proficient computer programmers and to know how this will change not only their lives financially but also that of their entire extended family and at the same time provide a role model for peers to look up to.
Q: What has it taught you about yourself?
A: That there is lot of satisfaction to be had helping others.
Q: What is the best advice youve ever received?
A: Work hard!
Q: What is one thing people would be surprised to find out about you?
A: That Irwin Jacobs and I were studying electrical engineering at the same time at Cornell in the 0s. We were in different classes and didnt know each other then, however. And after graduating from Cornell, I spent 20 years as a Navy pilot flying patrol planes.
Q: Describe your ideal San Diego weekend.
A: Taking my wife, Diane, to Kis in Cardiff on a Friday evening to eat healthy food and listen to Peter Sprague.
Email: lisa.deaderick@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @lisadeaderick
After five straight mornings of waking up inside a shipping container, Bill Earley was tired Saturday.
But the man who heads the American Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties had made a promise: that he would not return home until the organization raises $500,000.
By Saturday morning, there was still $83,000 to go.
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Its exhausting, Earley said. But I dont think that people were sheltering sleep particularly well.
Earleys aim is twofold: to raise money for Red Cross programs, but also build awareness of the plight of families forced to flee their homes in times of disaster. Its supposed to be like the Red Cross experience.
Earley, 54, is a San Diego native and former attorney who left the profession in 2014 to lead the local Red Cross chapter. Im of the belief that if everybody just leans in just a little bit more, our community becomes so much better, he said.
The current Shelter of Hope campaign is the main fundraising event for the organization, which has a $3 million annual budget supported entirely through donations, split roughly in thirds among corporations, foundations and individual donors.
This years campaign started May 1, and for the first eight days, the container moved around the county, with special events at each location and guests invited to spend the night.
The container, informally called the box, is a mock disaster shelter that measures 8 by 20 feet, with enough room for a cot, an armchair, a table and a couple of folding chairs.
The box gave me some perspective on what it might be like to lose everything and desperately need the help of others, one guest wrote.
Events have included hands-on CPR training in Rancho San Diego, a pet disaster preparedness day in Encinitas, a family preparedness event in Chula Vista, a bloodmobile at the USS Midway Museum and a food truck festival outside the Red Cross headquarters off Ruffin Road.
There were visits by elected officials: Assemblyman Todd Gloria and state Sen. Toni Atkins, both San Diego Democrats, and county Supervisor Greg Cox.
The box now sits parked outside the Red Cross headquarters. Though visitors come during the day, at night it grows quiet. And that has given Earley a chance to reflect about his life and the lives of those who turn to the Red Cross.
On the eve of Mothers Day, he was missing his own mother, who died 1 years ago. And the company of his wife and 4-year-old daughter.
I know that my family and my home are just fine, he said. When we bring people into shelters, they dont always have that knowledge.
The Red Cross of San Diego/Imperial Counties serves an area of 10,000 square miles with a population of close to 3.6 million. Its jurisdiction includes the U.S. territory of American Samoa. Its mission is to offer help when emergencies strike from wildfires to home fires but also to help people prepare.
It costs the Red Cross an average of $550 to help a family of three recover from disaster. Over the past 12 months, the organization offered assistance to 516 families just under 1,500 individuals.
When people think of the Red Cross, they think of disasters or emergencies, Earley said. They dont think about the day-to-day ways that we impact our community. Thats why its important for us to do outreach.
One of its programs involves installing smoke alarms. Since October 2014, we have already saved 215 lives, Earley said. The potential fire victims were able to get out because the alarm went off.
To donate or for more information, visit redcross.org/shelterofhope.
CORRECTION: The original version of this story had the wrong title for Toni Atkins. She is a state senator. The story has been updated.
sandra.dibble@sduniontribune.com
@sandradibble
The cyber attack that began capturing the worlds attention Friday has crippled about 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries, the security agency Europol said Sunday. It has become the most widespread hacking incident in history, experts said.
Here are some essential facts for you the consumer, including information on how to avoid becoming a victim of the same digital assault which is still continuing.
* Could the hacking grow? Online security specialists fear the ransomware offensive in which the hacker(s) basically takes over your computer and demands money before giving control of the machine back to you will spread even more as office workers return to work Monday. Employees in many countries, especially Asia and Europe, had gone home by the time the malicious hacking software started proliferating.
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At the moment, were in the face of an escalating threat, the numbers are going up, Rob Wainwright, executive director of Interpol, told the British broadcasting network ITV on Sunday. Im worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn their machines on Monday morning.
* Didnt some techie stop the attacks forward march? Yes and no. Its true that a 22-year-old researcher using the Twitter handle MalwareTech had helped to slow down the cyber assault by accidentally finding the web-domain that can disable the malicious software. But that person and many other cyber experts emphasized Sunday that hackers could easily morph the software and launch a new wave of the attack.
True to their prediction, just hours later, new variants of the software were detected circulating through the internet.
Experts also worry about copycats using the current global attention to mount their own assaults in coming days.
* What countries have been directly affected? They include Britain, China, Russia, India, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, Ukraine, Romania, Egypt, Iran, Brazil, Italy, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Tanzania, the Philippines, Argentina, South Africa in other words, the list is long and getting longer. The United States has been impacted relatively less, although FedEx was one of the major names hit by the attack. Other victims have ranged from banks, Russias interior ministry, Britains nationalized health system to TV stations, universities and the French automaker Renault.
Its unknown how much ransom money has been paid because of this extortion campaign. One estimate said the amount has been only $32,000, but other analysts said the total could turn out to be in the millions.
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Soaring number of computers hijacked for ransom.
* Has the hacker(s) been identified? No person or group has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the attack. One of the greatest frustrations in cybersecurity is that the vast, often shadowy world of online crime makes it nearly impossible to precisely track down hackers. Other complications include the lack of international agreements for how to arrest and prosecute cyber criminals even if they are found. Thats because everyone from governments to political rebels to people simply out to make money are all players in the hacking universe.
We do know that in this latest case, the ransomware has exploited a loophole in the Microsoft Windows operating system. The digital weapon was actually developed by the U.S. National Security Agency, and then it was stolen by a collective of hackers called Shadow Brokers that subsequently made the information available online. Microsoft issued a security patch for the Windows flaw in March, but many people and institutions had not downloaded that fix.
* How can I get my hands on that security patch? Just go to this Microsoft page for official instructions. In addition, experts remind consumers to pay attention to the latest update notices for their desktop computers, laptops, tablets and cellphones.
If your computer is hit with ransomware, your options include paying the requested ransom something the FBI discourages and getting your machine debugged by a professional.
Cybersecurity Playlist On Now Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) slams Equifax On Now LA 90: Yahoo data breach worse than originally reported On Now Lifelock offers to protect you from the Equifax breach by selling you services provided by Equifax 1:02 On Now California beer maker thrives in Germany On Now Cyberattacks on Hollywood On Now Hackers gain access to OneLogin On Now What is WannaCry? On Now Senate overturns privacy rules for Internet providers On Now Online pirates claim to hold Disney's latest 'Pirates of the Caribbean' movie hostage, demand ransom On Now Yahoo warns users of malicious activity
Twitter: @grobbins
gary.robbins@sduniontribune.com
The birth rate among U.S. teenagers hit a historic low last year, according to a new government report, and early estimates for San Diego show similar declines.
There were about 22 live births for every 1,000 American teenagers age 15 to 19 in 2015, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a preliminary report last month.
Its a decrease from the previous year, which saw 24 births per 1,000 in that age group, and marks the lowest rate since the federal government began tracking teenage births in 1940.
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San Diego County rates mirror the national trend. There were about 23 births per 1,000 teenagers in 2013, the most recent county-level data available from the CDCs Center for National Health Statistics.
Teen pregnancy has long been considered a public health issue since its known to be associated with higher maternal and infant complications and deaths. Nationally, rates peaked in 1991 with 62 births per population, and have been on the decline since then, the CDC report said.
In California, that years peak brought close to 74 births for every 1,000 teens between 15 and 19, a rate that ranked among the highest in the country and far exceeded those of other developed countries, sometimes by double digits.
Its since dropped to about 21 births in 2014, the most recent data available on a state by state level. Data show Arkansas had the highest rate that year, about 40 births per 1,000, followed by Oklahoma and Mississippi. On the other end, Massachusetts had the lowest rate of about 11 births, followed by New Hampshire, Connecticut and New Jersey.
Potential reasons for the nationwide decline are not clear, but more teens may be delaying or reducing sexual activity, the report said. The teens who are sexually active may be using birth control more than in previous years as well.
Ronald Owens, a spokesman for the California Department of Public Health, points to a long list of state-funded education, family planning resources and other youth-oriented sexual health programs for Californias decline.
California has a long history of providing services that help young people make informed reproductive choices, Owens said. The state has made the prevention of adolescent childbearing a high public health priority.
Among other things, the department funds several community- and school-based teen pregnancy prevention programs, including the Information and Education Program, the Adolescent Family Life Program and the Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment program or PACT.
PACT, administered by the Office of Family Planning, provides family planning services to eligible low income men and women. It serves 1.8 million people through a network of 2,200 public and private providers.
San Diego County doesnt have specific teen pregnancy prevention programs but resources may be included in other programs that service a younger population, said county spokeswoman Tammy Glenn.
San Diegos rate of 23 births in 2013 fell just under the California average that year and ranked 30th statewide. It was a 10 percent decrease from 25 births the previous year and nearly a 40 percent drop since 2003.
At the top of the list are Kern and Imperial County, which both saw 45 births per 1,000 females aged 15-19 in 2013. The two counties have ranked in the top five for more than a decade, data show. Del Norte County came in third that year, followed by Tulare County, with 44 births per 1,000 females in that age group.
Data Watch used county birth data and population estimates from the San Diego Association of Governments to calculate approximate rates for a more recent timeframe.
Data analyses show the county rate was 16 births per 1,000 last year, a decrease from the previous year, at 18 births for every 1,000 teens.
The CDC report is based on a review of nearly 4 million birth certificates filed last year. In addition to teenage pregnancy rates, it also examined birth rates among older women, which have steadily increased in recent years.
IRON RIVER, Michigan Through hard work over many years, Ive earned the trust of my repeat customers and am now the proud owner of 37 gas stations in Wisconsin and 36 gas stations in Michigan. The gas I sell at all the stations comes from the same wholesaler, so the cost is identical in both states.
It would be a reasonable expectation that the Michigan price of fuel would be higher, since the Michigan gas tax (which does include sales tax) is 5 cents higher than Wisconsins gas tax. But the opposite is true. Our gas stations in Wisconsin sell fuel at a higher price than Michigan.
You read that right.
Despite Michigans higher tax, Wisconsin prices are higher. Today the price of our fuel in Land OLakes, near the state line in Vilas County, is $2.41, versus our station 8 miles away in Watersmeet, Michigan, where gas is $2.25, a 16 cent difference.
Id like to offer lower prices to my Wisconsin customers. But a dumb state law forbids it.
So why are the prices in Wisconsin higher? The minimum markup law. Wisconsin is one of two states in the country that specifically identify and protect the profit margin on the sale of gas. The Wisconsin law mandates a 9.18 percent markup.
Id like to compete with my peers, not only on cleanliness and service, but on price. But I cant. Fortunately, the recently-announced Assembly Transportation Reform plan, called The Road to a Flat Tax, would at least lower the state minimum markup law to 3 percent. This is a significant drop and will absolutely positively lower the price Wisconsin residents pay for gas.
I assure you, at my gas stations consumers will see lower prices at our pumps, compared to todays pre-reform prices, if the Assembly plan is adopted.
In 2011, Wisconsin Republicans passed Act 10 to not only fix a pressing budget gap, but to strengthen budgets for the long-term. The Assembly Transportation Plan is the Act 10 of the transportation fund. It corrects bad policies relating to an extremely lucrative and unique advantage for Wisconsins petroleum industry, which also cost taxpayers significant money.
As a petroleum marketer, I dont want the crony capitalist protections so many in our industry want. I want to compete without government favor.
It has been fascinating to watch Wisconsins lead legislative tax cutter, Rep. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, get criticized by some for having the nerve to solve Wisconsins compounding transportation problem by applying the sales tax to gas and then subsequently lowering Wisconsins gas taxes. His user-fee approach, coupled with the drastic reduction in the minimum markup, helps consumers and the transportation budget at the same time.
Remember, none of the money you pay at the pump right now because of the minimum markup goes to pay for the construction and upkeep of roads. It is merely a government-mandated guaranteed profit margin for one industry.
I do not want any favors in state law, I want to sell gas at a price agreed on between the customer and me. Unfortunately, your tax money, instead of fixing our roads or lowering Wisconsins high tax burden, is being used against me in legal action because I want to sell gas cheaper than the state allows.
Kooyenga should be applauded for standing up to very powerful, deep-pocketed business interests and their army of lobbyists. I hope he is successful. Wisconsin can have a more solvent transportation fund, better roads, free markets and lower gas prices. It will just take politicians siding with taxpayers over special interests.
A lot of Republicans say they are for a free market, better roads and lower taxes. Kooyenga is giving them an opportunity to prove it.
Some leading San Diegans and local institutions got roughed up this past week, and the future isnt looking any easier.
Mayor Kevin Faulconer: Hes been getting plenty of criticism for the citys growing homeless population for some time. His hiring seven months ago of Stacie Spector as a special aide solely focused on that problem underscored his insistence that hes working hard on solutions. But her abrupt, unexplained departure last week left a lot of questions about the mayors plans for moving forward.
His big initiative, a downtown intake center for the homeless with temporary or transitional shelter, hasnt been met with universal acceptance. Some advocates of the homeless said it veers away from the permanent-housing philosophy that seems to be the consensus these days. Others said there are more people on the street and something needs to be done to address that crisis while the housing-first approach chugs along.
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Faulconer also saw a large protest aimed at him by a group that isnt known for taking to the streets: San Diegos arts community. The mayors budget cuts arts funding by $4.7 million, or about a third from current spending. In response, arts leaders and patrons filled the Civic Center Plaza for a rally before taking their beef to a City Council meeting.
Council members seemed game to restore some or all of the cuts. Well see how Faulconer reacts this week when he releases his revised budget.
Councilman Scott Sherman conceded at the meeting that some restoration was likely to take place. But he took a longer-term, more ominous view that things would get tougher and not just for the arts. An $80 million budget shortfall in the proposed budget is being partially plugged by one-time fixes that likely wont be available in the future.
Were going to do on this council what we can to make things a little bit easier this year, but I need to warn you all that you need to prepare for next year because the bookkeeping gimmicks will be over, the reserves will be depleted and well still have the $45 million increase from the previous year on our pension payment, Sherman said. So were going to have to come up with real cuts next year.
They mayor didnt need to hear that assessment. He no doubt knows the score well.
Rep. Darrell Issa: Talk about somebody who knows the score. Issa has been the target of protests for months after barely winning re-election in November. Some demonstrators even showed up outside a fundraiser held for him in Florida last weekend.
The weekly demonstrators outside his Vista district office on Trump Tuesdays have a litany of issues with the congressman. The key one has been health care, and for months, critics have been pressuring him not to support the evolving Republican bill replacing Obamacare.
Issa kept his cards close to his vest, but in the end voted for the bill. He said Obamacare has become unaffordable, is on the verge of collapse and that something must be done.
Still, the next protest against him exploded. It was the biggest so far and received national media coverage.
Some other Republican members of Congress have faced the wrath of opponents and constituents at protests and during town hall meetings as well. But Issa is perhaps the best-known among them, having become a national figure in recent years for investigating the Obama administration on several fronts when he was chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Also, he survived the closest congressional election in the nation last year after cruising through all of his previous re-election campaigns. That suggests he may be as vulnerable as anybody.
On Wednesday, he likely enraged some people with his strong endorsement of President Donald Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey.
Another of the protesters complaints is that Issa doesnt meet with constituents enough. He held two big, back-to-back town hall meetings in March and others via teleconference.
In addressing the small Florida crowd, he told them that he would indeed hold another one back in the district. Subsequently, his staff said an event was tentatively scheduled for a month later.
Organized labor and Mickey Kasparian: The powerful labor leader was booted as the head of the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council, busting wide open a fissure that had been growing for months. Kasparian, still president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 135, immediately announced the formation of a rival group the San Diego Working Families Council, which includes eight unions that split off from the Labor Council. Hell be the leader of that new outfit.
Politics, personalities and lawsuits accusing Kasparian of various misdeeds, including pressuring a subordinate into a sexual relationship, led to the break-up.
With the Labor Council temporarily under the stewardship of the national AFL-CIO and much of its membership heading toward Kasparians nascent group, its hard to imagine local labor exhibiting the formidable political power it did in the past at least in the short term.
The only good thing in this situation for labor, in a political sense, is that its not an election year.
Republican National Committee: The RNC held its spring meeting at Hotel del Coronado late last week, so we declare it a local institution for the time being and one thats under duress.
The committee schedulers no doubt hoped for a quiet seaside retreat where members could celebrate electoral successes and deal with mundane (to outsiders) party business. Some events seemed plenty festive. But outside the party bubble there was the partys leader Trump whos not only seemingly detached from the party, but whose gyrations are giving many GOP elected officials heartburn.
For example, Issa closely linked himself to Trump by becoming one of his early, high-profile supporters but has since tried to distance himself from Trump. Then again, that wasnt so much the case last week: Issa was front and center at a White House celebration after the House passed the health care bill.
And just to give the Republican leaders a flavor of what Issa deals with every Tuesday, one of the groups that organizes protests outside the congressmans office took to the sands of Coronado on Thursday to give the RNC similar treatment. Yeah, CNN was there.
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Dwayne The Rock Johnson considering run for White House
The city of San Diego has given nearly 150 high-level managers more than $4 million in pay raises since 2012 despite a voter-imposed salary freeze, saddling the city and its taxpayers with many millions in additional pension debt.
Increases in pension debt raise the citys annual pension payment, shrinking the money available for libraries, parks, recreation centers and other cherished amenities.
That was a key motivation in 2012 for the successful Proposition B ballot measure, which promised nearly $1 billion in long-term pension savings by mandating a five-year freeze on pensionable pay increases.
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But the freeze has a crucial loophole that has allowed 141 high-level managers to quietly be given large increases in their annual pay that have averaged $28,800 per employee.
The ballot measure allows the citys top brass to increase pay, significantly if they desire, for workers who get promotions. Significant pay hikes can bloat the pension debt because a retired employees pension is based on the highest salary they earn during their career.
The authors of Proposition B sought to limit such raises by adding strict prohibitions against increasing salary ranges for existing jobs, and outlawing the creation of new job titles with higher salary ranges than those that existed in 2011.
But the city has managed to give out large raises despite those prohibitions by utilizing two existing job classifications program manager and program coordinator with unusually high salary maximums.
The maximum pay for program coordinator is $143,208 and the maximum pay for program manager is $179,388.
The San Diego Union-Tribune was able to identify 141 employees in city compensation data who got large raises after being promoted to either program manager or program coordinator. And the number of city employees with those two job titles has sharply increased from 84 before Proposition B to 219 in 2016.
Former City Councilman Carl DeMaio, who helped write the ballot measure, blamed Mayor Kevin Faulconer last week for allowing so many reclassifications with large pay hikes.
It really is the failure of Kevin Faulconer because these reclassifications would not be done unless the mayor approved them, DeMaio said. Its clear this is a back door to get out of some of the pension reforms we wrote into Proposition B and that the voters strongly approved.
A spokesman for Faulconer called those criticisms baseless, contending the promotions and pay increases violate neither the written restrictions nor the spirit of Proposition B.
If youre talking about spirit youre talking about intent, and the intent of Prop. B was never to prevent people from earning promotions that are based on merit, said the spokesman, Matt Awbrey. No private sector business would do that, and voters certainly didnt ask for that when they approved Prop. B.
Lani Lutar, who also helped write the ballot measure as head of the San Diego County Taxpayers Association in 2012, agreed.
We didnt want to create a retention problem for employees who were going above and beyond their job responsibilities and deserved to be promoted, said Lutar, who now works as a consultant.
Awbrey also said the pay hikes have been necessary because the city has expanded services to residents, which has resulted in an expanded workforce to provide those services.
Councilman David Alvarez, however, said increased focus on street paving and other infrastructure projects is the only area where there has been an expansion that would warrant so many more program managers, program coordinators and other new high-level management positions.
Weve increased funding for infrastructure and weve got to have individuals who can deliver on that, so that makes sense, said Alvarez. But everything else is constant, so why are these increases happening in so many other areas?
Awbrey stressed that the impact of the raises on the citys pension debt is relatively minimal because 141 employees are only a small fraction of the citys 11,400 workers.
This is an exceedingly small number of folks who earned merit-based promotions in a way that completely follows the law, spirit and intent of pension reform, Awbrey said.
Lutar agreed, suggesting the raises wont significantly lower the $963 million in long-term pension savings the salary freeze was projected to create.
With only between 1 percent and 2 percent of city employees affected, the potential impact on pension savings is going to be modest at best, said Lutar, noting that the citys $2.5 billion pension debt is much more vulnerable to employees living longer and how the pension systems investments fare.
Alvarez, however, stressed that promoting employees into higher classifications has a snowball effect of giving them additional large raises in the future that they are guaranteed for reaching years-of-service benchmarks.
Examples include Colin Brazile, a supervising personnel analyst promoted to program manager in 2014. According to data the city provided to Transparent California, an open government group, Braziles base pay went from $58,083 to $84,228, and then increased to $103,836 in 2016.
Monty Peretto, who was promoted from a supervising management analyst to a program coordinator in 2013, got an increase in base pay from $78,647 to $84,879. His base pay then increased to $97,044 in 2016.
Every such increase has a long-term multiplier effect because retired employees get annual cost-of-living adjustments to their pension benefits.
Its difficult to calculate the exact impact of these raises on the citys pension debt for a variety of reasons.
Its not clear how many of the employees were hired before another element of Proposition B kicked in: replacing pensions with 401(k) style retirement plans for all newly hired employees except police officers after July 19, 2012.
Data show that 124 of the 141 employees were on the citys payroll in 2011, so they are eligible for pensions. Ten were hired in 2013 or later, so they are not pension-eligible. And seven were hired sometime in 2012, making it uncertain whether they are pension-eligible.
Its also unknown whether the employees eligible for pensions were hired before 2005, when the city decreased the size of pension benefits, or 2009, when they were shrunk again.
And because 2016 had 27 pay periods instead of the normal 26 due to a calendar fluke, some of the 2016 base pay figures could be slightly skewed.
Estimates of the increase in the debt caused by these promotions have been as high as in the tens of millions of dollars.
Alvarez said he suspects the impact to the pension debt goes beyond just the promotions to program manager and program coordinator, suggesting the city may have promoted many other relatively low-paid employees into higher paying classifications.
He said thats based on his analysis of recent city budgets, and he expressed frustration that the City Council wasnt made aware of the practice of reclassifying employees to give them large raises.
Its definitely a very non-transparent way to increase salaries, said Alvarez. I dont know that Id call it a loophole, but theyre certainly gaming the system that exists. They want to give raises to people doing quality work but they cant because of Prop. B, so theyve found this end-around.
Awbrey noted that all re-classifications are approved by the City Council.
But the agenda items the council has approved to allow these havent included any information on the associated salary increases.
Alvarez said he recently questioned city financial officials about several planned promotions to program manager, program coordinator and other high-paying positions included in Mayor Faulconers proposed budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1.
Examples include the creation of two new program coordinator and two new senior management analyst positions in the citys Office of Homeland Security. The proposed budget would also eliminate an associate management analyst position and three supervising management analyst positions in that department.
Alvarez said he suspects this is the city trying to give four people pay raises by using promotions to skirt Proposition B, but that he cant be sure until city officials confirm it.
Other examples include increasing the number of program coordinator positions in the Risk Management Department from two to eight.
Alvarez said city finance officials told him recently they may not be able to answer his questions about those proposed job changes before the budget is adopted next month.
Michael Zucchet, leader of the citys largest labor union, said the pay hikes are clearly legal under Proposition B and that the loophole is just another piece of evidence that it was a badly flawed ballot measure.
It doesnt say you cant do the program manager game, he said. It says explicitly you can do anything you want under the existing authority in the charter, which is exactly what theyve done.
Zucchet also criticized DeMaios contention that the raises violate the spirit of Proposition B and should have been prevented by Mayor Faulconer.
Maybe that was the spirit, but the clear writing of it is that promotions are not included in the section on freezing pensionable compensation, Zucchet said. Carl needs to look in the mirror and remind himself that he wrote this paragraph that explicitly not only allowed but specifically called out any mayors ability to do exactly whats happened.
DeMaio said that when he helped write Proposition B he expected to become mayor later that year, and that he would have been adamant about prohibiting such raises if he hadnt lost to Bob Filner in a November 2012 runoff.
The mayor has immense powers to continue a pension pay freeze, but Faulconer chose not to, DeMaio said. He has gone wild and wacky with giving salary increases and thats not responsible. He should have said Prop. B is working but I still see a problem with investment returns so we need to extend the five-year freeze.
Awbrey, the Faulconer spokesman, said the mayor was one of the first supporters of the pension changes and has spent years fighting to protect it in court.
Everyone knows that Prop. B was about requiring new employees to receive a 401(k) instead of pensions and getting the citys labor organizations to agree to a pensionable pay freeze, and thats exactly what we did and what we continue to do, he said.
Zucchet said the mayor is acting prudently to help the city avoid losing quality employees to other government jobs or the private sector, which Proposition B turned into a major concern by making it so hard to give people raises.
The mayor is choosing the efficient operations of the city over what somebody considers the spirit of a political document, said Zucchet, who is general manager of the Municipal Employees Association.
On the other hand, Zucchet said his union has tried to block several such proposed promotions to highlight what a large impediment to keeping quality employees that Proposition B has become.
The only way to give raises under the ballot measure without using a program-manager-style loophole is to get a two-thirds vote of the council and have the citys actuary study how the proposed raises would affect pension debt.
The city has done that only once, when the council approved large raises for dispatchers last year amid a 9-1-1 response crisis during Mayor Faulconers re-election campaign.
Weve encouraged the city at every step to follow Prop. B in that way, and the city has been unwilling to do that except in one instance, Zucchet said. The political will has not been there to do that otherwise, and instead theyve found other ways.
Proposition B was approved by 65 percent of voters in June 2012. The pay freeze part of the measure will expire on June 30, 2018 unless the mayor and council decide to extend it, or there is a subsequent public vote.
Union-Tribune Watchdog Data Reporter Lauryn Schroeder contributed to this story.
david.garrick@sduniontribune.com (619) 269-8906 Twitter:@UTDavidGarrick
One of the sad realities of the criminal justice system is that people who suffer from mental illness and commit crime often end up in jail, a less-than-ideal environment for psychiatric healing.
In an article I wrote that appeared two weeks ago in The San Diego Union-Tribune, county authorities acknowledged that reality. Jail is where many people accused of crimes end up even when a psychiatric hospital might be the better option.
Sheriff Bill Gore acknowledged it, too. Theres something wrong with that, he said, noting that the mens Central Jail in downtown San Diego has long been the largest mental health facility in the county.
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That shouldnt be the case, he said.
Gore and his staff would likely also agree that inmates who suffer from mental illness shouldnt die in county jail. But thats another sad reality.
Over the past 12 years, 46 people have committed suicide in San Diego County jails, according to a report released this month by the county grand jury. The report cites data from the Sheriffs Department, which runs the countys seven detention facilities.
The May 4 report also says the suicide rate in San Diego Countys jails is the highest in all of Californias large county jail systems.
Somethings wrong with that as well.
Over the past few years, the Sheriffs Department has been working to reduce inmate suicides by creating enhanced observation modules inside the jails for inmates at high-risk of harming themselves, hiring more medical and mental health staff, and revising the screening process to better identify high-risk inmates at intake.
In March 2016, the departments Detention Services Bureau updated its policy manual to include procedures for the enhanced observation modules and other specialized units.
There were five inmate suicides last year, none of which occurred in the enhanced units. So far, no inmate suicides have been reported in 2017.
Still, the county grand jury sees room for more improvement.
According to its report, the panel said the departments policy manual lacked detailed training procedures for the deputies who work inside the jails to reduce inmate suicides effectively and a clear policy statement for suicide prevention.
The report states that effective communication is key to curbing suicides and must exist in several areas, including:
Communication between the officers and deputies who contact a person before booking, and the nurses at the jail who receive the inmate during intake.
Communication between intake personnel and internal correctional staff, including medical and mental health personnel.
Communication between all staff and the potentially suicidal inmate.
Gore told the Union-Tribune in a previous interview that his staff was working to improve communication among sworn staff and medical personnel throughout the time that an inmate is in county custody, but particularly at intake.
He explained that people are most vulnerable to suicide during the first 48 to 72 hours theyre in jail.
They go through the seven stages of grief (because of) the situation they find themselves in, he said. Thats our challenge, right there, (at) intake.
Because the county uses private contract personnel for its mental health workers, the grand jury recommended hiring a full-time mental health director to coordinate services for all jail inmates with mental health problems.
County authorities signed a contract in February with Liberty Healthcare Corp., which is responsible for hiring psychiatrists and other clinicians to oversee quality control of the mental health programs.
Sheriffs spokesman Ryan Keim said in an email that the department is committed to ensuring the safety of the inmates.
The Sheriffs Department, along with the Grand Jury, believes that one suicide in a detention facility is too many, Keim said. The Department has worked tirelessly to improve our ability to identify individuals susceptible to suicide and provide them the necessary mental health services.
The department is expected to respond to the grand jurys report within the next few months.
dana.littlefield@sduniontribune.com
Twitter: @danalittlefield
Regarding Time for President Trump to really put America first (May 10): Your editorial shows just how much you want to bend the facts to suit the current rhetoric.
The Democrats and left-wing activists are the ones who should be putting America first and stop obstructing. You clearly state how everyone was fed up with James Comeys antics and clearly wanted him removed from his position. So he is removed and the avalanche of hypocrisy is overwhelming.
Forget the special investigators and, as another contributor said, Democrats, Republicans and liberals need to get on the stick and get working.
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We have FBI, House and Senate investigations running concurrently. Why is that not enough? Stop wasting my taxes on useless straw men issues and get the country moving: lower taxes, better health care, improved infrastructure and veterans health care.
Tony Tartaro
Hillcrest
The late Barry Goldwater, an ultraconservative Republican senator, told President Richard Nixon that he would not sacrifice his reputation to support Nixons lies during the shameful Watergate fiasco.
Integrity and ethics should always be nonpartisan, and yet the silence from Republicans in the wake of the Comey firing is deafening.
It is imperative that high-profile lawmakers like Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell man up and choose the welfare of the American people and democracy over some misplaced fealty toward a man who borders on serious mental dysfunction and threatens to destroy the very fabric of our country.
Serena Contreras
San Diego
Letters and commentary policy
The U-T welcomes and encourages community dialogue on important public matters. Please visit this page for more details on our letters and commentaries policy. You can email letters@sduniontribune.com or leave a comment below.
The duplicity of the Democratic members of Congress is nothing short of amazing but so typical of todays members of Congress.
Just a short time ago, Sen. Chuck Schumer and his minions as well as some Republicans were all about getting rid of Comey.
There is little doubt that if Hillary Clinton had been elected, Comey would have been fired regardless of the status of the Russian investigation.
Now they are up in arms because Comey was fired based in part upon the recommendation of a Department of Justice official and the attorney general.
It also shows how little politicians know about the men and women of the FBI. They will continue the investigation concerning Russias interference in the election regardless of who is the director, the political machinations of both parties or the medias reporting of rumors, innuendo and anonymous sources.
Jim Biers
Encinitas
Trump fired FBI Director Comey because the FBIs ongoing investigations threatened to expose his campaign ties to his Russian connections and their interference with our recent election.
Trumps assault on said investigations is an obstruction of justice, an impeachable, felony offense, which like Nixon, could lead to his removal from office.
His Republican henchmen will support and justify his illegal and unconstitutional behavior, until an independent, nonpartisan special prosecutor is appointed to investigate his actions.
If he is innocent, Trump should welcome such investigations, including releasing his tax returns.
In the meantime, Trump will call said investigations a hoax and fake news.
Dave White
Carlsbad
In Chris Reeds opinion piece Comey flap far from first fraught fight between FBI and White House (May 11), he gave them seven Fs if you count FBI, although most of them went to the White House in the text of the article.
Thats a pretty poor grade, but deserved, Id say.
Greg West
Powa
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The Union-Tribune had a sad and sensitive story to report last week. A 15-year-old freshman at Torrey Pines High died by suicide. About 3:30 a.m. May 6 he called police to check on a boy himself outside the school. When they arrived, he pointed what turned out to be a BB gun at officers. He refused to drop it. Fearing for their lives, they shot him.
The U-T has guidelines on covering suicides. First, they generally are not reported. Most commonly they receive only brief treatment if they occur publicly. The person is not named. A suicide by a prominent or publicly known person, such as Robin Williams, takes a longer story, and the person will be identified no matter where the death occurred.
Last Saturdays incident involved a death in public, and one that drew in two police officers. It had to be reported fully, but responsibly. Suicide prevention organizations offer guidelines on news coverage and warn against the effect it can have on vulnerable individuals. How did the U-T do? The Readers Representative asked Yeni L. Palomino, program director for the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council, to offer feedback on the coverage, specifically on what appeared Tuesday.
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The U-T published the first story at the top of last Sundays front page. The second story ran below the fold on Mondays front page. The boy was not named in either article.Tuesday, the U-T published four stories: one on the latest information about the death and campus reaction; another on suicide by cop; one about schools looking for warning signs of suicide in students; and an article on the Netflix show 13 Reasons Why, which centers on the suicide of a fictional teen girl. The coverage also included photographs of people mourning at the school and lists of suicide-prevention resources and potential signs that a person might be contemplating suicide.
The U-T decided to identify the boy. The coverage Tuesday included a note from the Readers Rep about why the paper was naming him, which was because of the public nature of the suicide and that it involved police officers, whom SDPD had identified.In addition, the U-T published a front-page story Thursday on a Torrey Pines student peer-groups reflecting on the boys suicide.
Here is the response from Palomino:
As the director of the San Diego County Suicide Prevention Council, Community Health Improvement Partners who facilitates the council, I would like to commend you for the stories ... that appeared in the May 9 and 11 issues.
They were very well done in that they used article titles that were not sensationalized. The picture used in the front-page article had a caption that reinforced prevention/awareness, and the second front-page article had a picture that reinforced getting help. The stories were very careful with not oversharing unnecessarily, and the sharing that was done contrary to media recommendations for suicide was clearly addressed in a note that rings true to the uniqueness of those stories being a suicide-by-cop incident.
The stories overall all highlighted that help is available ... and that reaching out and speaking out are important. The main articles also contained useful information about warning signs and local resources one right on the front page.
Stories of suicide that also highlight prevention offer a positive message encouraging people to seek help. Through research we have found that certain ways of describing suicide in the news contribute to ... suicide contagion, or copycat suicides. The magnitude of the increase is related to the amount, duration and prominence of coverage.
Deni Elliot, director of the Practical Ethics Center at the University of Montana-Missoula, concurs. Its important to report that deaths are suicide in order to help alert people to the high number of suicides in this country, she says. But publishing suicide notes and gratuitous gory details is voyeurism. Those details are important for families and professionals trying to figure out what happened.
When Robin Williams died by suicide in 2014 we saw several articles that did not adhere to the recommendations and used glorifying titles, overly detailed accounts of the incident and very often no information on prevention or resources available for others in need. However, covering suicide carefully, even briefly, can change public misperceptions and correct myths which can encourage those who are vulnerable or at risk to seek help.
Your handling of this story truly serves as a good example of the important role responsible reporting plays in preventing suicide contagion and helping save lives.
CHICAGO The other day, Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-New Jersey, held a town hall meeting where constituents grilled him about his role in passing the American Health Care Act. When he claimed the insurance market is collapsing, a chant went up: Single-payer, single-payer!
That chant will be heard again, and it should worry Republicans. It reflects the fact their replacement for Obamacare is unpopular even before its effects have been felt. It suggests that undoing Barack Obamas alleged government takeover of health care could open the way to a real government takeover of health care.
One House Republican said in 2012, Today America is threatened with a stage 3 cancer of socialism, and Obamacare is Exhibit 1. In reality, it was a centrist attempt to preserve the existing framework which relies mostly on private insurance, largely provided by employers while using various measures to expand the number of people with coverage.
Though some Democrats preferred a single-payer system similar to Canadas, Obama rejected it, and his party mostly concurred. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has long favored the idea, acknowledged in 2010 that in the Senate, there are at most 10 votes for a single-payer plan.
But the GOP rallied furiously against Obamas blueprint, nearly keeping it from being enacted and opposing its implementation at every turn. Republicans in Congress vowed to repeal and replace it if they ever had the chance, which this year they do.
Theyve found that the task was more alluring in theory than it is in practice. For most of its life, the Affordable Care Act has been underwater in opinion polls, with a plurality of Americans taking a negative view. But since Donald Trump became president, its popularity has grown.
A March Monmouth University poll showed 58 percent of Americans favor keeping it, and a Quinnipiac University survey found that only 17 percent support the GOP replacement plan.
Republicans are learning what Democrats discovered: Americans are maddeningly hard to please. They dislike paying for health insurance, jumping through hoops to get it, dealing with claim forms and copayments, and being denied whatever they want whenever they want it.
In 2007, according to Gallup, 56 percent of Americans said our health care system has major problems. Only 25 percent were satisfied with the availability of affordable health care. But when Obama tried to address those issues, they were not happy with his remedies. Rest assured, though, that if Republicans repeal it, citizens will almost certainly dislike the replacement.
If none of these options is satisfactory, what others are left? The obvious one is a single-payer system, with the federal government providing coverage financed with tax revenue.
Thats the worst option from the GOP point of view. And it has a surplus of flaws. Sanders plan, according to the center-left Urban Institute, would swell the federal budget by more than $3 trillion a year and increase the nations total spending on health care. Liberal economist Paul Starr of Princeton says it would require staggering increases in federal taxes.
But if Democrats regain power, theyll have no reason to tinker with the status quo. Obama tried that and got vilified. They might as well try something that would be simpler to explain and more far-reaching in its effects.
There are grounds to think a single-payer system would be comparatively popular. A third of Americans are already in one through Medicare, Medicaid or military or veterans insurance. Three-quarters of people in these programs are satisfied a higher figure than among those with employer-provided or individual policies.
Single-payer systems are not the only path to near-universal coverage. The U.S. could achieve it with some combination of employer-based insurance, subsidized coverage for individuals and adequately funded high-risk pools, alongside Medicare and Medicaid.
But if Republicans succeed in scrapping the law, they will reduce the number of people with insurance rather than expand it. They will also ensure that on regaining power, the Democrats will not bother resurrecting Obamacare.
Democrats are more likely to try to build a single-payer system one brick at a time. Starr, for example, proposes Midlife Medicare opening the program to uninsured people between ages 50 and 64. Further expansions could follow when the time is right.
Republicans had better find a way to meet the expectation of near-universal coverage if they want to preserve our system of private health insurance. They may never get another chance.
The world is on the brink of massive air pollution around the planet. Many green earth activists are battling the causes of greenhouse gasses emissions. The "Friends of the Earth" Movement of Netherlands does exactly what it stands for, they filed legal charges against their government for not doing much to curb the air pollution problem.
The charges were filed by "Friends of the Earth" last year and are still awaiting the first court hearing schedule. Campaign activist leader Anne Knol reiterates that humanity is sucking in the polluted air every day and is now pressing the Dutch Government to take action even before the hearing takes place.
Infrastructure and Environment Minister Roel Vincken told "Friends of the Earth" that the government has already implemented policies to improve air quality and is now working with local government units to tackle remaining issues of air pollution.
According to "Friends of the Earth" leader Anne Knol, the group conducted Independent tests from 58 sites all over the country last year. Eleven of the sites were found to have exceeded normal levels of nitrogen dioxide. The gas is an air pollutant formed by the combustion of fossil fuels such as oil, coal, and gas. It is the main contributor to the formation of smog. Other sources of nitrogen dioxide involve oil refineries, food, and beverage manufacturing, and coal-fired power plants, reports ABC News.
"Friends of the Earth" showed its independent statistics they gathered that nitrogen dioxide is causing thousands of deaths each year and is the cause of tens of thousands of sickness by the harmful greenhouse gas emission.
Ugrenda, another Dutch environmental group filed a case back in 2015 urging the government to take steps to cut down greenhouse gasses by 25%, which the activists won. The landmark case gave encouragement to the "Friends of the Earth" to follow suit with a similar case. The case was brought to court signed by 900 Dutch citizens, reports Physics.Org.
The air people breathe is happening every day and inaction kills the human body slowly, says Knol. The world is exposed to these hazards and climate experts encourage everyone to be vigilant in the cause of environmental protection.
Sen. Bam: Youth Entrepreneurship Act implementation long overdue
A legislator called on the Department of Education (DepEd) to implement the law encouraging students and graduates to venture into business.
"Nananawagan tayo sa Department of Education na ilabas na ang Implementing Rules and Regulations para sa Youth Entrepreneurship Act upang mapakinabangan na ng ating mga kabataan," said Sen. Bam Aquino.
The Youth Entrepreneurship Act or Republic Act No. 10679 was passed August 2015 but no IRR has been released. The law mandates that the IRR be promulgated within one hundred twenty (120) days from its effectivity.
The law encourages young would-be entrepreneurs to establish their own business by providing them access to capital and other support.
It also creates financial literacy modules in all levels of Philippine education, to inculcate a culture of enterprise development among the Filipino youth.
"Gusto nating makakita ng trabaho ang ating mga graduates ngunit mayroon din silang opsiyon na pumasok at magtagumpay sa pagnenegosyo. Matutulungan sana ang ating kabataang magtagumpay sa negosyo kung ma-implement ng maayos ang iilang mga batas na ating isinulong noong 16th Congress," said Sen. Bam.
Sen. Bam was the author and principal sponsor of the Go Negosyo Act (Republic Act 10667), his first law in the 16th Congress, and the co-author and principal sponsor of the Youth Entrepreneurship Act.
The senator pursued the passage of these two laws during his time as chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship in the 16th Congress to cater to the needs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
"These two laws provide MSMEs a conducive environment they need to succeed. At the same time, they also help provide fresh jobs and other livelihood opportunities for their fellow Filipinos," stressed Sen. Bam, adding that MSMEs account for 66 percent of jobs in the country.
At present, Sen. Bam said 470 Negosyo Centers are already up and running in different parts of the country, catering to the needs of MSMEs.
In the 17th Congress, Sen. Bam filed Senate Bill No. 169 or Small Business Tax Reform Act, which provides small businesses with lower income tax rate, VAT exemption and other privileges.
Sen. Bam has also submitted Senate Bill No. 175 or the Innovative Startup Act seeking to ease restrictions and provide incentives for startups in the Philippines.
Press Release
May 14, 2017 Villar says passport 10-year validity will greatly benefit migrant workers Sen. Cynthia Villar said a law that will extend from five to 10 years the validity of passports will greatly benefit migrant workers as they travel outside the country for gainful employment and greener pastures. Senate Bill 1365 seeks to amend Section 10 of Republic Act 8239 or the Philippine Passport Act of 1996 and extend the validity of regular Philippine passport from five to 10 years. Villar sponsored and defended the bill on the Senate floor in her capacity as vice chairperson of the Committee on Foreign Relations. "Much relief will be provided our overseas Filipino workers once the need to renew their passports every five years is removed. There will be less need for them to be subjected to the cumbersome and time-consuming process of applying for renewal," Villar said. The Senate is set to approve the bill on third reading on Monday after passing the measure on second reading last week. Villar said she expects no prolonged debates at the bicameral conference committee as the version passed by the House of Representatives in February is the same as the Senate's. "The 5-year validity of passports of minors or those individuals under 18 years old is being retained. A minor's passport should indeed be renewed every 5 years because a minor's facial features change while growing up," Villar said. Villar said the 10-year validity is also in keeping with the standard practiced by other countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Villar said passports with longer validity will complement the measures adopted by the Department of Foreign Affairs to address the long queues and ease the backlogs in both application and release of passports such as additional frontline personnel, change in the layout of work stations and locations of service providers, and the institution of a dedicated OFW lane. The DFA reports that there are 868 of its personnel nationwide who are involved in the processing of passports. In 2016, they processed 3,123,004 applications for new passports, renewals or replacements of lost passports. "The 10-year validity will also not have a significant impact on government revenues given the 30 percent annual growth in passport issuances from year 2010 to 2016," she added. Villar also said the proposal will be beneficial to the traveling public as a whole, specially with the increased affordability of international travel nowadays.
Firefighters rescued a child trapped in a burning home in Oakland early Saturday, Oakland Fire Department officials said.
A small fire was reported at a residential building on the 7400 block of Lockwood Street about 2 a.m., firefighters said.
Upon arrival, firefighters learned that a child was still inside and were able to locate and get the child to safety within minutes.
The childs age and gender were unavailable. Firefighters said the child was transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
The cause of the fire was not released.
Vivian Ho is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: vho@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VivianHo
Homelessness is a growing problem in Oakland, both on the streets and now at City Hall as well.
Mayor Libby Schaaf recently laid out an ambitious plan to deal with the citys quickly spreading homeless encampments but when it came time to put up the money, she came up way short of what was suggested by the citys Department of Human Services.
The departments plan, which was outlined in an April 13 report to the City Council, called for setting up three safe haven camps where homeless people could pitch their tents or park their RVs. Each site could handle 40 campers and would have sanitation, a site manager, round-the-clock security and access to social workers.
The cost: about $1 million a year.
The plan also called for setting up portable toilets, washing stations and garbage collection for another five existing camps, at a cost of $180,000.
That added up to $1.18 million. But two weeks later, when Schaaf submitted her budget proposal, there was only $250,000 for the camps and safe haven sites. The budget did include $1.6 million for a cleanup crew to keep camps from spilling onto city streets.
The staff report had also suggested spending $2 million for added transitional housing, plus money for job training and other programs but when Schaafs budget landed, just how the housing would be paid for was unclear.
According to Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan, the mayor told council members during her budget presentation May 3 that she supports using part of a $600 million infrastructure bond approved by Oakland voters last year to buy motels and single-room-occupancy hotels to use for homeless housing.
But after poring over the budget, Kaplan said she couldnt find that money included and neither could any of the city staffers she asked.
Please provide the specific page and section, Kaplan wrote in a May 3 letter to City Administrator Sabrina Landreth. She said she has yet to get a response.
We are drowning in this challenge, said Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney, whose district includes a city-sanctioned camp that was recently shut down following a fire. Many of the 1,384 homeless people counted in a 2015 one-night tally are believed to live in her district.
The city must do something meaningful to address the needs of the unsheltered while keeping our neighborhoods safe and clean, Gibson McElhaney said.
Schaaf said in a statement that it is disappointing not to have all the resources we want, and that as a result the city has to make hard choices. She said the primary responsibility for providing homeless services lies with Alameda County.
Schaaf also said that she is moving ahead with plans to use the infrastructure money to create more transitional housing.
As for Gibson McElhaney, the mayor said, if she wants more city-funded homeless services, she has the right to identify existing services she wants to cut.
On board: University of California President Janet Napolitano may be on the hot seat with state lawmakers over the state auditors findings that her office had $175 million hidden away but she is on firm footing with UCs regents, even after their call to bring in their own auditor to review the states assessment.
Its total nonsense, Regent Richard Blum, a major financial contributor to UC, said of the Board of Regents-ordered audit. But if I were still (the boards) chairman, I might feel the need to do it as well.
Blum said there is nothing improper about keeping millions in reserves and that a portion of the money was mandated to be doled out over time.
As for the state investigations finding that Napolitanos staff reviewed UC campuses responses to the auditors surveys before they were sent to Sacramento, Blum says he buys Napolitanos argument that the campuses asked for the help.
State Auditor Elaine Howle, however, told the campuses to keep the surveys confidential, and threw them out when she found out what UC headquarters had done. And Chronicle reporting has found no evidence that the campuses requested Napolitanos help with survey answers.
Im not easily snowed over, and in my opinion Janet Napolitano is an excellent UC president, and I support her, Blum said.
Blum is hardly alone on the board in his view of Napolitano. Even Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who sits on the board and who criticized Napolitano for holding back the money while raising tuition, said, I continue to believe in her ability and capacity to turn it around.
Not that Blum exactly embraces Newsom as an ally. In fact, he said the lieutenant governors criticism of Napolitanos money handling was chicken.
And you can print that.
Well, not in a family newspaper we cant.
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
WeWork Cos., the worlds largest co-working company, rents out office space in 140 locations around the world, which means its daily needs are basic but essential: working Internet, clean conference rooms and fresh coffee.
To keep customers happy, WeWork hires a small army of community staff, to run the WeWork spaces every day. These 1,200 workers make up more than half of the companys workforce. In the Bay Area, they run 10 locations in Berkeley, San Jose and San Francisco. But as WeWork shot from 350 to 2,200 employees in two years, some community staff said they were overworked, underpaid and misclassified as ineligible for overtime. Some of their allegations have resulted in legal disputes, and now the company is under scrutiny by state and federal authorities.
One former worker sued the company a year ago claiming she was owed overtime pay. Last year, WeWork settled a case in arbitration with a second ex-staffer, according to a person who had been briefed on the matter but was not authorized to speak about it. A third said shes planning to sue soon. For some of these workers, the glamour of a job at WeWork, a company now valued at $18 billion, at first obscured the question of whether they were being unfairly denied pay.
WeWork executives said theyve spent the last year trying to make workers happier by raising pay, clarifying job roles and offering nontraditional perks like trips to Australia. They acknowledge that rapid expansion left staff working hard without much guidance or proper training, but said the problems are fixed. Those issues are very much behind us at this point, and theyve been behind us for close to a year, said WeWork President Artie Minson.
Interviews with more than a dozen former WeWork employees, seven of whom worked there within the last year, echo the allegations and suggest that some problems linger. Former workers describe a chaotic and disorganized company, where young employees are promised they can Do What You Love, a company motto. But they were expected to work long hours and told to Hustle Harder, another slogan often found on WeWork office walls. Many former workers spoke only on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation from the company.
Im a Millennial, and we dont really know our rights, said Rachel Wynn, a 27-year-old former associate community manager in Washington, who left in 2015 and is planning to pursue a lost-wages case against WeWork. She and other former staffers said they spent much of their time brewing coffee, arranging catering and fixing printers. Sometimes the job involved catching mice and dealing with office party detritus, including used condoms in the meditation room and vomit in the phone booths.
The startup worlds approach to work strenuous hours and unwavering devotion can lead to wild success for some employees but can weigh heavily on others, especially low-ranking, non-technical employees. Theres an enormous amount of misclassification at startups, said Cliff Palefsky, an employment lawyer in San Francisco. Many of the people who are working very long hours should be getting overtime. They either dont know or they dont want to rock the boat.
Wynn argued that WeWork misclassified her and her fellow community staffers as managers to avoid paying them overtime. She said they werent making many independent decisions in their jobs which can be a federal requirement for someone to be denied overtime and instead, were mostly doing menial tasks.
Because I had manager in my title, I thought that part of my job was staying late, Wynn said. I didnt know it shouldnt be that way.
WeWork said that Wynn and Tara Zoumer, a 30-year-old former associate community manager in Berkeley who sued the company last year, exercised substantial independence and autonomy in their roles. They both worked on small teams running a WeWork location.
WeWork has had a difficult 12 months. Last summer, it cut 7 percent of its workforce and slashed its 2016 profit forecast by 78 percent, citing problems like delayed openings and higher-than-expected construction costs. The worker complaints highlight problems that dont show up in financial documents and in many cases, havent been previously reported.
Employees who work more than 40 hours a week are required to be paid time and a half for any hours beyond that, with some exceptions, including one for workers whose primary duty is making independent and substantial decisions about the business. Thats the exemption that WeWork used for years to avoid paying overtime to community staffers.
Last year, the Labor Department passed a rule that would ensure that lower-paid full-time workers making $47,476 a year or less would automatically be eligible for overtime. The rule was supposed to go into effect Dec. 1 but was blocked by a judge. In November, WeWork raised salaries for community staff as part of a company-wide pay reassessment. It bumped associate community managers salaries to around $50,000 or more, which keeps them from being guaranteed overtime.
Zoumer, who is suing the company over lost overtime wages and wrongful termination, said she wasnt managing anyone but spent her time doing a million tiny jobs like fluffing pillows and setting up catering. She left in November 2015 and sued a few months later.
Long hours and late nights are common at WeWork, and the community staff said they had particularly intense demands on their time. All staffers are expected to attend weekly meetings that could last for several hours after their shifts ended at 6 p.m. Community workers were also expected to stay late for evening events. Twelve-hour workdays were commonplace, said three former staffers. Receptionists now get overtime pay since a change in status last year.
Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes
Former community staff said their jobs included post-work rounds of shots and two weekend retreats a year where employees were expected to attend but were not paid or given time off in exchange. WeWorks annual Summer Camp, held by a lake in the Adirondack mountains in August, featured Ice Cube and canoes full of beer. It includes WeWork members. Its yearly winter employee summit was held in Los Angeles in January and included a concert by the Chainsmokers. The median age at the company is 28.
Some new employees found the experience intoxicating. It was like something out of a movie. It doesnt quite feel real that its a company that is putting on this event, Zoumer said. A huge stage, top headliners, crazy lights. It felt like a rave.
It was a sharp contrast to working at a WeWork office every day. Buildings have a ratio of one community worker for about 90 members, the company said. The community staff are also responsible for finding new members. Former staffers said the pressure to meet sales targets was intense. The goal was to get butts in seats as fast as possible, said Wynn. WeWork said it has hired 60 dedicated salespeople in the last year to help relieve the load.
WeWork executives said they have been working to improve the job satisfaction of community workers. In August, the company created a culture committee, where worker representatives can give feedback.
Former employees said they stayed at the company as long as they did because they felt an emotional bond to WeWork. Employees were often reminded that they were part owners of the company. When WeWork started getting bad reviews on Glassdoor, Chris Hill, the chief community officer, asked community employees to submit positive reviews, according to three former employees. WeWork declined to comment.
At all the meetings, people were always reminded of how lucky they are to be there, how were all so lucky to be part of this experience, Zoumer said. The company lingo was said so often that we all hustle harder.
Ellen Huet is a Bloomberg writer. Email: ehuet4@bloomberg.net
California court officials are on a mission to pull the technology underpinning their operations into the 21st century.
This month, state Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye is expected to weigh in on a series of recommendations to enhance the publics access to the court system and reducing costs.
The modernization proposals, which include expanding the use of video technology and developing chatbots that can help answer routine questions for people called for jury duty, were developed over nine months by a team spearheaded by San Diego Superior Court Judge Robert Trentacosta.
Trentacosta recently spoke with The Chronicle about his groups findings. This interview has been edited for space and clarity.
Q: How would you characterize your goal for creating these technology recommendations, and how did your group go about its fact-finding mission?
A: The goal was to use technology for better service and access to the public, and, internally, perhaps more efficiencies for all concerned. We were hopeful to have a court system that would be easier to use, less costly, more efficient and with increased security. One of the things that we were able to do was to meet with the subject-matter experts. And we were fortunate here in California to have the Silicon Valley companies who were willing to meet with us to talk about where technology is now, and where technology will be in the near future.
We set up meetings with various companies that included some very big names like Microsoft and Google and Cisco, just to name a few. And we met with them sometimes for hours, sometimes for days, and we asked them from a technology standpoint, what might be available to help our court users and our court staff now.
Q: Did you and your team have a sense of what the court systems biggest pain points were going into the process, or did those present themselves as they went along?
A: I think there was a general concern that, you know, litigation is complicated. It can be expensive. It can be really difficult, particularly for self-represented litigants. And by virtue of these difficulties, there was a certain lack of access to justice.
That was especially pronounced, for instance, in family law, where some courts report 70 percent or more of one side or the other was self-represented. And obviously you are dealing with significant issues custody and visitation and support. How can we make life better and easier, at least make the people feel like they understand whats going on and that they are being treated fairly? That was absolutely a concern.
Q: How much friction in the court system is currently created by language barriers?
A: Obviously, as a judge, you want everybody in the courtroom to understand what is going on. And so in California, we have so many languages that are spoken here, that sometimes you cannot get an interpreter for those languages. And the case has to be continued. So we were trying to think of a way that technology could help. So they were able to come up with some terrific ideas. We are increasingly getting some languages that are not so common. And the availability of an interpreter is scarce. And one of the ways that we have found that we might use technology is essentially video remote interpretation, where an interpreter can be at their office (able to speak) a language, for instance, that perhaps is not readily available in the locale. When it comes to efficiency we arent paying them for a half day or full day. So everybody saves money.
Q: One of the recommendations was to implement a chatbot to help streamline routine court filings and other matters. Los Angeles County is already using one of those successfully. Can you tell me more about that?
A: I can give you an example: You have questions about jury service. We have live people standing by who answer the phone, and who answer a lot of the same repetitive questions. There is a universe of questions that are really frequently asked. So they could create an intelligent chatbot where you could go online and virtually the universe of questions about jury service could be answered, and there would be lots of information and youd know that you were talking to an intelligent chat technology, but it would free up court staff to do other things. So if somebody literally could not get their questions answered, there would still be a phone number and they could talk to somebody.
Q: Are you at all concerned about robots taking away your job someday?
A: Im not. I think there are some things that machines can do and there are other things that I think it is much better to have a human do. But having a human act as a machine and essentially repeat the same actions over and over again is wasteful.
Q: Apart from costs, what are the biggest barriers you foresee toward implementing some of these recommendations?
A: Well, I think that there needs to be a change of culture. We have not had the benefit of this technology, and we are used to doing things the way we do them. And I think once people get acquainted with the technology and feel comfortable using it, that they are properly trained, I think the response is going to be this is great!
Q: How do you decide where and when some of these recommendations will be tested?
A: Thats for the chief (justice) to decide. I suspect that what is going to happen is once she makes a decision about which of these things go forward, because that is clearly her prerogative. But once those decisions are made, I think the (adoption by individual courts) will be on a voluntary basis. I think what we would love to do is for the pilot projects to test them in each of those environments the small, medium and large courts and see what works for each, and then adjust accordingly.
Q: How much do you think the Legislature will have to approve for some of these things? And how much can be shifted around in the courts existing budget?
A: I cant give you a percentage about how much is going to be done one way or another. But weve gotten clear direction from the governor and the legislators that they appreciate that the third branch of government needs to be modernized that technology is clearly necessary and appropriate. We are going to do pilot projects, sort of as an additional layer of security, to make sure that the money is well-spent. And it seems to me that that is a very reasonable way to proceed.
Dominic Fracassa is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dfracassa@chronicle.com Twitter: @dominicfracassa
Proposals to modernize court technology:
Develop a pilot project for more remote appearances for most noncriminal court proceedings
Authorize more video arraignments
Develop a pilot project for self-help chatbots
Develop a pilot project for voice-to-text interpretation services
Establish an innovation lab to identify emerging technologies
Implement a pilot project for comprehensive digital recording for official court services that dont require a court reporter
News that thousands of students at the University of California often go hungry because they cant afford meals prompted a generous promise last summer from UC President Janet Napolitano: $3.3 million for more food pantries and other ways of feeding the young scholars.
The money, to be spent over two years, would come from the presidents initiative fund, a discretionary pool of cash financed by the interest from university investments, UC officials told The Chronicle in July.
It turns out the food allotment is part of the $175 million that California State Auditor Elaine Howle says the presidents office hid in secret funds and did not spend as of June 2016. Howle said in her April 25 audit of spending in the presidents office that Napolitano regularly submitted inflated budgets and swept unspent money into secret reserves to spend on projects of her choosing then asked the regents to raise tuition for next fall.
The approved tuition increase is expected to raise $143 million for UC next year less than the money squirreled away in the central office in Oakland that performs administrative services across the UC systems 10 campuses, five medical centers and three national laboratories.
The Chronicle took a closer look at the $175 million and met Friday with Napolitanos chief operating officer, Rachel Nava, and other budget experts to learn more about why their office didnt disclose the money to the regents or the public as part of the presidents office budget.
In addition to the food program, Napolitanos office set aside funds to pay for initiatives such as carbon neutrality, to help UC become the first university to end its reliance on fossil fuels by 2025; cash to make up for federal financial aid, Pell grants, that have been canceled for summer study; wetlands restoration at UC Merced; and financial aid for immigrant students living here illegally.
The presidents staff insists contrary to what Howle found that they were transparent about the funds.
Nava said some were lumped together in the budget presented to the regents under such broad categories as the presidents endowment initiative. But she said individual programs were not necessarily broken out in the budget.
Instead, Napolitanos staff made separate, periodic presentations about the individual initiatives to the regents, she said. The office also sent press releases out, such as in the case of the $3.3 million food program.
We dont believe any of this was hidden, Nava said.
Discovery of the reserves, a major finding in the auditors report, forced the UC president to answer questions from angry lawmakers on May 2. It prompted Napolitano to agree to implement, over three years, all 33 of the auditors recommendations for cleaning up the offices unorthodox budgeting practices. And on Thursday, it led Gov. Jerry Brown to announce that he is withholding $50 million from the universitys annual funding allocation in his proposed budget until UC proves it has made progress on reforms.
We still have a lot of questions, said Assemblyman Jose Medina, D-Riverside. Napolitano never took full responsibility for the issues found in the audit.
Because the presidents staff didnt disclose the funds, her office has said its budget was $686 million last year. The auditor says it was actually $747 million.
Howle said the mysterious $175 million was the cumulative amount of undisclosed cash left unspent over four years. Her report says repeatedly that some of the funds should be given to UCs cash-strapped campuses.
Nava said Friday that the true amount is $170 million, and that the auditor erroneously included $5 million that belonged to campuses.
Howle said her office has had difficulty identifying the amount and source of the reserves, and that Napolitanos office didnt know how much was there until auditors pointed it out.
Emails obtained by The Chronicle show that auditors had to repeatedly ask Napolitanos office to show what the reserves were going to be used for.
This is a very complex budget, Nava said Friday. Some of these things are difficult to explain not because we dont know whats going on, but because of the complexity.
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On Friday, Napolitanos staff offered more information about funds broken down by Howle into these three groups, with the amounts the auditor said were unspent as of last June:
Restricted funds ($83 million). Napolitanos staff says the source of each fund prescribes how the money can be spent. The auditor says it is Napolitano herself who is issuing the prescription.
An example is $6.3 million left over from an Enron lawsuit settlement after the energy company went bankrupt amid fraud and corruption.
Thats restricted for our strategic energy program, said Eva Goode, the presidents budget director, referring to UCs Wholesale Power program, in which the university is the main energy supplier to five campuses and medical centers, including UCSF.
Asked if the terms of the settlement required UC to spend the money on its own energy program, Nava, the operations officer, said it was more likely that the presidents staff chose to do so because the money had come from energy contracts and investments in the first place.
Howle recommended that UC re-evaluate such restrictions and consider sending the money to campuses to spend on students.
Uncommitted funds ($38 million). This money represents savings from unfilled vacancies in the presidents office, interest income from the universitys endowment, and annual fees from campuses that finance most of the budget for the presidents office, according to Nava, Goode and Thera Kalmijn, executive director of operations at the presidents office.
Howle said that $32 million of the unspent $175 million came from the fees paid by campuses, and she recommended that this money go back to them.
Discretionary commitments ($54 million). These are projects Napolitano specializes in, her staff said. She has set aside funds for practical purposes, like broken heating systems in UC buildings ($2.5 million); improving cybersecurity ($7.2 million); and fixing the homes of campus chancellors ($250,000).
But she has also started large projects multiyear commitments of a kind her predecessor, Mark Yudof, never did, said Napolitanos spokeswoman, Dianne Klein. Napolitano became president in July 2013.
Among them are employee trainings on how to address sexual violence and harassment on campus ($200,000); financial aid and other services for students in the country illegally ($2.5 million); and the food program for hungry students.
Auditors found $5.2 million unspent in the presidents Global Food Initiative fund, which includes the $3.3 million announced last summer after a UC-wide survey of nearly 9,000 students found that 1 in 5 skips meals for lack of funds.
A budget for the Global Food Initiative shows that Napolitano started it in 2014. But the budget hasnt been updated since December and shows no expenditures from the $3.3 million touted by her office last summer in a news release.
It does show, however, that past expenditures ranged from $606,000 on food research; about $430,000 on food projects for kindergartners through 12th-graders, and nearly $1 million on communication about food, obesity and agriculture.
Napolitanos staff will present a new budget for her office to the regents on Thursday for their approval.
Unlike in past years, Nava said, there will be a very detailed, lengthy budget presentation.
Nanette Asimov and Melody Gutierrez are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: nasimov@sfchronicle.com, mgutierrez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NanetteAsimov, @MelodyGutierrez
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Summer of Love veteran Bob Mateo says he was disappointed, upon visiting the exhibition at the de Young Museum, to find tie-dye scarce. I noticed that the exhibition had not one photograph nor video showing anyone wearing anything tie-dyed.
Curator Jill DAlessandro responds that there is one tie-dye tank top (worn under a purple suede outfit) in the show, and two wall hangings. Long and short, she writes, people started playing with tie-dye mid-60s. Diggers taught it in their store in 1967. At first, it was used mostly for home furnishings.
It was really at Woodstock in 1969 where it gained mass appeal and was as popular in mainstream fashion as it was in the counterculture, she adds.
Early tie-dye was crude, said the curator, who would have liked to include some crushed velvet tie-dye in the show, but never found a piece that I felt was museum quality.
For summertime fun, Vegansaurus is inviting revelers to travel to Ireland, where The vegan food scene is exploding. ... Well be doing all sorts of fun, chill and amazing things like traipsing through castles, low-key hanging with donkeys at a donkey sanctuary, and foraging and cooking a meal with yummy plant geniuses. (I do think thats a typo and they meant genuses but maybe it takes a vegan to appreciate the genius in a genus.)
At Point Isabel, the waterfront dog park of El Cerrito, Nina Shoehalter watched while a woman admired a shaggy dog being walked by an elderly gentleman. Looking proud, he beamed, she said, and told his dog, Show us your trick, Pixie. Shed!
And Adda Dada was in line at the post office on 20th Avenue in San Francisco, when he overheard a woman he described as panicked: I need to mail this as fast as possible! Its the dogs birthday!
Event designer/artist Robert Fountain threw a luxurious party at Filoli the other day to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his business. The party was catered by Taste, and everything was perfect, I am told. Fountains a man of great taste, essential, of course, to his success.
In order to pay party tribute to his beloved French bulldogs, Doris and Duke, he had his cake baker, Beth Ann Goldberg of Studio Cakes in Menlo Park, create life-size cake replicas of the dogs. Audible gasps were heard, says an eyewitness, when Robert cut into Doris, revealing her red velvet insides.
A report from Native Son Carl Nolte about the Sunday, May 7, party at Reds Java House to honor Tom McGarvey, the original Red in the joints name, on his 90th birthday. McGarvey, whose hair is white nowadays, is one of the last users of the old Potrero Hill accent, which Nolte says is part of S.F. subculture. Its Potrera Hill, ya know, and doan forget it, kid.
Pride of the Sunset boxer Irish Pat Lawler attended, as did many other old-timers, says Nolte. Makes you realize that the old city is fading away faster than the smile on a Cheshire cats puss.
Leah Garchik is open for business in San Francisco, (415) 777-8426. Email: lgarchik@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @leahgarchik
Public Eavesdropping
That was awesome, man. My life sucks.
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg spent more than three decades living the life of the traveling violin soloist playing concertos with the worlds greatest orchestras, touring and recording, and since 2008 serving as the artistic director of the New Century Chamber Orchestra.
And it was working for her until it wasnt.
When you get to a certain age, you start to value your happiness a lot more than you used to, she said during a recent interview. The priority is no longer what you can achieve or how much money you can make. Instead, you start to ask, Is this gratifying? Am I content?
And the answer, for a lot of what I was doing, was no.
So a few seasons ago, Salerno-Sonnenberg, 56, began to disengage from the high-profile career that had first made her famous in the 1980s. She took a few victory laps, playing what she knew (even if she didnt feel like making the fact public) would be her final performances of the warhorse concertos of Dvorak, Brahms and Tchaikovsky. She reshaped her schedule to take more assignments as an orchestra leader, guiding an ensemble while playing.
Michael Macor/The Chronicle
And in 2016, she made the bittersweet announcement that she would be stepping down from the NCCO, the conductorless string ensemble based in the Bay Area that has enjoyed a resurgence of artistic energy and power under Salerno-Sonnenbergs leadership.
This week, as the orchestra marks the conclusion of its 25th season, it also celebrates a partnership that has yielded rewards for everyone concerned. The ensemble, always a sensitive collection of players, has adopted some of the electricity and unruly zest that constitute Salerno-Sonnenbergs artistic fingerprint, producing performances that at their best have conjoined spontaneity and elegance.
The annual Featured Composer Program that Salerno-Sonnenberg instituted in which each season threw a spotlight on a living composer, culminating in a new commission for the orchestra has made a significant and much-needed addition to the repertoire for string orchestra. And even though the NCCO still doesnt quite enjoy the stature that its excellence would warrant, the sheer star power that comes with having a celebrity at the helm has raised the orchestras profile during the past nine years.
All those aspects of this collaboration will be celebrated during the weeks three concerts at the Herbst Theatre. The opening program, on Tuesday, May 16, is a nod to Salerno-Sonnenbergs commissioning legacy, with works by Derek Bermel, Clarice Assad, Lera Auerbach and more. A Farewell to Nadja concert on Thursday, May 18, features Salerno-Sonnenberg as soloist in music of Vivaldi and Piazzolla, and the orchestra observes its silver jubilee on Saturday, May 20, with an all-Gershwin program featuring pianist Anne-Marie McDermott.
Once its over, a new chapter gets under way for everyone. The NCCO has appointed the British violinist Daniel Hope to serve a three-year stint with the title artistic partner, while the orchestra brings in a series of guest artists for consideration as the next artistic director. (The 2017-18 season, announced earlier this month, will include appearances by guest concertmasters Benjamin Beilman and Zachary De Pue.)
Salerno-Sonnenberg, meanwhile, is gearing up for an improbable relocation after nearly an entire lifetime as a New Yorker (she was born in Rome but immigrated at 8, and she flew into the Bay Area for NCCO concerts). Having come through what can only be described as a midlife crisis, she is getting ready to find solace not through any of the traditional remedies (sports car, younger paramour, dangerous hobby), but with a new city New Orleans, which she now describes as the great love of my life that I just didnt know about.
The idea of Salerno-Sonnenberg, who is single, living in the South takes a little getting used to. If nothing else, her distinctively high-energy demeanor, her physical restlessness and her mile-a-minute conversational style all seem like an uneasy fit for any place but New York.
Yet New Orleans, with its openness, its devotion to music, its stateliness and grace, has called to her, and in September shes going to answer that call. Along with the allure of the city, an appointment at Loyola University has opened the world of teaching, and shes carrying the legacy of the NCCO there with her.
Ive basically created a conductorless string orchestra with these kids, which is something we never had when I was in music school. I went to great schools Curtis and Juilliard and youd think we wouldve had something like this. Because what you learn at that young age is beyond valuable, she says.
When I first went down there and started working with these kids, they were awful. But I thought, Im going to get them to play better than they think they can play. And it felt like I was doing something important, something that mattered a lot more than playing one more concerto.
The collaborative ethos of a conductorless orchestra is something Salerno-Sonnenberg has been ferrying around to more established ensembles as well. Over the past few years, shes countered invitations for solo appearances with offers to lead performances from the concertmasters chair, as she does with the NCCO and the response from colleagues, she says, is encouraging.
Were talking about hardened orchestra players, who have been in the section for 30 or 40 years. And when I come in for the first rehearsal, theres some resentment because now they have to do a lot more work instead of sitting there playing the familiar part and relying on the conductor.
But by the time we get to the dress rehearsal or the concert, its like theyre back in college again. I know these people Ive played concertos with them for decades and the experience of making music in that concert is vibrant and engaged in a way I havent seen in them for a long time.
Salerno-Sonnenberg knows something herself about that transformation. When she first joined the NCCO as a guest artist in 2007, her experience as a performer had been almost exclusively as a solo virtuoso, and the opportunity to succeed outgoing artistic director Krista Bennion Feeney came as a revelation.
The life of a soloist is very isolating. You practice alone, you travel alone I do anyway; some of them have posses and youre alone in the concerto really. But Im not an isolating person, she says.
And then to join New Century where we discuss how to play with everyone, and we help each other, we support each other, we hear the improvements together well, it was a fabulous musical experience. It opened a door I didnt know was there, and set me on the path to the life I am about to lead.
Asked to identify some high points of her tenure with NCCO, Salerno-Sonnenberg immediately harks back to the groups 2009 performances of Richard Strauss Metamorphosen, a rendition whose splendors were so manifest and unexpected that she tears up while describing it. Shes rightly proud of the collaborations she spearheaded with other local organizations, including Chanticleer, the San Francisco Girls Chorus and the San Francisco Opera Center. And shes glad to have added a host of new works to the repertoire for string orchestra.
Regrets? She has a few, including some hoped-for recordings that never materialized and the contractual difficulties of getting the orchestras performances onto the Internet.
But the feeling of excitement as Salerno-Sonnenberg begins a new chapter in her life is palpable. Unprompted, she launches into a vivid decade-by-decade personal recap of her career to date.
When I was in my 20s, I couldnt wait to get to the concert hall, to get to the dressing room, to see my name on the dressing room, the whole scene. By the time I got to my 30s, I was tired, I was in no hurry to get to the hall but then you hear the orchestra tuning up and they open that door backstage and you think: Its showtime! Youre up!
By the time I got to my 40s, I couldnt wait till the concert was over. It was nothing to do with how I played to this day, I would never phone it in but I was looking forward to the afterward. I loved having played. Then I got to my 50s, and when the concert was over, I just wanted to go to sleep.
And thats all the sign you need that you have to change something.
Change is on the way at last a new home, a new phase in her career and this week, some emotional goodbyes.
This all feels very near at hand now. Its like a family, and there are certain people that I do not want to say goodbye to, she says.
But I am so looking forward to coming back to San Francisco and going to a New Century concert. I want to see them and watch them and listen to them from the audience. Its something Ive never done.
Joshua Kosman is The San Francisco Chronicles music critic. Email: jkosman@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JoshuaKosman
Kamala Harris is not going to run for president in 2020.
There is already plenty of speculation on both coasts that Californias new U.S. senator is going to pull a Barack Obama and leverage her noteworthy first step onto the national political stage in November into an almost-immediate campaign for the White House. With such tremendous amounts of media conjecture, grassroots excitement and donor encouragement inevitably comes a great deal of temptation. But Harris and her team understand that while theres little to be lost by allowing such gossip to escalate, that enthusiasm in no way obligates her to act precipitously.
Much of the Harris boomlet is driven by the unprecedented emotional dudgeon caused by President Trumps first months in office. The anger and unhappiness that fuel the Democratic resistance to Trumps presidency are accompanied by equally high levels of impatience for identifying his successor. Fully one-quarter of the partys 48 U.S. senators have already been identified as potential presidential candidates, along with a battalion of other national and state party leaders. Democrats want a standard-bearer and they want her (or him) now.
A potential Harris candidacy becomes even more tantalizing when the Democrats generational skew is considered. Their three most recognizable potential candidates Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren will all be in their 70s by the time of the 2020 general election. The partys congressional leaders are all of that same generation Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer will be a few weeks from his 70th birthday when the polls close, making him the pup of their legislative litter. By contrast, Harris is only 52 years old, and she also presents a unique demographic and ethnic heritage with the potential to appeal to the Millennial voters who now make up the Democratic base.
Representing a nation-state with 55 electoral votes doesnt hurt either. There was once a time when any Republican statewide officeholder in California was considered a potential presidential candidate, but until now, circumstances have conspired against the states most prominent Democrats. If Jerry Brown were even a few years younger, he would be one of a small number of potential front-runners for the nomination. But Californias soon-to-be-octogenarian governor seems to have grown wistful as he considers that his age makes another national campaign very unlikely.
For most of their careers, Dianne Feinstein was considered too moderate to compete for the nomination while Barbara Boxer seemed too combative (albeit in a pre-Trump era). But Harris has found a way to combine Boxers ideology with Feinsteins temperament, allowing her to rally the partys progressive base on the issues while reassuring moderates and the Democratic establishment with a more measured demeanor. By focusing her most visible efforts against Trumps immigration and refugee policies, Harris has identified a topic that unites a party that is still divided on a range of economic, foreign policy and cultural issues.
All of which makes a presidential candidacy an extremely tempting prospect. But a look back at the two presidencies that preceded Trump demonstrate that it is much easier for a rising political star to get to the Oval Office than to succeed there.
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Only the most rabid of partisans would dispute the notion that Obama and George W. Bush could have accomplished much more during their White House years had they come to the presidency with a greater amount of governing experience. Bush had served only slightly more than one term as governor of Texas, a deep-red state almost completely controlled by his party, which left him with little need to pursue bipartisan cooperation. Obamas tenure in the Senate was even briefer, giving him a comparably small amount of experience at reaching across party lines to achieve policy goals. The results were predictable, as both presidents struggled to keep Washington and the country from becoming increasingly and dangerously polarized. The result of those years of hyper-partisanship is Trump.
By contrast, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton came to the White House with more experience in politically challenging circumstances and therefore a deeper understanding of the benefits of forging common ground with the opposition. Not coincidentally, both men were able to build coalitions that allowed them to achieve sustainable policy victories on trade, on taxes, on Social Security and any number of other policy fronts. Such bipartisan cooperation is looked at with disdain in todays hyper-frenzied political environment. But the smartest and the most patient leaders understand that is still the best path on which to achieve real and lasting success.
Dan Schnur, who has worked on four presidential and three gubernatorial campaigns, teaches political communications at the University of Southern California and UC Berkeley.
A back-door route to one of the prettiest sites in Northern California the Berry Creek Canyon and its three drop-dead beautiful waterfalls reopened last week in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. This is just in time for hikers to see the waterfalls while the falls are still charged from winter rains.
In addition, two more-traditional and shorter routes to the falls will probably open in time for Memorial Day weekend, and perhaps sooner, according to park staff at Big Basin Redwoods and its coastal outpost, Rancho del Oso.
After several months, trail crews finished clearing the Sunset Trail this past week, trail supervisor Chris Pereira reported. From park headquarters, the Sunset Trail provides a route through the parks most remote regions to the top of the Berry Creek Canyon. From there, you can turn left and drop down on the trail that leads past the falls in turn from top to bottom, the Golden Cascade, Silver Falls and Berry Creek Falls.
Big Basin Redwoods Contact: (831) 338-8860, www.parks.ca.gov. Access: Drive-in campsite Reservations: www.reserveamerica.com. Hike-in trail camp reservations: (831) 338-8861. Tent cabins: www.bigbasintentcabins.com, reserve at www.reserveamerica.com. Rancho del Oso Nature and History Center: (831) 427-2288, http://ranchodeloso.org. See More Collapse
Several other trails are still closed in the park. That means you have to return via the same route, not a loop, which makes it a round trip of 12.6 miles, out and back from headquarters. Including the drive, that is an ambitious day for most.
In February, drenching rains and pounding winds toppled more than 50 trees across the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, the 4.7-mile route to Berry Creek Falls. The damage included a 400-yard section plundered by a landslide that tossed old-growth redwoods in a heap, ranger Alex Tabone said. The Sunset Trail (and others in the park) was also closed then by damage. At the same time, an alternate route to Berry Creek Falls from Rancho del Oso on the coast, the bike-and-hike along Waddell Creek, was impassable from high water at a stream crossing.
Scott Peden
Big Basin Redwoods is near Boulder Creek in the Santa Cruz Mountains and has received more than 90 inches of rain this season, according to park staff. Other gauges in the region have measured 76 to 87 inches, according to the Santa Cruz Water Department. That level of rainfall has saturated aquifers, has springs pumping and recharged the waterfalls in Berry Creek Canyon.
For many, the centerpiece is Berry Creek Falls, the landmark 70-foot waterfall framed in a redwood canyon. Crews built a new viewing deck near the plunge pool. Theres something timeless there, whether you visited 50 years ago or last week.
Upstream, a little over a half mile, is Silver Falls, a gorgeous free-fall. A rock staircase leads up the right side to the brink, where from a cable rail you can reach out and touch the water. Its magic to feel the cold water hit your fingers.
The brink of Silver Falls connects upstream to the lower span of the Golden Cascade, a series of slides, chutes and falls in which clear water flows over golden sandstone. Theres a spot there that is one of my favorite places in the world, where all the senses can feel as though they spark to life.
In the next two weeks, the next route to Berry Creek Falls to open will probably be the bike-and-hike out of Rancho del Oso, interpretive specialist Jeremy Linn said. Crews from the California Conservation Corps will arrive in the coming week, he said, with a mission to install the bridges and reopen the westernmost leg of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail to Berry Creek Falls. On this route from Highway 1, you ride 6 miles, including three hills that will get you puffing, to a set of bike racks. You then lock up and walk a half mile to Berry Creek Falls.
There is no date for the reopening of the primary route, the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail out of park headquarters, but with crews on it full time, it seems likely by Memorial Day weekend.
Salmon delivery: Only 5 percent of juvenile salmon survive the swim from their nursery grounds on the Upper Sacramento River and tributaries through the delta, bay and to the ocean, according to scientists. In Half Moon Bay, the Coastside Fishing Club has eased the trip.
The Coastsiders, as many call the club, took delivery of 240,000 salmon smolts last week, when they were poured from the hatchery truck by chute into an acclimation pen. The fish will then grow out in submerged cages in the harbor for later release. The Coastsiders will receive another 240,000 Wednesday and then again on May 24, at the end of Johnson Pier at Pillar Point Harbor.
The survival of the smolts and success of the rearing program is the best in California and has helped get more salmon into the ocean, instead of baby fish getting sucked down water pumps.
Cautionary tales: You wonder whether the stories of three of my friends are just tales of bad luck, or perhaps something else. These three, who dont know each other, have traveled across Central America, South America and Africa on many adventures. All three have world-class credentials. When they returned to the United States, each fell victim to an illness that doctors could not decipher, other than calling them likely bacteria-based infections, perhaps introduced by insect bites or parasites.
One of my friends went blind, another is in a wheelchair and underwent neurological testing last week with still no answers, and the third was put in intensive care last week while on a trip in South Africa.
That got me thinking, to remember the grade school lesson, how Europeans came to the Western Hemisphere and introduced diseases to the native people that their immune systems could not defend. Could the same thing be happening here?
Letter of the week: Last week we ran into an old friend who related that on a recent morning near the Cliff House (San Francisco), he was sure that he saw a bald eagle soaring above the cliffs. Then last Thursday afternoon, my wife and I were taking the Coastal Trail from Sutros to China Beach, when we saw what we thought were two red-tailed hawks soaring above the cliffs (two often roost in the trees in Sutro Park), but they were much larger, and one was sporting a white head and tail. The second bird was either a mate, or perhaps a sibling who had not yet fully developed his white markings.
As we sat in awe, a young woman came walking in the opposite direction, and I said, Look, a bald eagle! She calmly kept walking without looking up and stated in return, Im from Washington, D.C., and to me they are like pigeons. What we have here is a walk in nature, a sighting of something wonderful, and then an interaction with what must have been a pol from our capital with her mind on another gold-crested bird of prey. Bill Sorensen.
Tom Stienstra is The Chronicles outdoor writer. His TV film The Mighty T was named last week as an Emmy finalist and will air at 7 p.m. Wednesday on KQED TV. Email: tstienstra@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @StienstraTom
Two competing affordable housing philosophies go head-to-head this week in San Francisco City Hall. One intends to keep middle-class families in a city thats become increasingly white collar. The other seeks to build more affordable housing for the poor.
Now an advocacy group called the Council of Community Housing Organizations is throwing in an idea that complicates both proposals and the negotiations to reach a consensus.
The group is pushing San Francisco supervisors to change the way that affordable housing is priced, basing it on the market rate for the surrounding neighborhood, rather than the citywide median income. Rents for affordable units would go down in places like Visitacion Valley and the Bayview, and stay about the same in upscale areas like Sea Cliff.
Right now its just flat-priced, said Peter Cohen, the councils co-director. So you have these affordable units that are so far above whats affordable for the neighborhood, theyre essentially being built for outsiders. Thats a recipe for gentrification.
Cohen and his allies want to cap rents and sale prices for affordable units that are included in new market rate projects, setting the maximum rent for those units at 20 percent below average for the neighborhood, or 120 percent of the citys median income whichever is lower.
The group has support from many people in the affordable housing world, including Planning Commissioner Myrna Melgar and Supervisors Jane Kim and Aaron Peskin, who represent the progressive wing of the board.
But opponents say the proposal would stymie development in the areas that need it most and potentially lead to economic segregation.
If we say that one neighborhood is only for one income level or another whether its high or low then we will create homogenous socioeconomic enclaves, said Todd David, the executive director of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition, a build-it group thats known, in political circles, as the archnemesis of Cohens council.
David calls the idea a scorched earth policy that could make it impossible for market-rate projects to get financing.
It costs the same to build in Hunters Point as in Pacific Heights, said developer Oz Erickson, who also opposes the idea. And the only way to pay for those costs is through rents.
But Cohen and his co-director, Fernando Marti, are getting some traction in City Hall, where they have spent the week meeting with supervisors. Peskin has cottoned to their idea of recalibrating affordability levels by neighborhood and turned it into a bargaining chip in his and Kims negotiations with moderate Supervisors London Breed, Katy Tang and Ahsha Safai.
Peskin and Kim are proposing an affordable housing policy that would make 24 percent of units in all new market-rate projects be affordable, and skew it to lower-income families. A competing ordinance by Supervisors Breed, Safai and Tang would require 18 percent affordable units in new developments, targeted at middle-income populations.
Peskin recently ordered a budget and legislative analysts report to illustrate the income inequality in the city and provide fuel for the idea that affordability needs to be readjusted by neighborhood. The report showed stark divisions: The median income for households on Potrero Hill is $153,658 more than three times the median household income of $46,552 a year in Lakeshore.
The two sides are to face off Monday afternoon before the boards Land Use Committee, with the resulting legislation then going to the Board of Supervisors.
Waiting on the sidelines are people who could be profoundly affected by the legislation. Among them is Jacklyn Laquindanum, a mother of two who manages the office of an affordable housing developer in the Bayview.
Raised in the Sunset, Laquindanum became homeless after an eviction last year and currently lives with her boyfriend and children in a one-bedroom in-law in Daly City near the Cow Palace. Shes on six waiting lists for affordable housing developments in San Francisco.
Its like Im doing the same process over and over again, and not getting anywhere, she said.
On the other side are working families who want to move up the ladder but stay in the city, Breed said.
A lot of these folks in low-income neighborhoods many of whom are people I grew up with theyre ready to get to the next level, she said. They have good jobs working for the city or the feds, and they dont want to get priced out to Vallejo or Antioch.
Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rachelswan
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Every morning, after dropping her two sons off at school, Mary Michael Pringle would go in search of a place to work.
Pringle rotated among a familiar circuit of local coffee shops, anxiously hoping to hit the freelancing jackpot: a table large enough to house both her coffee and her laptop, not to mention high-speed Wi-Fi and a nearby electrical outlet.
More often than not, once Pringle finally got settled, shed have to pack it all back up again for a business call, eagerly hoping her Google Docs would load from the car. A similar routine followed whenever she needed to use the bathroom.
Now, five days a week, Pringle works at the Hivery, an all-women co-working space in downtown Mill Valley.
Its been a slow burn for me to realize I needed to invest in myself and take myself more seriously so that my clients would do the same, says Pringle, 45, a freelance copywriter. Since leaving a big San Francisco advertising agency and striking out on her own, finally solving the workplace piece of the freelance puzzle has proven shockingly transformative. Looking back, its amazing I got any work done.
The first Hivery opened in 2014, initially housed inside a converted art gallery in Sausalito. It has since outgrown that space and in March of last year, unveiled its current, 3,000-square-foot Mill Valley outpost.
Since 2014, the Hivery has grown from 28 to 300 members with more than 25 percent traveling from San Francisco to work in Mill Valley, while others commute from the East Bay and Sonoma County. Members range from Millennials to Baby Boomers and include writers, artists, activists, women scaling businesses, women running businesses and women changing careers altogether.
The biggest thing Im interested in is what creates and supports a courageous woman, says Grace Kraaijvanger (pronounced CRY-vunger), 42, the Hiverys founder and CEO. Thats my mission and my calling.
As co-working has proliferated in recent years, so, too, have women-only co-working spaces.
According to a 2016 report by Emergent Research, a Lafayette research and consulting firm, there are 3,900 co-working spaces across the country. Of these, about 20 to 25 are women-only.
Among women-only workspaces, the Hivery is in good company, alongside the Wing in New York City (with three more locations to open within the coming year), the Rise Collaborative Workspace in St. Louis, Mo., and Hera Hub, which started in San Diego and now operates four locations nationwide (with two more in the pipeline).
Segmentation and growth into niche markets are clear signs of an expanding and maturing industry, says Steve King, a partner at Emergent Research. As weve seen in the past with co-working, once a concept or niche is proven, growth quickly follows. Looking ahead, King predicts that the number of women-oriented co-working spaces will likely multiply.
In late March, Wayfair, the home-furnishings website, announced the winners of its annual design competition. Among more than 10,000 submissions, the Hivery won for best office space.
LeAnn Wanninger, a Hivery member since 2015, runs Design Renegades, a Mill Valley interior design firm. She created the light, bright and airy with a pop of yellow workspace, purposely leaving spaces that feel unfinished and not perfect.
The first message is that youre here to find out why youre really here, Wanninger says. Thats the differentiator.
From the Martha Graham quote lining the Hiverys front atrium to its careful configuration of shiny, white lacquer desks and Lucite chairs, visitors quickly get the sense that this isnt your typical male-dominated co-working space.
Putting a foosball table into a space does not make a woman more creative, Kraaijvanger says of the pervasive bro culture at many Silicon Valley co-working spots. Tequila Thursdays have nothing to do with womens empowerment.
Since starting the Hivery three years ago,Kraaijvanger has observed that its members value flexibility above all else with most utilizing its eight-days-a-month membership for $275. An unlimited monthly membership costs $380. In addition to fast Wi-Fi, co-working amenities include access to a large multipurpose room and four individual conference rooms, printers, daytime and overnight storage, and Equator coffee and tea, among several other perks.
Part of the Hiverys unique appeal is Kraaijvanger herself, who possesses a quiet charisma and frequently hosts workshops related to personal growth and career development.
Losing her mother in 2011 propelled Kraaijvanger to finally act on a longtime dream of creating a space where women were free to collaborate.
As more and more women wanted to join, the small Sausalito space quickly grew cramped. Kraaijvanger observed the Hivery filling a void or an antidote to the isolation of working from home. She used her personal savings to fund its expansion, now located in the heart of Mill Valleys downtown.
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I think we all thought it was going to be so great to work from home, Kraaijvanger says. She lives nearby with her husband, who works for a technology company, and their two middle school-age children. The only factor that we didnt bring into that equation is that wed be doing it all alone.
Tara Mohr, 38, a writer, entrepreneur and mother of two young children, drives (against traffic) from San Francisco to Mill Valley once a week.
As an extrovert working from home, Mohr craves human contact and watercooler chitchat.
Once at the Hivery, Mohr finds the Monday meditation and new-member lunches a great way of breaking up an otherwise monotonous workday.
You feel a little more professional than if youre at home in your pajamas, Mohr says. You take yourself a little more seriously because the space is taking you seriously.
Kraaijvanger said the Hiverys business model is already profitable, with proceeds funding the next stage of its growth. In recent months, theres been an outpouring of interest from investors eager to create a nationwide expansion program. And by years end, Kraaijvanger plans to open two more locations: one in the Bay Area and another in New York, although she declined to be more specific.
When scouting future locations, be it on the West or East Coast, Kraaijvanger hopes to replicate much of the Mill Valley magic namely, its visibility.
If youre going to create a movement for women working in a different way, you have to be bold, said Kraaijvanger, who believes the centrality of its location is vital. We want little girls riding their bikes to know that women are making a contribution on the floor above. We want to put it out there, for all the town to see.
Amanda M. Fairbanks is a freelance writer in Marin. Email: style@sfchronicle.com
The Hivery 38 Miller Ave., No. 20, Mill Valley. (415) 569-7760; https://www.thehivery.com/.
A roundup of upcoming events:
Monday
Roundtable: Bay Area political journalists, including The Chronicles Joe Garofoli, discuss the second 100 days of the Trump presidency. It starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club, 555 Post St. in San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2r425wN.
Wednesday
Conversation: A discussion on how social media play into political mobilization and change the nature of protests. The event is from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200 in San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2q5SZCF.
Thursday
Abortion rights: NARAL Pro-Choice America holds a happy hour to raise funds to support its fight for reproductive freedom. The event is from 6 to 8 p.m. at Tank18, 1345 Howard St. in San Francisco. For tickets: http://naral.org/menforchoicesf.
Farming film: A screening of Sunu, a documentary about the struggle of Mexican farmers to grow traditional, non-genetically-modified corn. The screening is from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Arlene Francis Center, 99 Sixth St. in Santa Rosa. For information, contact Occupy Sonoma County at (707) 877-6650 or www.occupysonomacounty.org.
Sunday
Peace talk: A conversation with author Susan Griffin on How War Erodes and Destroys Democr
acies. Hosted by the Womens International League for Peace and Freedom. The free event is from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Ed Roberts Campus, 3075 Adeline St. in Berkeley. For information: www.wilpfeastbay.org.
May 24
Fake news: A conversation with Joaquin Alvarado, CEO of the Center for Investigative Reporting, on the obligation of the government and media to filter fake news. The event is from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the World Affairs Auditorium, 312 Sutter St., Suite 200 in San Francisco. For information: http://bit.ly/2qw0OCF.
May 27
Immigration discussion: The Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity will host a discussion on immigration, followed by postcard writing to support social justice. The event is from 10 a.m. to noon at Northern Police Station Community Room, 1125 Fillmore St. in San Francisco. For information: info@owlsf.org.
A police chase in Concord on Saturday ended in the death of a 24-year-old Pittsburg woman who was the passenger in a stolen vehicle being pursued by police, according to the Clayton Police Department.
The chase began around 3 p.m. when Clayton police officers were dispatched to a report of a woman looking into vehicles at the Clayton Station Shopping Center. The woman was seen leaving their area after getting into a white sport utility vehicle that had been reported stolen from Oakley on May 3.
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WASHINGTON American democracy is under assault from both President Trump and Russia, the former U.S. intelligence chief warned Sunday, expressing dismay over the abrupt firing of FBI director James Comey amid a probe into Moscows meddling in U.S. elections and possible ties with the Trump campaign.
As Trump works to fast-track Comeys successor, lawmakers from both parties on Sunday talk shows urged him to steer clear of any politicians for the job.
I think, in many ways, our institutions are under assault, both externally and thats the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system, said James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence. I think as well our institutions are under assault internally.
When he was asked, Internally, from the president? Clapper answered, Exactly.
Clapper spoke after Trumps sudden firing of Comey last week, which drew sharp criticism because it came while the FBI is investigating Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election.
Lawmakers from both parties reprimanded Trumps actions last week, which included shifting explanations from the White House for Comeys dismissal and an ominous tweet by Trump that warned Comey against leaks to the press because he may have tapes of their conversations. The lawmakers said the president would need to hand over to Congress any taped conversations with Comey, if they exist.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said promoting an FBI agent to lead the agency would allow the nation to reset. He dismissed as less desirable at least two of the 14 candidates under consideration by Trump, former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, explaining that these are not normal circumstances.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the new FBI director should be someone not of partisan background with great experience and courage.
Clapper and Schumer made their comments on CNN; Graham spoke on NBC.
Hope Yen is an Associated Press writer.
1 Arms embargo: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi reiterated a call on the international community to lift an arms embargo on Libya on Saturday, which would allow weapons to be delivered legally to a powerful general he backs in the fractured countrys east. After meeting Field Marshal Khalifa Hifter in Cairo, el-Sissi said Hifters Libyan National Army required the weapons to fight terrorism. Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed leader Moammar Khadafy. The oil-rich nation is now split between rival governments and militias. Hifter is allied with the internationally-recognized parliament in eastern Libya and at odds with the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli.
2 Deadly crash: Turkish authorities say at least 23 people died and 11 others were in critical condition Saturday after a tour bus tipped over, fell 50 feet down a cliff and then hit a car on a mountain road. Deputy governor of Mugla province, Kamil Koten, told Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency the driver was among the dead and most of those killed were women. Governor Amir Cicek said the bus flipped over at a road bend as it was traveling from the coastal province of Izmir to Marmaris, a popular tourist destination. Cicek said the passengers were all Turkish and the cause of the accident is under investigation.
SEOUL North Korea said Monday that the missile it launched a day earlier was a new ballistic missile that can carry a large, heavy nuclear warhead, warning that the United States military bases in the Pacific were within its range.
North Korea launched what American officials called an intermediate-range ballistic missile on Sunday. The missile, believed to have a longer range than any other North Korean missile tested so far, landed in the sea between the North and Japan, sparking angry comments from President Trump, as well as from President Moon Jae-in of South Korea and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan.
The Norths official Korean Central News Agency said Monday that the new missile, Hwasong-12, hit the targeted open water 489 miles away after soaring to an altitude of 1,312 miles. The missile was launched at a deliberately high angle so it would not fall too close to a neighboring country, the news agency said.
The flight data announced by the North roughly matched that released by Japanese and South Korean officials hours after the launch.
David Wright, a director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, wrote in a blog post that if the same missile was flown on a standard trajectory, it would have a maximum range of 2,800 miles.
That would qualify the projectile as an intermediate-range ballistic missile, which could fly far enough to target key U.S. military bases in the Pacific, including those in Guam. The North on Monday used the unfamiliar term medium-long range to describe the missile.
The state news agency said the Norths leader, Kim Jong Un, watched the launch. If the United States provokes North Korea, Kim said, it will not escape the biggest disaster in history, according to the news agency.
Although North Korea has vowed to develop the ability to attack the U.S. with nuclear warheads and has tested missiles that can reach throughout the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity, it has never tested a long-range missile that could fly across the Pacific. Missile experts say North Korea may still be years away from mastering the technologies needed to build a reliable intercontinental ballistic missile, although Kim warned in his New Years Day speech that his country had reached a final stage in preparing to conduct its first ICBM test.
Choe Sang-Hun is a New York Times writer.
BARI, Italy U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Saturday that major trading partners are much more comfortable with the Trump administrations stance on trade and tax policy and understand that they will benefit from the intended U.S. growth.
Mnuchin spoke after face-to-face meetings with major trade partners such as Germany, Japan and Canada on the sidelines of the Group of Seven finance ministers meeting in Bari, Italy.
The meeting focused on finance and security issues such as keeping multinationals from dodging taxes and a collective response to cybercrime like the ransomware attack that hit dozens of countries Friday.
A broader theme not on the written agenda, however, was the desire of foreign leaders to get a better read on Trumps policies, and U.S. officials desire to make their positions clear. Trump has vowed to press for trade that is fair as well as open and benefits U.S. workers and has focused on bilateral, or country-to-country, relations.
Mnuchin said that after meetings in Bari and a broader finance summit in Baden-Baden, Germany in March, people feel a level of comfort in understanding the Trump administration policies. He said counterparts understand that we dont want to be protectionist, but we reserve our right to be protectionist to the extent we believe trade is not free and fair.
One partner openly pushing back was Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who rejected as baseless duties the U.S. imposed on some Canadian lumber imports. Still, both he and Mnuchin stressed how important the U.S.-Canada trade relationship is to both economies. A Canadian ministry statement called it a productive discussion and that Canada committed to working out a durable solution.
David McHugh is an Associated Press writer.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In the early 1980s, a small group of Staten Islanders decided to organize a "gay" dance at a housing development near the Staten Island Mall. Although details were only communicated by word of mouth, to their surprise, more than 300 people attended.
More than three decades later, having accomplished the monumental task of founding and directing the independent Pride Center of Staten Island, Ralph W. Vogel is announcing his intention to retire from his leadership role.
In a statement, the Board of Directors of the Pride Center expressed its "deepest appreciation and gratitude to our founding Executive Director for his selfless work, his vision, and all he has accomplished."
An executive search committee is seeking qualified and passionate candidates to lead the Pride Center into the next phase of its existence. To review the full Executive Director job description, qualifications and how to apply, check out PrideCenterSi.org/employment.
Check out the 2017 Staten Island PrideFest Schedule at the link below:
RALPH'S PRIDE CENTER JOURNEY
After the runaway success of that inaugural event in the 1980s, the group recognized an unmet need for socializing and advocacy and responded by creating the Lambda Associates of Staten Island. Lambda hosted monthly meetings with guest speakers, summer picnics, an annual Pride dinner dance, and other events throughout the year. They dreamed of someday having a safe and welcoming space where they could gather to share their stories, support each other, and work towards equality. It was in this spirit that the Staten Island AIDS Task Force submitted a grant proposal to open an LGBT Wellness Center. In May 2008, the Staten Island LGBT Health Center officially opened its doors.
The Center soon became a central meeting place for members of Staten Island's LGBTQ community and their allies.
THIS ISN'T RALPH'S FIRST RETIREMENT
Two years later, in 2010, in response to community members' suggestions to transform the LGBT Health Center into an independent LGBT Community Center, CHASI Executive Director, Diane Arneth, coaxed Ralph from retirement to lead the Center program and to create an independent LGBT Community Center with a broader scope and purpose. Under Vogel's leadership, the Center began a comprehensive community initiative to support and coordinate existing various LGBT groups to work together to produce community-wide programs and events. The Center broadened the scope of services and programs, expanded its staff, and have become the cornerstone for LGBTQ Staten Islanders as well as a hub for events, programs, and services on Staten Island.
Ralph has more than tripled the amount of money the Center brings in to operate and fulfill the mission. He built a Board of Directors from the communities and created the infrastructure required to form an independent non-profit and local LGBT Community Center.
He worked tirelessly towards the goal of forming the LGBT Community Center and on June 29, 2013, the Pride Center of Staten Island, Inc. was officially recognized and Incorporated by New York State and awarded IRS 501c3 status. Under his leadership the Pride Center has continued to grow. Its signature event, the One Island One Pride Dinner Dance, has become a not-to-be-missed annual gathering for the LGBTQ community to celebrate its founders, heroes, and traditions. The annual PrideFest outdoor celebration has been transformed from a small afternoon event to a full week of special pride events and program including a 5K Run and a PrideFest festival held on the grounds of the beautiful Snug Harbor Cultural Center with a festive showcase for community organizations, vendors, musicians, artists and artisans.
Under Ralph's leadership, the Pride Center of Staten Island, the second largest LGBTQ center in New York, has fulfilled the dreams of those early pioneers in ways they could only imagine.
AMONG VOGEL'S MANY OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Borough President James Oddo announced the creation of the Drug Prevention Portal, a new website providing data on overdose and addiction.
The website, sidrugprevention.org, was created with the help of The Staten Island Performing Provider System (PPS), the Staten Island Partnership for Community Wellness (SIPCW), Staten Island Borough Hall and community and government partners.
In addition to overdose information, the portal will include resources for professionals, providers for behavioral health, substance use needs and care management assistance.
DEALING WITH THE DRUG EPIDEMIC
Borough Hall's policy team researched ways to deal with the opioid epidemic and came across an overdose prevention campaign being used by the state of Rhode Island in partnership with Brown University, according to Oddo.
Part of the campaign featured a website with a data dashboard containing information on the opioid epidemic.
"We immediately believed that a platform like this would be a transformative tool for all of the task force members that meet regularly here at Borough Hall," Oddo said.
"This is an easy-to-find, easy-to-search tool for residents of Staten Island and providers. I want to thank everyone on my team for the outstanding work. I want to thank all of our partners," said Oddo.
The data collected was from Richmond University Medical Center, Staten Island University Hospital and over 75 local partner organizations who are transforming healthcare on Staten Island. The data will be updated monthly.
The organizations joined forces to tackle the drug epidemic and improve behavioral health for Staten Island residents.
Want to discuss this report? Visit the comment section to join the conversation.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Islanders' pets were blessed by Rev. Terry Troia on Saturday for the annual Blessing of the Animals.
The annual free event began at 11 a.m. at the Reformed Church of Huguenot Park in Huguenot. The event invited young children and adults to bring their living and stuffed animals to be blessed.
Non-profit organization, Fur Friends in Need, hosted a flea market and brought cats and dogs available for adoption.
Anne and Tom Woodman of Eltingville brought their rescue dog Penny -- a half West Highland Terrier and half mixed mutt -- to the event. The couple would bring their late Pomeranian dog, Pal, to other blessings every year.
Just a month after losing Pal, a friend contacted the couple about finding Penny in Delaware tied to a pole. After no one came forward to claim her, the couple met her and soon adopted her.
"We had looked into other dogs because we wanted to get a companion for Pal and she just kind of came into our lives," Anne said. "She loves people and other pets and loves to meet other dogs."
Check out the gallery of cats and dogs blessed on Saturday.
Want to discuss this story? Visit the comment section to join the conversation.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- The suspect sought in the New Springville barricade Friday was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend, police allege.
John Romaine, 44, allegedly pulled the woman out of the vehicle and threw her to the ground, fracturing her left wrist, according to an NYPD spokesman.
The incident occurred at 7 p.m. on Thursday in front of Romaine's home on Naso Court, police said.
Romaine was arrested at the 121st Precinct in Graniteville at 6 p.m. Friday and charged with felony assault, said the NYPD spokesman.
Heavily-armed Emergency Service Unit police officers responded to Romaine's home Friday afternoon for a possible barricade situation, but left the scene without the suspect in custody, police said.
The officers, who were carrying guns and wearing bullet-proof vests, surrounded the home on Naso Court near Rockland Avenue for a few hours. But once they entered, they found the apartment was empty.
Emergency personnel cleared the scene at around 5:40 p.m., just before Romaine was apprehended Friday.
Romaine has five prior arrests, including an assault in 2010, and is allegedly in a motorcycle gang, according to a law enforcement source.
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It seems West Tuggeranong has room for well under half the population originally proposed. Credit:Andrew Sheargold
A 29-year-old man died in Canberra's prison, the Alexander Maconochie Centre, on Saturday evening.
Police are not revealing any information about the death or the circumstances surrounding it, other than that it happened about 8pm.
"ACT Policing Criminal Investigations is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death and a report will be prepared for the ACT Coroner," they said in a statement. Daniel Burdon has more.
Abuse survivors want person record release
Geelong's Cam Guthrie is set to come under MRP scrutiny after he pushed an umpire out of his way to take a mark in the Cats' shock loss to Essendon.
Guthrie pushed umpire Justin Schmitt in the back during the second quarter of Saturday night's match at the MCG, causing the umpire to stumble but keep his feet while the midfielder took the mark.
AFL umpiring director Peter Schwab says the MRP will likely look at the incident "as a matter of process" but stressed that sometimes umpires got caught up in the play.
He said he believed there was no malice in the incident. Schwab would could not comment on the matter any further.
Aldi's Australian chief executive Tom Daunt has described the discount supermarket chain as being the piggy in the middle of a price war between the two majors Coles and Woolworths, with the German-based grocery discounter announcing the ramping up its marketing efforts with a new brand campaign.
In the first three months Aldi has hit back competitively by investing $75 million (annualised) in discounting its grocery and fresh food range. "Our customers are paying less today than a year ago," Daunt said.
"Price has become a noisy subject (among supermarket operators). The market is definitely competitive. That said we haven't changed fundamentally what we are doing ... as we grow we benefit more and more from scale."
Aldi will begin its "Good Different" multi-media brand campaign this week.
New rules to fine banks and ban executives over misconduct could transform the role of the nation's most powerful financial regulator, experts say.
But the devil will be in the detail as to whether it delivers the kind of results the government is spruiking.
The Banking Executive Accountability regime, announced by the government as part of the federal budget last week, aims to improve accountability in the financial sector. It includes measures to fine banks and remove and disqualify senior executives if they fail to meet new integrity measures.
The regime, which mimics a similar scheme in Britain, would for the first time in Australia see a regulator have the power to directly fine a bank for misconduct, bringing it closer in line with the United States and Britain.
From October, bank customers will no longer need to worry about BSB and account numbers when transferring money to a friend, or paying a tradesman. Instead, they will only need to know the recipient's "PayID." And the first service allowing them to make instant payments in this way will have the brand name "Osko".
Ahead of the launch of a $1 billion piece of payments infrastructure later this year, BusinessDay can reveal the brand names consumers will encounter when making payments on bank apps or websites.
NPP Australia chief executive Adrian Lovney is talking to industry players about other innovative payment services. Credit:Ben Rushton
These brands are linked to the national payments platform, which is a project funded by banks to create real-time payments that are easier to use, and can allow much more information to be included in a payment.
But the NPP, as it is known in the industry, is not a consumer-facing brand that consumers are likely to hear about from their bank.
Global miner BHP Billiton is taking its first steps to preparing to drop "Billiton" from its name, with the launch of a global rebranding which will also mark the move away from styling the group as "the big Australian". In a $10 million advertising campaign to commence this week, BHP will instead use the slogan "Think Big" as it seeks to improve its public image. The campaign, the first since it used the late actor Bill Hunter 30 years ago in the initial "Big Australian" promotion, will be rolled out domestically at first before also being undertaken globally. Company officials said since the global financial crisis the resources group has encountered rising scepticism over the role of big companies in the economy, which has prompted it to launch the new campaign. During this time, there was also the prolonged public brawling over the Rudd government's introduction of a mining resource tax, and more recently the Samarco dam failure in Brazil.
"Billiton" is to be excised from the BHP logo. Credit:David Mariuz As part of the planned revamp, the miner will also seek to use "BHP" as the ticker code for its listings in Australia, the UK and South Africa. A formal change of the company name is expected to be only a matter of time, as the group is to drop the word "Billiton" from all stationary, for example. Even though BHP still has a large shareholder base in South Africa following the Billiton merger, it does not believe the shift will have any adverse impact. The campaign comes in the wake of a push by activist US investor Elliott Associates to force BHP to collapse its dual listed structure as well as to spin out some of its North American assets, although company officials denied there was any link, arguing the planning for the new pitch has been underway for 18 months, with the filming of the television commercial completed at the beginning of the year, for example. In 2001, BHP merged with south African miner Billiton, a merger which has been criticised regularly since, with BHP effectively conceding the merger resulted in a poor mix of assets with decision two years ago to spin out unwanted assets into South 32 which included several of the Billiton assets.
Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson has joined calls for an investigation into the leaking of plans for a levy on Australia's biggest banks, saying it is possible insider trading took place.
It comes as the Australian Federal Police has confirmed it is looking into the leak of the federal budget measure.
The big four banks and Maquarie, who will pay the $6.2 billion levy, have insisted they knew nothing about the policy until they received a confidential briefing from Treasury about an hour before the budget was revealed, after the ASX closed on Tuesday.
But media reports on the levy started to surface Monday night and detailed reports quoting "banking sources" were published at midday Tuesday, triggering a $14 billion bank stock wipe-out.
"I recently went to a Sydney store to purchase a bomber jacket. When inquiring where they sold bomber jackets, the teenage sales assistant, despite her inscrutable face, became agitated and spoke to a colleague nearby. She also expressed shock reaching for the phone. She only pressed three buttons and I realised it was 000. I tumbled to the fact that these juniors had never heard of the World War II aerial raids over Germany where the attire became famous. They only knew bombers as baddies in their computer games. I made a hasty retreat. Can I suggest contemporary retailers substitute 'macho jackets' to avoid confusion?" Thanks Geoffrey Healy of Millers Point.
"Heard on the bus on the way to work, a group of selective school students putting each other down: 'You're slower than the Greek economy.'" Leanne Kerr, Croydon Park.
"Bats have arrived here in huge numbers," says Richard Stewart of Pearl Beach. "The eucalyptus blossoms are prolific so night here is a screechingly sleep-inhibiting time. Any other community experiencing these critters? The mess on the verandah and paths is also an issue."
"Recently superglued my reading glasses together (don't ask). Having my optical prescription handy I decided to try two different pairs from online at $4.95. Both pairs arrived within days and both suited my needs perfectly. Free postage as well. May I tentatively ask, who's robbing us blind?" David Taylor, Horsley.
"A research scientist in England has concluded that eating cereal from a square bowl rather than a round one increases the brain's perception of nutrition and leaves the brain feeling more nourished as a result. Now we know why pizza boxes are square." Peter Riley, Penrith.
As coverage of the Cassandra Sainsbury case progresses, it's been suggested more than once that there is a possibility that Sainsbury (if convicted) may be eligible to serve out some of her sentence in Australia.
This is not currently a legal possibility. There are 68 countries that have specific prisoner transfer agreements with Australia - unfortunately for Sainsbury, Colombia is not one of them.
Adelaide woman Cassandra Sainsbury faces up to 25 years in a Colombian prison. Credit:Facebook
Even where the necessary legal framework is in place, negotiation of each prisoner transfer takes a great deal of co-ordinated effort and negotiation.
The prisoner, the foreign government, the Australian government and (for incoming prisoners) the state government must all agree to the transfer in order for it to occur.
Budget time often shows Australia at its most sectional and selfish, especially if it is a Coalition budget. This one was no exception. It has been described as a turning-away from the meanness of the Abbott government's 2014 budget and a turning-away from obsession with deficits.
But I get the sense that virtually every 2017 budget measure was written with an eye to voters. Not to voters or society overall, but to particular "sectors" of voters who might change their vote for or against the government according to how well or badly or unchanged the budget affected their individual financial position.
Let's take housing. It has three sectors: home owners, investors and potential home buyers, who are also often renters. It is impossible to significantly help home buyers by making dwelling prices fall, without hurting investors and home owners.
You can only make prices fall if you take the heat out of the market by removing tax concessions to investors. If prices fall, however, the 65 per cent of households comprised of home owners would feel hard done by.
The birth of Israel
The birth of the Jewish State of Israel had been proclaimed in a "solemn assembly" of the Jewish National Council in Tel Aviv. "The State would be open to all Jewish immigrants. It would develop the country for all inhabitants and would operate on the basis of precepts of liberty, justice and peace. It would uphold full social and political equality without distinction and safeguard religious places of all religions."
Displaced persons
860 East European migrants from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and former eastern Poland had arrived in Sydney in a U.S. Army transport. "They are the best bunch we have carried," said the ship's master, Captain K.H. Nebring. "They're the type of people you want. Hard workers who want a chance." All came from displaced persons camps in Germany and Austria.
Hope for a new life
Managers of Bayswater power station in the Hunter Valley provided staff with precise instructions on how to blend coal to avoid triggering pollution alerts, documents stretching across almost two decades show.
As Fairfax Media reported, the NSW Environment Protection Authority has contacted all coal-fired power stations to determine whether operators took advantage of partial monitoring to conceal the full extent of their emissions of sulphur, nitrous oxides and other pollutants.
Bayswater power station in the Hunter Valley is being investigated after reports its blended coal to hide its emissions. Credit:Glen McCurtayne
Plant operating notes obtained by Fairfax show that as far back as 1991 Bayswater staff were told they had to keep sulphur emissions below 600 parts per million for Unit One because "any exceedence of this limit is reportable to the State Pollution Control Commission". The other three units' emissions were not reportable.
That 1991 note also outlines the range of sulphur content in the coal sourced from different mines in the Hunter, with Drayton, Bayswater, Muswellbrook, Novacoal and Liddell State all between 0.6-1 per cent.
Jamie Oliver is a celebrity chef, cookbook author and owner of the Jamie's restaurant empire. His rise to fame began with his television show The Naked Chef and was followed by a cookbook that became a bestseller. He has strongly advocated healthy eating and cutting out junk food and in 2003 was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire. Oliver, 41, chats to Kate Waterhouse about why he is back in Australia, his biggest hurdle and what excites him most about his food empire.
What are you visiting Australia for? I've basically come over to dot the i's and cross the t's on buying back my Australian business, which was a franchise and they went into receivership. There was nothing wrong with the JI [Jamie's Italian] business but it got dragged down with the mother ship and it's never happened to me before so it's a bit of new one for me. But the good news is that we bought it back and I'm now 100 per cent owner of my [Australian JI] restaurants, instead of a partner of my restaurants.
What was your first reaction when you first heard Keystone was going into receivership? I was like OK, why? The business is really good, we are really busy, we get low grumbles, they are all profitable, so why? And then you just realise that you are part of a bigger picture and you can't control it.
Was the plan to always buy Jamie's Italian back? Definitely for me, I've just never done it before and it's not necessarily straightforward other people wanted to buy it as well and that was challenging.
If there are two things that I am highly susceptible to it's glamour and also supreme comfort. You might think these two weaknesses exist on quite opposite ends of a spectrum, but I assure you they do not.
I know this because I just wore striped silk pyjamas to Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in Sydney and I've honestly never felt so great. Or comfortable. Like, movie star in the 40s great, or Coco Chanel smoking cigarettes in her white silk pyjamas kind of great. There's nothing quite so chic as a slightly louche woman who really doesn't care for either fools or fashion.
This is exactly the kind of person that I hoped to become when I finally added my striped silk set from Olivia Von Halle to my basket after months of scrolling through their Instagram feed and noting that Alexa Chung once wore the same pair that I bought. I spent a lot of time idly wondering if I too could wear pyjamas to a pool party like the people on Instagram did. Or in the streets of New York.
The answer is ... hopefully.
Australians lost a startling $300 million to scams in 2016, a figure which only accounts for those cases known to authorities.
The record losses combine those reported to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Australian Cybercrime Online Reporting Network, which number more than 200,000.
Investment scams accounted for the greatest losses, at a total of $59 million, followed by dating and romance scams, which netted nearly $42 million.
A weight-loss device described as "medical bulimia" that drains undigested food from the stomach at the press of a button is among an explosion of new treatments for obesity available in Australia.
As concern continues to grow about obesity, some doctors are alarmed that some treatments in the lucrative market aren't being adequately researched or followed up.
The Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration-approved AspireAssist system connects a tube inserted into the stomach to an outside port on the skin of the belly, which is drained into an external device.
Its American manufacturer promises about 30 per cent of food is removed before calories are absorbed into the body when used 20 minutes after a meal.
Michele Allen was already working as a teacher when her husband proposed they home school their eldest son.
Academically gifted but struggling socially, Alex, then in grade one, would cry himself to sleep every night after a long day in the classroom.
Homeschooled: Michelle Allen of Queanbeyan and her sons Xander, 9, and Alex, 11. Credit:Karleen Minney
Home education was not easy choice but it's not something the family regrets.
"It's not an easy thing because you are giving up a whole wage, and for me it's giving up a career in some ways but not, because I'm still teaching," the Queanbeyan mother said.
One man has been arrested and another injured after a brawl involving up to 30 people broke out at a wedding reception in Sydney's inner west.
The reception came to an abrupt end when the fight broke out inside the Albert Palais Theatre in Leichhardt and spilled out onto the street.
One man was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with a broken nose.
"About 10pm the Leichhardt Police responded to a report of a brawl at the Albert Palais Function Centre which had apparently escalated from the venue to outside on the street," Inspector Grant Watson, from Leichhardt police, said.
A man has been shot in the leg in a suspected drive-by shooting outside a house in Lurnea in Sydney's south-west overnight, police say.
The 24-year-old man was believed to be standing outside a house in Monica Close about 9pm on Sunday when several shots were fired towards him, hitting him in the shin.
NSW Ambulance paramedics treated the man at the scene, before taking him to Liverpool Hospital in a stable condition.
The gunman was believed to be travelling in a white Toyota Kluger, which was seen speeding away from Monica Close in the moments after the shooting.
For the past few months, a mystery has gripped the northern edge of Leichhardt in Sydney's inner west.
Shortly before Christmas, a long-neglected industrial site on Darley Road, just near the City West Link, was transformed into a Dan Murphy's bottle-shop.
But then, after only a couple of months of wine and beer sales, it emerged the government wanted to acquire the bottle-shop for a tunnelling site for the WestConnex motorway.
Surely they would have known? Why did the government, which has been committed to WestConnex for five years, allow a bottle-shop to be built when it knew it would likely soon tear it down?
Less than 24 hours after marking Mother's Day, a bloodied Linda Connors was found sprawled in bed inside the townhouse she shared with her two children.
Not long after her eldest son, Simon, made the horrific discovery, police pulled over the 55-year-old woman's car in St Peters in Sydney's inner-west on Monday morning.
Behind the wheel was her 28-year-old son Nathan White. Also in the car was a crossbow, a pitchfork wrapped in a towel and the family dog.
Police said the car's number plate was automatically detected by a passing police car, with an alert advising officers to pull the car over.
About one in five sex offenders and paedophiles are charged with failing to comply with their requirements to report to police in Queensland.
Figures released after an LNP question on notice reveal 624 reportable offenders were charged with failing to comply with their obligations to report to police.
More than 600 reportable offenders were charged with failing to comply with their obligations in 2016. Credit:Rohan Thomson
That culminated in 1572 charges.
As of March 31, 2017 there were 3168 offenders on the register.
Queensland - beautiful one day, filled with diplomats the next. Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop will take the world to far north Queensland this weekend, with the Sunshine State chosen for only the third time in the past 13 years to host a diplomatic corps visit. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is trying to sell Queensland to the world. Credit:Louise Kennerley More than 70 Canberra-based ambassadors and high commissioners will follow Ms Bishop to Cairns, in a bid to sell Queensland, particularly the north, to their home countries. The event has been organised in conjunction with the Palaszczuk Labor state government.
Trade and investment opportunities will be laid out, with the state keen to build on its "rocks and crops" economy reputation, and promote its burgeoning research and innovation sector. But both governments, often at odds behind the scenes even if managing an uneasy truce publicly, are keen to promote efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef, after a long campaign to keep the world heritage site off UNESCO's danger list. The reef remains a major drawcard for tourists, with the region attracting nearly 2.8 million visitors each year. Alexander Downer began the tradition of hosting the diplomatic corps in a different region each year while serving in Ms Bishop's role in 2000. Queensland has not hosted a meeting since 2011, when Kevin Rudd was foreign minister.
The sole proprietor is often seen as a lonely figure battling against the elements, doing it all on their own.
But what might surprise you is that many sole proprietors and small business owners with less than four employees prefer it that way because of a combination of factors such as control, expense and seeking value for dollar.
Helen D'Silva runs her psychology practice as a sole trader. Credit:Unknown
"I have seen many friends and associates having spent thousands and being left high and dry without the outcomes the service provider promised," Helen D'Silva, a private practising psychologist says.
"They are struggling to pay for their own mortgage, rent, food and bills are constantly behind and not paid. For me, that stress is not worth it and it inspires me to find better ways.
The email advice turned into a website in 2002 with PDF advice and routines customers could pay to download. From this came a regular parenting column in a magazine which then spawned Hall's bestselling book Tizzie Hall outside her store in Ocean Grove in July 2013. Credit:Eddie Jim EJZ "Having the book, people needed the products recommended in the book and that's where the store comes from," Hall says. "I used to do home visits but I don't any more because we solve all the problems by email. Everybody's babies are hungry and cold. We have a formula to make sure they are not hungry and cold. We use the formula and we fix them." It's a formula that parents are prepared to pay for. Hall's Save Our Sleep website offers 12 months' support through the online forum for a fee of $240 or $1198 for a 30-day email consultation with Hall herself. Every product recommended by Hall is on sale in her store. Tizzie Hall employs 11 staff. Credit:K Matthews
"I've never done a business plan and I've never had a business adviser," Hall says. "We just go with the flow and it just keeps growing." Gifting you sleep Elizabeth Sloane is also busy managing a growing business in Sydney with her book, The Gift of Sleep, released this month by Allen & Unwin. Hall's bestselling Save Our Sleep book. Everybodys babies are hungry and cold. We have a formula to make sure they are not hungry and cold. We use the formula and we fix them. Tizzie Hall
The publisher won't give out print run details but says "we've certainly got high hopes for The Gift of Sleep, based on the performance of similar titles in the market". Sloane's eponymous website describes a "step-by-step baby sleep program chosen by more than 13,000 parents worldwide, including obstetricians and celebrities, to teach their babies to self-settle and sleep through the night". Elizabeth Sloane is the author of The Gift of Sleep. Sloane does most of her consultations by email and telephone, with rates of $100 for a 30-minute phone call or $450 for email and telephone support for two weeks. "I'm going to teach [the baby] the gift of self-settling and there will be possibly some protests with that and if we stay calm and committed and consistent and don't go back to the old sleep associations, that will let the baby sleep through the night," Sloane says. "A sleep program for me has never been about a family sleeping through, it is about giving the gift of self-settle back to that baby."
She has the backing of Mia Freedman, who sold Sloane's The Gift of Sleep e-book on her Mamamia website. "[It] will change the life of every sleep-deprived parent and every exhausted baby who wakes throughout the night," Freedman says. "And I should know. Because it changed mine." Sloane also does overnight visits to families at a rate of about $1000 a night, although she won't disclose her income. "In terms of making an absolute killing, we are not wealthy by any means," she says. "All that does is send a message to mothers that it is just a moving money train and I've never been about that." Growing business
It's difficult to uncover any data behind this booming business area. Professor Helen Ball, the director of the parent-infant sleep lab at Durham University, says with no registration or licensing system for sleep consultants, evidence of growth is only anecdotal. "There are a number of reasons parents are turning to sleep consultants," Ball says. "Advertising and availability is a key one. Cultural pressures on parents regarding sleep expectations are another." Hall believes there's a simple reason behind the demand. "We have lost the skill of parenting because we don't get it handed down any more from our mums and sisters and aunts," she says. "The parents today are set up to fail. I think that's why we need the consultants."
Police Minister Lisa Neville has backed Victoria Police to continue regulating the private security industry and licensing gun owners, despite critics calling for an overhaul amid a series of internal investigations.
The force's internal investigations branch and the taskforce that investigates sexual harassment by police are examining a number of sworn police in the Victoria Police Licensing and Regulation Division (LRD) after complaints from within the security industry.
Police Minister Lisa Neville thinks it is best that police undertake gun licensing functions. Credit:Penny Stephens
Critics say the division is in turmoil and its responsibilities should be transferred to the Department of Justice. The critics have declined to be named as their security businesses rely on their licences being renewed.
The division is responsible for ensuring the integrity of firearms licensing and storage amid a significant increase in the number of gun thefts and the diversion of weapons from legitimate industries to criminals.
In an expensive case of deja vu, a Perth man has been charged for getting behind the wheel drunk- not once, but twice in the same evening.
At around 12.50am on Sunday morning, officers pulled over the 26-year-old man on North Lake Road in Cockburn Central for a speeding offence.
The 26-year-old man will face a number of charges in a Perth court.
He was then taken to Cockburn Police Station where he blew in excess of 0.08, and police served him with a disqualification notice.
The man was then released to walk home to his nearby residence, and he left the station.
Paris: Emmanuel Macron took power as president of France on Sunday in a solemn ceremony heavy with tradition at the Elysee Palace and he pledged to work to heal divisions in society - a nod to the bitter campaign he fought to defeat a far-right leader.
His inauguration marked a first for the world's fifth largest economy and founding member of the European Union, installing a 39-year-old centrist newcomer unknown to the wider public three years ago and who stands outside any traditional political grouping.
The former investment banker becomes the youngest post-war French leader and the first to be born after 1958 when President Charles de Gaulle put in place the country's Fifth Republic.
In his first words in office, he addressed himself to the fraught and fiercely contested election campaign in which he overcame the National Front's Marine Le Pen but which was a disappointment for almost half of France's 47 million voters.
New York State has opened an investigation into the real-estate dealings of President Donald Trump's former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, deepening the already intense legal scrutiny of the young administration.
The probe by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, one of the most outspoken critics of the president, is in a preliminary stage, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the investigation isn't public.
Manafort, who ran Trump's campaign from April to August last year, has owned property in the Hamptons and Trump Tower in Manhattan.
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. is also in the early stages of an investigation into Manafort's transactions, a person familiar with that probe said. Representatives for Schneiderman and Vance declined to comment.
PHILIPSBURG:--- The parking lot of the Government Administration Building was filled to capacity Saturday night as several musicians came out and performed as they honor fallen cultural icon, Neville York.
The late Neville York was the head of the Culture department, he also penned the island culture policy and taught steel pan and other culture related activities at several schools.
The late Neville York was known throughout the region for his steel pan music he also wrote several songs. On Saturday night several of his students performed at the wake which turned out to be a culture show.
York passed away during the early hours Tuesday morning at his Cay Hill home of a massive heart attack, just the day before he played his famous steel pan music at the home going ceremony for his mother who was laid to rest last Monday.
While the community and those involved in preserving St. Maartens culture turned out in large numbers to remember a man who helped to enhance and highlight St. Maartens Culture it was evident that the only Minister that came out to support the Civil Servants and the York family was Minister of EYS Silveria Jacobs.
Several Ministers that are on the island did not show their faces either Members of Parliament. However, their absence did not stop the musicians and bands from performing for their fallen friend and colleague.
The late Neville York will be laid to rest on Tuesday, May 16, 2017. His body will leave the Emerald Funeral home to the Methodist Church on Front Street. Viewing and tributes will begin.
Click here to view photos of the Cultural manifestation held Saturday night in honor of the late Neville York
2022 Indiana election results: See the latest updates from St. Joseph County
Vote totals are preliminary until all are counted and certified by the St. Joseph County Election Board.
Raising the Bar
Science History Images/Alamy
Astronaut Anna Fisher joined NASA in 1978 and became the first mother to fly in space when she launched on her space shuttle mission. See photos from her space career here. She retired from NASA in 2017.
This Photo: Anna Lee Fisher was part of the first group of women announced by NASA as astronaut candidates in 1978.
Discovery Crew
NASA
On November 12, 1984, the Discovery Crew from left to right astronauts David M. Walker, Dale A. Gardner, Anna Lee Fisher, Frederick H. (Rick) Hauck and Joseph P. Allen celebrate a successful mission.
Opening a Door
NASA
The first female astronaut candidates (ASCANS) named by NASA photographed with a model of the NASA shuttle from left to right, Rhea Seddon, Anna L. Fisher, Judith A. Resnik, Shannon W. Lucid, Sally K. Ride and Kathryn D. Sullivan during a January 31, 1978 press conference at Johnson Space Center. Along with these six women, 14 other mission specialist candidates and 15 pilot astronaut candidates were introduced to the press at the Teague Auditorium.
Training for the Big Day
San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
Anna Lee Fisher, seen here in Houston, Texas, served on STS-51A in 1984 as a mission specialist.
Flight Experience
San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
Astronaut Anna Lee Fisher completed a year of training before being eligible to fly as a mission specialist on space shuttle flight crews. Anna Lee Fisher was the first mother to go into space.
Training and Experience
San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
Astronaut Anna Lee Fisher completed many different assignments once her training ended. She was crew representative for both support development and testing of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) and payload bay door contingency spacewalk procedures, the extra-small Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) and contingency in-orbit Thermal Protection System (TPS) repair hardware and procedures and more for pre-STS-1 through STS-4. She was also crew evaluator for verification and development testing for STS-2, 3 and 4.
Before NASA
San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
Before joining the NASA program, Anna Lee Fisher earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and a Doctor of Medicine from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 1971 and 1976, respectively; received a Master of Science in Chemistry from UCLA, 1987. During STS-5, 6 and 7 she served as a physician in the recovery helicopter and helped create rescue procedures.
Microgravity Training
NASA Johnson Space Center
Floating in weightlessness is a must-have skill for astronauts. Her, Anna Fisher practices the skill in a NASA training plane.
Anna Fisher Practices Robotic Arm Training
NASA
During STS-51A shuttle mission in November 1980, astronaut Anna Fisher flew the space shuttle Discovery's robotic arm to support the retrieval of two malfunctioning satellites, and the deployment of two new communications satellites. Seen here, Fisher practices robotic arm work for the mission.
Anna Fisher: Mission Patch
NASA
Astronaut Anna Fisher launched into space on the space shuttle Discovery on Nov. 8, 1984 to become NASA's first mom in space. The mission, seen launching here, was STS-51A and was crewed by Fisher, commander Frederick Hauck, pilot David Walker and mission specialists Dale Gardner and Joseph Allen. The mission deployed the Canadian satellite Telesat-H (Anik) and the U.S. defense communications satellite SYNCOM IV-I (LEASAT01). The astronauts also retrieved two malfunctioning satellites, PALAPA-B2 and WESTAR-VI.
Flying in Space
NASA
NASA astronaut Anna Lee Fisher works on board the flight deck of the space shuttle Discovery in November 1984.
NASA astronaut Anna Lee Fisher, the first mother in space, highlights what is was like to fly on the space shuttle Discovery only months after giving birth to her first daughter.
Fisher was one of the first six female astronaut candidates selected for NASA's first class of space shuttle astronauts in January 1978. She later flew as a mission specialist on the second flight of the space shuttle Discovery, STS-51A, in November 1984.
"I was assigned to my flight two weeks before I delivered my oldest daughter," Fisher said in a NASA video. "I remember I delivered Kristin on a Friday and I was at the Monday morning eight o'clock meeting the following Monday. [Astronaut Anna Fisher's Space Career in Photos]
Astronaut Anna Fisher poses in an Apollo spacesuit next to a rack of other spacesuits during training for a Hubble Space Telescope servicing spacewalk in 1980. (Image credit: NASA)
After being chosen as an ASCAN in 1978 and completing her training, astronaut Anna Lee Fisher logged close to 200 hours in space and she served as chief of the Space Station Branch from 1996-2002 during the early construction days of the International Space Station. (Image credit: NASA)
"I wanted to make a statement that, 'yes I had a child, but Im committed to this and I'm going to be here,'" Fisher added in the video. "I was Capcom [spacecraft communicator] at the same time that I had a new baby and training for my flight, so it was quite the challenging time."
STS-51A was the second flight of the orbiter Discovery, and Fisher said she could not have picked a more exciting mission to fly on, according to the NASA video. [Top 12 Warrior Moms in History]
During the mission, the crew deployed two satellites: Canada's Anik D-2 (Telesat H) and Hughes' LEASAT-1 (Syncom IV-1). As the first space salvage mission, the crew also retrieved the Palapa B-2 and Westar VI satellites for return to Earth, NASA. Fisher servedas arm operator for recovering both satellites from orbit and lead for deploying one of the two satellites, she said.
Fisher logged a total of 192 hours in space on her first Discovery flight. She served NASA in many other roles, including Chief of the Astronaut Offices Space Station branch and working on the Orion spacecraft, which will fly beyond low Earth orbit to explore deep space.
Being a new mom posed challenges for Fisher, but she acknowledged that it would not have possible without the help she received from those on the ground.
On Nov. 12, 1984, the Discovery STS-51A astronauts from left to right astronauts David M. Walker, Dale A. Gardner, Anna Lee Fisher, Frederick H. (Rick) Hauck and Joseph P. Allen celebrate their mission while still in space. The seven-day mission launched on Nov. 8, 1984. (Image credit: NASA)
"I was absolutely blessed with the lady who took care of Kristin it was teamwork. Fisher said in the NASA video, which the space agency posted on YouTube. "Without her, I never could have done what I did because I knew that Kristin was 100 percent safe and was getting all the love and care."
After more than three decades of service, Fisher retired last month, as the last member of NASA's first group of space shuttle astronauts to still work for the agency.
"I think the future for NASA is really exiting. I thought that when I came [to the agency] at the beginning of the shuttle program," Fisher said. "I think it is a real exciting time [for NASA] and I am jealous I have to hand it over to the new people that are waiting in line and I'll be cheering from the side lines."
Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us @Spacedotcom,Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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Michael Dobson, Contributor Former climate advisor, Independent Diplomat
05/10/2017
Mark Wynne is the CEO of Balance Agri-Nutrients, a New Zealand fertilizer company that imports hundreds of thousands of tonnes of phosphate every year from an illegal mine in a brutally occupied territory called Western Sahara. Fortunately for Mark, the Western Sahara is in north-west Africa, which is not a part of the world New Zealanders spend much time thinking about, despite the fact that our primary export industry is currently built upon on this deeply unethical trading relationship.
Such ignorance means that when a vessel carrying Saharan phosphate is stopped as happened last week in Port Elizabeth, South Africa Mark can throw up his hands, claim that the Western Sahara situation is very complex and deep-running and (Im not making this up) geopolitical, and thereby avoid having to explain to New Zealanders why it is okay that his company buys millions of dollars worth of illegal phosphate every year.
Marks apparent inability to make head or tail of the situation is passing strange, however. Mark Wynne is a very experienced international executive, responsible for managing a multi-million dollar contract with the Moroccan company that mines the phosphate in question (in a territory Morocco occupies by force, on the basis of a claim to legitimacy that no country has ever recognized). If the true extent of his knowledge of the situation is (again, not making this up) that It really takes someone like the United Nations to resolve it, I would suggest that Balance shareholders find a new CEO, pronto.
Anyone with a working internet connection and a spare 30 seconds could inform Mark that the United Nations Security Council created MINURSO the U.N. Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara in 1991, but that the self-determination referendum promised to the Sahrawi people in 1991 (in return for ending their war against Moroccan occupation) has never been carried out. In the meantime, Morocco has been busily selling Sahrawi phosphate as fast as it can to anyone craven enough to buy it. Dedicate a full ten minutes to the issue, and heres some of what you will find:
Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have produced reports recording numerous disturbing testimonies of torture of Sahrawi pro-independence activists by Moroccan authorities. The U.S. State Department calls such reports of torture credible.
Only eleven companies in the world still import West Saharan phosphate. Balance is one. Ravensdown, another New Zealand fertilizer company, is another. Two of the biggest fertilizer companies in the world Yara International and Mosaic have ceased trading in Saharan phosphate because of human rights concerns, and seem perfectly capable of maintaining successful fertilizer businesses that dwarf the entire New Zealand industry without depending on it.
While Morocco claims that the millions of dollars that Balance and Ravensdown pay it for the phosphate ultimately benefit local Sahrawi, the Harvard International Review has this to say in response: Companies may not solely rely on Moroccos claims to ensure that the local population benefits from revenues they provide to the Moroccan government. Such an arrangement lacks the transparency and accountability... Morocco retains full control and discretion over revenues generated from Western Sahara resources, and there is no way of monitoring or verifying its claims of revenue and expenditures, or holding Morocco accountable for failure to match expenditure with revenue.
Visitors to the occupied territory are constantly monitored and accompanied by Moroccan authorities, as befits a police state. The idea that any government-organized tour of the territory will provide a reliable impression of the opinions of the Sahrawi regarding their occupiers is laughable, as is the idea that the trade in Saharan phosphate is legal because it happens with the consent of the Sahrawi people.
Lest there be any doubt, a legal opinion issued by the African Union in 2015 spells the matter out plainly: any exploration and exploitation of natural resources by Morocco, any other State, group of States, or foreign companies engaged by Morocco in Western Sahara is illegal since they violate international law and resolutions of the UN and the AU.
Tens of thousands of Sahrawi people live as refugees in the Algerian part of the Sahara desert, in some of the most inhospitable conditions on earth. The camps have existed for forty years. They will continue to exist until a referendum on the territorys future is held and the situation resolved. The possibility of reaching such a resolution is actively and substantially undermined by any company that provides Morocco with a financial incentive to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars a year to do everything it can to retain control of a territory that does not belong to it.
The truth, of course, is that Mark Wynne undoubtedly knows all this. Hes not stupid. He just thinks you are.
I asked my friend Mulay Smara, a Sahrawi who grew up in the Algerian refugee camps and now lives in the United States, what he thought of Wynnes comments. This was his response:
I would say that the New Zealand people would never want to have their resources taken without their consent, let alone by an occupying nation. Our future [as Sahrawi] is based on what is left of our resources. We suffer on a daily basis, in the camps and in the occupied territory, while New Zealand companies profit. That kind of morality should be questioned by ordinary New Zealanders. Ive known many wonderful friends from New Zealand, and to see such complicity with Morocco is heartbreaking.
I visited the Algerian camp where Mulay grew up last year. (I subsequently talked to Kim Hill about it, which you can hear here, and also took some photos.) It is impossible to spend time with a people as generous, dignified and resilient and as steadfastly committed to the United Nations as the worlds arbiter of peaceful decolonization as the Sahrawi, and not come away enraged at the obfuscatory drivel that people like Mark Wynne are so well paid to produce. (Not that Balance and Ravensdown are the only ones content to look the other way: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs meets with the New Zealand Fertilizer Association and even offers suggestions on the drafting of their Western Sahara press releases.) The idea that the occupation of Western Sahara is too complicated an issue for New Zealanders to make a moral assessment of, or too remote for them to care about, is horseshit. The occupation is wrong, and brutal. We empower it by our indifference.
Fortunately, the tide is finally turning against the trade. The stopping of the ship in Port Elizabeth follows a judgment from the European Court of Justice in December last year that trade deals between the EU and Morocco cannot apply to the Western Sahara. Far too late, the New Zealand Fertilizer Association has finally started discussing alternative sources for phosphate (alternatives that could, of course, include phosphate from within the territory of Morocco itself). Such alternatives should be pursued with alacrity, impelled by our commitment to the importance of international law, territorial integrity and self-determination, and basic human decency.
New Zealand has underwritten the suffering of the Sahrawi people long enough. (SPS)
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/what-new-zealand-owes-the-western-sahara_us_591362d5e4b07e366cebb856
Bir Lahlu (Liberated Territories), May 14, 2017 (SPS) - The President of the Republic, Secretrary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali. "strongly condemned" the new aggressive behavior through the presence of the Moroccan forces at 50 kilometers outside the buffer zone, in the territorial waters of Western Sahara between Guerguerat and Lagouira, southwestern Western Sahara, in violation of the 1991 ceasefire agreement no. 1 and the supplementary convention of 1997 signed between the Polisario Front and Morocco under the auspices of the UN.
"We express our condemnation of this new aggressive behavior, which reflects the lack of a real will on the part of Morocco to deal positively in accordance with resolution 2351,approved by the UN Security Council, Just ten days ago," the President of the Republic wrote in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The President of the Republic insisted on the new UN SG to take "all urgent measures" to put an end to these dangerous practices and violations of the ceasefire, repeatedly perpetrated by the Moroccan state of occupation, by continuing the civilian activity and the passage of hundreds of trucks through the zone of Guerguerat and the Moroccan navy without interruption on the coast, which is an integral part of the liberated zones of the Western Sahara. (SPS)
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Copenhagen (Denmark) 14 May, 2017 (SPS) - Upon official invitation, the POLISARIO Front representative in Denmark, Mr. Abba Malainin, has participated in the annual Congress of the Red-Green Alliance Party convened in the capital, Copenhagen from 12 to 14 May 2017.
The Danish party has traditional unwavering supporting stand with regard to the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination, independence, the respect of human rights in Western Sahara and defends also the right of the Saharawi people sovereignty over their natural resources.
The Saharawi Representative has met on the margin of the Congress various officials from the Party and different foreign delegations attending the Congress. (SPS)
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STAMFORD Charter Communications deal-making a year ago made the cable provider an industry giant and a target.
By closing in May 2016 on acquisitions of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks worth a total of approximately $65 billion, Charter transformed itself into the second-largest cable company in the country. The expansion has supercharged the Stamford-based firms earnings and stock prices and ballooned its customer base. But the companys growth has also stoked contractual and legal disputes and set up the possibility of even larger deals.
Its increased their market share dramatically in the past year, said John Gerlach, an associate professor and business executive in residence in Sacred Heart Universitys College of Business. The whole industry is consolidating. In the next five to 10 years, there could be perhaps five companies in the industry in this country.
Charter officials were not available to comment this week.
A larger presence
The deals multiplied by several times Charters earnings and customer base. Revenues in the past quarter hit about $10.2 billion, compared with a pre-acquisition total of about $2.5 billion in the first quarter of 2016.
Charter now serves some 25 million residences and about 1.4 million small and medium-sized businesses, according to company data.
In the past quarter, Charter grew its residential customer base by 330,000 and its clientele of small and medium-sized businesses by 35,000. At the same time, it lost 100,000 video subscribers, reflecting an industrywide trend.
More people are not paying for cable TV, but rather using subscriptions to Netflix or Hulu or YouTube those subscriptions are all delivered over broadband internet, said David Souder, an associate professor and academic director of the executive MBA program in the University of Connecticuts School of Business. Charter still has its customers, but theyre focused on getting more things through broadband than getting things that come through a wire in the back of their TV.
Charters market value has also benefited from the acquisitions. Compared with a 52-week low of about $201, their shares traded last week for around $325.
Based on the stock price, youd have to consider the deals a home run, Gerlach said.
Charter now comprises the largest company, by market capitalization, that is headquartered in Stamford. Its market cap totals about $325 million.
Since the acquisitions, Charter has also pressed ahead with a number of major infrastructure and personnel initiatives. CEO Tom Rutledge reiterated in March that the company would invest $25 billion in broadband infrastructure and technology. The company has plans to hire another 20,000 employees in the next few years, a contingent that would include some 600 people at a bilingual call center in McAllen, Texas.
The company also plans to complete the conversion of the existing Time Warner Cable and Bright House markets to all-digital systems.
In a new initiative announced last week, Charter and Comcast, the countrys largest cable provider, said they would work together to support both companies participation in a national wireless marketplace. The partnership would focus on a number of areas, including the creation of common operating systems.
Conflicts
As it has expanded, Charter has grappled with a number of contractual and service conflicts.
In July 2016, Univision filed a lawsuit arguing Charter was obligated to negotiate a new agreement after its acquisition of Time Warner Cable last year. The payment argument led to a two-day blackout in late January of Univision programming affecting Charter customers in 37 markets, including New York. A temporary restraining order granted to the cable provider by New York state Supreme Court restored programming.
Univision continues with its accelerated discovery efforts and both parties intend to file motions for summary judgment soon so that the trial court is in a position to rule on the merits by late June, Univision officials said in a statement. We are committed to serving our audience and ensuring that they have access to the Univision networks and content they value.
Charter officials have said they are adhering to their contract with Univision.
In February, New York state lawyers announced a lawsuit against Charter and its subsidiary Spectrum Management Holdings for allegedly defrauding and misleading New York customers by promising internet service that they knew they could not deliver. The allegations cover a time frame extending some four years before Charter acquired Time Warner Cable.
Charter has disputed the allegations.
The company also contends with labor unrest. More than 300 cable technicians protested April 25 outside Charters Atlantic Street headquarters as they seek to keep their health care and pension benefits.
Potential for change
Reports have swirled in recent months about a possible merger between Verizon and Charter. Such a move could revive Verizons lackluster growth and produce a windfall for Charter shareholders.
While Verizon offers internet, phone and TV service through its Fios program, about 70 percent of the companys revenues in the past year came from its wireless operations.
But the new partnership with Comcast augurs against a union between Verizon and Charter.
Charter and Comcast will be working together to develop new technologies, which means theyre helping each other out, Gerlach said. Part of this is a defense against being taken over by Verizon. I think its more likely now that Comcast and Charter would merge.
pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
Something funny happened during Kevin Sullivans testimony.
The head of the state Department of Revenue explained Wednesday why Connecticut faces a $5.1 billion fiscal pit over the next two years. Part of the reason, he said, is that the top 1 percent of state residents, representing 30 percent of state revenues, returned $200 million less than usual, according to the Office of Fiscal Analysis.
Thats not the funny part. The funny part was when Sullivan said the deficit wasnt caused by rich residents leaving the state, though he conceded some retire to states tax-friendlier and warmer. Instead, he said, the top 100 taxpayers are parking their money on Wall Street in anticipation of huge tax cuts from Washington. In addition, their accountants have figured out how to lower their state liabilities.
Regular readers of this column know I take a dim view of the conventional wisdom saying high tax rates drive people out of the state. Some do leave, especially the elderly, but the vast majority of people do not leave because of high taxes. Taxes may be one among many factors but likely not the most important.
A conclusion you can draw is that legislators should go ahead and raise taxes income and sales if taxes are not driving people out. There is something to be said of this. We should figure out what we all need and justify who is going to pay. As Robert Frank, a Cornell economist, has argued, across-the-board tax increases do not decrease purchasing power. If everyone is feeling the same pinch, progressively speaking, few going to notice the difference.
But that doesnt mean we should raise taxes. It depends. And it certainly doesnt mean raising taxes would solve our fiscal crisis. As Sullivan noted, the very rich have taken mountains of money out of the state, put it on Wall Street hoping to hit the jackpot, and have otherwise gamed the tax code to avoid owing Hartford more than necessary. Raising taxes on the rich, even if raising them does not drive them out of the state, may lead back to where we started.
The takeaway from Sullivans testimony should be this: instead of focusing on tax increases, legislators should focus on tax loopholes. You dont want to raise taxes on people who are resourceful enough to find ways of avoiding those higher taxes. As to what those loopholes are, I should defer to authorities in state tax policy.
In the meantime, we might consider how to increase revenue from everyone else. I dont mean raising taxes. I mean raising wages. I do think the minimum should be higher in our high-cost state. And I do think there should be transparency and accountability in who is paid what to advance equity between mens and womens incomes.
But lets set those aside for now to talk instead about incentivizing businesses to pay more. How can we get firms to raise wages, boost consumer spending, and reap higher revenues without raising the sales and income tax rates? One idea under consideration one that has not gone far is indexing corporate tax rates to the ratio between a firms highest paid employee and its median compensation.
This is what Portland, Ore., did last year. A new ordinance levies a 10 percent surcharge on publicly traded companies paying chief executives more than 100 times the median pay of all employees. The surcharge rises to 25 percent if the pay ratio is 250 times the median. Portland has about 550 firms that would be subject to the tax.
The law is still in its infancy. Advocates call it a tax on inequality itself while critics say it wont make a lick of difference. So much depends on credible reporting of pay ratios and on whether the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission decides to keep an Obama era rule requiring publicly trade firms to publish that data.
The surcharge would, in theory, do more than raise wages. It would retard the rate of extraction and give firms incentive to reinvest in Connecticut, or risk sending that money to Hartford for politicians to spend as they wish. I dont mean to pass this off a panacea because, you know, life in complicated. But its something lawmakers ought to consider. Its not a tax if companies rearrange a few things to avoid it. But it could broaden the base to fill in some of the hole were in.
John Stoehr is a lecturer in political science at Yale University. He can be reached at johnastoehr@gmail.com.
A gang of six large-scale drug dealers who posed with huge amounts of cash, flash watches and cars are facing jail after police saw the pictures.
Two brothers, Kenechi and Oluchi Ochereobia, ran a network of drugs couriers from their bases in Hackney and Cardiff.
During their investigation, officers found several pictures of Kenechi posing with thousands of pounds worth of cash proceeds of his drug dealing.
When questioned Kenechi, of Foster Drive, Cardiff, tried to make out he was running a legitimate clothes distribution business.
Jailed: Kenechi, pictured, was part of the large-scale drug operation / Metropolitan Police
But police said he was unable to provide any evidence to show the business would account for the amount of cash he was seen to be posed with.
Kenechi controlled the operation through a mobile phone, which he and his brother used to contact hundreds of people when they had supplies.
From this, the pair of thugs would receive orders, and then they would send younger gang members to supply drug users in Norwich.
Thousands of pounds worth of cash was seized by police after an investigation was launched last year / Metropolitan Police
Kenechi hired cars and travelled between the three locations to oversee the large-scale operation.
He and his brother, of Mandeville Street, Hackney, were arrested after police found about 23,000 hidden in his Cardiff home.
Four other men involved in the operation, in which crack cocaine and heroin were sold, were also arrested after police launched an investigation in March last year.
Elliot Murawski and Frankie Dos Santos were arrested after officers found 6,000 hidden in an oven at a home in June last year.
Jailed: Kenechi Ochereobia / Metropolitan Police
Murawski, of Riverside Road, Norwich, was again arrested two months later after he was found in possession of about 3,000 of heroin and crack cocaine.
Calvyn Green, of Keyworth Close, Hackney, was caught in possession of almost 2,500 on a London-bound train at Ipswich, along with phones containing text messages to and from drug users on September 6.
Two weeks later, Jaivon Prince was stopped by police at Liverpool Street station. He admitted concealing two packets of drugs within his body.
Prince, of Daubney Road, Hackney, was taken to hospital, where hundreds of wraps of heroin and cocaine were recovered totalling about 2,000.
Jailed: Oluchi Ochereobia / Metropolitan Police
His home was also searched and 20,000 worth of the same drugs were found.
The six men were all subsequently charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Murawski and Prince both pleaded guilty to the conspiracy on November 17, and March 17 respectively.
The others were all found guilty on Friday, May 12 at Blackfriars Crown Court following a trial.
All six are due to be sentenced on May 26.
Detective Sergeant Paul Harris, from the Mets Trident and Area Crime Command, said: This was a complex investigation spanning from Cardiff to Norwich via London.
Kenechi Ochereobia tried to hide his involvement in the large-scale supply of drugs in Norwich by pretending to be a legitimate clothes distributor, whilst in reality he was getting younger gang members to run drugs across the country.
I would like to thank South Wales Police and Norfolk Constabulary for their support on this operation.
A n 18-year-old boy has died during a triple stabbing as youths brawled in a north London street.
Police rushed to the scene in Hertford Road, Enfield, on Saturday just after 10.30pm after reports of a large group fighting in the road.
On arrival, officers found an 18-year-old boy suffering from stab wounds.
He was rushed to hospital by paramedics but died around an hour later from his injuries.
Cordon: Police descended on the road on Saturday night / Faron Alex Paul/Facebook
Two other teens, aged 19 and 17, were found in Palmers Lane, also suffering from stab wounds.
They were taken to hospital but their condition is not thought to be life-threatening.
The teenager was the second person to die from a stabbing in the capital in a matter of hours, after a man was killed in Bow on Saturday afternoon.
Footage posted to Facebook showed the road cordoned off by police as a blue forensics tent was put up.
On social media, residents claimed a large group of youths had descended on the area for a party at a nearby community centre before trouble flared.
Stabbing: The scene in Enfield / Faron Alex Paul/Facebook
A video posted by Faron Paul showed a teenager with his face covered claiming the trouble started at a "rave" before spilling on to the street.
The teen says: I was in a rave and then youths kicked off, innit.
Murder probe: The road was still blocked off on Sunday morning / Drassick
One resident tweeted: Massive incident at the end of my road, ended in a young person losing their life due to being stabbed.
Shut off a big part of Hertford Road.
Residents said the road was still cordoned off by police on Sunday as investigations into the stabbings continued.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said no one had been arrested so far.
The killings came a day after the Standard launched an investigation into the capital's knife crime epidemic, with 11 Londoners killed in just 16 days.
Any witnesses, or anyone with information that may assist the investigation, should contact police via 101 or Tweet @MetCC. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
W itnesses have described chaotic scenes as up to 80 teenagers spilled in the street during a night of violence that saw one boy knifed to death and two others stabbed.
Emergency services descended on Hertford Road in Enfield on Saturday evening after reports of a mass brawl.
An 18-year-old boy was found by lying in the street with stab wounds by police at around 10.30pm. He died in hospital around an hour later from his injuries.
Two other teenage boys, aged 19 and 17, were found nearby with knife wounds in Palmers Lane. They were taken to hospital for treatment but their condition was not being treated as life-threatening.
Stabbing: Police at the scene in Enfield / Angela Bailey
One resident told the Standard how trouble flared before between 40 and 80 teenagers spread out on to the road following a party at a nearby community centre.
Angela Bailey, 40, said: I heard the sirens and went outside.
One police officer said there had been multiple incidents across the borough of Enfield with multiple injuries.
The next time I went out I heard someone had been killed.
Police and forensic officers in Hertford Road, Enfield / Nigel Howard
She said: Earlier in the night there were an awful lot of youths heading up towards the community centre where a rave, as they called it, was happening.
There was no sign of any parents being around at all.
Stabbing: The scene in Enfield / Faron Alex Paul/Facebook
Ms Bailey said the partygoers were all quite young, aged from around 13 to 20, and there were huge amounts of them.
She said large crowds of teens spilled back into the road as ambulances and police arrived following reports of the stabbing.
I saw one of the injured boys get put into the ambulance, she said.
He was on a stretcher wrapped in foil blankets.
Knife attack: Three people were stabbed / Angela Bailey
Ms Bailey, who is now in talks to start a youth club in the area, claimed many of the children had arrived from outside Enfield and caused trouble at the centre.
She said: "The youths that were walking past afterwards looked a bit shocked, like what have we got involved with?
One little girl, you could see she was quite distressed by the incident.
In a video published online, resident Faron Paul confronted some of the teenagers, demanding to know why they had been allowed out so late.
Murder probe: The road was still blocked off on Sunday morning / Drassick
One teen told him: I was in a rave and then youths kicked off, innit.
The murder was the second in the capital on Saturday, after a man was stabbed and shot in Bow during the afternoon.
It came a day after the Standard launched an investigation into the capital's knife crime epidemic, with 11 Londoners killed in just 16 days.
Roads in the area remained cordoned off on Sunday as detectives and forensics officers continued their investigations.
A Scotland yard spokesman said: Police were called shortly after 10.30pm on Saturday, 13 May, to a fight involving a number of people in Hertford Road, Enfield.
Officers attended and found an 18-year-old man, suffering from stab injuries.
A 19-year-old man and a 17-year-old male were found nearby in Palmers Lane, also suffering from stab injuries.
Any witnesses, or anyone with information that may assist the investigation, should contact police via 101 or Tweet @MetCC. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A man is fighting for life after he was stabbed in the head just yards from a murder scene in north London.
Police rushed to Southbury Road in Enfield on Sunday at 2pm after reports a man was injured near a Tesco car park.
Paramedics also arrived and Londons Air Ambulance landed nearby.
They found a man in his 20s suffering from stab wounds to his head and leg.
Police in the Tesco car park in Ponders End / Nigel Howard
He was taken to an east London hospital where he remains in a life threatening condition.
A Scotland Yard spokesman said: At this stage officers believe that the man was stabbed following an altercation with a group of males in Exeter Road.
The victim was placed in a vehicle by friends who attempted to seek help.
The vehicle stopped in Southbury Road where the emergency services were called.
The crime scene was minutes from Hertford Road, the scene of a triple stabbing on Saturday night that saw an 18-year-old die and left two other youths injured.
No arrests have been made over Sundays attack.
Anyone who saw the incident should all police on 101, tweet @MetCC or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A man is fighting for his life after he 'injured himself' following a fight in front of horrified shoppers in a Tesco supermarket in west London, police say.
Police were called to West Cromwell Road, in Kensington, at about 3.05pm on Sunday to reports of a man injured inside the supermarket.
Paramedics found a man, believed to be aged in his late 20s, suffering a wound to his leg and in possession of a knife.
He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he is in a critical condition, police said.
Officers now believe he injured himself following a fight at the supermarket.
An investigation into the incident was opened and two people - a man and woman - were followed by officers to Great Western Road, in west London. at about 4.10pm.
They had been seen leaving the scene shortly after the incident, police said.
They were arrested on suspicion of attempted murder by firearms officers, but have since been released without charge.
The scene were police arrested a man and woman in Great Western Road / Tricia Lodge
The incident comes after two people were murdered in the space of just a few hours on Saturday, with a man stabbed and shot in Bow and a teenager stabbed to death in Enfield.
A man is also fighting for his life after he was stabbed in the head just yards from the murder scene in Enfield on Sunday.
The Standard has launched an investigation into London's knife crime epidemic, with 11 people killed in just 16 days.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has any information is asked to contact police on 101 or via Twitter @MetCC or Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
A 17-year-old has been stabbed after youths carrying a samurai sword fought with knives in front of shocked travellers on a south London bus.
Witnesses told police one boy was attacked by two others carrying knives on board the route 64 bus in Danebury, New Addington.
All three left the bus and then continued fighting in the street, according to passengers.
As the violence continued, a black Corsa pulled up beside the bus and more youths got out, chasing the teen through a nearby estate.
Police were called to reports of the knife fight at around 2pm on May 5.
By the time they arrived, the youths had already scattered, but officers discovered a samurai sword discarded in the street.
Half an hour later, a 17-year-old boy checked into a south London hospital bleeding from a stab wound to the shoulder.
Police say his injuries are not life-threatening and he has since been discharged.
PC Darren Barlow, the officer in the case, said: "I am appealing witnesses on the route 64 bus, which went from Thornton Heath to New Addington that afternoon to contact me.
"I am also appealing for anyone who was in the Danebury area and the saw the fight continuing after all those involved had left the bus."
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said there had been no arrests so far.
Anyone with information can call PC Darren Barlow on 07825 378 289 or email darren.barlow@met.police.uk. Alternatively contact police on 101, tweet @MetCC, or phone Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A leading London private school is planning to introduce gender-neutral uniforms that would allow boys to wear skirts following a surge in trans pupils.
Highgate School, in north London, has pledged to bring in the new rules after a number of equality groups pushed for changes such as gender-neutral lavatories and bans on phrases such as man-up.
It comes as figures show a surge in the number of young people, mostly girls, looking to change gender.
More than 2,000 under-18s were referred to the Gender Identity Clinic (GIC) at the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trusts in north London last year, according to figures seen by the Sunday Times.
Highgate School / Google
But critics have warned that introducing such rules would encourage copycat behaviour among pupils.
Adam Pettitt, headmaster at Highgate, told the newspaper: This generation is really questioning [if we are] being binary in the way we look at things."
He added some former pupils have complained about the changes, saying They write in and say if you left children to their own devices they would grow up differently and you are promoting the wrong ideas".
The school already allows children to request that staff address them by a name of the opposite gender and one boy has also been allowed to wear a dress to school.
Former pupils at the school include Phil Tufnell and politician Charles Clarke.
At Woodside High School, a state school in Wood Green, in north London, staff are discouraged from using words such as lady-like or phrases like boys will be boys.
Alan Smithers, professor of education at Buckingham University, warned of the risks of copycat behaviour.
He said: Schools need to help young people become comfortable with their identities, not reinforce their anxieties with measures such as gender-neutral uniforms.
A pedestrian was rushed to hospital after being ploughed into in a hit-and-run in east London.
Paramedics and police were scrambled to the scene in Clapton Common, Hackney, just before 3am on Sunday.
The male pedestrian, 19, was rushed to hospital. Police said his condition is not life-threatening.
Officers said the car they believed was involved in the crash was recovered nearby. They are still trying to trace the driver.
Pictures show what is believed to be the car involved with a smashed windscreen / @Shomrim/Twitter
Dramatic pictures from the scene appear to show the car involved with its windscreen completely shattered.
One shows paramedics surrounding the pedestrian while the road is taped off.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: There has been no arrest at this stage and enquiries continue.
B urst water mains rose by more than 1,000 this year as the capitals centuries-old pipes struggled to cope with freezing temperatures - causing chaos for Londoners.
According to figures obtained under Freedom of Information by the Standard, Thames Water attended 5,229 leaks from April 2016 to April 2017, compared to 4,150 the year before - a 26 per cent increase.
Burst mains across London caused chaos for residents, with homes in Muswell Hill, Bexley, Tulse Hill and Lewisham left under swathes of water in separate incidents during the autumn and winter months.
Freezing temperatures over winter meant that in January the supplier attended to 1,000 repairs in just one week, with Thames Water forced to bring in extra staff to cope with numerous complaints.
Water comes into house in Muswell Hill Road flooding
A "major incident" was declared in Lewisham after a burst main submerged the town centre, while homes were left without water for days because of leaks across London.
Thames Water put the surge down to plummeting temperatures over January, which makes pipes more likely to burst.
The supplier has promised it is working to improve the figures.
A spokesman said: Weve increased investment and are being much more innovative to detect and prevent leaks.
We know that reducing leakage is a top customer priority, and are determined to bring the rate down.
"But large scale mains replacements are disruptive, especially with two thirds of our network running under the busiest and hardest to reach roads in London.
"We need to find the delicate balance between creating a more resilient network and keeping disruption and cost to a minimum for our customers."
In total, Thames Water attended 38,512 leaks over the past five years, with many pipes across the capital more than 200-years-old pre-dating the reign of Queen Victoria.
Burst water pipe in Tulse Hill
Officials attended the most broken pipes over the five year period in 2011, having to fix 6,428 leaks.
So far, Thames Water has replaced more than 1,700 miles of Victorian water pipes and is hoping to fix a further 370 miles by 2020.
While burst mains flooded vast areas of the capital last year, visible leaks only account for two per cent of incidents attended to by Thames Water, with most underground.
Flooding in Camberwell in October / Twitter/Carrie Behar
The disruption caused by burst pipes over winter was so severe that London Assembly member Jennette Arnold accused the company of having a let if flood, let it burst maintenance policy.
A spokesman for London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: "The Mayor is aware of a number of measures Thames Water are taking to reduce water main bursts in London and he expects them to be implemented as quickly as possible."
Earlier this year, Thames Water was fined a record 20.3m for polluting the River Thames, with the provider responsible for polluting the river with 1.4bn litres of raw sewage.
E mily Thornberry accused defence secretary Michael Fallon of talking b*****ks, in a fiery debate on live television.
The pair clashed on the BBCs Andrew Marr Show on Sunday after Mr Fallon claimed she wanted to renegotiate the future of the Falkland Islands.
He said the Ms Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, left the door open to a Labour government discussing the sovereignty of the islands with Argentina.
She strongly denied the claims, saying: That is b*****ks. Its untrue."
Ms Thornberry used foul language on live television / BBC
During the fiery interview, she went on to accuse Mr Fallon of lying to the electorate ahead of the General Election on June 8.
She said: You really cant just go around making this stuff up.
Theres an election on and people need to make decisions based on the truth.
The Falklands archipelago, 300 miles east of Argentina, remains British territory.
Earlier in the programme, Ms Thornberry was asked what Labour would do when approaching the Falkland Islands issue.
She said: "There needs to be a future in terms of talking to neighbours of the Falklands... but certainly not undermining the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands."
In the same show, Ms Thornberry ambushed the Conservative MP on a meeting he had with Bashar Al-Assad in 2007.
She said: Do you know where you were on the 27 May, 2007? You were in Syria and you were celebrating at a reception the re-election of President Assad with a 99 per cent of the vote.
Im not going to judge you on you going to a reception with Assad, and I dont think people should judge Jeremy by trying to talk to people who might be open to a settlement in Northern Ireland.
Her comments were made after a discussion began over Labour leader Jeremy Corbyns meeting with a top IRA leader in 1983.
In response to her Syria claims, Mr Fallon said: I was on all-party visit to Syria, back in 2007. I did meet Assad.
I didnt celebrate his re-election. It was 10 years ago we had a different relationship with Assad.
Theres a huge moral difference between talking to other foreign leaders, and Jeremy Corbyns quite open support for the IRA.
T heresa May will unveil a "new deal for workers" with a commitment to further increases in the national living wage in the Conservative Party manifesto.
The Prime Minister's will set out what she claims is the "greatest expansion in workers' rights by any Conservative government" in her latest bid to attract Labour voters for the general election.
The manifesto will include measures to protect workers' pensions in the wake of the BHS scandal and a guarantee European Union rights will be protected in the Brexit process.
The national living wage for workers aged 25 and over, which is currently 7.50, will rise in line with average earnings until 2022, while workers will also be given a statuary right to be informed of key decisions affecting their company's future.
New protections for workers in the so-called "gig economy, such as drivers for Uber and internet delivery firms, follow a review set up by the Prime Minister led by Matthew Taylor, a former adviser to Tony Blair.
Visiting a training facility in southern England, Theresa May will say: "I said I would use Brexit to extend the protections and rights that workers enjoy, and our manifesto will deliver exactly that.
The policy is aimed at typical Labour Party supporters / AFP/Getty Images
"Our plans, backed up with strong and stable leadership, will be the greatest expansion in workers' rights by any Conservative government in history.
"By working with business, reducing taxes and dealing with the deficit we have delivered steady improvements to the economic prospects of working people.
Other measures in the plans include representation for workers on company boards, although unions are likely to be disappointed that the proposals fall short of forcing firms to have employees in the boardroom.
Workers will also be given a new right to request leave for training purposes and the right to leave for workers who suffer the tragedy of losing a child.
The package of reforms includes changes to the Equalities Act to extend protections from discrimination to those suffering fluctuating or intermittent mental health conditions.
There will also be new returnships, internships for people coming back into the labour market after an absence such as parenthood or a period of caring for a relative.
Labour announced on Saturday that it would introduce a 'Robin Hood tax' to raise 26bn for public services from the City of London.
A leaked copy of the Labour Party manifesto also showed plans to nationalise the Royal Mail and railways.
Labour campaign chief Andrew Gwynne said the Prime Minister was "taking working people for fools".
"Theresa May and her Tory Government have failed to stand up for workers; with hundreds of thousands not being paid the money owed to them, thousands unable to get their case against their employer heard and hundreds of complaints of employment agency malpractice going un-investigated," he said.
A D-Day war hero became the worlds oldest person to skydive, at the age of 101 and 38 days.
Verdun Hayes smashed the current record after completing the tandem skydive with his family at an airfield in Devon on Sunday.
The former lance corporal in the Royal Signals said hooray as he touched down, adding that he was feeling absolutely over the moon.
The great-grandfather only tried jumping from planes for the first time last year, when he reached 100, breaking the British record.
Mr Hayes said he wanted to parachute jump since he turned 90, but was first talked out of it by his late wife.
He was determined to take the world record from its previous holder, Candaian Armand Gendreau who did it at the age of 101 and three days in 2013.
When asked how he was feeling prior to Sunday's jump, Mr Hayes, who needed a helping hand to navigate his way into the aircraft, replied with a stoic: "alright".
He said was "absolutely" looking forward to the experience.
The widower took to the skies with 10 members of his family, three generations, who were all raising money for the Royal British Legion.
Verdun Hayes gestures prior to tandem skydiving in Devon / AP
The youngest skydiver was Stanley, 16, Mr Hayes' great-grandson, while his grandson Roger, 50, son Bryan, 74 and great-granddaughter Ellie, 21, were also among those who took the leap.
Speaking prior to the skydive, his daughter, Lin Tattersall, said: "He's made up his own mind that he wants to do it again, and I am extremely proud of the reasoning behind it."
Mr Hayes, from Croyde, Devon, served in the Army during the Second World War and was presented with a Legion d'honneur for his heroic actions in Holland, Belgium, Germany and in Normandy, France.
He was named Verdun after his father Joseph Hayes, who served in the First World War as a Sapper with the Royal Engineers and who fought during the Battle of the Somme, wrote home to his pregnant wife Mary from the front line suggesting they call their child Verdun after the 1916 battle.
Mr Hayes himself served as a signaller and wireless operator for the Royal Signals during the Second World War.
The great-grandfather, jumped out of a plane from 15-thousand feet / AP
He returned to Normandy in 2016 as a beneficiary of the Royal British Legion's Remembrance Travel arm.
During the war, Mr Hayes sustained shrapnel injuries to his ribs and hands after being involved in an explosion that killed his friend, Sgt Edgar Robertson.
He said: "How I came home from World War Two I do not know.
"I was so near to the edge of everything. I lost any amount of friends in no time at all really. I just didn't think I would ever return home."
A spokesman for the Royal British Legion said Mr Hayes would now be celebrating with a glass of champagne.
He said: "We are very proud of Verdun's achievements and his family's support for the Royal British Legion and the money raised recognises the service and sacrifice made across all generations of the British Armed Forces.
"The money raised will help support individuals and families from across the generations of our armed forces community."
Members of the family have separate online donation pages but Mr Hayes, who hoped to raise 1,000, has already beaten his target and the current total on Virgin Money Giving stands at more than 1,600.
T he threat from the cyber attack that crippled international services "will continue to grow" as people return to work on Monday, the head of Europol warned.
Since Friday's breach more than 200,000 victims - including the NHS - across 150 countries have been infected by the Wanna Decryptor ransomware, also known as WannaCry.
London hospitals run by Barts Health NHS Trust were still affected by the problems on Sunday as they battled to return things to normal by Monday.
Speaking to ITV's Peston on Sunday, Europol director Rob Wainwright said the attack was indiscriminate across the private and public sectors.
"At the moment we are in the face of an escalating threat, the numbers are going up, I am worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn their machines on Monday morning.
"The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries. Many of those will be businesses including large corporations."
Organisations across the globe, including investigators from the National Crime Agency (NCA), are now working non-stop to hunt down those responsible for the ransomware.
Meanwhile health authorities are racing to upgrade security software amid fears hackers could exploit the same vulnerability with a new virus.
There have been calls for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Friday's major incident, with the Government and NHS chiefs facing questions over their preparedness and the robustness of vital systems.
Mr Wainwright explained: "We have been concerned for some time. The healthcare centres in many countries are particularly vulnerable. They are processing a lot of sensitive data."
A British cyber whiz was hailed an "accidental hero" after he registered a domain name that unexpectedly stopped the spread of the virus, which exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows software.
The anonymous specialist, known only as MalwareTech, prevented more than 100,000 computers across the globe from being infected.
A message appearing on a computer at an NHS trust / PA
On Sunday MalwareTech issued a warning that hackers could upgrade the virus to remove the kill switch.
"Version 1 of WannaCrypt was stoppable but version 2.0 will likely remove the flaw. You're only safe if you patch ASAP," he wrote on Twitter.
A number of hospitals in England and Scotland were forced to cancel procedures after dozens of NHS systems were brought down in Friday's attack.
Medical staff reported seeing computers go down "one by one" as the attack took hold, locking machines and demanding money to release the data.
Around a fifth of trusts were hit amid concerns networks were left vulnerable because they were still using outdated Windows XP software.
The apparent chink in the NHS's defences led to criticism of the Government and NHS bosses, with the Liberal Democrats demanding an inquiry takes place.
Speaking after a Cobra meeting on Saturday, Home Secretary Amber Rudd admitted "there's always more" that can be done to protect against viruses.
She said: "If you look at who's been impacted by this virus, it's a huge variety across different industries and across international governments.
"This is a virus that attacked Windows platforms. The fact is the NHS has fallen victim to this.
"I don't think it's to do with that preparedness. There's always more we can all do to make sure we're secure against viruses, but I think there have already been good preparations in place by the NHS to make sure they were ready for this sort of attack."
Labour's shadow health secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, in a letter to Mr Hunt, said concerns were repeatedly flagged about outdated computer systems.
Speaking to Robert Peston, he demanded that the Conservatives publish the Department of Health's risk register to see how seriously they were taking IT threats.
Among those affected by the virus was Nissan UK, but the car manufacturer said there had been no major impact.
It is understood its plant in Sunderland is not due to have another production shift until Sunday night.
A stage invader was bundled off by security after flashing his bare behind during the Eurovision Song Contest.
The unknown man made his move as 2016 winner Jamala was performing her new single to thousands at the International Exhibition Centre in Kiev, Ukraine.
Seconds into her song a man draped in an Australian flag got up on stage and circled Jamala before pulling his trousers down and flashing his bottom.
A security guard pulled him off stage as Jamala continued.
Graham Norton, who was providing the commentary, quickly apologised to viewers.
He said: "You may have witnessed a bare bottom. So I'd like to apologise if that offended anybody."
Eagle-eyed viewers were quick to spot the incident and took to Twitter to question whether they really did see a bare behind on stage.
Comedian Alan Carr feared the stage invader was from the UK and had destroyed our chance of winning.
He tweeted: "That a*** has just lost us #eurovision - fuming."
But he later realised the man was draped in an Australian flag, tweeting: "I've watched it back ten times and it's an Australian flag so phew! We could still win it."
Australia has participated in the competition for three years after being invited to compete in 2015 as part of the competition's 60th anniversary celebrations.
They were invited back to perform and even came close to winning in 2016, but just missed out to Jamala from Ukraine.
Eurovision moments - In pictures 1 /37 Eurovision moments - In pictures Swedish pop group Abba performs their song Waterloo during the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest AFP/Getty Images Members of the band Kalush Orchestra pose onstage with the winners trophy and Ukraines flags after winning on behalf of Ukraine the Eurovision Song contest 2022 on May 14, 2022 at the Pala Alpitour venue in Turin AFP via Getty Images 1981 Eurovision Song Contest winners Bucks Fizz Getty Images Jedward from Ireland perform in the grand finale of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest 2011 Getty Images Cliff Richard in a display of enthusiasm outside the Royal Albert Hall, London ahead of the 1967 Eurovision song contest Getty Images Lucie Jones performing the UK's 2017 Eurovision entry 'Never Give Up on You' PA Glasgow born pop singer Lulu (Marie MacDonald McLaughlin Lawrie) performs 'Boom Bang-A-Bang', the British entry at the 1969 Eurovision Song Contest in Madrid Getty Images Finland's Lordi performs the song 'Hard Rock Hallelujah' during the 2006 Eurovision final song contest AFP/Getty Images Conchita Wurst of Austria performs on stage during the grand final of the 2014 Eurovision Song Contest Getty Images Pop group Jemini of United Kingdom - the 2003 entry for the Eurovision song contest AFP/Getty Images British singer Sandie Shaw receiving the winning trophy for the 2967 Eurovision song contest Getty Images Scooch - United Kingdom's entry to the 2007 Eurovision Song Contest AFP/Getty Images Members of the t.A.T.u group from Russia are performing during the final concert of the 2003 Eurovision song contest in Riga AFP/Getty Images Ireland's Johnny Logan winning the 1980 Eurovision Song Contest Getty Images Olivia Newton-John poses with policemen in Brighton, during rehearsals for the 1974 Eurovision song contest PA The New Seekers pop group, chosen to represent United Kingdom in the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest. Getty Images English pop singer Cliff Richard with the 'Breakaways' group during rehearsals at London's Talk of the Town. He sang 'Congratulations', the British entry to the Eurovision Song Contest in 1968, reaching second place Getty Images Engelbert Humperdinck of the United Kingdom performs during the grand final of the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest Getty Images Celine Dion during the 1988 Eurovision song contest Pat Maxwell/Rex Boy band Blue of the United Kingdom perform in the grand finale of the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest Getty Images Dana International of Israel performs in the 2011 Eurovision cog contest Getty Images Hosts Terry Wogan and Natasha Kaplinsky, with winner Javine PA Katie Price as Jordon at the 2005 Eurovision song contest PA Gina G performs at the 1996 Eurovision song contest PA Katrina and the Waves celebrates their victory after winning the 1997 Eurovision Song PA Graham Norton hosting BBC1's Eurovision: Your Country Needs You PA France's Jacqueline Boyer clutches her trophy after winning the 1960 Eurovision Song Contest at the Royal Festival Hall Getty Images Eurovision Song Contest compere Katie Boyle (on the left) checks the scoreboard for the order of the draw in 1960 Getty Images
Eurovision is on BBC One.
VETERAN, Wyo. The McClun family is typical of many agricultural operations located in eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska. The business is passed to the next generations, and family members work in town or hold other jobs off the farm/ranch.
The first McClun, V.H., came to Goshen County in the 1920s where he joined other World War I veterans who took up homesteading. His place was in the Table Mountain community near Lyman, Nebraska.
A few years later, he was joined by his brother, Earl, who brought his family from eastern Nebraska. Soon after arriving in 1934, his sone, Jim, was born. Earl later moved his operation to the present location, 4.5 miles west of Wyoming Highway 154, and two miles north of the small community of Veteran.
According to Jim, whose family now lives on the place and manages their livestock operation, he was in sixth grade when the move was made to Veteran. He graduated from Veteran High School in 1952, and served in the U.S. Army, 1954-56. He used the G.I. Bill to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculutural economics from the University of Wyoming (UW).
In 1962, he and Jerri Geringer married and settled into the family operation. They met while Jerri, who was raised at Wheatland, was working at the First National Bank in Torrington, Wyoming.
The young family grew to include four children: JoAnn, Jean, Julie and Jeff. Although the siblings have taken their own paths in life, they maintain close ties with their parents and the home place.
JoAnn, who has a degree from UW, and her husband, Michael, live in Goshen County with their two daughters and two sons. The family is active in 4-H and keeps their animals at grandpas place.
Jean has a degree in animal science, also from UW. She lived in Colorado for a while, but has returned to help with the business.
Julie and her husband, Troy Davis, and daughter, Janie, live south of Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, near the border with Colorado. She graduated from Chadron State College with a degree in accounting, and works for the State of Wyoming in Cheyenne. Troy is employed by Weld County, Colorado, and Janie is an elementary school student at Pine Bluffs.
Jeff and his wife, Kari, who is from the Huntley, Wyoming, community, are graduates of Southeast High School at Yoder, Wyoming, where their children, Kody and Kiffany, a cosmetologist in Casper, Wyoming, graduated, and Kassidy will be a senior next fall. Kari works at Community Hospital in Torrington.
Jeff earned a degree in farm mechanics from Eastern Wyoming College in Torrington, and began his life of sharing duties on the home place. He also ventured into politics, and serves as a member of the Goshen County Unified School District #1 board of directors.
Kody, in his turn, is carrying on the family tradition of higher education and agriculture. He attended Eastern Wyoming College and the University of Wyoming, studying farm management and earning a degree in ag business. Tyler, his wife, has a degree in elementary education and does substitute teaching while their children are small. Mason, 5, and Kanin, 5 months, are lining up for their turn at running the Lazy JM business.
In addition to running a successful livestock and farming operation, the family is also involved in community organizations. Jim, Jeff and Kody are active in the Veteran Volunteer Fire Department. Jim was a charter member, and served as fire chief during his career. He has now retired, but Jeff and Kody are active members.
As for the business itself, management is a cooperative effort.
We pretty much divide the responsibilities, Jeff said, sitting at the dining room table in his parents farm home where the family gathered for this interview. Right now the focus is calving, then it will be hay time. And theres always repairs.
According to Jeff, he wanted a degree from EWC because he likes working with and repairing equipment, and thought he would use his skills at an off-farm job. But after completing the course, and submitting a job application, he wasnt excited about working inside all day.
Even if I got a job in a shop, working inside wasnt for me, he explained. Coming back to the farm wasnt just to help Dad. This is what Id grown up with, and all I really like to do. Theres always challenges, and for the most part its a good life, especially for the kids.
The family maintains 275-300 head of cattle, both Hereford and Angus, in addition to farming 500 acres, raising corn and alfalfa to feed their livestock. A large part of their operation is pasture across the Fort Laramie Canal from their homes.
According to Jim, his father had steers for several years, and in the early 1950s expanded to a cow/calf operation. In 1964, the family switched to registered Herefords. Eventually, following the market trend, about 20 years ago they added an Angus line.
Jim said he tried Semintal and Salers in the 1980s, but went back to the Herefords.
I like the Hereford temperament, he said of the main Lazy J M line. They are easy to handle.
The McCluns have held a spring bull sale for about 20 years, and also have some commercial cattle, feeders and bred heifers, to serve their customers throughout the region. In addition to their other operations, the McCluns also do AI breeding, with an emphasis on genetics.
When asked about the future, the response was unanimous: Continue farming and raising cattle, even though 2016 was a poor year.
There probably isnt a farmer or rancher who wont agree with that evalution of recent conditions in the agriculture industry.
However, continuing to challenge the elements and the markets seems to be part of the nature of true ag producers.
As Kody put it, I wanted to join the family operation, so I went to school and got the piece of paper, and came back.
He hopes Mason and Kanin follow the family tradition, which seems likely, as even at their young ages, they enjoy being outside, following the footsteps of their great-grandfather, grandfather and father.
TORRINGTON, Wyo. A Torrington-area couple received the Distinguished Service to Agriculture Award from the University of Wyoming chapter of the national honor society of agriculture for their accomplishments, work with students and collaboration with researchers.
Gamma Sigma Delta recognized Scott and Teresa Forrest during the organizations honors banquet last month on the UW campus. GSD also recognized outstanding academic students in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Forrest Farms produces organic corn and hay for organic dairy producers in Wyoming and surrounding states, said Anowar Islam, UW Extension forage specialist.
I was very impressed seeing Scotts great farming operation systems and in-depth knowledge and enthusiasm for agriculture, said Islam, president of UWs GSD. He is a hard-working farmer and has spent his entire life in agricultural production and business systems.
The Forrests and their daughter and son-in-law, Crystal and Ryan Woehlecke, operate the farm. Their sons, David and Brian Forrest, haul all the corn and hay.
Forrest has collaborated with UW since 2010 when Islam, who had received funding from the National Institute for Farming and Agriculture and Wyoming Department of Agriculture Producer Grants, contacted Forrest Farms about conducting forage research.
Forrest is involved in research with faculty members, extension educators and students by providing not only experimental lands and facilities but also daily operations, data collection and monitoring and reporting, said Islam.
I noticed Scott is a great helper, especially to students for their land preparation, irrigation, weed control, plot harvesting and overall plot management, noted Islam.
Forrests contributions led to Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station research bulletins in 2015 and 2016.
Forrest provides information about his farm to other producers looking for ways to improve agricultural production and test management options.
He also volunteers for student projects.
A recent great example is helping students for their GPS projects in a remote sensing agricultural course in the botany department at UW, said Islam.
Forrest started a dairy farm with his father in Berthoud, Colorado, in 1978. He moved to Torrington in 1994 and operated a dairy until selling the operation in 2013 and switching to raising organic corn and hay. Forrest Farms has been organic for 10 years.
Signs are being made and talking points rehearsed in anticipation of Monday nights city council meeting, as a group of residents opposed to the renaming of Lakewood Park to Martin Luther King Jr. Park plans a protest during the public comment portion of the meeting.
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Veteran St. Louis television news anchor and reporter John Auble died Saturday.
His death was reported by KTVI (Channel 2) Sunday morning. The station did not give a cause of death. He worked for the station as an anchor for 23 years before retiring in May 2011. He was 77 years old.
Auble came to St. Louis in 1967 to work for the Globe-Democrat, according to Post-Dispatch reports. He later worked at KMOX-TV (now KMOV) and Channel 5, which was KSD-TV and later KSDK.
He co-hosted the popular Newsbeat show with Dick Ford. He also managed and then owned the Goldenrod showboat on the riverfront for a time before joining Channel 2 in 1988.
His career highlights include an interview with James Earl Ray, the man who assassinated the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He also interviewed Coretta King and Rosa Parks, among others.
In 2011, Auble was inducted into the St. Louis Media Halls of Fame for his contributions to television journalism. The Youngstown, Ohio, native was a Vietnam War veteran and the winner of seven Emmy awards.
He previously worked as a reporter in Columbus, Ohio; New York City and in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
According to KTVI, Auble is survived by his wife, Charmaine Cassin-Auble, five children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Service information was not yet available.
Each Saturday and Sunday well post a Quick Smoke: not quite a full review, just our brief verdict on a single cigar of buy, hold, or sell.
One of the first cigars I smoked under the Casa Fernandez brand was Arsenio, which is named after Casa Fernandez master blender Arsenio Ramos. Its a tremendous value considering $45 gets you a box of ten. In 2014, Casa Fernandez added a new Arsenio line called Serie Oro. Today Im smoking the large Toro (6.5 x 54), which retails for just under $10. The Nicaraguan puro features a Corojo wrapper grown at an Aganorsa farm in Esteli. With a soft, box-pressed shape, the cigar produces medium-bodied flavors with plenty of graham cracker sweetness and black coffee notes. Construction is excellent. It is hard to beat the original Arsenio when it comes to valye, but the Serie Oro is a fine, balanced, well-made cigar.
Verdict = Buy.
Patrick S
photo credit: Stogie Guys,
PATIENTS at South Warwickshire Foundation Trust are reassuring patients that they can attend appointments as normal in the wake of the global cyber attacks.
In total 48 trusts in Britain were hit by Fridays ransomware attack which locked computer systems disrupting hospital and GP appointments and demanding payments of 230 to free them.
SWFT which runs hospials in Warwick, Leamington, Stratford and Shipston was not among the targeted trusts forced to cancel appointments and operations but was quick to take action to protect its systems.
A statement on SWFTs website reads: A number of NHS trusts have reported issues with their IT systems. We are taking precautions to safeguard our systems and ensure none of our services are impacted.
Please attend all your appointments as planned. If any of our services are affected we will provide an update at the earliest opportunity.
The government emergency Cobra committee met yesterday to discuss the attack.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: Weve talked about how we can make sure the NHS remains robust, that patients are put first.
Bank of China (BoC) will be setting up its first branch in Pakistan as it has received its banking license from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar met with Bank of China Chairman Tian Guo Li in Beijing, where the latter was invited to visit Pakistan to inaugurate bank's first branch in Pakistan, expected to be set up in Karachi.
The bank is expected to commence its business after meeting regulatory requirements, and is expected to start its operations in branch mode, said a statement released by SBP.
The SBP statement added that BoC is a subsidiary of China Central Huijin, an investment arm of the Chinese government.
BoC operates on mainland China and has footprints in more than 50 countries across the globe, with 19 of those countries located across China's 'One Belt One Road' initiative.
At the end of 2015, the bank had a total of 11,633 institutions including 644 in countries outside China.
BoC is the fourth and fifth largest global bank in terms of Tier-1 capital and total assets respectively. It is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
The bank will initially bring $50 million to fulfill the minimum capital requirements of SBP.
The long term objective of Bank of China is to increase its market penetration by opening branches in major cities of Pakistan while aiming to be one of the largest foreign banks in the country.
The bank aims to provide differential and specialised banking services to effectively serve financing needs of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) related projects by leveraging on its experience and global technology platforms.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has ordered the Cyber Crime Wing of Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) to take immediate action against all those dishonouring the Pakistan Army through social media.
The interior minister stated that the Constitution, while providing guarantee of freedom of expression, makes it clear that security and defence matters and relevant organisation would not be subjected to criticism and no citizen would indulge in any such activity that negatively impacts the prestige, repute and respect of the armed forces.
Ridiculing the army or its officers under the garb of freedom of expression is unacceptable, he was quoted as saying in the statement.
He said targeting a disciplined and reputed organisation of the country was not only a matter of concern but was also a serious offence and strict action should be taken against those who, intentionally or unintentionally, were committing such an offence.
The minister directed FIA to take action without any discrimination against all involved in such condemnable act regardless of their party affiliation, group or profession.
The sources said that these instructions were issued after many social media users criticised the military establishment in its recent standoff with the government over the Dawn Leak issue.
The critics on social media have been questioning the ISPRs public rejection of an order issued by the PM office on Dawn Leak.
The controversial tweet was however, recanted by the spokesman of the armed forces but it remains undeleted.
Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan on Sunday said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif could not stop corruption because he himself was a king of corruption.
Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Imran Khan has said on Sunday that leadership of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stole Rs 62 billion that belonged to the people of Pakistan.
He addressed a rally in Abbottabad and in his speech he said that money laundering done by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was proved by material published by Panama Papers.
He held rampant corruption a reason for lack of foreign investment in Pakistan. Khan said that the country could not progress until persons guilty of corruption are not put behind bars.
He branded Dawn Leaks a conspiracy to malign the military. Khan said that the leak was no misunderstanding between the government and the army.
Earlier on Friday, Khan said while addressing a rally in Sargodha: "It was revealed in Dawn Leaks that PM Nawaz wants friendly relations with India however the army does not agree to this."
He commented had such sort of a situation arosed in India, appropriate action would have been taken within 48 hours.
Imran Khan declared that the premier s lies have been exposed after the Qatari letter was rejected by the Supreme Court in Panama Leaks case.
He claimed that the government has failed to fulfill the promises made to the masses. Imran Khan further alleged that the government is busy maligning Pakistan Army when there already is tension along the borders.
Former President and Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday that the ruling party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz will not be successful in making a government again in Punjab, adding that the PPP wont allow rigging in the next general elections.
PPP co-chairman was addressing a gathering in Peshawar.
They have a misapprehension that they will form a government again in Punjab by introducing new trains, mocked the former president.
He said that this time his party workers would be sitting in front of the polling booths and would leave only after receiving results.
Would go to every corner of the country to campaign this time, he said.
The former president said that the PPP wanted to ensure FATAs inclusion in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, adding that the party gave Pakhtuns their identity.
Zardari said that the NFC award was not a favour but a right of the Pakhtun nation.
We dreamt of the CPEC for Balochistan and KP, said the PPP co-chairman.
He also took aim at ruling party in KP, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, saying: Immature people cannot see that KP is up in flames.
Zardari is on a five-day visit to Peshawar during which he is scheduled to meet provincial members of the party, members of the parliament, district heads and address the FATA grand jirga, PPP KP president Muhammad Humayun Khan had said.
Twenty-three people were killed and 11 injured when a bus carrying Turkish tourists crashed near the southwestern holiday town of Marmaris in Mugla Province, a local official says.
Mugla Deputy Governor Kamil Koten told Anadolu Agency that the death toll in the accident increased to 23 when three bodies trapped under the vehicle were taken out. Koten said 11 people had been injured.
Amir Cicek, the governor of Mugla province, had earlier put the death toll at 20. He had said that the bus was carrying about 40 people, many of whom were women.
The bus was heading to Marmaris from the Buca district of the western province of Izmir for a one-day trip when the driver lost control of the vehicle in the Sakagecidi region and the bus tumbled down a cliff.
Ambulances, fire department and teams from Turkeys Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) were dispatched to the scene.
There were no foreign tourists inside it. The reason for the accident is being examined. There may be a malfunction in the brakes, but the issue is being investigated, Cicek said.
Marmaris Mayor Ali Acar also said that the situation is dire. A high number of people were killed. I think that the accident was a result of driver failure.
Marmaris is one of the country's main resorts on the Mediterranean, and a popular weekend destination for many Turks as temperatures climb.
A gunman has shot and killed a police chief and two nursing home staff members in the US state of Ohio, according to police.
Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp told reporters during a press conference on Friday that the suspected gunman was also found dead.
So the incident that happened inside Pine Kirk Care Center in Kirkersville left a total of four people dead. Kirkersville is located about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Columbus, Ohio.
Thorp identified the slain officer as 36-year-old Steven Eric Disario, who was ambushed while responding to reports of an armed man firing shots inside the nursing home
The officer was a father of six children, and the family has another child on the way, Thorp said.
Statistics by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that firearms kill more than 33,000 people in the US every year, a number that includes accidental discharges, murders and suicides.
It is estimated that there are between 270 million and 300 million guns in the US, about one per person, according to the New York Daily News.
This years budget will include an additional investment of $59.2 million over four years to ensure all road ambulance call outs are double crewed.
St John has welcomed the news, saying the end of single crewing is the most significant development in their ambulance service history.
Health Minister Jonathan Coleman says the government is focused on getting patients the care they need when they need it.
Our ambulance services have a key role to play in this, he says.
Double crewing all road ambulance call outs will help ensure patients are provided with the best care possible, as well as support the safety and wellbeing of our dedicated paramedic workforce.
St John chief executive Peter Bradley says it means they will be able to recruit 430 frontline jobs over four years.
Well be able to provide rural New Zealand with the same crewing levels as urban areas a move that will save more lives and make it safer for out crews.
It will also give us the chance to promote from within, and for a large number of out volunteer ambulance officers to become paid staff.
However, NZ First leader Winston Peters has slammed the governments announcement as a limp response after years of neglect.
To be blunt, National has allowed patients to suffer, perhaps die, by failing to heed the calls for more funding for St John and other services, says Winston.
Their announcement of 375 extra medical personnel will be welcomed only because ambulance services are desperate.
He believes National has cynically ignored needs right up until election year.
They have the nerve after nine years to announce a funding model that is not completed until 2021 which, on their record, by that time will be obsolete.
Our ambulances only get 70 per cent government funding, so have to beg from the public for more. They are running at losses. St John had a staggering $7m plus deficit in 2015, it has been sending out ambulances with only one crew member and has been warning the government for years that more funding is needed, as did the parliamentary select committee nine years ago.
If elected, he says New Zealand First would also ensure all ambulances were double crewed.
Dog fees in the Eastern Bay of Plenty are set to rise by $15 per dog for the 2017/2018 year.
The Whakatane District Council has agreed to raise the annual registration fee for "entire" dogs to cover an expected increase in the cost of dog control activities.
Projected expenditure for dog control across the district is expected to total close to $655,000 for the year, with much the increase focused on delivering enhanced services across the district.
This includes increased animal control cover delivered by the Councils Whakatane-based staff; and an animal control partnership agreement with Ngati Manawa, which is already delivering a greatly improved service in Murupara and surrounds, with fewer roaming dogs and an increase in impoundments and registrations noted since the partnership took effect in January, says a statement from the council.
To comply with the councils funding policy, 70 per cent of the expected annual cost must be derived from registration, impounding and other dog-related fees.
The revenue expected to be generated from registration fees and fines is likely to fall $42,000 short of the required contribution and as much of the animal control effort goes into dealing with aggression and roaming issues often relating to entire dogs, staff recommended that the additional cost should not be recovered from the fees for de-sexed dogs.
Following discussion at an extraordinary council meeting earlier this month, most council elected members agreed that the fee for registering entire dogs should increase from $60 to $75 a year (providing the fee is paid by July 31).
The discounted annual registration fees for payments received by 31 July are: de-sexed dog - $50; entire dog - $75; dogs owned by incorporated hunt clubs - $50/dog.
All of those fees increase by 50 percent if they are paid after July 31.
The annual fee for certified companion dogs/hearing dogs/guide dogs is $5.
Several committee members expressed concern that the fee change unfairly penalised the rural community, where many working dogs were retained as entires for breeding purposes.
However, most felt any potential change to the fee structure should be considered as part of a wider review, in conjunction with next years 2018-28 Long Term Plan process.
In his report to the Committee, Council Community Regulation Manager Graeme Lewer also highlighted the availability of Government funding for the free de-sexing of menacing dog breeds.
Information on that initiative is available on the Council website
Auburn High School students attended their senior prom Saturday evening. The event was held at the Lodge at Welch Allyn in Skaneateles Falls.
Above are photos from the event.
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Students of Bishop Grimes Jr./Sr. High School celebrated at their junior/senior prom Saturday evening at Traditions at the Links in East Syracuse. The event's theme was "An Evening in Paris."
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Cazenovia High School students attended their junior prom Saturday evening. The event was held in the high school auxiliary gymnasium.
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Students of Henninger High School attended their junior prom Saturday evening at the high school.
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LaFayette High School students celebrated at their junior/senior prom Saturday evening at the DoubleTree Hotel in East Syracuse. The event had a masquerade theme.
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Liverpool High School students celebrated at their junior prom Saturday evening. The event, which was held at the Holiday Inn on Electronics Parkway, had a theme of "A Night in the City."
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Students of Manlius Pebble Hill School attended their prom Saturday evening. The event was held at Wellington House in Fayetteville.
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Students of Mexico High School attended their junior prom Saturday evening at Alex's on the Water in Oswego. The event's theme was "Beauty and the Beast."
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printuppromo.jpg
James Printup, 49, of Lewiston, New York, was arrested after driving a vehicle that struck a 5-year-old child, state police said.
(New York State Police)
LEWISTON -- A 49-year-old Upstate New York man has been charged with driving while ability impaired following an accident in which he backed into a 5-year-old girl in a driveway, authorities said.
James Printup of Lewiston in Niagara County faces the DWAI charge under Leandra's Law. He was also charged with unlawful possession of marijuana following the incident, which occurred about 4:15 p.m. Thursday on Upper Mountain Road in Lewiston.
Printup had pulled into the driveway and the 5-year-old exited his vehicle from the passenger side, New York State Police said. Printup then put the vehicle in reverse, backed up and hit the child with the open passenger-side door.
WKBW-TV reported that the driver was the father of the girl.
The child suffered abrasions to her head and leg area and was flown by Mercy Flight to Women & Children's Hospital in Buffalo for treatment. Troopers noted that the child did not suffer any life-threatening injuries.
A state police drug recognition expert was brought in to administer field sobriety tests to Printup. After failing the tests, Printup was charged and taken to Mount St. Mary's Hospital for a blood sample.
Leandra's Law makes it an automatic felony on the first offense to drive with a person age 15 or younger inside the vehicle while the operator of the vehicle has a Blood Alcohol Content of 0.08 percent or greater, or is intoxicated due to drug or alcohol ingestion.
Printup was issued appearance tickets to appear in Town of Lewiston Court.
The National Desk contributed to this report.
PLATTSBURGH -- A sergeant with an Upstate New York prison has been arrested after he was accused of hiding a camera in a smoke detector at his home.
Frank J. Fields, 42, of Plattsburgh was charged with second-degree unlawful surveillance, a felony.
On March 19, a 29-year-old man reported to New York State Police that Fields "had set a hidden camera facing into the bathroom secreted in a smoke detector" in Fields' home at 1205 Cumberland Head Road in the Town of Plattsburgh, State Police spokeswoman Jennifer Fleishman said.
Fields is employed at Altona Correctional Facility, a medium security prison in Clinton County.
Information about who might have been the intended alleged victim of the unlawful surveillance wasn't available.
State Police arrested Fields on May 3, Fleishman said. He was arraigned in Peru Town Court before Justice James Kirby the next day and released on his own recognizance.
A court official said Fields' case was adjourned to June 8 before Justice Kevin Patnode.
Fields was hired by the prison system on March 3, 1997, according to the state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.
As of May 5, he was suspended without pay.
Fields had been earning a salary of $81,099 per year.
He could not be reached for comment.
-- Cara Chapman, Press-Republican, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Around 6,500 students will graduate from Syracuse University and SUNY ESF this morning.
The Carrier Dome will host SU's 163rd commencement starting at 9:30 a.m. The live feed will start moments before the procession.
will deliver this year's commencement speech.
S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications professor emerita Nancy Weatherly Sharp will lead the procession as mace bearer. Rachel Brown-Weinstock and Nedda Sarshar, students in both the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the College of Arts and Sciences, will be the all-university senior class marshals.
SU Vice Chancellor and Provost Michele Wheatly will preside over the ceremony.
Chancellor Kent Syverud and SUNY ESF President Quentin Wheeler will each address the graduates.
A total of 6,363 bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees will be conferred at today's ceremony, which covers both SU and the State University of New York College of Environment Science and Forestry.
SU's College of Law graduated another 148 juris doctor and 27 master of law degrees in a separate ceremony Friday.
Each school and college within the university also held a convocation over the weekend.
Follow along with SU's graduation weekend on Twitter, using the hashtag #SUgrad17.
Reporter Julie McMahon covers Syracuse University and Syracuse city schools. She can be reached anytime: Email | Twitter | 315-412-1992
South Korea Koreas Tensions
A South Korean army soldier walks by a TV news program showing a file image of missiles being test-launched by North Korea, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, May 14, 2017.
(AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Sunday test-launched a ballistic missile that landed in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese and U.S. militaries said.
Japan's defense minister said the missile test-fired by North Korea might have been a new type given the altitude and 500-mile duration of its flight.
Defense Minister Tomomi Inada told reporters said it flew for about 30 minutes and an altitude exceeding 1,240 miles. She said more analysis was needed.
Earlier, Japanese officials said the missile landed in the Sea of Japan but outside the country's exclusive economic zone.
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has strongly condemned the launch, saying there was still the possibility of dialogue with North Korea but that Seoul would deal sternly with any such provocations.
The launch is a direct challenge to the new South Korean president elected four days ago and comes as U.S., Japanese and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific.
It wasn't immediately clear what type of ballistic missile was launched, although the U.S. Pacific Command said that "the flight is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile."
Outside militaries will closely analyze what the North fired. While Pyongyang regularly tests shorter-range missiles, it is also working to master the technology needed to field nuclear-tipped missiles that can reach the U.S. mainland. Past North Korean missiles have flown farther than Sunday's test, landing closer to Japan, but this launch follows a series of high-profile failures.
Whatever the type of missile, the launch forces Moon to put dealing with Pyongyang, at least for now, above the domestic economic agenda he'd made a priority during his early days in office.
Moon, a liberal who favors a softer approach to the North than his conservative predecessors, strongly condemned the launch during an emergency national security meeting, calling it a clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a serious challenge to international peace and security, according to senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan.
"The president expressed deep regret over the fact that this provocation occurred just days after a new government was launched in South Korea," Yoon told a televised conference. "The president said we are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating."
Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said the missile flew about 500 miles from a launch site on North Korea's western coast.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Sunday that the launch is "absolutely unacceptable" and that Japan will respond resolutely.
South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired early Sunday morning from near Kusong, in North Phyongan province.
North Korea's past satellite rocket launches have been called clandestine tests of ICBM technology, but it is not believed to have tested a true intercontinental ballistic missile yet. The Trump administration has called North Korean ballistic and nuclear efforts unacceptable and has swung between threats of military action and offers to talk as it formulates a policy.
The North's state media said Saturday the nation will bolster its nuclear capability unless the United States abandons its hostile policy.
"The United States should never expect us to give up our nuclear capability," the main Rodong newspaper said in a commentary carried by the Korean Central News Agency. It said U.S. President Donald Trump's "maximum pressure and engagement" policy is only aimed at "stifling us" and will compel the North to "strengthen our nuclear deterrent at the maximum speed."
The launch also comes as troops from the U.S., Japan and two European nations gather on remote U.S. islands in the Pacific for drills that are partly a message to North Korea. The USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft supercarrier, is also engaging with South Korean navy ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula, according to Seoul's Defense Ministry.
Last week South Koreans elected Moon to replace conservative Park Geun-hye, who is in jail awaiting a corruption trial. North Korea needs tests to perfect its missile program, but it also is thought to stage its launches after the elections of new U.S. and South Korean presidents in an attempt to gauge a new administration's reaction.
Moon, the first liberal leader in Seoul in nearly a decade, said as he took his oath of office that he'd be willing to visit the North if the circumstances were right. Trump has also said he'd be "honored" to talk with leader Kim Jong Un under favorable conditions.
On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat in charge of U.S. relations, Choe Son Hui, told reporters in Beijing that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set."
During the South's so-called "sunshine" era of the late 1990s and early to mid2000s, liberal South Korean leaders held two summits with Kim Jong Un's father, the late Kim Jong Il, and shipped huge amounts of aid to the North. Critics say this only helped the elite in Pyongyang build their missile and nuclear programs, while supporters point to the bloodshed, threats of war and nuclear development of the last decade as proof that the conservative approach was no better.
Moon has moved more quickly on domestic economic goals than foreign policy. But analysts say that North Korea's weapons program is likely too far advanced for him to be able to return to the type of sunshine policies his liberal predecessors favored.
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T-Mobile and Sprint - the nation's third and fourth largest wireless carriers, respectively - are reportedly revisiting the idea of a merger. Sources familiar with the matter tell Bloomberg that executives with Sprint and its largest shareholder, SoftBank Group Corp., have had informal contact with T-Mobile parent company Deutsche Telekom AG regarding a deal.
Neither side has hired a bank to stand in their corner although sources say several financial firms are already jockeying for position should talks advance to that stage and their services be required.
As the publication highlights, negotiations in general have been on hold for nearly a year - a stipulation of the recent FCC spectrum auction (talks were only allowed to resume on April 27). For what it's worth, T-Mobile cleaned up in the auction, walking away with roughly 45 percent of the total spectrum on offer.
T-Mobile has served as a potential acquisition target for multiple companies over the better part of the past decade. AT&T, for example, pulled the trigger and got pretty deep into the process before regulatory hurdles derailed the deal. As per that agreement, AT&T had to fork over $4 billion to T-Mobile due to the deal falling through.
Regulators were - and like still are - worried that a merger of that caliber would reduce competition and result in a marketplace that gives consumer less choice and potentially higher prices for services.
Any deal involving T-Mobile at this junction would be interesting as the scrappy carrier has clawed its way back into relevancy thanks to a series of industry-changing initiatives from outspoken CEO John Legere.
Google has announced Project Treble, which is a solution to arguably the biggest problem of the Android mobile operating system.
That problem, of course, is the slow pace at which Android updates are rolled out by device manufacturers to smartphones, leading to fragmentation with smartphones on different Android versions and exposing users to security risks.
What Is Google's Project Treble?
Google describes Project Treble, which will be introduced by Google to Android-powered devices with the upcoming Android O, as the biggest change to date for the low-level system architecture of Android.
According to the Android Developers blog post that announced Project Treble, device manufacturers have complained that rolling out updates to bring smartphones and tablets to the latest version of Android is both costly and time-consuming.
Google is able to roll out Android updates to its own products including the Pixel smartphones and Nexus devices, but for owners of devices from third-party manufacturers, the wait for Android updates is a very long one.
Google said that the problem will be solved by Project Treble, which will make it faster, less costly, and overall much easier for manufacturers to release upgrades that will take devices to new versions of Android.
A simple explanation for Project Treble is that Google has split the work it does on Android and the work that its hardware partners do. With Project Treble in place on Android O, device manufacturers such as Samsung will be able to release Android updates to their devices without waiting for chip partners such as Qualcomm to first release their own software updates.
Project Treble will not instantly solve all the issues for rolling out Android updates, though. While it will make things much simpler for manufacturers who use stock versions of Android in their devices, companies such as Samsung who customize every nook and cranny of the mobile operating system for their smartphones will still need to do a lot of work once an Android update comes along.
Android Fragmentation Still A Problem
The fragmentation problem of Android has improved over time, but it is still a major problem for owners of Android-powered devices. Android 7.0 Nougat, the last major version of the mobile operating system, is only installed on 7 percent of Android devices despite being launched eight months ago.
To further illustrate the Android fragmentation problem, Android Jelly Bean is on more devices than Android Nougat, despite the fact that Google moved on from it four years ago.
Google has been trying to look for a solution and even went as far as saying that it will shame device makers who push out Android updates late. Project Treble is the latest attempt in trying to solve Android fragmentation, though it remains to be seen whether it will be more effective at it than previous initiatives.
There is also the problem that Project Treble will not be applied to older versions of Android. Who knows when a significant portion of Android devices will be updated to Android O to benefit from the initiative?
Google will be holding the annual I/O conference for developers on May 17 to May 19, so we should learn more about Project Treble in a few days.
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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) recently confirmed that the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion Spacecraft will have an unmanned maiden flight despite earlier plans for a crewed mission.
According to the NASA, it is already too late into the mission planning schedule to accommodate changes from its original plan for the Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1), which was designed to have an unmanned first flight to test the entire flight system's capabilities.
"We appreciate the opportunity to evaluate the possibility of this crewed flight... NASA will continue to work with the Administration and Congress as we move toward a crewed flight test on EM-2 and, right now, we are very focused on accomplishing the EM-1 flight test," NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot expressed.
Strengthening EM-1 Or Keeping Expenses Down?
Lightfoot requested a study to determine whether a manned EM-1 would be feasible in February but, despite advances in rocket and space flight technologies now, NASA concluded that keeping EM-1 unmanned is the better option.
Associate administrator for NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate William Gerstenmaier said that the space agency looked into the possibility of a crewed EM-1 but has decided to lay additional groundwork instead.
"Conducting these tests in advance of EM-1 would provide additional data that will advance our systems knowledge faster and possibly improve the robustness of the overall plan for sending humans into deep space," Gerstenmaier explained.
An unnamed source familiar with NASA's study, however, claims that the original plan won out in the end because adding a crew to the EM-1 would blow up its cost by several hundred million dollars.
"Any time you are trying to rapidly add capabilities, you are asking for trouble in a system like this... Changing the plans midstream is where you start to incur cost that is not commensurate with your return," Casey Dreier, The Planetary Society's director of space policy, explains.
It's not that NASA is not concerned about the crew's safety but experts say adjusting the current system to consider safety for a crewed maiden flight something the agency has not done before would cost a lot more than just sticking to its usual program.
Of course, with NASA's budget cut, even if it was less than one percent of the total budget, finances will be a struggle for the agency.
Former NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver, however, defended the agency's decision.
"Cost is not the [main] problem, it's just that NASA doesn't do things that way," Garver said.
2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on May 13 that Green Chile Food Company is voluntarily recalling several of its frozen meat and poultry burrito products due to possible listeria contamination.
The product recall comes after a Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspector did a routine testing on a Beef and Potato Burrito and found evidence of Listeria monocytogenes in the items. More than 252,000 pounds of frozen burritos were made from the contaminated batch so USDA has classified this case as a Class I recall for the serious and adverse health risk it poses.
List Of Recalled Burritos
The affected Green Chile frozen products were manufactured and packaged on different dates from March 8 to May 10, 2017 and have the establishment number "EST. 21740" printed inside the USDA mark of inspection.
According to the company, the affected products were shipped to retail outlets, institutions, and distribution centers located in Illinois, California, Oregon, and South Dakota.
Here is the list of affected pre-packaged ready to eat frozen products:
7-Oz. Paper wrap packages
Chipotle Chicken Burrito with Salsa & Monterey Jack (case code 833425001426)
Carnitas Burrito with Salsa, Monterey Jack & Cilantro Lime Rice (case code 833425001488)
Egg & Sausage Breakfast Burrito with Hashbrowns, Salsa, & Cheddar (case code 833425000382)
Egg & Bacon Breakfast Burrito with Hashbrowns, Salsa, Green Chile & Cheddar (case code 833425000368)
Beef Burrito with Potato, Green Chile, Salsa & Cheddar (case code 833425000320)
Chicken Fajita Burrito with Salsa & Cheddar (case code 833425000429)
Shredded Steak Burrito with Salsa, Monterey Jack, Green Chile, Onion, Rice & Jalapeno Peppers (case code 10833425008941)
Beef & Bean Burrito with Green Chile, Salsa & Cheddar (case code 833425000344)
Fiesta Breakfast Burrito with Beef, Egg, Hashbrowns, Green Chile, Cheddar & Sausage (case code 833425000405)
8-Oz. Paper wrap packages
Egg & Bacon Burrito with Cheddar Cheese, Potato, Green Chile, Salsa & Jalapenos (case code 833425000900)
Poblano Chicken Burrito with Monterrey Jack Cheese, Salsa, Rice, Onion, Green Chile and Green & Red Bell Peppers (case code 833425000931)
Beef & Potato Burrito with Cheddar Cheese, Green Chile & Salsa (case code 833425000887)
Visit [pdf] the USDA website to view the product labels.
What To Do If You Have A Contaminated Burrito
The USDA strongly advises that contaminated burritos should not be consumed because listeria is a serious infection that can affect people with weaker immune systems and can even lead to death. As of writing, however, there have been no confirmed reports of illnesses caused by the recalled Green Chile products.
Consumers who purchased a contaminated product should throw it away or return the item to its place of purchase.
The company also set up a website to address the massive product recall at burritorecall.com.
2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Brazil's president-elect, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, met this Wednesday in the country's capital with the leaders of the National Congress: the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur... | Read More
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Kolkata, May 14 (IBNS): aBook publishing company Power Publishers announced the launch of aa'aPower Publishers Classrooma'a; their new educational division.
This new division has published a range of school level textbooks, guidebooks for ICSE, ISC and West Bengal board schools recently. It also plans to come up with classroom courses of media studies.
Power Publishers aClassroom ahad published ICSE Sonkolita and ISC Probondo aO aGodyo Sonkolon aBengali text books for ICSE and ISC studentsa sometime back. Power Publishers Classroom also released ISC Accounts books for class 11 and 12 recently. These books are popular among ICSE and ISC board studentsa.
This year Power Publishers Classroom has come up with a complete range of West Bengal board guidebooks for students appearing for class 10 school leaving board exams.
The series of guidebooks is named as Power to Crack series. The first two books of this series released this week - Power to Crack Madhyamik English and Power to Crack Madhyamik Ganit Prakash.
aThese guidebooks aim to provide students with in depth information and better knowledge about the English and Mathematics chapters included ain atheir syllabus.
aPower to aCrack Madhyamik English will provide students with comprehensive English guide for every student who have been preparing for their exams all throughout the year and will help them to score well.
The book covers all the topics of the new syllabus introduced by WBBSE 2016.
Editor of Power to Crack Madhyamik English book, Anupriya Dutta said: We have provided additional textual questions and varied grammatical exercise for the students that will help them to improve both reading and writing skills. aWe have simplified the learning areas through compact definitions and necessary Bengali translations. This book will help the students solve exercises without guidance.
aPower to Crack Madhyamik Ganit Prakash concentrates on varied and miscellaneous mathematical exercise to provide the students with better knowledge and understanding about every chapter and discover simpler method to tackle difficult problems.
This book can be treated as an additional tool that can assist students in preparing for their Madhyamik maths paper.a
The books will be adistributed bya Future aBooks and also online stores like Amazon.in, Flipkart, ebay, shopclues, infibeam, powera-apublishers.com.
Survivors of abuse in Australian children's homes and orphanages have called for a new national strategy to secure the release of their own historic personal records held by churches and charities.
As the landmark royal commission into institutional child sexual abuse prepares to hand its report to the federal government by Christmas, a national summit has discussed how to give a voice to adults whose lives have been impacted by failings of record keeping and archiving systems in institutions around the country.
Care Leavers Australia Network chief executive Leonie Sheedy. Credit:Penny Stephens
Care Leavers Australasia Network chief executive Leonie Sheedy said many survivors, including those who have given evidence to the royal commission process, have spent years trying to track down records about their time in institutional care.
Even current record keeping processes could be important in instances of historic abuse.
West Tuggeranong has room for well under half the population originally proposed, with major cost and environmental hurdles in the way, the National Capital Authority has found.
The authority's report from late 2015 has not curbed Liberal Senator Zed Seselja's push for suburban development across the Murrumbidgee River.
ACT Liberal senator Zed Seselja. Credit:Andrew Sheargold
Senator Seselja said the report had recommended zoning changes to enable the ACT governmentto develop the area and address the issues of affordable housing.
"The current lack of both housing and facilities in Canberra's outer suburbs is making it hard and unappealing for young Canberrans to enter the property market, particularly in Tuggeranong," he said.
Richmond captain Trent Cotchin headlines the list of AFL players sweating on the match review panel's findings after round eight.
Cotchin clocked Fremantle midfielder Lachie Neale in the jaw with a jumper punch during the Dockers' two-point win at the MCG on Sunday.
Cotchin could escape sanction, be fined or potentially miss the Tigers' clash with Greater Western Sydney on Saturday, depending on how the panel grade the blow.
Sydney superstar Lance Franklin and Brisbane Lions youngster Nick Robertson exchanged jumper punches in the preceding round but both players were cleared on that occasion.
New Delhi, May 14 (IBNS): India has boycotted Chinaas Belt and Road summit beginning in Beijing on Sunday over sovereignty issues as the initiative for cross border connectivity runs through Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
The decision has been taken on the ground of sovereignty as India considers POK its part.
Christened as China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the 57 billion-dollar project envisages connectivity across Asia on to Europe through ports, railways and roads.
Besides Pakistan, India's other neighbours Sri Lanka and Nepal are attending the summit.
Earlier this week, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said India supports connectivity across the region, but there is a problem with the Pakistan end of "One Belt, One Road" (OBOR). .
"As far as OBOR is concerned, you know that our position is that since the so-called CPEC forms a part of OBOR, that is where our difficulty is," he had said.
"It passes or proposes to pass through what is sovereign Indian territory and we have made our views in this regard very, very clear to the Chinese side," he had added.
The Chinese initiative is also being seen as a move to establish its dominance in Asia, including India's neigbhours.
Flamboyant Labor senator Sam Dastyari can't be accused of avoiding one of the more contentious public policy debates at a time when the media landscape could be likened to a World War I battlefield.
After engaging in a week of trench warfare with mixed results, bloodied Fairfax journalists have returned to work to find the terrain littered with spent ammunition and the odd booby trap.
As the guns fell silent for the moment, Dastyari, at the head of a posse of fellow senators, including independents Nick Xenophon and Jacqui Lambie, and Scott Ludlam of the Greens, initiated a select committee on the worthy subject of the "Future of Public Interest Journalism".
Terms of reference include the following: the committee will inquire into and report on "fake news, propaganda, and public disinformation, including sources and motivation of fake news in Australia, overseas, and the international response".
Voters have given a big tick of approval to four key measures unveiled in Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison's second budget, according to a Fairfax-Ipsos poll.
The four measures tested with voters were a tax increase for Australia's five largest banks, a 0.5 per cent rise in the Medicare levy linked to funding the National Disability Insurance Scheme, an $18.6 billion, 10-year increase in school funding and a boost to infrastructure spending funded by a larger national debt.
The school funding deal, dubbed Gonski 2.0 after the policy's architect, David Gonski, and unveiled in the week before the budget, was far and away the most popular measure.
A thumping 86 per cent of all voters supported the policy, with just 12 per cent opposed. Broken down according to party allegiances, 87 per cent of Coalition voters backed the extra spending, while 90 per cent of Labor voters and 91 per cent of Greens voters backed it.
Two refugees under Australia's care in Nauru are desperately seeking medical evacuations to Australia to escape a health regime that a government-contracted doctor on the island has admitted is "broken".
The men, respectively suffering debilitating headaches and a severe anal fistula, have been unable to secure medical transfers and are being told their fate is in the hands of the government of Nauru.
Nawaf*, a refugee, has had the advanced fistula for more than two years and has refused surgery in Nauru because of concerns about infection during recovery, which requires the wound be left open to drain.
"It has become so bad that I have constant bleeding from the affected area, especially when I shower and use the toilet, and I am in severe pain," he wrote in a complaint lodged last year.
"How about Matilda?" Hmmm, Tilly too much like husband Till, but I love it. We can't agree. "Millie?" Is that a complete name? "How about Charlotte?" There are thousands of Charlottes well, there are in 2017, anyway. Maybe Lotte, for her half-German heritage.
This must be a conversation that parents-to-be the world over have in their lounge room, maybe the car. In our case, we were in a lift on the way to the operating theatre for an emergency C-section. I would love to tell you who we were delivering, but the baby (a girl, we were about to discover) didn't have a name. Yet.
I'd hope fervently that when we awoke it would be the day of the name. Credit:Stocksy
No problem. I had heard that when the baby arrived, we would see its face and we would know similar to the way love at first sight strikes or how impending rain is announced with the prickle of anticipation on uncovered skin. Like a primal intuition that speaks. Well, I waited for that conversation, that lightbulb moment, for 59 days. (In NSW, parents have a languid 60 days to name their children. In Switzerland, it's a decisive three.)
Finally, it got to the stage when my husband, who lovingly yet passively said he would support my choice, was about to fly to Germany where he was going to register Nameless (as she was endearingly called). The plane was due to leave in three hours and we were in the Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages. The certificate was being rushed through. The stress level was high. But more than the confusion over the name, which lasted until the final moment, was an incredulity. How, oh how, had this naming saga occurred?
A nightclub patron has described a scene of chaos after an unknown substance was sprayed on the dance floor of a club in Melbourne's inner north.
Dancers began to cough uncontrollably and security guards threw open the doors after the gas, believed to be capsicum spray, forced the evacuation of the Perserverance hotel on Brunswick Street in Fitzroy on Sunday morning.
Police and ambulance were called to the venue about 1am after reports of an assault.
Paramedics treated about a dozen people who were having trouble breathing and a woman in her 20s was taken to St Vincent's Hospital in a stable condition and has since been discharged.
The rise is a worrying development when considered against long-term statistics. Over the period from 1987 to 2017, from January 1 to May 11, rural road deaths accounted for a much lower proportion of the state's road toll at 51 per cent. Mr Fryer said the jump in lives lost on country roads was "really concerning". "Many, many of these crashes are single car, run-off-road, in country areas," he said.
"So far this year, out of all of our crashes that have taken lives, there have only been two double fatalities. So almost all of them that we're talking about, are single cars that are running off the road," he said. Mr Fryer said distractions such as sun glare and animals could also be factors in country smashes. And he moved to dispel the perception that most people killed on country roads were from the city. "Two thirds of people who are dying on country roads are country people," he said. "It is not the city-slickers coming out. These are roads that are known to the local community, and still we're seeing significant trauma on them."
Statistics showed that country roads were more dangerous than city roads. "If you are a licence-holder in Victoria, statistically, you have four times more likelihood of dying on a country road, than you do on a metro road," Mr Fryer said. Minister for Roads and Road Safety Luke Donnellan warned that fatalities caused "enormous trauma" for families, friends and communities. "The loss of a father, brother, sister, a breadwinner ... It's the terrible suffering that the families go through, the friends go through afterwards, which is just so shattering," he said. "Over the next couple of years we're rolling out $340 million worth of centre-line and sideline barriers, on our top 20 most deadly arterial roads in Victoria," he said.
Joe Calafiore, CEO chief executive of the TAC, said 60 per cent of country road deaths this year had been due to "run off the road" crashes, and males were over-represented in country deaths. Country road deaths were due to a combination of many reasons including extra exposure to driving than city motorists, long-distance driving on high speed roads many of which did not have barrier coverage fatigue, an ageing vehicle fleet and other factors. "The simple, harsh reality is: a mistake on a country road is much more likely to be fatal, or a serious injury, than a mistake on a road in the inner-Melbourne area," he said. "The best thing that you can possibly do is put yourself in the safest car that you can afford for yourself, and your kids. Drive at a safe and appropriate speed ... Separate your drinking and your driving ... take a break, be rested, don't be impaired," he said. Dave Jones, roads and traffic manager at the RACV, said there were "some serious road safety challenges on country roads, across Victoria".
Victorian universities suffering the country's lowest completion rates fear they will be subject to "catastrophic" funding cuts under a new federal government policy linking funding to performance.
Universities will face a 7.5 per cent cut to their Commonwealth Grant Scheme from 2019 if they do not satisfy new performance targets, including retention, completion and student satisfaction.
Peter Dawkins, vice-chancellor of Victoria University, says a 7.5 per cent cut to his funding would be "catastrophic". Credit:Luis Ascui
The government's new higher education reforms also include a 2.5 per cent efficiency dividend, which will put some universities at risk of losing up to 10 per cent of their funding.
Vice Chancellors warn this could unfairly penalise universities that enrol disadvantaged and low-performing students.
Cairo: Two days before starting a hunger strike alongside over 1000 Palestinian prisoners, Marwan Barghouti was in good spirits.
"Marwan would go out for small runs in the jail every morning with other prisoners and he was at his best physically and mentally before going on hunger strike," his lawyer and longtime friend Elias Sabbagh told Fairfax Media.
Protesters gather under a banner of jailed Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti in the West Bank city of Ramallah earlier this month. Credit:AP
The strike, called by Barghouti to protest the conditions in which Palestinians are held and the use of administrative detention by Israeli military courts in the occupied territories, is now entering its fourth week. There are around 6500 Palestinian prisoners, with estimates of over 400 children detained.
Barghouti, 58, a key leader in the Fatah party who rose to prominence during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising, is a more popular figure among Palestinians than his nominal superior, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas, who recently met with US President Donald Trump.
Nihad Barakat Shamo Al-Awsi is seeking a new life in Australia. Credit:Liliana Zaharia In 2017-18, Australia will accept 18,750 people fleeing persecution. In March, the government announced it had granted protection visas to 12,000 people displaced by the conflict in in Syria and Iraq. Refugees who have suffered torture and trauma are offered specialist counselling services when they arrive in Australia. Nihad and her family may need them. Nihad was one of the 6800 Yazidis now believed to have been captured to become sex slaves or fighters. She cannot erase the mental trauma from her time under the control of the IS "monsters". "Several times I tried to tell my family about my sister who was being raped in front of me and she was screaming at that time, begging for my mother to come to help her.
"I can't tell anyone about this." After her capture, Nihad was taken to a village on the Iraq-Syria border, where the male captives were separated from the girls and women. She was then transferred to Mosul, where a fighter claimed her, and raped her repeatedly before his death in the battlefield nearly two months later. She was quickly "purchased" and forced to marry another "monster", a man known as Abu Faris who already had a wife and a Yazidi girl as his slave. Many IS slaves have died in captivity but Nihad says she clung to the hope of reuniting with her family. "I used to go to see my sisters and my brother [all in captivity] and I said, 'Please stick to the hope that one day we will be released and we will be returned to our lives'." Her strength prevailed through the constant rapes and beatings but then she fell pregnant. "I thought I was carrying a small IS man," she says.
"When I got pregnant I thought that I am weak and I am wondering and asking myself, 'Why did this happen?'" "I disassociated from the surroundings. I felt 'I am lost' but one day I managed to get a phone to call my family and from that moment I clung to the hope again." Nihad tried to force a miscarriage, but her son did arrive and when he did she named him Issa Arabic for Jesus. He will turn two in July, though it is now unlikely she will ever see him again. When she escaped she had to leave Issa, then just three months old, with the father, Abu Faris. He remains in northern Iraq and has insisted on keeping the boy. Even if Nihad had been able to take Issa with her, her people would have rejected her son, she says. "He is part of me but he's something from those criminals and he represents those criminals. Even if I managed to meet him again, my family and all the Yazidi people would say 'This is a member of ISIS'," Nihad tells Fairfax Media at the headquarters of the London-based charity the AMAR Foundation, which is supporting her rehabilitation.
"I used to carry him and I used to hug him and play with him but I have never forgot my family and I was thinking all the time about returning to my family." New research from the London School of Economics has found 9900 Yazidis were killed or kidnapped over the course of just a few days in August 2014. The figure is far higher than previous estimates of IS's brutal "purification" of northern Iraq. An estimated 3100 Yazidis were killed, with nearly half of them executed by gunshot, beheading or being burned alive. The others died from injuries, starvation and dehydration during the siege on Mount Sinjar. More than one-third of those kidnapped remain missing. Nihad escaped her captor because of a dispute between Abu Faris, his wife and his other Yazidi girl. In a bid to resolve the tension, Nihad was passed to Abu Faris' cousin. From here, with the help of a group of Yazidi women, she was able to finally escape Mosul.
But although she has escaped IS slavery, Nihad says she will never feel free. "Because Yazidi people are still there under the captivity of ISIS and because I still have a son under the captivity of ISIS, I don't feel that I am free." Nihad has lost two sisters and a brother to Islamic State and two more brothers have been forced into training in fighter camps. Despite the stigma Nihad risks in putting her face to the label of "Islamic State sex slave", she is committed to telling the world about what she endured and the ongoing persecution her people face. "I want all the people to imagine the misery that we have passed through." Nihad doubts she can ever fully recover from her trauma. "Despite all the difficulty that I have suffered, I have decided to continue my life and to be a success but the sadness inside us is so deep."
Seoul: North Korea launched a ballistic missile that flew 700 kilometres on Sunday, South Korea's military said.
Australia immediately condemned the launch as "reckless and provocative" and said it would fuel regional and global instability.
The unidentified ballistic missile was fired at 5.27am Seoul time (6.27am AEST) from the Kusong area located north-west of the capital Pyongyang, South Korea's Office of Joint Chiefs of Staff said.
The North had previously test-launched an intermediate-range missile it is believed to be developing from the same location.
New Delhi, May 14 (IBNS): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh will inaugurate the second meeting of National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (NPDRR) here on Monday.
The meeting will be attended by over 1000 distinguished guests including Union Ministers, State Ministers, Parliamentarians, Heads of Local Self Government, Heads of specialized disaster management agencies, academicians, representatives from private sector organizations, media and civil society organizations.
The NPDRR is a multi-stakeholders National Platform headed by the Union Home Minister and it promotes participatory decision making in disaster management, and strengthens federal policy of our country.
The Second meeting of NPDRR will be held over two days, i.e. 15-16 May 2017 on the theme Disaster Risk Reduction for Sustainable Development: Making India resilient by 2030.
Starting with inaugural ceremony, this second meeting of NPDRR will have a Plenary Session, one session on outcomes of pre-events, four technical sessions on four priority areas of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, one technical session on monitoring of Sendai Framework and a closing cum valedictory session.
Besides, this Meeting will have an exclusive Ministerial Session after the inaugural ceremony, where Ministers from Centre, States and Union Territories will deliberate on various aspect of disaster risk reduction.
Over two days, the subject experts, practitioners, academicians and delegates will deliberate upon various cross cutting issues on disaster risk reduction based on the Sendai Framework and the 10 point agenda on Disaster Risk Reduction given by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi.
As a build up to this meeting, 14 pre-events were organized by National Disaster Management Authority and National Institute of Disaster Management on various issues of disaster risk reduction. A slogan contest was also organized by the Union Home Ministry to generate disaster awareness among common public.
More than 500 applicants from different parts of the countries have submitted their entries.
Further, the Union Home Ministry with the help of NITI Aayog has organized an online call from startups and innovators in the areas like fire fighting, GPS based solutions, search and rescue operations, reconstruction, low cost shelter etc. in MyGov.in for displaying during this meeting of NPDRR. More than 300 applications have been received and 10 of the shortlisted start-ups will showcase their innovations in the exhibit area during this meeting.
This meeting of NPDRR is held at a crucial juncture, after adoption of Sendai Framework in 2015 and Asia Regional Plan for disaster risk reduction in 2016. This NPDRR will be an ongoing effort of the Government to provide a road map for making our country disaster resilient by 2030.
A television screen at Seoul Station on Sunday shows a news broadcast on North Korea's ballistic missile launch. Credit:Bloomberg A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said initial assessments showed the missile landed 97 kilometres south of Russia's Vladivostok region. The missile flew further and higher than an intermediate-range missile North Korea successfully tested in February from the same region of Kusong, north-west of its capital, Pyongyang. A television screen at Seoul Station on Sunday shows a news broadcast on North Korea's ballistic missile launch. Credit:Bloomberg US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called the launch a message by Pyongyang to South Korea after the election of Moon, who took office on Wednesday.
"You first have to get into Kim Jong-un's head - which is, he's in a state of paranoia, he's incredibly concerned about anything and everything around him," Haley told ABC's This Week program. Haley added that the United States would "continue to tighten the screws" on North Korea, mentioning sanctions and working with the international community to put pressure on Pyongyang. Moon held his first National Security Council in response to the launch, which he called a "clear violation" of UN Security Council resolutions, his office said. The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Tuesday to discuss the launch, diplomats said on Sunday. The US military's Pacific Command said it was assessing the type of missile that was fired but it was "not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile".
The US threat assessment has not changed from a national security standpoint, a US official said. An intercontinental ballistic missile is considered to have a range of more than 6000 kilometres. The White House mentioned Russia in its earlier statement about the launch. "With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil - in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan - the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased," the White House said, referring to US President Donald Trump.
The launch served as a call for all nations to implement stronger sanctions against North Korea, the White House added. North Korea is widely believed to be developing an intercontinental missile tipped with a nuclear weapon that is capable of reaching the United States. Trump has vowed not to let that happen. Experts said the altitude reached by the missile tested on Sunday meant it was launched at a high trajectory, which would limit the lateral distance it travelled. But if it was fired at a standard trajectory, it would have a range of at least 4000 kilometres, experts said. Kim Dong-yub of Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul said he estimated a standard trajectory would give it a range of 6000 kilometres. "The launch may indeed represent a new missile with a long range," said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, referring to the estimated altitude of more than 2000 kilometres.
"It is definitely concerning." Speaking in Beijing, Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, told reporters that Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula, including the latest missile launch, and expressed "mutual concerns" about growing tensions. Putin is in Beijing for a conference on a plan for a new Silk Road. Delegations from the United States, South Korea and North Korea are also there. China, North Korea's sole main ally, which nevertheless objects to its weapons programmes, called for restraint and for no one to exacerbate tensions. "China opposes relevant launch activities by North Korea that are contrary to Security Council resolutions," China's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Moon won Tuesday's election on a platform of a moderate approach to North Korea and has said he would be willing to go to Pyongyang under the right circumstances, arguing dialogue must be used in parallel with sanctions. "The President said while South Korea remains open to the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, it is only possible when the North shows a change in attitude," Yoon Young-chan, Moon's press secretary, told a briefing. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said North Korea's missile launches were a "grave threat to our country and a clear violation of UN resolutions". Loading North Korea attempted but failed to test-launch ballistic missiles four times in the past two months. It has conducted various tests since the beginning of last year at an unprecedented pace. It also conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests last year.
Prior to the release of the 2017-2018 Federal Budget an article in The Australian proclaimed Budget 2017: businesses booming and expecting the good times to roll.
Research from two of the Big Four Banks support the conclusion.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) chimed in with a pre-budget announcement on the growth of the Australian Economy including forecasts exceeding those of our own Treasury Department. The IMF forecasts economic growth in Australia at 3.1% in 2017 and 3% in 2018.
The overall tone of the actual 2017-2018 Federal Budget was positive, predicting a return to a budget surplus by the end of the decade. For contrarians, the budget assumptions of a 14.7% increase in corporate tax receipts based on the recent surge in the prices of iron ore and coking coal give pause.
Our positive economic outlook suggests ASX stocks will benefit from an equally optimistic world view. US markets set the pace for global markets everywhere and the US has been in rally mode since the election of maverick Donald Trump as US President.
Investors there are salivating at the prospect of a surge in US economic growth propelled by the pro-business agenda of the Trump administration. Changes in the regulatory environment coupled with drastic reductions in the corporate tax rate from the current 35% to a proposed 15% are fueling investor and business optimism. In the US, the best gauge of investor fear is the Chicago Board of Exchange (CBOE) Volatility Index which is at its lowest level since the closing days of calendar year 2006.
The latest Quarterly World Economic Outlook from the IMF raised its projections for global economic growth to 3.5%, up from Januarys forecast for 3.4% growth.
Given this optimism why would anyone other than the most permanent of Perma-Bears consider going defensive in this environment?
The case for that contrarian viewpoint centers on two countries the US and China.
In the US, the chairman of investment bank Goldman Sachs recently stated the extremely low levels of the VIX (Volatility Index) may be a bit of a bubble of confidence, but we wont know until we know.
Despite holding the Executive Branch of the US Government and majority power in both houses of the legislative branch, the Trump agenda has stalled amidst swirling uncertainty about just about everything going on there. The Tax Plan remains in the minds of Trump and some of his advisers with no formal drafting for legislative debate. Another proposal whetting the appetites of investors is Trumps plan for $1 Trillion dollars in infrastructure spending, also lacking in specifics and currently in limbo.
Some veteran Aussie investors view tales of economic disasters looming in China like a broken track on a record. Despite multiple siren calls of impending doom over the past decade, somehow or other the Chinese government manages to pull a proverbial rabbit out of their hats.
That may happen again but some investors are taking notice of the recent bearish view from respected Bank of America/Merrill Lynch analysts. An article in the Sydney Morning Herald, with the provocative title: Forget the Trump trade, Chinas the real driver of equity performance: BAML, made the following observation drawn from the BAML note to its investors:
global investors should adopt a defensive stance, as growth in China, which accounts for nearly a fifth of the worlds GDP, has passed its peak.
In the first week of May China reported lower than expected results in both trade data and the Purchasing Manufacturing Index (PMI) an economic indicator gauging the health of a countrys manufacturing sector. The Chinese official economic growth forecast for 2017 is 6.5%, the lowest growth rate in more than twenty years.
The top economic strategist for Charles Schwab has concerns private sector spending in China will not pick up the slack from the government slowdown on infrastructure spending, as the government hoped.
The Australian case of going defensive stems from the budgets reliance on revenues from exports of iron ore and coal. These commodities got off to a red-hot start at the beginning of the year but have fallen off the cliff of late, as the following price charts for both indicates.
Some cynical investors might scoff at the notion of getting defensive, recalling numerous after the fact observations from market experts that there were no defensive stocks withstanding the crushing impact of the GFC.
Stocks in sectors traditionally considered defensive, most notably utilities and healthcare, are often the favorite hiding places in tough times, and virtually no one is even hinting at an impending Round 2 of the GFC. Utilities might seem the best bet, as people can delay certain healthcare treatments but not many consumers or corporations can turn off the lights or the heat.
Here is how the ASX Utility Index and two of the top utility stocks on the ASX AGL Energy (AGL) and APA Group (APA) fared since 2007, about a year before investors felt the full fury of the GFC.
The Healthcare Index fared better, and two of the top healthcare stocks on the ASX emerged from the GFC virtually unscathed Ramsay Healthcare (RHC) and CSL Limited (CSL).
Ramsay hospital beds and CSL blood plasma treatments and vaccines are not the kind of healthcare services one can do without in tough times. For the long term both these stocks are going to benefit from the swelling population of seniors from the baby boom generation.
Another stock from a different sector that provides essential services in challenging times is funeral services provider InvoCare Limited (IVC). This company also stands to benefit from all those baby boomers who despite living longer lives will eventually be in need of the services InvoCare provides.
The companys stock price performance exemplifies the attraction of defensive stocks. The following price movement chart shows the IVC share price in decline going into the GFC and rebounding almost immediately.
On 24 October as the GFC was clearing its throat for the roar to follow IVC was trading at $4.49 and it has been going up ever since. The stock price, like the price of both RHC and CSL, has seen some dips along the way but the historical performance of all three has been stellar.
Some market experts remind investors looking in the rear-view mirror is not the thing to do when investing in a stock. However, successful extreme value investors set rigid five and even ten-year performance standards before considering a stock. Certainly, past performance is no guarantee of future performance. But it is an indication of the ability to withstand the ups and downs of economic cycles over long periods. The key is looking to the future to assess changing conditions that might affect performance.
The following table looks at the historical performance of these three defensive plays.
Some investors prefer to invest in stocks that one might call glamorous. Who wouldnt be proud to brag to friends and associates about a stake in a biotech stock working on a cure for a dreaded disease. There is nothing glamorous about death and stock ownership in the funeral industry does not make for scintillating cocktail party chatter.
However, InvoCare controls more than 30% of the Australian and New Zealand markets and is expanding in Singapore and entered the US market in 2015. The company owns and operates branded funeral homes along with cemeteries and crematoria. The US business failed to meet expectations and the company announced closing of the traditional funeral operation in Southern California while keeping the crematoria open.
Full Year Results presented in February showed revenues with a modest increase of 3.3%, but net profit after tax (NPAT) rose a healthy 29.4%. The companys business models features funeral services to meet a range of incomes.
InvoCares revenue and profit growth has been modest in comparison to Ramsay and CSL but the demand for its services is unquestionable. US founding father Benjamin Franklin reportedly once said in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.
At points along the path of success enjoyed by Ramsay Healthcare and CSL, market experts have from time to time cried out the lofty Price to Earnings Ratio for both makes them expensive stocks, yet they continue to grow and reward their investors. The following chart looks at the year over year price performance of all three companies along with two-year growth forecasts for earnings and dividends.
CSL Limited may have the highest P/E, but it also has the highest growth forecasts. On 25 January, the company raised its profit forecast for 2017 from an 11% increase over 2016 to a range of 15% to 20%. CSL has room for growth as evidenced by its pipeline of new treatments under development. The company has a strong Research & Development operation, including partnerships with leading academic and research institutions. In December of 2016 the company held an Investor Presentation to highlight its more than 30 new offerings in its pipeline, with more than half in late-stage clinical trials.
Ramsay Health Care has grown from its inception in 1964 to become one of the top five hospital operators on the planet. Ramsay operates more than 220 hospitals and day surgeries stretching from Australia to Indonesia to Malaysia to France and the UK and is entering the pharmacy business.
The International diversification cushions the company from regulatory issues or downturns in one country. Ramsay has room to grow and despite having paid a dividend every year since 2000 maintains a payout ratio around 50% to preserve capital for expansions. The company is already expanding its bed count to be ready for the demand uptick from the Baby Boomers.
In March of 2016 Ramsay withdrew from a Joint Venture operation with Chinese healthcare group Chengdu Jinxin Healthcare Investment. In 2015, Ramsay had announced a Chines government supported Joint Venture with Jinan University No.1 Affiliated Hospital also known as Guangzhou Overseas Chinese Hospital, to open four hospitals in the heavily populated Pearl River Delta Region.
The companys Half Year 2017 results released in February reported a 3.5% revenue increase along with a 12.8% rise in NPAT. Management provided a growth strategy update with plans for adding facilities and expanding the companys latest venture -Ramsay Pharmacies. There are 22 pharmacies currently in operation with management pledging to rapidly expand the network in 207 and beyond. There was no mention of the status of the remaining Chinese Joint Venture, but given the companys efforts to begin operating there, it seems likely Ramsay Healthcare will eventually plant its footprint in the Chinese market.
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Beijing, May 14 (IBNS): Even as India boycotted "One Belt, One Road" (OBOR) summit that began at Beijing on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that all countries should respect each other's "sovereignty and territorial integrity."
In his opening remarks, Jinping said: "All countries should respect each other's sovereignty, dignity and territorial integrity, each other's development paths and social systems, and each other's core interests and major concerns."
Christened as China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the 57 billion-dollar project envisages connectivity across Asia on to Europe through ports, railways and roads.
Besides Pakistan, India's other neighbours Sri Lanka and Nepal are attending the summit.
India boycotted the summit over sovereignty issues as the initiative for cross border connectivity runs through Pakistan occupied Kashmir.
The decision has been taken on the ground of sovereignty as India considers POK its part.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay in a media statement on Saturday said: "Regarding the so-called 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is being projected as the flagship project of the... OBOR, the international community is well aware of India's position... No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity."
"Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative," he stated.
Baglay also mentioned that India is awaiting positive response from China.
The Chinese initiative is also being seen as a move to establish its dominance in Asia, including India's neigbhours.
I get a kick out of playing. Its the best part of this whole thing, and recording too. I wrote a song called I Dont Live Today, and we got the music together in the studio. Its a freak-out tune. I might as well say that, cause everyone else is going to anyway Jimi Hendrix
Freak out is an apt way to describe how the world reacted to Jimi Hendrix. In 1966, the rock legend arrived in London an unknown guitarist from New York City looking to establish himself as a star. In September, former Animals bassist-turned-music manager Chas Chandler began taking Hendrix around The Smoke, and actively recruited a band to support him, nabbing drummer Mitch Mitchell and bassist Noel Redding. That same month, at a Cream show at Regent Street Polytechnic, Hendrix took the stage alongside that power trio to play a kinetic version of Howlin Wolfs Killing Floor. After a short tour of France, The Jimi Hendrix Experience were signed to Track Records by Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert, managers of The Who.
Chas asked me to come to England and get a group going together, Hendrix would tell Jann Wenner in 1968. Chas knows a lot of telephone numbers. Like Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames and all these other people. We had a jam and Noel came around. Noel plays guitar really. He came for the auditioning of the new Animals and we happened to be in the same building. Chas asked him to play bass and it worked out. Then we start playing almost every day for so long, rehearsed for three days then played the biggest theater in Europe, the Paris Olympia, with Johnny HallydayIt is the biggest thing in Europe. The reception was great and we played four songs.
By October 1966, the buzz around The Jimi Hendrix Experience was deafening. They played a legendary set at Londons Bag O Nails club, with luminaries like Mick Jagger, Brian Jones, Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Jeff Beck in attendance. After that show, the U.K. press began fawning over Jimi Hendrix and his trio. In November 1966, they would record the first Jimi Hendrix Experience single, Hey Joe backed with Stone Free, a Hendrix original.
It just happened to come about that we were around at the time of psychedelia and all the in clothes. I dug that scene, but not necessarily what you call the hippie scene, Hendrix told Steve Barker in 1967. Cause I dont like classification anyway, regardless of the scene.
Are You Experienced would be released on May 12, 1967, to tremendous commercial success, but some prominent reviewers were taken aback by Hendrixs musical approach. Jon Landau famously derided the album as unrelentingly violent, and lyrically, inartistically violent at that. But it was an epochal recording amongst musicians at the time, and has come to be regarded as one of the greatest debuts in rock history. Definitive songs like Purple Haze, Foxey Lady and the title track are anthems for their era and benchmarks for what hard rock could achieve creatively and sonically.
Nonetheless, beyond his musical contributions, Hendrixs free-spirited philosophy and uninhibited performance style earned him a wild man reputation that sometimes overshadowed his music, and he often bristled at the way he was presented in the British press.
I dont want to be a clown anymore. I dont want to be a rock and roll star, Hendrix would famously tell Rolling Stone in 1969. For many observers, the spectacle of Hendrix overpowered his musicianship a situation he would come to resent. While praising his musicianship, Eric Clapton was critical of Hendrixs performance style. That stuff he does on stage, when he does that hes testing the audience. Hell do a lot of things, like fool around with his tongue and play his guitar behind his back and rub it up and down his crotch. And hell look at the audience, and if theyre digging it, he wont like the audience. Hell keep on doing it, putting them on. Play less music. If they dont dig it, then hell play straight cause he knows he has to. Its funny. In that same 1968 interview, Clapton wallowed in the same sort of black exotic view of Hendrix that Jimi was growing tired of. When he first came to England, you know English people have a very big thing towards a spade. They really love that magic thing, the sexual thing. They all fall for that sort of thing. Everybody and his brother in England still sort of think that spades have big dicks. And Jimi came over and exploited that to the limit, the fucking tee. Everybody fell for it.
But even after the success of Are You Experienced and the British fixation on his otherworldliness and race, Hendrix would continue to push sonic and aesthetic boundaries up through his untimely death in 1970. And as he did so, he set the stage for a new kind of black musical star.
Prior to Jimi Hendrixs emergence, black popular artists were still mostly presented through a veneer of conservatism. The buttoned-down suits of Otis Redding and Marvin Gaye, the glamorous nightgowns of the Supremes, the slick conk of James Brownthere was a sense that black artists had to present themselves in as dapper a fashion as possible to counter any racist perceptions of black people and black performers. Even after the British Invasion led to white artists growing their hair long and as Flower Power hippie imagery had begun to take over rocks popular presentation, black artists hadnt been afforded that same rebellious exhibition. That all changed with Jimi Hendrix.
After Hendrixs success, popular black artists began to shake off the more buttoned-down image that had defined 60s soul music. As funk began to gain ground and as LSD became more prevalent in the culture, there was an embrace of drug references, free love idealism, and anti-war rhetoricalongside more explicit declarations of blackness from artists such as James Brown. Within months of Are You Experienced, Sly & the Family Stone would release their debut album. A Whole New Thing was one of the first soul/funk releases that was unmistakably psychedelic, and it set the stage for the Family Stones greater innovation in funk and psychedelic soul on their subsequent albums. In 1969, The Impressions (The Young Mods Forgotten Story), Isaac Hayes (Hot Buttered Soul), and The Temptations (Cloud Nine) would all be recording psychedelic music, and by the time the Jackson 5 debuted at the tail end of that year, with their distinctive afros and psychedelic-influenced bubblegum soul, the image and sound had totally shifted from the My Girl days of slick hair and sharp suits.
The impact of Hendrix on black music stretches far beyond the 1960s, of course. George Clintons P-Funk collective pushed what had been considered psychedelia to an entirely new plateau in the 1970s, but their embrace of freaked out looks, subject matter and sounds wouldnt have happened without Hendrix kicking the proverbial door down years prior. We created funk for outer space: myself, Jimi Hendrix, Sun Ra, David Bowie and Labelle, Clinton would explain in 2016. All of that was the beginning of the theatrical sci-fi. P-Funk bassist Bootsy Collins put it more succinctly. Hendrix was God, Collins told The Guardian in 2011 after providing voiceover for a documentary about the legendary guitarist. In fact, he still is.
The lineage that starts at Hendrix and stretches through Sly and P-Funk in the 70s also connects to later performers like Rick James and Prince and bands like Fishbone and Living Colour; and to more contemporary artists like OutKast, DAngelo, and Meshell Ndegeocello. That spirit of black creativity as filtered through non-conformity and freedom, an expressive cocktail made of ingenuity and sensitivity, a creativity informed by othernessits an integral part of black musical heritage.
Oftentimes when we discuss Hendrix and his legacy, his impact as a guitarist overshadows the more nuanced aspects of his influence. Undoubtedly, Jimi Hendrix unlocked the creative potential of the guitar in a way that cannot be overstated; one would be hard-pressed to find anyone more revolutionary on their respective instrument. But beyond just his uniquely significant impact on how guitar is played and recordedand even beyond his still undervalued talents as an all-around musician, producer and songwriterthere is his influence on black art, specifically. Resisting the ahistorical urge to always view Jimi as a black anomaly in a white genre, (Loves Arthur Lee, Richie Havens, and the Chambers Brothers were among his black rock artist contemporaries), its important to present Hendrix as a part of the black musical tradition: his showmanship born of T-Bone Walker, his artistry as celebrated by Miles Davis, and his impact that trickles down to Childish Gambino. Jimi Hendrix helped remind the world that black art wasnt meant to be shackled by the expectations of racism. Or defined by it. He let his freak flag fly. And were all better off for it.
This week, the talented Alec Baldwin returned to Saturday Night Live as President Trump for the shows hotly anticipated cold open.
The sketch parodied Trumps bizarre interview with NBC News Lester Holt wherein the commander-in-chief admitted that, contrary to several days of misdirection and outright lies from his administration officials, it was he who ordered FBI Director James Comey to be firedand not only that, he also confessed to pressing Comey on the FBIs ongoing probe into possible Trump-Russia collusion during the U.S. presidential election.
Hello, Mr. President. I know youre a busy man, so thank you for being here, said SNLs holt, played by Weekend Update co-anchor Michael Che, seated across from the president in the Oval Office. Thank you for having me here, jazz man. But before we begin, I just need to know if I have your undying loyalty, replied Baldwins Trump, echoing a New York Times report that Trump repeatedly asked for Comey to pledge his loyalty to Trump over dinner in January.
Baldwins Trump goes on and on about how he won the election fair and squareas is his wontbefore adding: Its one of my favorite hits, and my fans love when I play the hits. Its like when you go to a Beyonce concert they want to hear only Single Ladies and not that Sandcastles crap, OK?!
After some more verbal jousting by Holt, Trump finally caves and tells him the real reason he fired Comey, the very man leading a counterintelligence investigation into his administration. I fired him because of Russia. I thought, hes investigating Russia, I dont like that, I should fire him, says Trump.
But thats obstruction of justice! shot back Holt.
Sure, OK, offers Trump.
Wait, so did I get him? Is this all over? says a confused Holt, before pressing his finger against his earpiece to hear his producers response. Oh, no I didnt? Nothing matters? Absolutely nothing matters anymore?
It doesnt, because as President Trump readily admits, he holds the Republican Party in the palm of his handincluding House Speaker Paul Ryan.
Baldwins Trump proceeds to ring a little bell and Ryan arrives, dressed like an ice cream shop boy. He delivers the President two scoops of ice creama nod to Time magazines recent interview with Trump, where writer Zeke Miller observed that Trump gets two scoops of vanilla ice cream while everyone else at his table receives one.
Ches Holt then compares Trump to Nixon, causing Trump to bristle.
No, no. I am nothing like Nixon because I am not a crook, OK? Plus, I bet Nixon only got one scoop of ice cream for dessert, and I get two scoops, says Trump, throwing deuces like Nixon.
Trump whines about how Holt is omitting all the good things that happened recently under President Trump.
On Tuesday, I let Kellyanne out of her crypt. Also, I invented a new phrase. Have you heard it? Its called priming the pump, he says.
But that is a widely-known phrase, fires back Holt.
No its not. Its when I tug on myself about a half hour before Melania comes in so she can find it easier, OK? Trump says.
Holt is beyond disgusted: Ew. That is not what priming the pump means.
Indeed.
On March 1, 1974 the phone rang in a red brick townhome in Washington, D.C.s Georgetown neighborhood. A man promptly answered it in a rumpled button-down shirt and crew-cut coiffure. He calmly took notes, then winced. Next to him, his wife steadied herself against his chair. What exactly did Bob do? she thought.
Her husband was H.R. Haldeman, President Nixons chief of staff, and he had just been told he was being indicted over Watergate. Now more than 40 years later, Joanne Haldeman is finally speaking out.
It had been almost two years since the break-in at the Democratic National Committees headquarters in the Watergate, which was followed with Richard Nixons landslide reelection. A year after that, Nixons administration was already crumbling. The Watergate scandal had spawned break-in convictions, a Senate investigation, and top-level government resignations. Until that phone call, the Watergate affair had been a nuisance for the Haldemans, a great gummy fungus Jo called it, that refused to die.
Bob stepped outside to face the press gathering outside their home and immediately retreated. His shoulders sagged and his clothes looked frumpy, a startling contrast to the well-dressed optimist at Nixons first inauguration five years earlier. As reporters waited for a comment on his indictment, Bob and Jo embraced. Neither said a word.
Jo Haldeman has been silent about her life as the wife of the second most powerful person in the Nixon White House and a key figure in the Watergate scandal that forced Nixon to resign and sent her husband to Lompoc Federal Prison for 18 months.
At 88, she has written a memoir, In the Shadow of the White House: A Memoir of the Washington and Watergate Years, 1968-1978. She began two years after Bobs death in 1993 when her eldest grandson casually mentioned the Watergate scandal.
I want my grandchildren and all future Haldemans to know that when they hear or see Watergate, Nixon, or the Haldeman name in the news or in books, there is so much more to the story, and much to be proud of as well, she told The Daily Beast. I hope that I have succeeded in giving a more humanized picture of the events and the people involved.
The memoir offers a glimpse into their five years at the White House, often sharing personal stories like the evening with the Apollo 13 astronauts, the presidential helicopter ride to Camp David, and Key Biscayne vacations. It also emphasizes the Nixon administrations successes like the opening of diplomatic relations with China.
What it doesnt do is come out of its own shadow.
Jos book refuses to offer opinions to me on anything rocking the political boat. Im instructed not to bring up the Trump administration during our phone interview. When asked about her verdict on the Watergate scandal in relation to Nixon, she replied:
This question goes beyond the scope of our interview.
If Bob was Nixons palace guard, Jo is her familys protector. The memoir and interview affirms her desire to remain in the safe zone, to keep wounds healed rather than exposed.
I could only surmise based on her initial reluctance for an interview and request for questions upfront, she does not trust the press, a sentiment not only reflected in the Nixon administration but by Jo.
Sharks, waiting for their prey, she writes about the reporters outside their home on March 1, 1974.
Married to Nixons SOB
Jo was guarded and answered questions gingerly, articulating every word as if it were her last. One topic she spoke freely about: how much she missed her husband.
The high school sweethearts from California were already married 20 years when they moved with their four children to Washington, D.C. in 1969. Nixon had chosen Haldeman to be his chief of staff after the former advertising executive worked on a handful of Nixon campaigns.
More than a year into Bobs new White House position, Jo writes she felt her husband was more married to Nixon than she was. Summoning Bob any time of day or night, Nixon the insomniac called the Haldemans house frequently.
I hate that phone, Jo writes. Despite the perception of my being the confident and gracious wife of H.R. Haldeman, I often feel insecure and alone.
Throughout the memoir and our conversation, Jo displays an unwavering allegiance to her husband and to the Nixon administration. Sometimes, shed stop herself mid sentence or retract a thought. Although she strongly believed in Nixon, she agreed with his resignation.
I did feel there came a time when it was best for the country that he resign and the country move on. But lets move off that now, she said.
Nixon is portrayed in the memoir as an odd character incapable of small talk or jokes and sometimes, a self-absorbed opportunist in a symbiotic relationship with Haldeman.
Whether it was Nixons overused jokes about Jos drinking problem (knowing she didnt drink alcohol, Nixon teased her about drinking in excess) or his embarrassing silence during his attempt at a birthday toast to his wife, the presidents social awkwardness meant awkwardness for everyone.
Apart from Vice President Spiro Ted Agnew, whom Jo writes is offensive, another larger-than-life character in the memoir is Martha Mitchell, wife of Attorney General John Mitchell. An ebullient and outspoken southern belle, the Mouth of the South, gained notoriety for her frequent calls to the press, ranging from allegations she was a political prisoner to confirming stories about the Watergate scandal.
Although John Mitchell told the press his prison verdict was better than life with Martha, Jo observes in her memoir that John adored his wife, but her unpredictability was often embarrassing. Jo criticizes Martha for her obsession with attention, engaging in gimmicky acts like perching on Bobs knees at a dinner party and showing up with an entourage of press at Jos daughters outdoor juice stand.
Her obsession for attention drives Bob nuts, and at social events, both he and I try to avoid her, she writes. In typical Jo-esque lingo where she rather smooth things over than make waves, another time she writes, Marthas not crazy, just a little kooky.
After Nixon gave a televised speech on Haldeman and John Ehrlichmans resignations on April 30, 1973, Nixon called the Haldemans house twice to ask Bob for his opinion on how he did. Nixon insisted Bob do some checking around on the publics reaction, Jo writes.
For the life of me, I cant comprehend how the President can be so oblivious to Bobs feelings. On another occasion, Jo writes shes caught off guard when she walks in on Bob, no longer in office, summarizing one of the White House tapes Nixon gave him.
Every president needs an SOBand Im Nixons, Jo quotes Bob saying.
Break-In, Cover-Up, Fallout
Washington, D.C.s truism was born out of the Watergate scandal: Its not the crime. Its the cover-up that gets you.
You have to realize, they never thought they would be caught, said Fred Emery, former Washington bureau chief for the Times of London who followed the cover-up trial and interviewed Haldeman about the Watergate scandal.
When five men who worked for the Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CREEP) were arrested in a predawn break-in at the DNCs headquarters at the Watergate complex on June 17, 1972, there was much political distancing from the story. White House Press Secretary Ron Ziegler called it a third-rate burglary and Nixon stated that nobody at the White House was involved.
Jo writes about the first time she and Bob heard of the break-in while vacationing in Key Biscayne, Florida. Bob called it ridiculous and an ill-advised political prank.
I feel very definitely that Bob had no awareness of the break-in, said Jo. I believed that based on Bobs reaction that Nixon also had no awareness of the break in.
However, Emery writes in his book Watergate: The Corruption of American Politics and the Fall of Richard Nixon that Nixons deputy assistant and his top adviser claimed Nixon must have known about plans of the break-in, although there is no hard evidence, and Haldeman received memos beforehand about the break-in plans from CREEP liaison Gordon Strachan.
Whatever Bob did before the break-in, his involvement in the cover-up was clearer and it became harder for the Haldemans to ignore. In her memoir, Jo repeatedly calls the scandal a stain, especially when the press reported on a slush fund used for spying, sabotage, and silence from the burglars.
Bob shrugged the reports off and Jos questioning was met with the Haldeman look: Furrowed brow, steely eyes, and tight lips. Its intimidating but fleeting, she writes.
If Jo ever suspected her husband knew more than he shared, she doesnt let on in her memoir or our conversation. She keeps those thoughts hidden. And perhaps, Bob did too. Bob reacted to an article about the Senate approval for the creation of a Watergate committee, where his photo appeared on the front page of The Washington Post. Jo was confused by it. Bob said: Well, it looks like Woodward and Bernstein are back at it. Theyve managed to tie me into their latest story, the story being that he assisted in efforts to get the Senate to shift focus of the investigations from the White House-led campaign of spying and sabotage in 1972.
Haldeman remained steadfast in his innocence, suggesting that everything could still be worked out, even as the suggestion of a leave of absence turned into an order for his resignation. In Jos memoir, she shares Nixon vacillating between Bobs and Ehrlichmans leave of absence and resignation. He finally decides on a resignation because theyd be eaten alive otherwise, said Jo. According to Emery, Nixon resolved that both Haldeman and Ehrlichman could not simply take leaves of absence but must resign and fight their case from the outside.
Haldeman didnt intend to be the fall guy. He tried, vainly as it turned out, to be the presidents chief defender before the Senate Watergate committee, and brought himself down in the process, says Emery.
Seventeen days after Haldemans resignation, the Senate Watergate Committee opened televised hearings into the Watergate affair. Haldeman was one of thirteen targets in the probe.
The Saturday Night Massacre and the Smoking Gun
Two pivotal events turned Watergate from a scandal into a death sentence for Nixons presidency: secret tapes and the Saturday Night Massacre.
Haldeman was one of the handful of people in the White House who knew about the existence of an Oval Office secret taping system. It was exposed publicly by deputy assistant Alexander Butterfield. Soon after, special prosecutor Archibald Cox subpoenaed Nixon for copies of the tapes.
Then Nixon fired him, or rather ordered him to be fired and his Watergate investigation office dissolved.
What followed makes Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey look mild by comparison. Attorney General Elliot Richardson and his deputy, William Ruckelshaus, both refused to fire Cox and both resigned in protest. The political interference by a sitting president into an existing investigation eventually led to talks of impeachment and Nixons resignation.
But nobody appeared to see it coming. Haldeman was still hopeful, telling his wife the infamous White House tapes would vindicate him, Jo writes.
The tapes did the opposite. First, there was the 18- minute gap in one recording of Haldeman and Nixon speaking.
I can guarantee you that the president and I were not talking about any cover-up, Bob told Jo.
Nixon had three conversations with Haldeman in the six days after the Watergate burglary. One of those conversations was the smoking gun, where Nixon and Haldeman proposed having the CIA halt the FBIs investigation on grounds of national security, proving Nixon ordered a cover-up of the Watergate burglary.
After hearing that, 11 Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee who had voted against articles of impeachment announced they would vote in the full House to indict Nixon.
Three days after the tapes release, Nixon resigned.
A few months later, Bob was already preparing to go to jail, asking a former bank officer what it was like to serve eight months at Lompoc Federal Prison, Jo writes.
Containment
Haldeman had a long-held line that what he was involved in was a political containment of Watergate. He tried to explain it to his children, as its related in Jos memoir:
You should also know that what the press calls a cover-up and the grand jury calls a conspiracy to obstruct justice, I have always considered containment, he told them. The White House experienced many flaps besides the break-in, and it was my job to minimize any fallout I worked to contain the fallout from Watergate. I dont think that I ever broke any law, and I look forward to proving my innocence in court.. I have never knowingly done anything illegal or morally wrong.
In short, Haldemans version of the scandal involved a cover-up sans the illegality of it. Emery added, and putting out spin to get the focus away from the White House and the president. Since Haldeman was not a lawyer but an advertising man, he had difficulty in accepting some of these things were unlawful, although he must have known that lying under oath was a criminal offence, Emery said.
During Emerys 1993 interviews with him, Haldeman admitted that he had never been able to get across to anybody the concept of containment, even to his wife.
Yet publicly, Jo and her eldest son Hank relate similar narratives to Bobs.
In Bobs posthumously published book, The Haldeman Diaries, Jo wrote in a final note that containment was steps taken to minimize the political damage of an issue, as a legal, political reality-and an ongoing practice of all presidents and political figures. She added, considering the animosity between the president and press, between the political parties, and the divisiveness on Vietnam, containment was critical for effective leadership.
In interviews, Hank said his father was immune from perjury because he didnt know he was lying in the first place.
Bob seemed to believe it too. Convinced hed be acquitted unless someone could show what he did was illegal, he turned down a plea bargain offer by the chief prosecutor. When Haldeman took the stand on the 34th day of trial, his lawyer stated his case: Mr. Haldeman did not enter into a conspiracy and did not intend to enter into a conspiracy.
But the court thought otherwise. Haldeman was convicted on three charges of perjury, conspiracy to obstruct justice, and obstruction of justice on New Years Day in 1975.
His perjury offenses included falsely testifying before the Watergate Senate Select Committee about the knowledge of hush money being paid to the Watergate burglars, falsely claiming that Nixon told John Dean it would be wrong to pay the burglars, and falsely claiming there was no discussion of CREEP deputy director Jeb Magruder committing perjury.
Emery said to me, the fact is, he got what he deservedHe took part in a conspiracy to cover up what the president did and was willing to lie.
But Jo views it differently. She said had Bob done anything illegal, hed have been the first to submit his resignation.
His actions did not meet those required elements of the charges against him, she said, in part because some of the charges required a knowledge or specific intent behind the actions and Bob did not act with that knowledge or specific intent
As Bob explained to his daughter, Ann: Perjury is knowingly making a false statement, which I absolutely did not do.
End of Power
Jo doesnt often admit how the Watergate scandal affected her but there are hints of its financial and emotional burdens in the memoir. When Bob was indicted, they had to live off his retirement fund and income from their investments. When Bob went to prison, Jo became a realtor. Jo recounts another time when she arrived at the ticket counter without airplane tickets or when she burst into tears after the special prosecutor wished her well, no matter what the outcome might be.
Bob called Nixon the night of Nixons resignation, asking for a pardon, along with all the others charged with Watergate crimes. But Jo opposed it.
I felt that asking for a pardon was equivalent to admitting guilt. Since Bob did not believe he had engaged in any illegal acts, I did not think he should ask for a pardon, she said. But she would have been fine if someone else asked for a pardon on his behalf, she writes.
Nixons refused anyway.
Before Haldeman went to prison in June 1977, Nixon went public with British journalist David Frost in a series of interviews. In one of them, Nixon blamed Haldeman and Ehrlichman for the cover-up.
Jo was angry and Bob felt dumped, she writes. At a press conference on his front lawn, Bob said, I have one brief statement. If you really want to know how I feel about President Nixon, you can find out by reading my book.
For the first time, he stated his intention to write about the Watergate story as he saw it, she said.
A few months later, Nixon wrote a touching letter to Haldeman that some might see as an attempt to thwart Haldemans Ends of Power (1978) from being too Nixon-negative rather than a form of apology.
We will always have our deepest respect, admiration and personal affection. I know I reflect the views of many others who had the privilege of knowing the real Bob Haldeman, Jo records Nixon writing.
But by the time of Ends of Power, Haldeman was soft on Nixon again, writing that the Frost-Nixon interviews distortion of Watergate may have been attributed to the questions, answers, or film editing.
The Aftereffects
Jo ends her memoir with an epilogue that celebrates her husbands remarkable lack of animosity and exceptional ability to accept his destiny.
Shortly after his fathers release from prison in 1978, Jos youngest son Peter swallowed a bottle of Smirnoff and sedatives until he passed out and was eventually saved by an LAPD officer. He wrote in his 1994 article for the New York Times Growing Up Haldeman, that he had tried to commit suicide for years. Although Peter was in and out of hospitals, his parents were very supportive. But the Haldeman name haunted him. He wrote that he would mumble his name to receptionists, operators, and interview subjects. Every now and then, a news item would surface to remind me of the stretch of my fathers professional shadow, he wrote. Two weeks before his father resigned from the White House, Peter skipped history class because he couldnt face responding to the disturbing picture of his father on the cover of Newsweek. A month later, Peter was expelled from the prestigious Sidwell Friends School.
Upon Haldemans prison release on February 9, 1979, he was still embroiled in civil lawsuits that began as early as 1973, and whose plaintiffs ranged from Jane Fonda to protesters.
Much to Jos dismay, Bob created a defense fund and asked friends for help. Jo writes, this disturbs me and I disagree with the idea.
After prison, Haldeman engaged in discussions on Watergate and Nixon.
Bob continued to read new books as they came out and to follow new theories as they developed. I think he felt that we never had all the pieces put into the puzzle, said Jo.
There are many schools of thought on what Haldeman might have been searching for. Some focus questions on what the purpose was of the DNC break-in and who ordered it; a missing portion of the White House funds that were used for hush money to the burglars and others, and allegations of CIA complicity in Nixons demise. The other focuses on the search for a master manipulator that would excuse the Nixon administrations wrongdoing, explained Max Holland, author of Leak, a book about Watergate. The CIA was usually the best candidate.
Jo never knew if Bob found his answers. In 1993, he fell seriously ill. Peter hoped his father would consider medical treatment instead of seeing a Christian Science healer.
A basic tenet of Christian Science is that to specify a physical problem is to empower it, Peter wrote.
As Bob became gravely ill, nobody was to know about it. In fact, none of the children could visit with him until the end. Peter and his younger sister, Ann, were advised not to raise any red flags. I experienced again the comforts and the anxieties peculiar to our brand of collusion. I knew I was no longer ruining it for him, but I also knew I wasnt saving him, he wrote.
Two weeks before Bob passed, the nature of his illness was still unclear. He was only 67 when he died. Jo tells me his death certificate reads intra-abdominal neoplasm.
Peters article is completely raw and honest, reminiscent of whats missing in Jos memoir. He wrote about the difficulty he had reading Ends of Power, afraid hed like something in it. When he finally reads it, hes disappointed to have learned nothing new about his father. He had hoped to discover more about who his father was.
My father, not his ghostwriter, is the invisible one here, he wrote.
What would happen if you sat across the table from your mortal enemy and were asked to negotiate peace? What would you do?
J.T. Rogers play, Oslo, playing at Lincoln Center Theater, is the story of how the Oslo Accords of 1993 came to be signed at the White House, concluding with President Bill Clinton hugging Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat as they shook hands.
The play has been nominated for seven Tony Awards (to be held on June 11), including Best Play, alongside Lucas Hnaths A Dolls House, Part 2.
There is a back story to the Oslo Accords that has never really been captured until nowand there is a story behind the story of how it all came together in a brilliant drama that is also a dark comedy.
Until going to Israel this year, I had but fleeting interest in the Middle East conflict or diplomatic intrigue, and only recently have developed an interest in the the intricacies of Norwegian diplomacy and their talent for pastry making.
However, I have long been interested in the works of Mr. Rogers. Full disclosure: J.T. and I have been friends for over 30 years, attending drivers education class together at Rockbridge Senior High School in Columbia, Missouri. So perhaps, I do lack objectivity in praise for this workbut The Daily Beasts critic and others do not.
I saw his very first major play, White People and the play preceding Oslo, Blood and Gifts; Oslo began its genesis with that play.
The source material for Blood and Gifts is the struggle for control of Afghanistan during the 1980s, from the American, Soviet, British, Pakistani, Afghan sidesas the West saw the country as essential in fighting the Soviet Union, not realizing they would create the Taliban and 9/11 in their wake.
The play primarily revolves around a CIA operative, a fictional character who is a proxy for the West. The meticulously researched play masterfully blends fact and fiction including details that only a few ex-spooks ever knew.
In January of 2012, a Norwegian diplomat, Terje Rd-Larsen, came to see the play and was suitably impressed. In the lobby after the show and over drinks at New York bar P.J. Clarkes, he told Rogers, I have a tale, and I have been waiting 20 years for the right person to tell it to.
Rogers appears to have been the right person.
He recalls, that over whiskey, Larsen kindly told me he was amazed that I wasnt a diplomat. That led us to a wonky conversation about how in writing for the stage (or film, or TV) what you do and who are you are is ultimately unimportant. Its can you the writer imagine yourself into a world, place, person so that it becomes real.
Rogers was intrigued by their story but not sure it was all true. He tracked down every book he could find about the Oslo back channelmost of which were memoirs (or parts of memoirs) by the actual participants.
After devouring those and taking notes upon notes, he went to Oslo to meet diplomat Mona Juul (Larsens wife and currently Norweigian ambassador to the United Kingdom), other participants, and to walk through the rooms where the secret meetings took place. The set for the Lincoln Center Theater production is recreated from the photos and videos of those visits.
Rogers notes Blood and Gifts and Oslo are both history plays, trying to tell sweeping personal-cum-political epics. Both use structural devices from thrillers.
But in Blood and Gifts all the characters are created whole cloth by me. In Oslo, while every word is mine, the characters are all named for and based on real people. Some of the characters in the play are very much like their flesh-and-blood counterparts and some are very different. The one rule I set for myself was that no one on stage would fight for ideas that were diametrically opposed from what the real person believed.
Getting the characters down right wasnt easy. Rogers felt the Israeli and Palestinian characters operated with a passion and verbosity that he understood, and that it worked marvelously on stage.
In the early stages, getting the Norwegians down was tricky. The Nordic disposition is cooler and more reserved and it took him a while to coax the right voices and rhythms onto the page, and then again on the stage.
Rogers credits his ability to understand other cultures with his childhood experiences.
You and I got to grow up in central Missouri, in a sleepy small college town, at a time where we were left alone to wander, both physically and creatively. Pretending and wonder were simply things you drifted through. More, I think, is that when I was young I lived for two years in rural South East Asia (Malaysia and Indonesia) where my father, brother, and I were the only foreigners many people in this village had ever seen. Two years as the other, cut off from anything from America except air-mail letters, was life altering.
I asked Rogers, with some curiosity and needling, What drew you to the subject matter? Youre not Jewish. In fact, youre like the whitest and palest person on earth besides the Pillsbury dough boyand thats not even a person.
He replied, You know, when I was an actor, when I had to play a character close to me, I was stumpedthat is to say, lousy. When as a young man I was allowed to play the octogenarian druid with a limp, somehow I was liberated and my performance was pretty good.
In acting, putting on a mask frees many actors in a way that being themselves cant. The same holds true for me in writing. As well, Im not really interested in myself as a writer. I live with myself every moment Im not writing. Its a fascinating joy try and become other people.
The reception of the play has been tremendous and by fleshing out the players he has done something amazing; he makes us understand the people involved in all their complexity.
Theres a line in the play about Leninist land reform that brings down the house. Yes, the laughter is great, but the audience is laughing because midway through act one theyve come to understand this character, a hard-liner Palestinian Marxist, to the point that they viscerally get what a huge compliment he is giving by comparing what he is praising to the ideas of the great Lenin. The audience delights in and cares about this mana senior member of the PLO. This audience of New Yorkers watching this play on Broadway. Im chuffed and humbled by that.
To have this three-hour deep dive into Israel and Palestine move to Broadway stunned and humbled me, he adds. And now we have collectively been nominated for seven Tony Awards. If more proof were needed that In the Theater, Anything Is Possible... this is it. What a joy. What a privilege.
In the real world, the peace talks were a success and a failure at the same time. They did achieve the PLO recognizing Israel and renouncing violence. But the framework of the Oslo accords was never really fulfilled.
If you ask Rogers, what the moral is of the play, he wont answer. He will tell you what the play is really about.
The plays I end up writing get written not because I have something to show the audience, but because Im gripped by a question that I hope others will be gripped by as well. With Oslo, it was this: What would it be like to sit across from your mortal enemy, to have the courage to see them as a fellow human being, and then to find that you are the one profoundly changed by that seeing?
In its ability to change how we see the world and the Middle East conflict, Oslo is a profound play indeed.
Oslo is at the Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Center, New York City. Book tickets through Aug. 28 here.
Its Mothers Day, the worlds most popular non-religious holiday. Perhaps you shopped before May 1, getting 25 percent off at the Bath & Body Works Website using the code JUSTPEACHY. Perhaps you splurged on a Ralph Lauren Ricky Bag for $18,500or are taking Mom to brunch at the Waldorf Astoria for $125 per adult. Maybe youre buying Kentucky Fried chicken, charmed by KFCs creepy ad promising to fulfill Moms fantasies.
Doesnt matteryouve violated the holidays founding spirit. After founding Mothers Day, Anna Jarvis spent the rest of her lifeand fortunecrusading against the conspicuous consumption that characterizes this holiday.
This Saturnalia of shopping, brunching, Hallmark-card-sending, flower-delivering, and now, online love bombing, began in humbler times with simple white carnations and sincere expressions of love.
Mothers Day formally began on May 10, 1908, when Anna Jarvis honored her late mother, Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis, at St. Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, West Virginia, and at a Wanamakers department store in Philadelphia. Clearly, the holiday always offered maternal love American style: fusing nobility and vulgarity, piety, and materialism.
Anna Jarvis was honoring her late mothers attempts to honor mothers. Inspired by other aristocratic American women social reformers before the Civil War, Ann Reeves Jarvis had launched Mothers Day Work Clubs in West Virginia. After the Civil War, these clubs teaching moms how to be moms helped heal the wars wounds.
In 1868, Jarvis organized Mothers Friendship Day, uniting Union and Confederate veterans through their shared love of their mothers. The elder Jarvis was building on a tradition with classical and Christian roots, especially the European Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
Two years later, the upper-crust crusader who wrote The Battle Hymn of the Republic issued a Mothers Day Proclamation to bring glory, glory and a whole heap of hallelujahs to mothers. Julia Ward Howe proposed an annual Mothers Peace Day.
Arise, all women who have hearts, she proclaimed. Say firmly: We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies, our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Instead, Howe proposed let women now leave all that may be left of home for a great and earnest day of counsel.
Momma Jarvis died in 1905. In 1908, her daughter Anna Jarvis wanted to honor her mothers memory. Jarvis shifted her mothers apostrophefrom speaking about mothers in the possessive plural to mothers. The holiday would be personal, not communal, In honor of the best mother who ever livedYour mother.
Jarvis wanted the day celebrated simply, with contemplation, commendations, and white carnations. Jarvis loved the carnations whiteness, which stands for purity; its form and fragrance, representing beauty and love; its wide field of growth and lasting qualities, symbolizing charity and faithfulnessall a true mothers qualities.
Two years later, in 1910, West Virginia became the first of what ultimately became many states declaring a properly punctuated Mothers Day on the second Sunday in May. As momentum built, one oddity emerged. The Mothers Day celebration assumed its most significant aspect in the state prisons and penitentiaries, the Florida Star reported. Inmates received carnations on that day in Leavenworth, Cherry Hill, Sing Sing, as prisons lost not a little of their sordidness, and hearts that had not been otherwise accessible were touched, maybe only for the instant in some cases
On May 9, 1914, President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mothers Day, honoring mothers whose sons died in battle. The national holiday reflected Progressivisms beautifying and nationalizing impulses. Todays 133 million Hallmark card-selling, $20 billion marketing behemoth had begun.
All mothers are holy, poor as well as rich, reporters rhapsodized, as happy back then to gush sentimentality as todays reporters are to sling cynicism. Echoing these democratic sentiments, the Washington Hebrew Congregations Abram Simon praised Wilsons proclamation in 1914, hailing this new holiday for knowing no creed, no distinction of wealth or position; its spirit is universal.
Identifying the first challenge to the holidays credibility, Dr. Simon observed that Mothers Day is a womans creation, but it must become a mans institution. In a land of growing national bureaucracies, the Mothers Day International Association formed, with local committees, state committees, and a national advisory committee. Former President Theodore Roosevelt, offered his macho blessing, saying: Mothers are more important to the country than the soldier, the literary man, the man of science.
These toasts hail the devout, democratic, dedicated mother. They reflect the way men placed women on pedestals in the days of what historians call the Separate Sphereswhile ensnaring them in webs of obligations and expectations that bound women to their husbands, their children, their families, their communities, societys conventions. Today, thanks to feminism, mothers are freer to lean in, bust out, kick back, to be themselves.
Yet these ties that bound, often painfully, also sustained, like lifelines. Without returning to those bad old days, must we take the whole package of todays not-so-good days? KFC celebrates Mothers Day with an admittedly tongue-in-cheek ad evoking a steamy stud as delectable to Mom as their chicken is to her family. But who wants to scarf down fried fowl with your mother, while imagining her fantasizing about Fifty Shades of Shake and Bake? Kraft boosts Mac & Cheese with a campaign joking about the 74 percent of mothers who curse in front of their children, proclaiming Heres to swearing like a mother. What happened to role modeling?
Delicacy, artifice, restraint, discipline, have their place. Individuals without freedom cannot breathe; but individuals without restraints cannot catch their breaths and build anything constructive. Beyond giving life, mothers are childrens primary socializing agent. This Mothers Day, lets celebrate the discipline and values Moms instill, not just the life and liberties they deliver.
Anna Jarvis lived long enough to see the holiday honoring the best mother who ever livedher motherbecome an institution. But the American crassness sullying the holidays purity disgusted her. She spent the rest of her life combating the days commercialism, disrupting candy conventions, hounding public officials, squandering her inheritance; fighting her baby to save it.
Eventually, this unmarried, stubborn, opinionated force of nature received the Mary Todd Lincoln treatment for overly assertive Victorian womendying in a sanitarium in 1948. Scholars debate whether committing her reflected the sexist response to a female powerhouse or the necessary treatment for a tortured soul.
Nevertheless, Anna Jarvis, this motherless mother of Mothers Day who never became a mother understood something profound we should remember: a valueless society that only values valuables will ultimately lose its value as a community.
For Further Reading:
Katharine Lane Antolini, ed., Memorializing Motherhood: Anna Jarvis and the Struggle for Control of Mothers Day (2014)
L. Wayne Sheets, Mothers DayThe Legacy of Anna Jarvis (2013)
In Newton, Mass, a struggling seminary is coming under attack this week for failing to return religious artifacts in its collection to the Native American tribes to which they belong.
Andover Newton Theological School possesses a collection of 158 Native American artifacts that, for roughly 70 years, have been housed at the nearby Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. In 2015, when Andover was attempting to raise funds to cover a shortfall in enrollment, the institution attempted to sell the artifacts. This, they soon learned, would violate the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA); the federal law governing the return of sacred items to tribes that produced them. As of last week, Andover Newton had not complied with federal requests that they produce and send inventories of their holdings to Native American tribes.
The two-year delay, Andover Newton officials explain, was caused by the difficulty identifying the proper ownership of the artifacts. The schools president indicated that they intended to return the items to their rightful owners once the relevant research had been completed. Andover Newton does have some leads, however. Not only did the Peabody Essex Museum spend approximately $700,000 curating and photographing the collection, and labeling the items currently on display, several tribes have already petitioned the seminary for the return of their artifacts. Rosita Worl, a member of the Tlingit tribe and president of the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Alaska, contacted the seminary several times in 2015 asking for the return of a halibut fishhook that is sacred to her tribe. She has not received a direct response.
Tissa Wenger, an Associate Professor at Yale Divinity School and an expert on colonialism and the historical (mis)representations of Native American traditions, told The Daily Beast that the repatriation can be complicated, Native Americans (again like any other group of people) are not all the same and often disagree about how to define these terms and about the rightful ownership or the significance of certain items. The difficulties of repatriation, even when the museums or universities truly want to do the right thing, sometimes revolve around determining which Native nation they should be in contact with in order to properly repatriate a certain object or sometimes which person is acting as the legitimate representative of that nation.
The failure of this seminary to comply with federal law likely would not have received much attention were it not for the fact that Andover Newton is in the process of joining the prestigious Yale Divinity School. Yale College currently houses a Native American Cultural Center that identifies Sustaining cultural preservation by acknowledging history and responsibility as a core value and has supported the Association of Native Americans at Yale for nearly twenty-five years. Thus far it is unclear if, post-merger, Yale Divinity School would assume responsibility for the collection. Gregory E. Sterling, the dean of the YDS, told the New York Times via email that the university supports the proper treatment of Native American artifacts and respect for Native American culture and dignity. Tissa Wenger concurred that she would not want to see these objects in the YDS Collection. As Andover Newton President Martin B. Copenhaver stated on Wednesday, repatriation is ongoing.
This incident raises the weighty ethical issues surrounding the preservation, sale, and ownership of cultural heritage in general as well as the particular concerns governing the appropriate of Native American artifacts. Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, institutions and organizations that receive federal funding must return human remains as well as those items that have spiritual and cultural value. But the question of how and, more importantly, who decides which kinds of items qualify as sacred is an important one.
Most museums are sensitive to the issues that surround the display of funerary objects and human remains. Some do not display ritual items and locks of hair that have yet to be claimed, choosing instead to exhibit ordinary items like clothing headdresses and household items. The difficulty here, though, is in delineating the sacred from the profane. Modern ideas about what counts as religious are, as much recent scholarship including Wengers book We Have Religion: 1920s Pueblo Indian Dance Controversy and American Religious Freedom (2009) has shown, grounded in Judeo-Christian definitions of religion. So while it is obvious to everyone why locks of hair should be returned, the religious significance of certain clothing or rituals involving food preparation is more ambiguous. Some museums, like the National Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian, have guidelines for repatriation freely available on their websites. They also permit delegations to include a traditional of religious leader who has the knowledge and skills to identify objects that may not be properly identified in museums records. Its a gesture that recognizes the different ways that evidence and expertise can be ascertained and categorized, but, broadly speaking, as Wenger told me, Native Americans and Native Hawaiians should have a stronger representation on the NAGPRA review committee that determines both what counts as sacred and how to settles disputes over ownership.
Interestingly, societal concern for cultural heritage of all kinds is a relatively novel phenomenon tied to our sense of national identity. In the introduction to their volume Heritage in the Modern World (Past & Present, 2015), professors Paul Betts (University of Oxford) and Corey Ross (University of Birmingham) locate the roots of our concern for preservation in the aftermath of the French Revolution, when the state attempted to create a new national French past, and the Industrial Revolution, which prompted people to try to protect the deeply romanticized past from the aggressive attacks of the modern world. World War I, they write, only amplified the sense that cultural heritage should be preserved for the sake of nationalism, religious identity, and/or civilization itself. An excellent example of this shift in perspective was the designation of the bombing of Rheims cathedral and the Louvain Library as war crimes in the aftermath of World War I.
The ethics of preserving of cultural heritage continues to be a matter of some debate, and Hague and UNESCO regulations governing the sale of portable antiquities continue to be flouted both by those who financially profit from the sale of illicit antiquities and by those engaged in cultural terrorism. But even as NGOs, governments, UNESCO, and activists seek to save the past from destruction, not every culture has been treated in the same way. While its true that, in the United Kingdom, legislation passed to protect Englands Ancient Monuments in 1882 was quickly followed by legislation to protect the cultural heritage of Britains then colony, India, in 1904, not every vulnerable populations history has been treated in this way. Often the preservation of artifacts in museums serves to relegate those traditions to the past.
As Wenger told The Daily Beast The presence of Native American artifacts in museum collections around the country is a part of the legacy and the continuing injustice of settler colonial rule in the United States For some tribes, the loss (or theft) of traditional artifacts, some of them irreplaceable, was in fact one of the factors that threatened their ability to maintain their traditions as living and not as fossilized traditions.
In some cases not even the remains of the dead have been treated with respect.
In the case of Native American tribes, NAGPRA emerged out of just this kind of asymmetrical injustice. In the early 1970s Maria Pearson, a member of the Yankton Sioux tribe and the woman credited as the Founding Mother of the modern Indian Repatriation movement, was inspired to act after observing how Native American remains were treated differently than those of whites. In 1971, her husband John, a district engineer with the Iowa Highway Commission, told her that when road construction in Glenwood, Iowa led to the uncovering of 28 sets of remains, the white bodies were reburied and the remains of two Native Americans (a woman and a child) were dispatched for scientific research. Rightly outraged, Pearson sat outside of the Iowa governors office in traditional attire and lobbied him for the return of her peoples bones. The incident led to the eventual passage of the Iowa Burials Protection Act of 1976.
In 1987 a group of ten individuals paid the new tenants of Slack Farm, an archeological site in Uniontown, Kentucky, $10,000 for the rights to dig at the 500-year old burial mounds located on the property. (Most nearby mounts had been looted by the late 1980s, but the Slack family, after whom the site is named, had taken steps to discourage digging on their property). With no archaeological training but the assistance of leased heavy machinery, these pot hunters spent two months destroying some 650 Native American graves and Mississippian culture houses. In the process they shattered hundreds of bones and discarded the human remains in the hopes of uncovering financially valuable relics. The digging was legal, as it was on private property, but the discovery of human remains should have been reported to local authorities. Outcry by the people of Uniontown eventually halted the destruction, but the perpetrators were charged with a misdemeanor.
The efforts of Maria Pearson and the events at Slack Farm galvanized public support for the formal protection and repatriation of Native American artifacts. But theres no denying that outrage came more slowly for Native American burial grounds than it would have for a white Christian cemetery. Fundamentally, the proper treatment of artifacts is a question of justice. As Wenger said The United States was built on the theft of indigenous lands, and Native Americans continue to live under conditions of colonial rule. People need to understand that their cultures and religions are living traditions, and they should have the right to move forward on their own terms, to reclaim objects that are important to them, as much as possible on their own terms. Being included in a museum as a facet of the past, is not the same as being empowered to flourish in the present.
Srinagar, May 14 (IBNS) Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in a brief encounter with security forces in Handwara town of North Kashmir on Sunday, police said.
According to defence sources, a joint operation was launched by a joint team of police and 21 RR cordoned off the Waripora village of Handwara area following inputs about the presence of militants.
"As the operation party approached towards the suspected site, the hiding militants opened fire, leading to an encounter, said an official.
He said that two militants were killed in the retaliatory fire.
(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
Big Peat's Pals celebrate Feis Ile
Independent Scotch whisky firm, Douglas Laing & Co has announced two commemorative bottles for Islay Festival of Malt and Music; Big Peat's Pals and Provenance Caol Ila 6 Years Old.
Big Peats Pals, is a release of the firms Islay blended malt, featuring the faces of over 300 fans of the brand from all over the world collated via a social media competition earlier this year. Fred Laing and team vatted the Big Peat recipe (comprising spirit distilled at Ardbeg, Bowmore, Caol Ila and Port Ellen distilleries), before finishing the whisky in Spanish Sherry butts, for the first time ever.
Commenting on the new release, Fred Laing says: "Every year, our big pal Big Peat travels (big time!) all over the world, meeting old, and making new friends everywhere he goes... Some of them even look just like him, with the handsome(?) face, bushy beard and dark hair windswept by the harsh Hebridean weather! We so frequently receive photos of these avid Big Peat aficionados that we felt it time to give something back, and our gift to them is this limited edition bottling that features over 300 of their faces and is finished in Sherry butts in a first for our feisty Ileach pal."
Big Peats Pals Feis Ile 2017 limited edition is produced without colouring or chill-filtration, and bottled at high alcohol strength, 48%. Just 1600 bottles will be available globally.
Provenance Caol Ila 6 Years Old, the second of Douglas Laings Feis Ile commemorative bottlings, is also unveiled. Packaged in a premium gift tube with black and gold foiled label, this single cask bottling displays tasting notes written by Cara Laing, third generation in the Douglas Laing family business. The flavour profile is said to comprise smoked meats, bonfire smoke and charred wood, with a honeycomb sweetness prevailing on the finish.
Commenting on the release, Cara says: We have enviable stocks of Islay whisky, and were spoilt for choice when selecting our single cask release for Feis Ile 2017. This feisty Caol Ila captured our imaginations, with its youth preserving that archetypal peat smoke character that Islay malts are celebrated for. By making our Feis Ile bottlings available to our global distribution partners, were striving to deliver the ultimate taste of Islay to those who cant make it to the festival in person. Big Peats Pals and Provenance Caol Ila 6 Years Old are sure to transport those Islay enthusiasts to the whisky island during its most magical time of year!
Douglas Laing & Co is hosting a series of tastings and Big Peats Be the Blender masterclass during the Islay Festival, and tickets are for sale now via DouglasLaing.com. The firms partnership with local brewery, Islay Ales, continues for a second year, with the family companies joining to produce ale finished in Big Peat and Rock Oyster Whisky casks.
14 May 2017 - Sam Coyne The Drinks Report, news editor
Love old or unusual movies but never know when they're on? Here are several I recommend:
Blood Simple (1984): This crafty and diabolical little thriller put the writing/producing/directing team of Joel and Ethan Coen on the cinematic map. Dan Hedaya stars as a bar owner who believes his wife (Frances McDormand) is cheating on him with one of his bartenders (John Getz). He hires a private investigator (M. Emmet Walsh) to first spy on and then kill the lovers. This, however, is merely the jumping off point for a wild series of plot twists that would have made Hitchcock's head spin. The midnight burial by the side of the road is just one of the many unforgettable scenes in this bloodcurdling and beautifully made little neo film noir.
Turner Classic Movies, 11 p.m. Monday
The Seven-Percent-Solution (1976): What if Sherlock Holmes had a drug problem so severe he needed to see a psychiatrist? That's the intriguing question asked by Nicholas Meyer's bestselling novel that Herbert Ross turned into a splendid film in 1976. The title refers to the cocaine Holmes was fond of shooting up. With a little help from his friend Dr. Watson (a delightful and unlikely Robert Duvall), he consults with none other than Sigmund Freud himself. Alan Arkin is adorable as Freud, Nicol Williamson is solid as Holmes and Lawrence Olivier puts in a memorable turn as a very different sort of Moriarty. And did I mention Vanessa Redgrave? The movie is a clever, stylish delight.
Turner Classic Movies, 11 a.m. Saturday
Tower (2016): I grew up on the horrific story of Charles Whitman, and his 96-minute shooting spree from the top of the Main Building tower at the University of Texas in Austin. This ingenious movie is a combination of survivor interviews and rotoscoped animation re-creations of the events of that terrible afternoon. The result of this unorthodox approach is a short movie that packs a lot of punch. For those of us who know the area where the events happened, it's perhaps even more morbidly fascinating.
Now streaming on Netflix.
Winter's Bone (2010): Here's a beautiful, sad, scary movie from writer/director Debra Granik. I would describe the movie as an Ozark gothic family thriller. It features a bravura performance by young Jennifer Lawrence who's in a desperate search for her father. Unfortunately, she has to search for them among a decidedly scary group of her relatives in a rural community so depressed, the best job opportunity seems to be running a homemade meth lab. The movie feels as authentic as, and is a worthy successor to, the classic Deliverance.
Now streaming on Amazon Prime.
Trivia Question #685: Which of this week's performers was nominated for an Oscar for playing a person who famously invented a mop?
Answer to Trivia Question #683: Lena Olin, co-star of Chocolat, is married to the film's director, Lasse Hallstrom.
Bryan native Ray Ivey is a writer and movie fan in Hollywood, Calif. He would love to hear from you at rayivey@ca.rr.com. You can also visit his blog at www.starkravingray.com.
A Bryan man was arrested Friday morning after police say they found him hiding methamphetamine inside his mouth.
According to Bryan police, an officer was patrolling a motel on Texas 21 around 3 a.m. Friday and saw a man, David Raymond Gourley, 42, asleep in his car. The officer woke Gourley, who said he was waiting for a friend. The officer ran Gourley's identity and found he was on parole for possession of methamphetamine. Gourley allowed the officer to search his vehicle.
Police say in Gourley's car they found a glass pipe similar to those used to smoke methamphetamine, and Gourley was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia. As Gourley was being led to the officer's patrol vehicle, authorities say he spat a small glass vial out of his mouth that contained 2.6 grams of methamphetamine.
During booking, Gourley's mouth was checked, and an officer noticed something in the back of his mouth. When the officer asked Gourley to spit out the object, he swallowed it. He was taken to CHI St. Joseph Hospital for possible drug ingestion, though officers were not able to confirm that the object he swallowed was methamphetamine.
Gourley is charged with possession of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and $10,000 in fines. He was released from the Brazos County Jail on $8,340 bond.
More than 1,800 engineering students received their diplomas Saturday morning at Kyle Field in the first ceremony of its kind in recent memory at Texas A&M.
The Kyle Field venue offered a unique experience. Graduates "whooped" when a Wellborn Road train passed the stadium, and hundreds of family and friends of graduates gathered in the Hall of Champions and Legacy Club to escape the rising temperatures and watch the three-hour ceremony from dozens of wide-screen televisions.
Overall, more than 10,000 Aggies received their diplomas this week.
Filled with joy and celebration for most -- and relief for some -- the ceremony also featured more solemn moments, including university officials honoring the late Ross Travis Lightfoot, who was killed in a February car accident in Bryan. He would have received a bachelor's degree in computer engineering.
Saturday morning's ceremony also featured Alyssa Michalke, the first female commander of the Corps of Cadets, receiving her bachelor's degree in ocean engineering.
Taylor Fry, of Southlake, had a long journey to Kyle Field with two majors under his belt -- mathematics and mechanical engineering.
"It was a lot of work, but it was doable," Fry said. "It all came down to a lot of time management, and having friends to help me through the hard classes."
Fry has accepted a job as a facilities engineer for the U.S. Department of Defense, a role she will take on in July. She said her time at A&M was crucial in preparing her to apply for the position.
"I really liked the aspect of my major that prepared me for a job in the real world," she said, "It was about teaching me how to problem-solve."
Blake Whittington, a Bellville-area graduate who received his degree in petroleum engineering, agreed that Texas A&M provided a satisfying program for his aspirations, noting that he plans to return to campus as an alumnus and visit his professors.
For now, he's heading to Midland for work in the petroleum field, and he shared tips with incoming engineering students to do the work necessary to achieve goals in the industry.
"Put the work in early," he advised. "Don't put yourself behind freshman year. Study, do it early, and you'll ride on that for the rest of your career."
Noemie Makamura, a computer science graduate from Brazil, found her academic path combined her ability to work hard and logically with her need to have fun and show her creative side. She displayed that creative side at Kyle Field by decorating her mortar board cap to depict a "pin" from the Google Maps app, representing Texas A&M as her destination.
"My sister and I talked about how it's so hard to find people [in the crowd], so she suggested I should do it like a pinpoint from Google Maps," Makamura said, laughing.
Makamura is a first-generation Aggie. Her family moved to Texas years ago, and she chose Texas A&M for her education to remain close to them. She never would have guessed she would be majoring in computer science, or accepting a job in Washington state working for Amazon's game studios.
"Computer science really came to me as an accident," she said. "I changed majors a few times between artistic and nonartistic, and with computer science I found I could work both the logical and artistic sides of myself."
Fry's father, Richard, noted that his daughter, like Makamura and many other graduates on Saturday, is the first Aggie in her family, but the maroon mania she carries from her experience is spreading like wildfire.
"You become an Aggie [as a parent]," Fry said. "I'm from Houston, and Texas A&M is where I want to send all my kids now."
Patna, May14 (TheBiharPost/IBNS): The ruling Janata Dal United (JD-U) which is headed by chief minister Nitish Kumar is still to decide on attending RJD chief Lalu Prasadas proposed aBJP hatao, desh bachaoa (remove BJP from power and save the country) rally to be held in August this year.
We are yet to decide over the issue. There is still enough time for it, state JD-U president Vashishtha Narayan Singh was quoted as saying in the local media on Sunday.
RJD has planned to invite countrys top opposition leaders at the said rally to be held in Patnas Gandhi Maidan.
While the RJD wants to take credit for bringing the opposition parties on one platform, the JD-U has been making similar efforts in this direction not to be left behind.
Of late, both the parties have been seen taking different stands on varieties of issues, such as Indias surgical strike in PoK, currency ban and use of EVMs in the elections.
However, the BJP mocked the rally plan of the RJD chief saying none is sure if he will be able to hold the rally given the Supreme Courts order to conclude trials in all the fodder scam cases pending against him.
Who knows if Lalu Prasad will be out there for the rally or will be in jail by that time, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told the media today.
thebiharpost.com
Events will take place May 28 on church grounds off of County Road 304 in Stoneham in Grimes County. Mass begins at 7:30 a.m. and will continue with two services throughout the morning. A beef and pork barbecue lunch will be served starting at 11 a.m. A live auction begins at 2 p.m. There also will be live music, games for kids, tours of the historic church and dancing.
The day after his May 7 signing of Senate Bill 4 on Facebook Live, Gov. Greg Abbott told Fox News the bill's purpose is to crack down on sanctuary cities' protection of undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes, not all undocumented residents living in the Lone Star State.
"If you are here, regardless of what your status, and you have not committed a crime that makes you subject to an ICE detainer, you have no problems whatsoever," Abbott said.
But Felipe Hinojosa, associate professor and the director of undergraduate studies in the department of history at Texas A&M University, said he was dubious that only undocumented immigrants will be affected by the bill because "that's not what history has taught us."
In the 1920s and 1930s, during the economically turbulent years of the Great Depression, between 1 and 2 million people living in the U.S. were deported to Mexico. Of those deported, an estimated 60 percent were American citizens of Mexican descent, swept up and deported without regard for their citizenship status. Many Americans across the country, unemployed and poor, blamed those of Mexican descent -- many of whom were Americans themselves -- for the country's economic catastrophe and the lack of jobs and livable wages without regard for their citizenship status.
"White privilege and white racism and systemic and institutional bias rarely takes the time to consider who is here legally and who is not," said Hinojosa, adding that "citizens and noncitizens alike" are at risk during times of xenophobia and mass deportation resulting from white supremacy and economic insecurity.
Abbot has argued that the deportations are about law and order, not racial profiling.
"Let's face it, the reason why so many people come to America is because we are a nation of laws, and Texas is doing its part to keep it that way," Abbott said when signing the bill.
With Sept. 1 -- the day SB4 goes into effect -- still just under four months away, it's unclear how the law could affect college campuses. Law enforcement officers will have the ability -- but won't be required -- to ask the citizenship status of those they detain. Hinojosa said that is enough reason to cause more anxiety for minority students already stressed from normal twentysomething concerns.
"This is going to bring about a tremendous disruption to stability, especially to students of color, who learn and feel safe and respected at Texas A&M," Hinojosa said.
Hinojosa noted there are differences between the repatriation of the '20s and '30s and what's happening in America now but said SB4 "augments" and "makes worse" the implication of criminality simply because of a person's skin color, although he said the bill by no means created that implication.
"Citizenship and noncitizenship, these things are quite integrated" in the Latino community, Hinojosa said, meaning that Latino Americans have family and friendships and church networks comprised of people with varying degrees of citizenship and legal statuses.
"There's a looming fear that being Latino carries a connotation with being a criminal and being undocumented," he said.
Hinojosa said college students are already "overwhelmed" at the prospect of finding a job, paying off student debt and studying for classes, but the constant threat of being racially profiled or harassed will weigh heavily on the minds of Latino students on A&M's campus. According to A&M's Accountability website,almost 20 percent of the university's student body is Hispanic.
"That extra weight you put on students, the psychological trauma of being constantly targeted or looked upon as a criminal, weighs heavy on our students," he said. "[SB4] unjustly criminalizes black and brown bodies on our campus."
Dan De Leon, pastor of College Station's Friends Congregational Church, said passing SB4 underscores the need for safe spaces in Bryan-College Station. De Leon's church has, in its pastor's words, "officially adopted a statement pledging support of the sanctuary movement," so it's on the path to becoming one of those safe spaces, once its leaders figure out "what that looks like."
De Leon said the message Texas put forth once its governor signed SB4 is one that says it's "culturally acceptable to say [certain] people don't belong here," which makes "the need for safe space become all the more vital."
Adria Escobedo, a 21-year-old Aggie completing a joint bachelor's and master's program at A&M, said she personally isn't worried about deportation since she was born in the United States, but she does anticipate racial profiling to increase on campus. She said she has friends who are "afraid to be harassed just because they look different."
Escobedo said she might not worry for her own safety, and she hasn't had any interactions with campus police in the past, but she does anticipate SB4 making students of color "a little more marginalized than we are already."
Amy Smith, senior vice president and chief marketing and communications officer at A&M, said President Michael K. Young had no comment on this story.
The University Texas A&M Police Department did not respond to a request for comment. In earlier comments to The Eagle, Brazos County Sheriff Chris Kirk said "it's not gonna change much from what we already do," a sentiment echoed by Bryan Chief of Police Eric Buske and College Station Chief of Police Scott McCollum.
The Affordable Care Act -- Obamacare -- was based on a one-size-fits-all approach that put bureaucrats in Washington in charge of your health care. Last week I, along with a majority of my House colleagues, took a vitally important first step in repealing and replacing this disastrous law.
The House passed the American Health Care Act to begin the process to provide America with a 21st century health care system that lowers costs, encourages competition and, most importantly, empowers patients to take control of their health care decisions.
Across our nation, Obamacare's failures continue to impede access to, and the affordability of, health care for all Americans. Recently, another Virginia insurer announced it will be leaving the Obamacare exchanges next year. A Maryland insurer just publicized a 58 percent rate increase in 2018 to compensate for instability within the marketplace. The only remaining insurer in 94 of 99 Iowa counties declared that it is planning to leave the marketplace altogether. Additionally, Aetna just announced its complete exit from all Obamacare exchange markets.
Unfortunately, similar examples across the country continue to mount. Here in Texas, 70 percent of counties only have one health care option, and many of them will lose that option as early as January due to the fatal flaws of Obamacare.
By repealing and replacing Obamacare we can end the harm that American families and businesses are suffering.
The American Health Care Act delivers immediate relief from Obamacare's taxes and mandates that have stifled job creation, increased premiums, and limited options for patients and providers. The American Health Care Act replaces damaging outcomes with provisions that return control of health care to the states while restoring the free market so Americans can access quality, affordable health care options.
Under the American Health Care Act, if you choose to purchase health insurance through the individual insurance market, you will receive a monthly age-based tax credit to purchase quality coverage of your choice. If you currently are utilizing employer-based health care coverage, coverage through Medicare or the military, or are enrolled in traditional Medicaid, you will not be impacted directly by the American Health Care Act. You will, however, see the benefits of a robust free market with increased choices and lower costs.
The American Health Care Act does this by establishing a $138 billion Patient and State Stability Fund available for states to facilitate diverse coverage at a lower cost while providing greater health care options for all Americans, including those with pre-existing conditions.
Make no mistake: We are committed to caring for those who are most vulnerable within our communities. The American Health Care Act protects individuals with pre-existing conditions by prohibiting insurance companies from denying or rescinding coverage, or raising premiums, assuming they maintain continuous coverage.
Under Obamacare, the Medicaid expansion to include able-bodied adults and the program has become so fiscally unstable that it cannot serve those it was originally designed to serve as a safety net: the poor, disabled, elderly, pregnant mothers and their children.
The American Health Care Act modernizes and strengthens Medicaid by enacting the largest entitlement reform in the program's history. By reforming Medicaid financing we are empowering states to meet the unique needs of their residents. That said, under the American Health Care Act, Medicaid expansion recipients will be grandfathered in their current coverage, subject to continuing eligibility. We have designed the American Health Care Act, however, so that this population will have improved opportunities to receive health insurance through an employer, qualify for tax credits to purchase insurance on the individual market, or receive health coverage through innovative state programs funded by the American Health Care Act's Patient and State Stability Fund.
Like many constituents in my district, I am forced to receive my family's coverage through an Obamacare exchange; and we have had the same frustrating experiences of many other hardworking Texas families, including premium increases, exploding out-of-pocket costs, and fewer options. I continue to believe that Congress live under the laws it passes. So, along with the American Health Care Act vote, the House also unanimously passed legislation to ensure that all members of Congress have the same coverage afforded to Main Street America under the American Health Care Act.
Since my first day in office, one of my top priorities has been not only to repeal Obamacare, but to replace it with free market principles that improve competition and increase choices for each and every American.
Passage of the American Health Care Act, coupled with administrative actions by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and additional legislation to improve the delivery and cost of health care will create a 21st century health care system that is patient-focused, market-driven, competitive and affordable for all families.
I strongly urge my Senate colleagues to work diligently with the House of Representatives to fulfill these goals.
Bill Flores of Bryan represents Texas District 17, which includes Brazos County, in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Guwahati, May 14 (IBNS): Assamas Hamren police on Sunday arrested a youth following his suspicious post against Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) Chief Executive member (CEM) Tuliram Rongang in social media.
According to the reports, Baithalangso police arrested Kangtir Bey hailing from Dongkamukam following his suspicious Facebook post the KAAC CEM.
We have arrested the youth after a complaint lodged by Rensing Timung against him, a police official said.
A case (40/2017) under section 384, 292 (A) of IPC and 392 of RW section 64 IT act was registered against the youth at Baithalangso police station.
Recently, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) officer was arrested for his Facebook post agaisnt a lady Assam BJP legislator.
Apart from this, another youth was arrested after he posted suspicious comment against Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in social media.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Des Moines County Supervisors to grant conservation funding request
The increase will allow Des Moines County Conservation to restore the full-time naturalist position needed to run summer camps.
Guwahati, May 14 (IBNS): Conflicts increased between opposition Congress and Hills State Demand Council (HSDC) for seat sharing ahead of the polls of Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC) is scheduled on June 12 next.
The two main opposition parties had earlier announced that both parties will go to fight jointly against Bharatiya Janata Party in the council election.
We are still hope that both parties will fight jointly in the polls, Congress Assam unit president and Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora said.
Congress has already offered eight seats to HSDC in the 26 members council, but the regional party demanded three more seats. We have discussed the issue in a crucial party meeting held in Guwahati last night. We hope HSDC will also come forward with the issue and discussion is going on, Ripun Bora said.
The Assam state election commission had recently announced the poll dates of the KAAC and poll date is scheduled on June 12 next.
According to the state election commission notification, the last date of filing nomination papers is scheduled on May 19 and counting of polls will be held on June 17.
Meanwhile, a top source of HSDC said that, if seat sharing issue with the Congress would not final then the regional party will go to fight in the council poll alone.
On the other hand, Congress is likely to announce its candidate list on May 17 or 18.
Mom's spend their lives taking care of others, so they deserve something special on Mother's Day.
Sure, you could get her flowers from a local florist or buy her a gift, but what she probably really wants is to spend time with her family.
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STAMFORD Something happened to Tracy Brank after birthing her third child two years ago it was like a spark ignited a call to action.
Becoming a mother transformed me, the 40-year-old Stamford resident said. I was talking to my nurses about all of the balancing I have to do with a career and children, since I was on my third, and one of them said to me I should share my story.
For Brank an investment banker and professional model the best platform to broadcast motherhood was pageantry.
What I like about pageants is that youre there to promote something, Brank said. You have to pick a platform and defend it.
She entered her first competition a year ago and shes since won a few different distinctions. Brank was most recently crowned Mrs. Connecticut United States in a pageant reserved for married women.
Her modeling background helps her with the beauty aspect of the pageants, but its motherhood that inspires her platforms.
I want to educate women on importance of balance and combatting the image of trying to do it all, Brank said. Balance is more than being organized its about finding things that fulfill you.
Shes also hoping to set a good example for her children, ages 7, 5 and 2. Their safety and their futures have inspired her objectives for the Mrs. United States competition.
Family-oriented
Brank is deciding between two platforms before she heads to Orlando, Fla. in July for the national leg of the competition.
The first, a plea for families to develop emergency preparedness plans, is inspired by two traumatic experiences: witnessing 9/11 as a lower Manhattan resident and watching from the top of the staircase as the first floor of her home was swallowed by Hurricane Sandy.
People think its never going to happen to them, but these disasters have happened to me not once, but twice, Brank said.
She recalled living on John Street when the World Trade Center fell, and interacting with the Red Cross as her neighborhood spent months rebuilding. That experience inspired her to volunteer with the relief organization.
But it was her second brush with catastrophe, when her Long Island home was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy, that has her preaching family preparedness. Brank stood on the second floor as water crept up the stairs of her home, clutching her two children and watching in horror.
I thought we would take our last living breath on that second floor, she said. I want to share that story to encourage families to talk about these things before they happen.
Her second platform, which she said needs a little more tweaking, encourages open-mindedness and acceptance, an important tool for combatting bullying.
While not every woman in the Mrs. United States circuit is a mother, the family-oriented message from Brank, who has been married to her current husband for two years, is not uncommon. She says this competition is designed to elevate resilient women who represent the institution of marriage.
In defense of pageantry
Brank understands some of the criticisms of pageant women. The beauty aspect can be off-putting in the modern age of working women.
But Brank calls it beauty with a purpose.
Pageants have empowered me with the confidence to do my personal best in a way my career has not, said Brank, who has a masters degree and has worked on Wall Street for two decades.
Beauty and fashion have always been her creative outlets. She says her modeling jobs have worked as a perfect balance to her high-stress, high-pressure career in finance.
I got my first modeling job when I was working on my masters in finance and management, she said. Up until that point, work and studying had been everything to me I never did anything hobby-based. It changed my life.
Her life changed a second time when she became a mother.
The amount of time I wasted back then is just incredible to me, she said. I can multitask in ways I never could before because motherhood really snaps you to reality.
nnaughton@stamfordadvocate.com; @noranaughton
Assumption School's 1st Annual Ladies and Little Gents Dance held in the school's newly renovated gym in Ansonia, Conn., on Saturday May 13, 2017. In celebration of Mother's Day, moms as well as grandmas, aunts or other mother figures and sons (up to 8th Grade) came to enjoy the dance. The night included light refreshments and pizza as well as snacks and dessert. A DJ provided music and a souvenir photo station was set up to pose moms with their sons.
NORWALK Izora Ebron has worked at Norwalks Open Door Shelter for 27 years. This year, she turned 65, but she has no intention of retiring.
Ebron is part of a growing contingent of people planning to put off retirement in order to better prepare for life on a fixed income.
In my case, my husband and I, were working out of necessity, Ebron said. Living here in the Fairfield County area, were working to pay off some debts that we personally have and we dont want to retire with those debts.
Last month, 19 percent of Americans age 65 and over were still working, according to government data released Friday. Thats the highest rate since 1962, and it caps a long trend higher since the figure bottomed out at 10 percent in 1985.
As America grows older and as life expectancy gets longer, some workers keep heading to the office because they like it and still feel engaged. But many others are continuing to work for a simpler, darker reason: They cant afford not to.
Most seniors havent really saved to be retired and live the same type of lifestyle they were used to when they were working, said Eva Beau, outreach director for the Norwalk Senior Center. So I think that leads many seniors to work longer or look for part time work to supplement the fixed income. Connecticut is so hard to maintain an affordable retirement.
More than a quarter of workers age 55 or older say they have less than $10,000 in savings and investments, according to the latest retirement confidence survey by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. Perhaps because of slim nest eggs, nearly a third of workers in that age group say they expect to work until at least 70, if they retire at all.
More Information 'Golden years' 19: Percentage of Americans age 65 or older who are still working 13: Percentage of Norwalk's senior population $47,202: Median household income for a Norwalk senior See More Collapse
The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 13 percent of Norwalks population is made up by seniors. Of those, roughly 6 percent have an annual income of less than $10,000, and 22 percent have less than $20,000.
The average Social Security Income in Norwalk is $17,930 per year, and the median household income for a Norwalk senior is $47,202. Roughly 32 percent of Norwalk residents 60 and over received food stamps in the last year.
I have probably three to five people per month who are over the age of 65 and come to me seeking help finding a job, Beau said. Some people just want to remain active and are looking for something to do and usually want to help people. Others are looking for a second career to supplement their income after retirement.
Many older Americans would like to work but say they cant find a job, whether because they lack the skills or because employers are looking for someone younger. The unemployment rate for workers age 65 and over was 3.7 percent last month. Thats a tick higher than its median over the last 30 years, though its down from earlier this year.
Though there is no official program at the senior center to help workers find jobs, Beau often makes referrals for people that come to her looking for jobs.
I mostly am able to point them in the direction of a family or someone who might need help, Beau said. Ive had some members that I recently place in job opportunities, that come back and say thanks. For example, I had one woman who was unemployed for two years and it would have been devastating for her if we didnt find her a job.
The numbers may rise still higher, critics say.
Congress this past week voted to overturn a federal rule designed to help states give more workers access to retirement savings plans.
Several states have been pushing to create their own plans to get more workers into plans like a 401(k) that automatically deduct savings from each paycheck. Low-income workers tend to have much less access to savings plans through their jobs.
Republicans and players in the investment industry, though, argue that the state-run plans could end up being much more expensive than imagined and would water down safeguards in place to protect investors.
Some people are working because they dont want to sit and not doing anything, but for the most part the people that I know are working to fulfill debt requirements, Ebron said. When most people retire, you still want to have the same quality of life you had when you were working, but thats difficult to do on a fixed income.
Ebron said she doesnt plan to take on another career after she retires from Open Door, at least not for a few years.
I dont have any intentions of continuing to work once I finally retire, Ebron said. Volunteer, yes. After I rest for a while.
This story includes reporting by the Associated Press.
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NORWALK Diesel fumes and the din of construction vehicles have long left many South Norwalk residents with no doubt that they live amid industry.
For Lou DiMeglio, who lives on Lubrano Place, the time for allowing such noise and annoyance has passed even though much of the area is zoned for industrial use.
You have so much dust and noise and other distractions going on on a daily basis, DiMeglio said. Its unbearable.
DiMeglios nemesis is Premier Firewood, which cuts and dries wood across the fence from his property. A representative of the company declined comment Friday.
But the firewood company is only one of many such businesses in South Norwalk. On Thursday afternoon, DiMeglio and members of South Norwalk Citizens for Justice stood at Merritt Place and Chestnut Street and called for stronger enforcement from the city.
Industry everywhere
Ernie Dumas, a longtime South Norwalk resident and founder of the South Norwalk Citizens for Justice, said contractors yards are allowed to operate behind houses and in driveways and everywhere all over the place to bring our properties down.
These are the things that the people here in South Norwalk go through, said Dumas as large trucks roared past. Still, we get cards in our mailbox, Will you vote for me? Weve got to stop voting for the people that are not doing anything for us.
Diane Lauricella, an advisor to South Norwalk Citizens for Justice, traces the problem to industrial businesses often being issued over-the-counter permits from the citys Department of Planning and Zoning rather than going before the Zoning Commission and public hearings. She said the pattern applies to other city departments.
Theres a pattern where violators appear to be helped along and helped by staff at times to cure or fix their problems and get their permits, Lauricella said. The public and the neighborhoods end up taking the brunt of it. They suffer, not only their health, the value of their homes, the stress of having to call the city agencies.
Problem fixed
Steve Kleppin, Norwalks director of planning and zoning, said Premier Firewood was issued a zoning permit last year to operate as a manufacturing facility after it submitted an environmental report that addressed noise and odor. Before that, the company was operating illegally without a permit, he said.
Whether you want to quibble about the quality of the report, thats another story, Kleppin said. But they met that requirement so they were allowed to get their permit. The violation that was existing on the property was that they did not have a permit.
If noise or odors emanating from Premier Firewood exceed that allowed by the city, the permit will be revoked. But for us to revoke the permit, we need some kind of documentation that shows theyre in violation, he said.
DiMeglio has measured the noise on his property and finds the regulations benefitting the firewood company.
Because this is an industrial zone, theyre allowed to stay with 70 decibels, DiMeglio said. I was on the other side of the fence, I got as high as 88 (decibels). At my house, its 62 or 32 (decibels) in my backyard.
Meeting with mayor
South Norwalk Citizens for Justice has met with Mayor Harry W. Rilling, Kleppin and other city officials to discuss their concerns about such activities. In addition to calling upon the city to stop issuing over-the-counter permits to chronic violators, the group wants officials to amend the citation hearing process to include public comment and notification.
Rilling said city departments, when made aware of possible zoning or other violations, inspect the properties and perform their due diligence.
Some issues that might seem violations to some might not be violations once we inspect, said Rilling, a former city zoning commissioner. We have to be fair in the enforcement of our zoning laws.
At the same time, Rilling indicated that more scrutiny should be given when considering over-the-counter permits for recurrent violators.
We dont want to issue over-the-counter permits simply for the sake of expediency, Rilling said. If somebody who has zoning violations on a regular basis asks for a permit we should probably take a closer look at that.
rkoch@hearstmediact.com
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WILTON Alexandra Fordsman, 12, stood before a crowded room at Our Lady of Fatima Parish Saturday late afternoon.
She raised her arms with her elbows bent and held a rosary in her left hand, as three children knelt in front of her.
The scene, re-enacted by the parishs youth ministry, depicted an event believed to have happened 100 years ago.
On May 13, 1917, three shepherd children reported seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal, urging them to pray the rosary daily for world peace and an end to World War I.
This was the first of six apparitions in 1917. The Roman Catholic Church officially recognized the apparitions as a miracle in 1930.
Bishop Frank Caggiano, of the Bridgeport Diocese, joined the 100th anniversary celebration at the parish in Wilton to celebrate Mass.
Nearly every pew was filled during the gathering, as he led prayers, recited scriptures and shared a story about the time he and his mother visited the Fatima shrine months before she died in 2011.
Our Lady reminds us that there is no greater good than eternal; there is no greater good than to be with her son in this life and in the life to come, Caggiano said. She reminded the visionaries and she reminds us that we must pray each day for the strength and courage to remain faithful to what the Lord has asked.
After Mass, state Sen. Toni Boucher, R-Wilton, and Selectman Lori Bufano presented the parish with an official state citation recognizing the 100th anniversary.
Our Lady of Fatima church has provided moral and spiritual guidance to the Wilton community and beyond, Boucher said. Congratulations on this celebration of Marys presence and maternal protection for the last 100 years.
Father Reggie Norman closed the celebration by presenting Caggiano with a Lady of Fatima vestment and a commemorative 100th anniversary plate. He also presented the bishop with the first annual The Most Reverend Frank Caggiano Award for outstanding service to the parish.
The second award was given to parishioners Phil Lauria and Elaine Tai-Lauria.
On this 100th anniversary, we thought it would be fitting to do something that was long overdue, Norman said.
Caggiano responded by expressing his own thanks for Normans service to the parish.
Father Reggie, you are such an outstanding, remarkable priest and a great pastor, he said. And I want to say on the Feast Day in this parish, and on behalf of everyone here, thank you for your leadership, your dedication, all that you do and the love that you have in your heart.
skim@hearstmediact.com; 203-354-1044; @stephaniehnkim
A 2014 Palmer High School graduate will travel to South Africa on a mission trip in late June.
Emilie Wolfe, daughter of Dr. Jay and Kathy Wolfe, is in her junior year at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where shes studying middle school mathematics and natural science.
Wolfe said she always wanted to do mission work, but until now, she hasnt had the opportunity.
At my church in Omaha, called City Light, they had several opportunities for missions going on, she said. This one fit my schedule best because I am planning on taking summer classes and didnt want to interfere with those.
She said she felt called to go on this trip.
This is a little out of my comfort zone, but it will be fun, Wolfe said. I will grow as a person, as well as helping out others in the process.
She added that she hopes to get a more well-rounded view of life in general.
Wolfes trip will be to Pretoria, South Africa, from June 29 through July 18. She will be doing her service work in a township called Mamelodi. She said the area is poverty-stricken and has many orphaned children.
We are going to help the people there with life skills such as managing finances, conflict resolution and such, she said. They really dont have resources there to learn those skills.
The program will be for 18- to 28-year-olds and will be taught through the lens of Christianity.
We have hopes that many will accept Jesus as their savior by the end of our mission. Thats the goal.
She said her mission is also about teaching of the Gospel and introducing Jesus to area youth.
Once the kids are out of school, we will spend time with them, playing and teaching them about Jesus, Wolfe said. Hopefully, they come to know him and grow in his word.
Twenty people will go on the mission. They include 12 from City Light Church in Omaha, where Wolfe attends, and eight from City Light in Lincoln.
With a mission trip, finding funding is always a crucial part of the adventure. Wolfe has reached out to members of St. Johns Lutheran Church in Palmer, where she attended growing up and her parents still attend. She has also reached out to the community.
As a student, I must rely upon Gods provision through the generosity of others to support me on this mission, she said.
She said shes grateful for any donations. She also asks for prayers.
If you would be willing to support me through prayer, I would greatly appreciate it, Wolfe said.
How to help
Donations for the mission trip can be sent to Emilie Wolfe at 5842 Walnut St., Omaha, NE 68106.
Guwahati, May 14 (IBNS): The special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Guwahati will pronounce the judgement in two first cases registered by the NIA on May 15, which related to siphoning off the multi-crore rupees government funds and diverting it to the coffers of the now disbanded militant group Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel).
The court will pronounce the judgment of the two NIA cases after seven years, which were registered in 2009.
NIA had registered two cases (RC-01/2009 and RC-02/2009) at its Delhi headquarter in Jun 2009.
The anti-terror probe agency had registered its first case in the country on June 5, 2009 following took over the investigation of FIR no 170/2009 of Basistha police station in Guwahati and registered its second case on same day after took over the investigation of FIR no 03/2009 of Diyungmukh police station in Dima Hasao district.
The investigation agency had already filed chargesheets in both cases and there were a total of 15 accused in the first case of whom 10 are in judicial custody, three out on bail and one had released after serving sentence.
In the second case, two are in judicial custody out of 16 accused persons.
The anti-terror probe agency had registered the first case after the Assam police apprehended two persons namely Phojendra Hojai and Babul Kemprai and recovered cash amount of Rs 1 crore along with two pistols and letter from their possession.
The money had been siphoned from the development funds alloted to the North Cachar Hills Autonomous Council in connivance with the contractors and other government servants and was being sent to militant group DHD (J) for procurement of arms and ammunition for waging war against the state. During investigation, eight numbers of M-16 rifle made in Singapore, one 9 mms pistol baretta, 12 walkie-talkie sets with chargers and one telescope Bushnell were also recovered.
In the second case, the anti-terror probe agency said in their chargesheet that, some persons, workers of NC Hills Autonomous Council were going hand over huge amount of money to DHD (J) militants somewhere between Haflong to Diyungmukh for the purpose of procuring arms and ammunition and for promoting terrorist activities with a view to wage war against the state, Assam police stopped and checked a Scorpio vehicle bearing registration number AS-08-5133 in which Golon Daulagpu, Jibangshu Paul were traveling and recovered cash amounting of Rs 32.11 lakh from their possession. During investigation, five numbers of M-16 rifle, three numbers of SLR rifle and other weapons were also recovered.
NIA had already submitted chargesheets in both cases and included former DHD (J) leaders and present members of the Council Jewel Garlosa alias Mihir Barman, Niranjan Hojai, Redaul Hussain Khan, Mohit Hojai, Babul Kemprai, Phojendra Hojai, Partho Warisa, Vanlalchhana, Malsawmkimi, Debasish Bhattacharya, Sandip Kumar Ghosh, Karuna Saikia, Jayanta Kumar Ghosh, George Lawmthang, Golon Daulagupu, Jibangshu Paul, Samir Ahmed as accused persons.
Among the accused persons, Samir Ahmed was released after serving sentence.
(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
CHI Health St. Francis honors nurses
Eight CHI Health St. Francis employees were honored at the annual Nursing Excellence Awards presentation May 10 in recognition of National Nurses Week.
Julia Smith of the Intensive Care Unit was named New Nurse of the Year
Deena Schaeffer of the Emergency Department was named Clinical Nurse of the Year and Chelsea Enninga of Supportive Care was chosen as Non-clincial Nurse of the Year.
Clinical Leadership Nurse of the Year honors went to Paula Ryan, Intensive Care supervisor.
Brandi Stein of the Family Birthing Center earnedProfessional Excellence Nurse of the Year honors.
The CNA Clinical Excellence Award was given to Nelpha Hughes of the Family Birthing Center. Patricia Haag of the Intensive Care Unit received the Can Above and Beyond Award.
Chris Goplin, a respiratory therapy supervisor, received the Friend of Nursing award.
Area residents chosen for Leadership Nebraska class
Jim Ediger of Hamilton Telecommunications in Aurora, Mitch Hunt of Huntrex LLC in Broken Bow, Michael Krings of Obstetricians & Gynecologists PC in Hastings, and John McHargue of Pinnacle Bank in Grand Island have been named to the 10th Leadership Nebraska class.
The program, sponsored by the Nebraska Chamber of Commerce, was founded in 2006 to identify current and emerging leaders throughout the state, enhance their leadership skills and deepen their knowledge of the challenges and opportunities facing Nebraska.
The class will meet for six sessions in various locations around the state covering a broad range of key Nebraska issues, including economic development, health care, education, agriculture, government and policy development. It will begin with an orientation in June and conclude next February.
Preschool staff attend social development workshop
Stephanie Henke, Chris Johnson and Ruth Brooks of First Presbyterian Preschool attended a certification course in Early Learning Guidelines, Social and Emotional Development May 2-4 offered by the state of Nebraska.
The workshop provided information to support young childrens self-concept, self-control, cooperation, social relationships and knowledge of families and communities. They learned that it is through strong partnerships between family members, teachers and caregivers that the childs needs are truly met.
First Presbyterian Preschool was established in the 1970s at First Presbyterian Church in Grand Island. It can be reached at (308) 382-2947.
Hiebner attends training on cancer rehabilitation
Carly Hiebner, a physical therapist at Balance, Mobility and Aquatic Center in Grand Island, recently attended a cancer rehabilitation course focused on limitations and impairments directly related to common cancer diagnoses and treatment as well as effects of cancer treatment and how it impacts patient.
The course also focused on evidence-based rehabilitation, including exercise, contraindications and precautions, and learning the latest in evaluation, treatment and progression of care.
Hiebner has a doctorate of physical therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has experience in outpatient orthopedics, neuro and skilled care. Recently, she has been working with a team on a cancer rehabilitation program through the cancer treatment center.
She and her husband live in Henderson with their 3-year-old son.
Balance, Mobility and Aquatic Center is located at 905 N. Custer Ave. It can be reached at (308) 398-2170.
Haack completes state property appraiser certification
Jonathan Haack, a real property appraiser at Hendricksen Appraisal Co. in Grand Island, has been credentialed as a Certified General Real Property Appraiser by the State of Nebraska Real Property Appraiser Board.
Haack completed the required 300 hours of qualifying education, 3,000 hours of experience as a trainee, a bachelors degree in accounting from Doane College, and passed the National Uniform Licensing and Certification Examination to receive this credential.
He has worked as a trainee at Hendricksen Appraisal since 2013. With this certification, he is specializing in appraisals of commercial properties, industrial properties and unique and special use properties.
Haack can be reached at (308) 381-4217.
Riverside Lodge Retirement Community has renovated a wing within its assisted living facility to increase the level of memory care and support services for seniors in Grand Island.
We understand the challenges faced by individuals and families affected by Alzheimers or other related dementias and wanted to offer specialized care to meet those specific needs, Executive Director Deb Friend said. We are excited to announce the opening of the Arbor, the new memory support wing within Riverside Lodge.
Riverside Lodge is a locally owned and managed retirement community.
Friend said the Arbor memory support wing has a home-like setting that offers personalized attention in a supportive and secure environment.
She said studies have shown that individuals requiring memory support often do better in small group environments.
Designed with a neighborhood concept, Friend said, the Arbor offers residents a beautiful, open-concept living area that includes a sitting area, dining room/multipurpose space and a kitchen.
Residents also have access to a new, secure outdoor courtyard with a patio and walking path.
Every part of the Arbor memory support wing was designed to ensure that residents enjoy a serene, tranquil environment, Friend said.
She said residents of the Arbor memory support neighborhood are able to participate in a multitude of activities matched to residents interests and abilities.
It has been amazing to watch residents blossom when they live in an environment in which they can succeed, said Cathy Roark, independent living manager, who helped develop the memory support activity program.
Specially trained memory support employees report to Administrator Melissa Miller and Resident Care Director Jolene Harvey. Miller joined Riverside Lodge as assisted living administrator in August 2016. Harvey has worked in multiple capacities at Riverside Lodge since 1989.
For nearly 30 years, Riverside Lodge has set the standard for senior living in Grand Island and the surrounding area, board Chairman David Thayer said.
Thayer said that, in deciding to make the investment and effort necessary to improve the facility and add specially trained management and staff, we made a commitment to provide the very best Alzheimers and dementia-related care available in the Grand Island area. And thats consistent with Riverside Lodges approach to providing senior living options since its inception.
Over the last few years, Friend said, when the facility discharged people, it was due to cognitive issues. But, because of the reputation for care Riverside Lodge has earned since it was opened in 1988 by the late Jan Thayer, families didnt want their relatives leaving the facility.
They wanted them to stay here and wanted to know what they could do, Friend said. That was when we decided that we do something about this.
The decision to create a memory support unit was made about 16 months ago. Friend said the memory support unit was created in an existing building wing and now has 17 apartments.
With the addition of the new memory support unit, Riverside Lodge has added 12 employees.
The memory support unit opened about six weeks ago.
Riverside Lodge Retirement Community has 68 independent living units and 75 assisted living beds, as well as adjacent condominium homes within the Village at Riverside Lodge development.
Karen Schultz travels across the country, camping out in a fifth-wheeler and bringing care to patients who need it.
Schultz has worked at CHI Health St. Francis since March 13. She will work on the fourth floor, in progressive care, until June 10, when shell move on to her next stop.
The Iowa native is a traveling nurse.
Her occupation gives her the opportunity to travel to different parts of the country. While there, she has time to explore places that a vacationer probably wouldnt have time to get to. In each area, Schultz asks co-workers for inside information on which places to visit.
She also makes friends that she holds onto long after she leaves.
Schultz has worked in nursing since 1991 and has been a registered nurse since 2004.
Shes been a traveling nurse since December of 2012. She is currently working on her 12th contract. Each contract lasts about three months.
In the last four and a half years, shes worked in Tyler, Texas, Fond du Lac, Wis., and several places in Arizona Mesa, Phoenix and Lake Havasu City. A traveling nurse is able to head south during the winter if she wants to.
Sometimes, Schultz takes jobs in her home state.
CHI Health St. Francis is her second stint in Central Nebraska. Last year, she had a contract at CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney.
She came to Grand Island from Beaumont, Texas. And Im hoping to go to Montana or Idaho from here, says Schultz, who works overnight at St. Francis.
Schultz, who turns 65 in July, hopes to continue her traveling lifestyle for several more years.
I want to see as much of the countryside as I can while I have my health to get me there.
Being a traveling nurse calls for frequent readjustment, she says. Adjusting to the computer system at each stop is one of the challenges.
Sometimes you dont feel comfortable when youre walking out on your last day, she said.
But she usually adapts quickly. And she takes pride in her patient care. Whats important is the way you communicate with your patients and build that rapport, she says. The same goes with staff members.
Schultz works for an agency in Omaha, which provides hospitals with nurses.
Schultz is currently the only traveling nurse at CHI Health St. Francis.
The need for traveling nurses goes in waves, says Beth Bartlett, who is vice president for patient care services at St. Francis.
She points out that nurses arent the only temporary employees at a hospital. St. Francis might hire a traveling surgery technician, a radiology tech, a med tech or a respiratory therapist. But most of the travelers are nurses.
When you need them, its a good option to have and Im glad that theyre out there, Bartlett said.
But she doesnt think its the best option for health care in general.
The Grand Island hospital tries to strike a fine balance between providing high-quality, safe-patient care and not having to turn patients away.
CHI Health works with the agencies that do a good job of providing good nurses, Bartlett said.
Traveling nurses sign a contract for 12 to 13 weeks. At most, St. Francis keeps a traveling nurse for two contracts in a row.
The hospital went many years without needing travelers. But in the last two years, CHI Health St. Francis found itself without enough RNs.
Last fall, the Grand Island hospital had 43 travelers at one time. But the hospital was challenged to reduce the number, mostly because of the cost.
To bring in a traveling nurse, St. Francis pays the agency $70 to $80 an hour. The nurses salary comes out of that amount. In other words, Were paying somebody more than double the amount that a nurse would cost, Bartlett said.
When the nine biggest hospitals in CHI Health, including St. Francis, are using a large number of travelers, that runs into the millions and millions of dollars, Bartlett said.
CHI Health Good Samaritan in Kearney also has one traveling nurse right now.
Mary Lanning Healthcare in Hastings has a couple of traveling nurses. The hospital has never really used a lot of them, says Lisa Brandt, director of public relations and marketing services.
The number of patients at a hospital throughout a year is predictable, yet sometimes not, Bartlett said.
Patient numbers are highest in the fall and winter months. Farmers dont usually have elective surgery, such as knee and hip replacement, in the summer.
But if St. Francis is budgeted for a daily census of 80 patients, the staff will be overburdened when that number hits 105 to 110.
You can do the math and figure out were not going to have what we need, said Bartlett, who has worked at the hospital for 38 years.
About 350 registered nurses work at CHI Health St. Francis.
In the past, traveling nurses were very experienced. But because of the nursing shortage, even the traveling nurses sometimes have little experience, Bartlett said. But CHI Health St. Francis tries to find travelers who have a lot of experience.
Hospitals are all vying for a handful of nurses, Bartlett says.
She points out that some very good, high-quality nurses come to the hospital from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. They are professional and well prepared, Bartlett said.
CHI Health is putting together its own traveling nurse program, she said.
Not all traveling nurses succeed immediately. Weve had travelers that weve had in the door for a day and sent away, Bartlett said.
On the other hand, St. Francis has had traveling nurses with whom the hospital has been very pleased.
Most of the travelers are pleased with what they find at CHI Health St. Francis.
Some will say, You have no idea what a wonderful hospital you have.
Bartlett reminds those nurses to pass on that comment to St. Francis full-time nurses, who may not have worked at many other hospitals.
Its good to be reminded that they work in a good place, she said.
The Holt County Veterans Services Office recently hired a veteran from Atkinson to fill the position left vacant when longtime community servant Arnold Hall passed away in February.
Ken Stenka, 50, was hired on April 3 to serve as the veterans services officer for Holt, Boyd and Wheeler counties. The office is at the Holt County Annex in ONeill.
I was approached by a couple of individuals asking if I was interested in the position. I was encouraged by them as well as my wife, he said. I am glad I took the position. I hope that I can be effective. I know Arnold was very effective in the position and touched a lot of lives.
Hall served as VSO from 1997 until his death in February 2017. The office works to assist veterans and their families with benefits, as well as to bring awareness to the community of what can be done on behalf of veterans.
A veteran of the Army National Guard, Stenka signed up when he was 17 years old and a junior in high school.
I was always associated with the ONeill National Guard, he said.
Stenka dedicated 27 years to the Army National Guard, serving part time for 19 years and full time for eight years.
I was cutting meat at Lechs Super Saver in Atkinson when the full-time position came open, he said. I signed on as a training NCO. Then we were deployed to Iraq. We went over as a security force company. We escorted trucks, vehicles and convoys throughout Iraq.
Stenka served alongside Sgt. Jacob Schmuecker of Norfolk, formerly of Atkinson, who died on July 21, 2007, in a roadside bomb explosion in Balad, Iraq. The 27-year-old left behind his wife, Lisa, three children and his parents, Rodney and Patricia Schmuecker of Atkinson. He served with the 755th Recon/Decon Company with the ONeill National Guard.
When I came back, they offered me the administrative position at the armory. I turned in my letter of resignation in 2011. I then went to work for Green Pasture Products, he said.
Stenka currently serves as the commander of American Legion Post 86 in Atkinson.
Next month, I will be handing that over, he said.
He also is a lifetime member of VFW Post 926 in ONeill and a volunteer for the Nebraska Troop Support formerly headed by the late Beth Tielke of ONeill.
In his new position, Stenka hopes to focus on the following goals.
I have a lot of expectations Id like to meet. One of my top goals is helping veterans get hired. I think, with the number of businesses around the area, we could help veterans who are looking for work find a job, Stenka said. I am looking to start some kind of a program to assist with this. The current job force is really looking for help from people who want to work.
Also, as a member of the American Legion Post in Atkinson, I see that we struggle to keep our youth programs going. Maybe we can develop some programs throughout the area to help keep the legions going and support them, he added.
And taking care of the veterans. I know Arnold did a fantastic job. I hope to pick up the torch and keep the flame going.
Stenkas family includes his wife, Kim, who is the administrative assistant in the therapy department at West Holt Medical Services in Atkinson. They have two children, Theo, who is a senior at West Holt Public Schools and plans to attend Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D.; and Lydia, who is a freshman.
I think, with Kim working in the therapy department, it will tie in pretty nicely here. Hopefully, we can work together, he said.
Raven Work didnt want to go on the water slide in the lake at Operation Shine Camp last year.
But she wants to try it this year. She conquered her fear of going on the zipline last year, so why not do another thing she was formerly afraid of?
Operation Shine Camp, hosted by Covenant Cedars Bible Camp in Hordville, is hosted by the Kids and Dreams Foundation. The foundation, co-founded by Aaron Bly, will host its third camp this year June 9-11. The camp is for kids ages 7 to 12 experiencing Autism Spectrum Disorders and related conditions.
Raven, 12, is on the autism spectrum with a sensory processing disorder, said Ravens mom, Tammy. The SPD means Raven can be highly sensitive to smells, tastes, sounds and the like. Sometimes Raven will want the music loud, and the next moment she might not want it on at all, which is a part of the SPD.
Raven was technically diagnosed with the disorder about two years ago. Around that time is also when the camp started up and Tammy heard about it.
I thought What? Theres a camp for kids like mine? Tammy said.
Tammy and her husband, Tom, were excited to learn about the camp, especially since it would give Raven a safe and fun place to go while they got a break. During camp weekend, Tammy and Tom spend time as a couple and with their other daughter, Avery.
As a parent of a child on the spectrum, Tammy said she often feels guilty. Guilty that she has to focus most of her time on Raven and not Avery, or guilty if her child acts out somewhere. But with Operation Shine Camp, its free game. She said if Raven or other campers act out, the instructors have the tools to help each child with his or her individual needs.
When the Works moved into their house more than a year ago, they were sold on it because of the room the basement had. Tammy and Tom made a large spare bedroom into a sensory room for Raven. She has a mat, a mini trampoline and several exercise balls and things to keep her busy and help her sensory needs.
To send Raven to camp this year which will be her last year the Works had a bake sale. Tammy said her goal was to raise enough money to create a scholarship to send another child to Operation Shine.
Tons of activities go on at the two-day camp, such as horseback riding, swimming, fishing, crate stacking and ziplining. Campers can also participate in games that also have sensory benefits, such as finding items in a pool of shaving cream. Archery, Raven said, was her favorite. Last year, Raven got a few bullseyes, as she likes to do outdoor activities like that with her family.
It gives her something to look forward to, Tammy said of Raven and the camp. This is her own special thing.
Bly said there will be about 40 campers this year, which requires more volunteers. He said they try to have two volunteers per camper, who hang out with the child at the camp.
Theres not really another autism camp around Nebraska like ours, Bly said, who also has children on the spectrum. Were not making the kids do anything. Its just a weekend they can come and they can be themselves and be around people like them.
All of the volunteers at the camp are trained on how to handle the different needs of the campers, Bly said. The staff also includes highly experienced people, such as nurses and those in the special education field. Bly said the camp continues to grow each year and, while he didnt expect it to take off like it has, its a good thing. He said the camp is in need of volunteers, especially male volunteers.
In order to meet specific individual needs of the campers, Tammy said the volunteers are necessary. She said the camp has been beneficial to her daughter and shes loved seeing her grow.
For more information about Operation Shine Camp and the Kids and Dreams Foundation, visit www.kidsanddreams.org/operationshine/. To donate to the foundation or the camp, visit www.kidsanddreams.org/donate. The loose deadline to sign up to volunteer is May 15, but Bly will keep taking volunteers as needed. To volunteer, email Aaron Bly at aaron@kidsanddreams.org.
Thank God for the Catholic nuns, says Rep. Nancy Pelosi.
In an interview with The Washington Post, the House Democratic leader stressed that many nuns are strong supporters of Obamacare, and are speaking out against Republican attempts to gut the measure. Yet, as believing Catholics, they generally take pro-life positions on abortion.
Do we subject them to a test and say, Before you speak out on this bill, we want to know where you are on this, that and the other thing? Pelosi asked. No. No.
Pelosi makes an important point. It would be stunningly suicidal for Democrats to ostracize voters like the nuns, who ardently back the partys core principles of economic and social justice, but disagree on one issue: abortion rights.
I grew up Nancy DAlesandro in Baltimore, Md.; in Little Italy; in a very devout Catholic family fiercely patriotic, proud of our town and our heritage, and staunchly Democratic, she told the Post. Most of those people my family, extended family are not pro-choice. You think Im kicking them out of the Democratic Party?
This issue erupted recently when Tom Perez, the new chairman of the Democratic Party, and Sen. Bernie Sanders backed Heath Mello, a candidate for mayor of Omaha, with a history of pro-life positions. The pro-choice professionals went nuts, with Ilyse Hogue of NARAL Pro-Choice America saying their decision is not only disappointing, it is politically stupid.
Perez immediately caved, saying every Democrat should be pro-choice and the issue was not negotiable. That idiocy evoked another backlash, and Perez wobbled again, with a spokesman stating, Tom doesnt believe in litmus tests.
Heres the bottom line: Hogue has it exactly wrong. The politically stupid course for Democrats would be to impose a rigid orthodoxy on a highly emotional and complicated issue. The public debate on abortion has always been dominated by purists on both sides, demanding unwavering loyalty to unmovable positions. But most Americans are in the middle, searching for a reasonable compromise that reconciles moral values with practical policies.
Gallup finds that only 29 percent want abortion to be legal under any circumstances, with 19 percent wanting it banned in all cases. Fully 50 percent favor keeping it legal but only under certain circumstances. A Pew study gave voters four choices, and 58 percent of respondents picked a moderate option.
The partisan breakdown reinforces Pelosis point. One out of 4 Democrats in the Pew study favor restricting abortion in all or most cases. That rises to 1 out of 3 among moderate and conservative Democrats, and 1 out of 2 among Hispanics a key target for the partys future. Alienating those voters over social issues helped sink Hillary Clinton, Pelosi insists.
You know what? she told the Post. Thats why Donald Trump is president of the United States the evangelicals and the Catholics, anti-marriage equality, anti-choice.
Nancy DAlesandro from Little Italy knows what shes talking about. Democrats trapped in their elitist bubbles cannot win back power by listening to the absolutists who demand total fealty on the abortion issue.
Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat who manages to survive in West Virginia, told The Hill: Im pro-life. ... Saying you have to fit in one silo to be in the party that doesnt make any sense to me or any West Virginia Democrat.
It also makes no sense to Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Texas Democrat representing a heavily Hispanic district along the Mexican border. He told The Hill: When you want to subtract and start using a purity test, thats not good for the party. So you grow a majority by adding, and not subtracting, pro-life Democrats.
Sen. Joe Donnelly, a pro-life Democrat facing a tough re-election fight in Indiana, calls a purity test very, very short-sighted. In an interview with the Huffington Post, he explained: We ought to be able to include everyone, as opposed to saying, no, we dont want these folks, even though they fight with us on jobs, even though they fight with us for economic rights, even though they fight with us on health care.
Democrats love to berate Republicans for kowtowing to the hardliners in the tea party and the Freedom Caucus. We are so much more intelligent and open-minded, they boast. Except when it comes to abortion. Then theyre ready to burn heretics at the stake.
Thats a profound mistake. Democrats must embrace inclusion, not exclusion. Folks who agree with you most of the time should be welcomed, not exiled. Pelosis right: Thank God for the nuns.
New York, May 14(Just Earth News): Strongly condemning the latest attacks against civilians and the United Nations in Central African Republic (CAR), Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres on Sunday urged authorities to investigate and bring those responsible to justice.
The Secretary-General is outraged by the attacks perpetrated by suspected anti-Balaka against civilians and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), his spokesperson said in a statement.
He added that the Secretary-General reiterated that attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.
Armed assailants attacked civilian populations overnight on 12 and 14 May, targeting in particular Muslims, in the Tokoyo neighborhood of Bangassou, in south-eastern CAR, according to MINUSCA. Preliminary information reported that displaced civilians sought refuge at a mosque, a Catholic church and a hospital.
These attacks led to significant population displacement, an undetermined number of civilian casualties and the death of one Moroccan peacekeeper, bringing to six the number of peacekeepers killed in the Central African Republic this week, the spokesperson said, noting that Guterres offered his condolences to the family of the bereaved peacekeeper and the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco.
In on Sunday's statement, the Secretary-General reaffirmed the UN's support for MINUSCA, which is in CAR to protect civilians and stabilize the country, and extended his appreciation to the Governments whose troops and police contribute to MINUSCA peacekeeping.
CAR is emerging from civil conflict which began in 2014, with clashes between the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, which are mostly Christian.
These recent incidents amply demonstrate that the situation in the Central African Republic is still fragile hence the need for continued and sustained regional and international support to overcome the challenges at hand, the Secretary-General's spokesperson said.
The attack came just hours after the UN held a memorial ceremony to honour five peacekeepers killed on 8 May in a nearby village of Yogofongo. People connected with the anti-Balaka group are also suspected in the attack. UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, and other senior UN officials, took part in the ceremony.
UN Photo/Catianne Tijerina
Source: www.justearthnews.com
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Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 07:35 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0b056a 2 Editorial ahok,#ahok Free
Deputy Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat, who was named acting governor of Jakarta after his boss Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama was sent to jail on Tuesday for blasphemy, shoulders the tremendous burden of continuing the pairs work throughout his remaining six months in office.
Djarots competence is being tested to ensure that the Ahok-Djarot governorship will leave a good legacy that will epitomize the impeccable job that earned them a good reputation: running a bare-knuckled, transparent anticorruption regime, providing more efficient public services, modernizing transportation systems and promoting cleanliness, to mention a few achievements.
Expediting projects started by Joko Jokowi Widodo, who was elected Jakarta governor with Ahok as his deputy in 2012, will not only lighten the load of incoming governor Anies Baswedan but, more importantly, will ensure the Ahok-Djarot legacy.
After seeing Ahok at the Cipinang detention house late on Tuesday, Djarot assured a sea of heartbroken supporters he would accelerate the major development programs as Ahok had cajoled him to do during their brief meeting that night.
Among the most urgent programs is the provision of low-cost apartments to house people displaced from their homes to make way for public development, the inauguration of the new Semanggi overpasses scheduled for Aug. 17 and the development of a new busway lane connecting Blok M in the south and Cileduk in the west.
Ahok also asked Djarot to anticipate price increases ahead of the Islamic Idul Fitri holiday in late June. Another pressing issue is the need to revise the 2017 budget together with the City Council.
Since part of the revised budget worth Rp 70 trillion will be implemented by the next governor following the transfer of office this October, naturally Anies must be involved in the drafting to ensure that the updated budgetary plans accommodate the programs he promised on the campaign trail.
Obviously, collaboration over drafting a budget will unlikely be easy amid lingering animosity between the supporters of Ahok and Anies. Ahok has rejected his rivals request to accommodate Anies programs in the upcoming revision of the 2017 provincial budget, apparently fearing this would complicate the drafting.
Ahok has harbored suspicion of the transitional team that Anies formed to prepare for a smooth transfer. The team aims to harmonize the incumbents budgetary plans with those of the governor-elect.
If there is anything the public should closely watch, it is a possibility of a conspiracy involving pay-offs to the political parties backing Ahok and Anies. Unscrupulous politicians may take advantage of Ahoks absence.
A popular habit of Ahok and Djarot was to arrive at the office early to meet with people patiently waiting in line to air their grievances directly to them. This tradition began when Jokowi was governor.
Despite being incarcerated for a dubious crime, no doubt Ahok retains his popularity as a continuing stream of people from across the country shown by. Practically all by himself, Djarot now bears the responsibility of fiercely guarding the incumbents reputation that serves as a benchmark for other heads of government in Indonesia.
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Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 13:38 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0bbc56 1 Art & Culture Performance,#performance,art,#art,performing-arts,West-Side-Story,musical,#musical Free
West Side Story was a giant leap for the Jakarta Performing Arts Community (JPAC). As the first licensed performance for the amateur community theater, JPAC went the extra mile to make the performance happen. Though there is still room for improvement, JPAC proved that they are on the right track.
The musical, created by Arthur Laurents with music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is set in Upper East Side, Manhattan, New York, the United States. A gang war happens between the white Jets and Puerto Rican immigrants Sharks over territory in their neighborhood.
In anger, Jets leader Riff (Nicholas Bunjamin) looks for a former member Tony (Emir Aditya), requesting support. Riff wants Tony to join the gang in the dance. Tony comes to the dance reluctantly, until he sets eyes on a Puerto Rican girl Maria (Chezia Aviola).
The lovebirds plan to run away, but the situation heats up. Tony tries to stop the gangs feud, but things do not go as planned.
Read also: Jakarta Performing Arts Communitys road to West Side Story
Held in Graha Bakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta, the show had a bumpy ride in the beginning. The technical issues in the microphones made the dialogues and songs unclear. Fortunately, it got better toward the end of Act 1.
Emir and Chezia's duet slowly drew in the audience. Chezia was, perhaps, the best part of the show. Her acting and beautiful voice stole the audiences attention.
In addition to Chezias performance, the dance choreography deserves credit, too. Choreographer Elhaq Latief managed to keep the iconic West Side Story dance moves, which were executed beautifully. The Puerto Rican female dancing scenes were a real treat for the audience.
For an amateur community theater, the show proved to be entertaining. The performers have talent that can be improved upon with more training. All they need is extra support from musical enthusiasts. (asw)
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Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 13:03 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0bad59 1 Science & Tech ransomware,#ransomware,WannaCry,#WannaCry,cyberattacks,#CyberSecurity,cyber-attacks,cybersecurity Free
Massive cyberattacks, identified as WannaCry, happened across the globe on Friday.
Appearing as ransomware, an activity when hackers encrypt data or lock the system in a computer and ask for a sum of money to unlock the data, the attacks were considered cyber terrorism.
According to the information released by the Communications and Information Ministry on Saturday, WannaCry also attacked two hospitals in Indonesia, Harapan Kita Hospital and Dharmais Hospital.
The ministrys informatics application director general Semuel A Pangerapan said that the public needs to stay calm. However, computer users can do these preventive steps as suggested by No More Ransom's website (https://www.nomoreransom.org/prevention-advice.html):
Read also: Fast-moving cyberattacks wreak havoc worldwide
1. Disconnect from the internet
If there is a suspicious process in progress on the computer, it is suggested to disconnect the machine from the internet by turning off Wi-Fi connections or unplugging the LAN cable. This step is said to prevent malware from spreading.
2. Update Windows security
Install the latest version of your operating system (OS) or applications.
3. Back-up your data
It is important to have a file recovery system. The No More Ransom website suggests creating two back-up copies: cloud data and offline storage, such as a hard drive or USB.
4. Install anti-virus and anti-ransomware software
To protect your device from ransomware, it is suggested to install anti-virus and anti-ransomware software. Make sure to frequently update the software.
5. Do not click on suspicious links or attachments
Do not click on links or open attachments from unknown senders as it may contain malware. Furthermore, be careful about email notifications from online stores, a bank, or so forth, as hackers frequently send fake emails to lure recipients to click the links or open the attachments.
6. Enable the "show file extensions" option
The "show file extensions" option helps you to identify fake files, such as 'exe,' 'vbs' and 'scr'. (asw)
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Linkedin News Desk (Agence France-Presse) London Sun, May 14, 2017 19:32 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0c0a8d 2 World #ransomware,ransomware,#CyberSecurity,cyber-attacks,#WannaCry,WannaCry Free
The unprecedented global ransomware cyberattack has hit more than 200,000 victims in more than 150 countries, Europol executive director Rob Wainwright said Sunday.
The head of the pan-European Union policing agency said that few had given in to the demands for payment to unblock files so far, but warned that the situation was escalating.
Wainwright said he was worried that the ransomware attack might spread further once people return to work on Monday and log on to their computers.
"We are running around 200 global operations against cybercrime each year but we've never seen anything like this," he told Britain's ITV television.
"The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries. Many of those victims will be businesses, including large corporations.
"The global reach is unprecedented."
He said the motivation remained unknown but ransomware attacks were normally "criminally minded".
"Remarkably few payments so far have been made, so most people are not paying this," Wainwright said.
"We're in the face of an escalating threat, the numbers are going up.
"I'm worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn on their machines on Monday morning."
Wainwright said the attack was indiscriminate, fast-spreading and unique because the ransomware was being used in combination with a worm -- meaning that the infection of one computer could automatically spread it through an entire network.
He said few banks in Europe had been affected, having learned through the "painful experience of being the number one target of cybercrime" the value of having the latest cyber security in place.
"We have been concerned for some time that the healthcare sectors in many countries are particularly vulnerable. They're processing a lot of sensitive data," he said.
Britain's state-run National Health Service was affected by the attack.
Wainwright said Europol was working with the FBI in the United States to track down those responsible, saying that more than one person was likely behind it.
He said the cybercrime scene was increasingly going underground, meaning it was "very difficult" to identify the offender or their location.
"We're in a very difficult fight against these ever more sophisticated cybercrime syndicates that are using encryption to hide their activity," he said.
Wainwright said Europol provided free downloads of decryption programs for most ransomware.
"Once we get to the bottom of this one, we'll make sure that this is available to people as well," he said.
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Linkedin Moses Ompusunggu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 09:00 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0b4699 2 National orangutan,#OrangUtan Free
Conservationists taking care of a recently discovered albino orangutan in Kalimantan are calling on the public to help give a unique name to this rare specimen of the native Indonesian ape in an effort to raise awareness for the protection of the endangered species.
This little girl needs a name,the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOSF), a local conservation group in Central Kalimantan, said over its Twitter account @bornean_OU earlier this week, referring to the 5-year-old female albino orangutan.
People can suggest any name they want by replying to the tweet using the hashtag #albinoorangutan, or by sending their suggestions to name@orangutan.or.id. The BOSF will announce the chosen name on May 15. Besides calling for public participation, the group also uploaded a video of the blue-eyed orangutan with details of how people can help protect natures beauty.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has declared the species to be critically endangered, one category before extinction, since it estimated that there are about 100,000 Bornean orangutans left. The IUCN also estimated the figure will further decline to 47,000 by 2025.
The protected animals, which only live on Sumatra and in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo Island, still face rampant illegal trading and have had their habitats diminished by industrial expansion in their forests, both of which have contributed to their decreasing population.
The BOSF had forecast there were a number of albino orangutans living in the wild on the countrys largest island after the discovery of the first of its kind in the region last week.
The BOSF took a white-haired female orangutan in late April from a farmer in Tenggirang village, Kapuas Regency, Central Kalimantan, who found the animal walking infirmly in a forest near the area.
BOSF CEO Jamartin Sihite said previously the NGO could confirm the 5-year-old orangutan was an animal with albinism after a test conducted by the groups medical team had found its eyes are very sensitive to lights one of the symptoms of the congenital disorder.
Jamartin said the female orangutan, which some workers have proposed to name Baputi (white in Dayaknese), was not an example of a newly discovered species of Borneo orangutan, telling the media the possibility was high there were still numerous albino orangutan surviving in the Kalimantan forest.
At least there are her parents from whom the albino orangutan inherited the disorder, for it is a genetically transferred one, Jamartin said.
(Read also: 6 more orangutans released into Kehje Sewen forests)
In this Dec. 31, 2015, file photo, Tsunami, an eleven year old female Sumatran Orangutan eats fruit during her birthday celebration at the National Zoo Ape Center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Primates are heading toward an extinction crisis, a new international study warns. And its our fault that our closest biological relatives are in trouble, scientists said. About 60 percent of the more than 500 primate species, such as gorillas, monkeys and lemurs, are now threatened with extinction and three out of four primate species have shrinking populations, according to a study by 31 primate experts published in the Jan. 18, 2017, journal Science Advances.(AP Photo/Joshua Paul)
He said there have been no reports of the presence of other albino orangutan since the group was established 25 years ago, but he was not sure whether this kind of orangutan could also be found on Sumatra.
No adequate scientific evidence exists to gauge how rare albino orangutan are compared to normal orangutan, so the number of albinos cannot be estimated.
Workers in the BOSF orangutan rehabilitation center in Nyaru Menteng, Central Kalimantan, a one-hour drive from the Palangkaraya site where the albino orangutan is currently being treated, have estimated they needed at least one month to properly take care of the animal before releasing it back into the wild.
BOSF officials interviewed by The Jakarta Post said the animal was in a physically weak condition when found and in dire need of intensive medical treatment.
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Linkedin Apriadi Gunawan (The Jakarta Post) Medan, North Sumatra Sun, May 14, 2017 22:37 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0c2b58 2 National mining,gold-mine,gold-mining,Martabe,Martabe-gold-mine,Agincourt-Resources,gender-diversity,#gender-diversity,mining-sector,South-Tapanuli,North-Sumatra Free
It is not easy for Henny Dwi Purnamasari, a resident of Palembang, South Sumatra, to work in the mining sector, given that it is a heavily male-dominated industry. Every day, the 46-year-old leads the operation of a tailing storage facility at a gold mine in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra.
Henny is responsible for ensuring the quality of the mines clay cramming processes, which is conducted in a soil laboratory, is in compliance with international standards and Indonesian National Standards (SNI).
Henny conceded that managing a tailing storage facility is a male-dominated occupation, but she said that it is the spirit of Kartini, Indonesias national heroine for female empowerment, that has encouraged to say in the industry.
Honestly, as a woman, I feel challenged to work in the mining sector, especially because of its long working hours and tough work environment, she told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
The civil engineer said she had experienced no barriers working and sharing knowledge with her colleagues, who are mostly men, at the Martabe gold mine, where she has been working for five years.
Martabe is one of the coal and mineral mining companies in Sumatra that has made a commitment to increase female participation in the workforce.
Each mining company holds a responsibility to increase the participation of female workers and realize gender diversity in the workforce, said Sri Raharjo, director of the Energy and Mineral Resources
He said it was important for miners to pay attention to efforts toward achieving gender diversity in the industry.
Female workers potential could be as high as male workers, Raharjo said.
He was speaking during the 4th Sumatra Miner Conference in Palembang, South Sumatra, on March 22. Dozens of mineral and coal mining companies from across Sumatra attended the event themed Game Changer in Sumatra Mining.
In the conference, the miners conveyed their commitments to increase the participation of female workers in the workforce in the mining industry. They also committed to conserving the environment.
Agincourt Resources, a company that manages the Martabe gold mine, has made a commitment to increasing the participation of female workers in all of its work levels, with president director Tim Duffy saying that women play a key role in helping the company achieve its targets.
Studies in countries across the world have shown unavoidable facts on a strong correlation between the success of a company and gender diversity. This issue has been widely accepted in behavior theories and practices of organizations, Duffy told the Post on the sidelines of the Sumatra Miner Conference.
Only around 18 percent of the total 761 workers at Matabe are female.
The company is targeting to increase that figure to 25 percent by 2019, with 40 percent of these female workers holding superintendent and managerial-level positions, Duffy said.
We will increase the number of female workers in our company through our recruitment and human resource development initiatives, he added.
Duffy asserted that it was important to strengthen a work culture and environment that promote respect and dignity among all workers. It would also be crucial for a company to become a work place that was free from discrimination, and could encouraged openness and confidence of its workers, he added.
To that end, Duffy said, concrete efforts needed to be conducted to integrate gender diversity principles in various operational policies, including in recruitment, training and wage systems, and to prevent sexual harassment in work places. (ebf)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 17:22 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0be687 1 Business energy-and-mineral-resources-ministry,Gas,gas-flare,flare-gas,flaring Free
The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has issued a ministerial decree regulating the sale of flare gas to reduce flaring activities, while also cutting down on greenhouse gasses.
Gas flares are gas combustion devices used at industrial plants, such as petroleum refineries, natural gas processing plants as well as at oil or gas production sites, to eliminate any excess gasses.
The flaring of natural gas from oil production is a major source of carbon dioxide emissions, one of the most worrying greenhouse gases.
(Read also: Government defends oil and gas gross-split scheme)
The government hopes that companies will reduce their flaring activities by selling the excess gas.
Flare gas can be used for power plants, households and industry through pipe gas, compressed natural gas [CNG], liquefied petroleum gas [LPG], dimethyl ether, or it can be used for other purposes based on its composition, as stated in Ministerial Decree No. 32/2017, which came into force last Monday, but was only made public over the weekend.
According to the new regulation, flare gas will be put on offer by the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas), which will evaluate documents submitted by potential buyers along with the ministrys oil and gas directorate general.
The energy and mineral resources minister will determine the final gas allocation. The minister will also be responsible for setting the sale price of the flare gas, based on SKKMigas recommendations.
The ceiling price has been set at 35 US cents per million metric British thermal unit (mmbtu). (tas)
New York, May 14(Just Earth News): Speaking at a major international conference in Beijing, United Nations Secretary-General AntAnio Guterres on Sunday drew comparisons between China's 'One Belt, One Road' initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals, saying both are rooted in a shared vision for global development.
Both strive to create opportunities, global public goods and win-win cooperation. And both aim to deepen 'connectivity' across countries and regions: connectivity in infrastructure, trade, finance, policies and, perhaps most important of all, among peoples, the Secretary-General said addressing Chinese President Xi Jinping and dozens of other state leaders at the Belt and Road Forum.
The attendees represent some of the more than 60 countries included in the Belt and Road plan that China introduced in 2014 to stimulate trade and economic growth along the ancient Silk Road and beyond.
In order for the participating countries along the Belt and Road to fully benefit from the potential of enhanced connectivity, it is crucial to strengthen the links between the Initiative and the Sustainable Development Goals, Guterres noted, adding that the 17 Goals can guide the policies and actions under the Belt and Road towards true sustainable development.
The initiative reportedly includes nearly $1 trillion worth of infrastructure investments in Africa, Asia and Europe. As these projects which include bridges, nuclear plants and railways unfold, Guterres highlighted the need to work together to uphold international environmental and social standards, and ensuring that rural areas, not just cities, benefit.
With the initiative expected to generate vast investments in infrastructure, let us seize the moment to help countries make the transition to clean-energy, low-carbon pathways instead of locking in unsustainable practices for decades to come, he said, praising Chinese leadership on climate change.
He also urged donor countries to continue investing in development projects through official development assistance (ODA), and urged them to fulfil their commitments under the Addis Ababa Plan of Action, which finances projects related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Guterres also called on Governments to settle peacefully any tensions related to the One Belt, One Road initiative, saying that just as the initiative opens new corridors for goods, let us also keep open the channels for dialogue.
He praised the initiative for its immense potential to promote access to markets, and as far-reaching in geography and ambition.
Since arriving in China on 14 May, Guterres has met with senior Chinese officials, including Foreign Minister Wang Yi. He also held a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
UN Photo/Violaine Martin (file)
Source: www.justearthnews.com
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Linkedin Tama Salim (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 10:00 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0b66c2 2 World China-policy,#China-ASEAN Free
Indonesia has asked China to make good on its promise to conclude by midyear the ongoing negotiations on a framework for a code of conduct (COC) in the South China Sea (SCS), as Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi met her counterpart Wang Yi in the Chinese capital.
Retno met Wang in Beijing on Saturday to discuss various issues of common concern, including the SCS debate, wherein Indonesia is not a claimant but acts as an honest broker.
One of the issues that will definitely be tabled by the foreign ministers is what to do next to expedite the process of the post-COC framework negotiations, ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said.
(Read also: Why do Indonesia, ASEAN matter to China?)
ASEAN and China are currently in the final stages of finalizing a framework for a COC, an instrument that aims to prevent open conflict in the disputed waters.
Negotiations over the code have persisted for the better part of 15 years, after an ASEAN-China non-binding agreement was introduced in 2002 to discourage hostile acts in the SCS.
Both parties finally agreed to use a shared draft framework during negotiations in Bali in February and made significant progress in a subsequent meeting in Siem Reap, Cambodia, in April.
ASEAN and Chinese diplomats plan to convene another meeting in Guiyang, China, later this month with an eye toward concluding the COC framework by midyear.
Last year China made a commitment to revitalize negotiations so that the COC framework could be agreed upon by the middle of this year. We are nearing the end of this process, so we truly hope it will be done, said Arrmanatha.
Jakarta is now thinking about the next step, he said, and stressed that it would seek Beijings commitment to a clear timeline for the earliest conclusion of the COC.
China is not a member of ASEAN, but has made sweeping claims over the SCS, through which US$5 trillion in seaborne trade passes each year.
ASEAN member states Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Vietnam have more or less agreed to negotiate with China bilaterally over competing claims in the sea, but Beijing has been extremely sensitive about objections to its expansion activities there or any mention of the international tribunal ruling that outlawed its claims last year.
ASEAN published a non-confrontational statement on the issue during the ASEAN Summit in Laos last year and has since published similar statements.
ASEAN chair, the Philippines, which won the tribunal case against China, issued a neutral statement on the South China Sea in April, while another one was published earlier this month after an ASEAN-United States special foreign ministers meeting in Washington, DC.
Besides consultations on regional issues, Retno is also expected to discuss efforts to strengthen Indonesias bilateral mechanisms with China, as well as follow up on a few pending issues from a previous meeting between the two countries heads of state last November.
The main issue the foreign minister will follow up on has to do with the 20172021 Plan of Action that is meant to implement Indonesias comprehensive strategic partnership with China, the spokesman said.
Arrmanatha said both foreign ministers would also discuss the North Korean issue, with Indonesia focusing on Chinas contribution to maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
Meanwhile, President Joko Jokowi Widodo and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to strengthen a comprehensive strategic partnership during the formers attendance of the Boao Forum for Asia Conference in 2015.
Jokowi and Xi are slated to meet again on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on Sunday and Monday.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 12:33 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0b9d5d 1 National cyberattacks,ransomware Free
Following the cyberattack, which has hit the Dharmais and Harapan Kita hospitals, the Communication and Information Ministry has called denizens to conduct preventive action on their computer systems from the attack of similar malware.
In the release made available to the public on Saturday, the ministry's General Director of Informatics Applications, Semuel A Pangerapan, said that the attack has become a phenomenon in several countries, and it targeted critical resources.
He explained that the attack that happened in the country was considered ransomware, which locks or encrypts all files on the victim computer.
"This type of ransomware is called wannacry. It targets Windows-based computers, which have loopholes in the SMB function," he said.
(Read also: Cyberattacks in Indonesia rising at alarming rate: Officials)
He added that the wannacry would ask for ransom in exchange for restoring all files that have been encrypted. The ransom could be paid in the form of a bitcoin payment, which requires the victim to pay US$300.
The ministry has suggested several preventive actions to avoid the attack, including updating anti-virus software, updating Windows security and making back-ups of important files.
The ministry also told citizens not to panic and provided online consultation regarding the cyberattack at www.nomoreransom.org. (rdi/dmr)
Topics : cyberattacks ransomware
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Linkedin Yiyik Kerr (The Jakarta Post) Perth Sun, May 14, 2017 14:05 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0bbd37 1 National ahok,#AhokDetention,Perth Free
Approximately 500 Indonesians residing in Perth and surrounding areas in Western Australia gathered on the Swan River foreshore on Saturday afternoon to join the waves of support for inactive Jakarta governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.
Local Indonesian community figures spoke of the need, now more than ever, to stand with the countrys leaders, both Ahok and President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
"I am a double minority - Chinese and Christian - and normally I would stay out of politics, but not this time. I feel I have to say something, and I call on the silent majority - moderate Muslims everywhere in the country - to get vocal, too," Perth resident Daniel Ong said.
He said that despite living in the relative comfort of Perth, the Indonesians gathered that afternoon shared the same sadness and deep concern felt by fellow citizens back home.
Some were seen carrying banners that read #SaveAhok, calling for the suspension of Ahok from detention. Ahok was sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy.
Through the event, they wanted to express their wish for a peaceful Indonesia and reaffirm their commitment to the country's motto: "unity in diversity."
Wearing red and white, the crowd sang the national anthem and other patriotic songs, before posing for cameras, videos and a drone in the formation of the letters NKRI, an abbreviation for Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia). (dmr)
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Linkedin Suherdjoko and Agus Maryono (The Jakarta Post) Semarang Sun, May 14, 2017 08:00 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0b3398 2 National #Ramadhan Free
Hundreds of men, women and children gathered near the Sendhang Gedhe natural pool in Pucung village, Banyumanik district, Semarang, Central Java, on Friday morning, bringing food such as rice, tofu, tempeh, fried eggs, rempeyek (peanut crackers) and salted fish in baskets.
The gathering was more than just a local feast, as the villagers gathered to pray for their ancestors ahead of the fasting month of Ramadhan in a tradition called Nyadran.
Following prayers, the villagers sat under large trees on mats and feasted, using banana leaves as a substitute for plates.
We welcome Ramadhan by cleansing our soul through prayers and we also pray for our ancestors to God. We also physically clean our environment, including the Sendhang Gedhe pool. So we welcome fasting month with a clean body and soul, local neighborhood chief Sugito Mulyono said on Friday.
(Read also: Pulogebang bus terminal prepares for annual Ramadhan exodus)
This year, Ramadhan is scheduled to start on May 27.
Pudak Payung subdistrict chief Ganefo Anwar said both Muslims and non-Muslims were involved in the Nyadran tradition, which he said symbolized peace and harmony.
This has been a tradition of all people. A tradition that upholds togetherness and mutual cooperation, he said.
People purchase sweets to break the fast at a Ramadhan food festival in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, on June 8, 2016. (The Jakarta Post/Wienda Parwitasari)
Before the gathering began, dozens of men plunged into the Sendhang Gedhe pool before cleaning it, while other men and women grilled as many as 95 chickens for the feast.
Nyadran, a tradition for Javanese Muslims in Central Java that combines culture with religion ahead of Ramadhan, involves visiting the graves of relatives. By doing so, the tradition aims to remind people to improve their lives.
Tedi Kholiludin, a researcher at the Religion and Peace Study Center at Wahid Hasyim University in Semarang, said the tradition was rooted in teachings by Walisongo nine saints of Islam who spread the religion across the island of Java. The approach was based on fiqih (Islamic law) and Sufism, he said.
The transformation of Islamic teachings [was made] so that it [the approach] could be accepted. Religion and culture need not be in conflict, he said.
Similar gatherings also took place in Banyumas regency in Central Java where around 500 residents of Karanggude Kulo village, Karanglewas district, on Thursday morning visited the tomb of Sultan Nur Rohidin, an ancestor who lived in the village hundreds of years ago.
After visiting the tomb, they sat together in a yard next to Baitulilmi Al Barokah Mosque where they feasted. They made offerings in the form of meals on clay plates.
The tombs gatekeeper, Yaskinu, 90, said it was unclear as to how Sultan Nur Rohidin first arrived in the village. However, many believe he came from the Sumenep kingdom in Madura Island.
Yaskinu said that Nyadran was a time to honor ancestors.
Besides that we also hope for Gods blessings as well as to continue the fighting spirit of our ancestors, he said.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 12:23 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0b9ac4 4 City kalijodo,jakarta,concert Free
The Jakarta administration plans to conduct a National Awakening concert featuring a number of famous musicians, like Addie MS, Erwin Gutawa, Maia Estianti and Once, at Kalijodo Park on May 21.
Acting Jakarta governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat said the concert was also held to welcome the 490th anniversary of Jakarta, which falls on June 22.
The concert will involve musicians, artists as well as the participation of the public, Djarot was quoted by kompas.com as saying at the governors official residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta.
(Read also: After flowers, Ahok supporters flood City Hall with songs)
Djarot invited the artists and musicians involved to the residence to discuss the concert.
Djarot further said he was inspired by a choir led by Addie MS at City Hall on Wednesday morning, which had much support from citizens. Thousands of people participated in the choir where national songs like Indonesia Raya, Garuda Pancasila and Syukur were performed.
We want to revive the spirit of nationalism that has Pancasila as its ideology and the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika [unity in diversity], Djarot said, adding that the city had also prepared 490 doves to be released during the concert.
He said that doves are a symbol of peace, love and loyalty to Indonesia. (vny/dmr)
Topics : kalijodo jakarta concert
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 14:55 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0bcd4e 1 Business Jokowi,Joko-Widodo,OBOR,one-belt-one-road,Xi-Jinping,infrastructure-development Free
President Joko Jokowi Widodo is scheduled to attend the opening of Chinas One Belt One Road (OBOR) summit at the China National Convention Center in Beijing on Sunday.
The two-day summit will be attended by a total of 29 heads of states, according to a press statement obtained by The Jakarta Post.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi confirmed that Indonesia had prepared several development programs to be laid out in the summit, including those comprising infrastructure and connectivity.
(Read also: RI plays it cool in competition for China's OBOR money)
In the ASEAN context, there is also the ASEAN Connectivity 2025, such as the launch of the roll-on/roll-off, or ro-ro, sea route from Davao-General Santos-Bitung, which had been inaugurated by President Joko Widodo and Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, she said.
Retno added that Indonesia was open to all cooperation with other parties, including in the OBOR initiative.
Following the opening ceremony, Jokowi is set to visit the Niujie mosque, the oldest and largest mosque in Beijing, where he will meet with ulema and Muslim scholars.
The President will also meet with Tsinghua University president Qiu Yong, Polands Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde.
Last but not least, Jokowi is also scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping before dinner at the Great Hall of the People. (tas)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 19:56 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0c21d9 1 Business Joko-Widodo,Jokowi,one-belt-one-road,Poland,Poland-Prime-Minister-Beata-Szydlo,maritime-cooperation,tourism-cooperation,Polish-students,Polish-tourists Free
Indonesia hopes to increase maritime and people-to-people cooperation with Poland, as their top leaders met on the sidelines of a high-profile forum in Beijing, China, on Sunday.
President Joko Jokowi Widodo met with Polands Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and called on his counterpart to support the Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) negotiations.
He also touted Polands long tradition in the maritime and shipping sectors as a boon to Indonesias maritime industry.
(Read also: RI seeks out science, technology cooperation with Tsinghua University)
Indonesia is currently developing its maritime infrastructure, including ports and ships, to increase the connectivity among Indonesias islands. This is why I have called for increased cooperation in the maritime sector between Poland and Indonesia, Jokowi said in a press statement obtained by The Jakarta Post.
In terms of people-to-people contact, the former Jakarta governor emphasized the need to increase cooperation in tourism.
I also wish for Polands support to realize a plan to open direct flight routes traveling Jakarta-Warsaw-Jakarta, he said.
As many as 27,903 Polish tourists visited Indonesia in 2016 and Jokowi said he appreciated the establishment of a tourism package between Warsaw and Denpasar, Bali, with Polish flag carrier LOT Polish Airlines.
The President also touched on the education sector. Since 1987, up to 400 Polish university students have received the Dharmasiswa scholarship, and from 2011 to 2015, six Polish students received the Indonesian Arts and Culture scholarship.
Jokowi and Szydlo are in Beijing to attend Chinas One Belt One Road (OBOR) summit from Sunday to Monday. (tas)
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Linkedin Fedina S. Sundaryani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 19:24 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0c0413 1 Business Joko-Widodo,Jokowi,industry-ministry,science-and-technology,Tsinghua-University,one-belt-one-road Free
President Joko Jokowi Widodo expressed interest in strengthening cooperation in science and technology with Chinas Tsinghua University during his two-day visit to China.
Jokowi met with the universitys president, Qiu Yong, on Sunday, during which he expressed his appreciation for the signing of a letter of intent between Tsinghua University and Indonesias Industry Ministry in relation to community empowerment.
I also hope that the plan to establish a Tsinghua South East Asia Center for innovation as well as the cooperation between the Industry Ministry and Tsinghua [university] will be realized soon, he said, according to a press statement obtained by The Jakarta Post.
(Read also: Jokowi to attend OBOR opening)
The government expects such a research center to improve Indonesian manpower in the industrial sector and create new jobs through vocational education.
During the meeting with Qiu, Jokowi was accompanied by several officials, including Industry Minister Airlangga Hartarto and Indonesian Ambassador to China Soegeng Rahardjo.
He is in Beijing to attend the two-day One Belt One Road (OBOR) summit in China. Up to 29 heads of states are scheduled to attend the summit.
Jokowi is scheduled to meet with Polands Prime Minister Beata Szydlo and International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde.
Last but not least, Jokowi is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping before dinner at the Great Hall of the People. (tas)
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Linkedin Safrin La Batu (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 17:30 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0bf647 1 National Komnas-HAM,human-rights Free
A number of human rights groups have called for reform of the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) after reports showed that the state-sponsored human rights body had shown "little" progress in investigating past rights abuses.
Speaking in a press conference on Sunday, the groups, under the Coalition to Save Komnas HAM, said some cases being investigated by the commission had been left unresolved despite it having been given substantial authority by the state to investigate human rights abuse cases.
For example, investigations into alleged rights abuse by the police and the military in Wasior, Wamena, Papua in 2001 showed improper handling by the commission as some documents relating to victims and witnesses had vanished.
"[Many] investigations conducted by Komnas HAM have failed," said Asfinawati, the chairwoman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI), which is part of the coalition.
(Read also: Komnas HAM commissioner selection eliminates group representation)
Besides failure to complete investigations of past rights abuses, the groups also showed some alleged irregularities regarding the commission's financial report in 2015, as uncovered by the Supreme Audit Council (BPK) past year.
The groups said in its press release that according to the BPK report, there were at least eight indications of financial irregularities regarding the commission's 2015 financial report. One of the irregularities was an indication of fictive procurements totaling Rp 820.25 million (US$61,506) in the commission's report, the groups said. (wit)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, May 15 2017
Indonesia and Germany may move into a new era of maritime cooperation during the G20 meeting in Hamburg, Germany, in July, a minister has said.
National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said that currently, Indonesia and Germany had reached agreements in three areas of cooperation, namely education, renewable energy development and palm oil certification.
We will continue with these areas of cooperation. There will be further cooperation in the maritime sector between Indonesia and Germany, but maybe this will happen after leaders of the two countries meet, said Bambang after a signing ceremony marking Indonesian-German cooperation in vocational education on Friday.
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Mon, May 15 2017
Indonesia is pushing ahead to advance its infrastructure development and connectivity by forging cooperation with Poland and China during meetings held on the sidelines of Beijings new Silk Road forum.
President Joko Jokowi Widodo met on Sunday with Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo to discuss maritime cooperation, as the eastern European countrys experience in maritime and shipping is seen as beneficial in a partnership to develop Indonesias own maritime industry.
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Linkedin Razak Ahmad (The Star/Asia News Network) Petaling Jaya Sun, May 14, 2017 16:23 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0be597 2 SE Asia #ransomware,ransomware,#malware,malware,cyber-attacks,#CyberSecurity,Malaysia,#Malaysia Free
Malaysias cyber security agency has issued an alert as the country emerged as one of the nearly 100 nations hit by a massive global cyberattack of ransomware.
CyberSecurity Malaysia, an agency under the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry, urged all Internet users and system administrators to secure their machines and networks to protect against the WanaCrypt0r 2.0 or WannaCry ransomware.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software, or malware, designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid.
We urge system administrators to patch their systems as soon as possible and keep their users aware of the new ransomware in order to prevent them from opening suspicious e-mails and files, said chief executive officer Amirudin Abdul Wahab in the alert issued on Saturday.
The alert said the malware used a vulnerability first revealed to the public as part of a leaked stash of documents from the National Security Agency, Americas military intelligence organization.
The cyberattack detected on Friday reportedly hit 99 countries, affecting the computer networks of Britains National Health Service, Russias interior ministry and international shipper FedEx, among others.
AFP quoted British Prime Minister Theresa May as saying that the attack was not targeted at any particular country.
Its an international attack and a number of countries and organizations have been affected, May said.
A real-time map of the attack by security blog MalwareTech that was widely referred to in international news reports put Malaysia as one of the countries hit.
However, it did not specify which computer networks or servers were affected.
The map can be viewed at https://intel.malwaretech.com/botnet/wcrypt/?t=24h&bid=all
Reuters reported that victims who opened infected e-mail attachments would find their data encrypted.
The ransomware would then demand payments of up to US$600 (2,640 Malaysian ringgit) to restore access.
CyberSecurity said ransomware could lead to temporary or permanent loss of sensitive or proprietary information, disruption to regular operations, financial losses and potential harm to an organizations reputation.
It advised Internet users to back up their data regularly, maintain an up-to-date anti-virus operating system and not to click on unsolicited e-mail attachments.
We are monitoring the situation in Malaysia and will take necessary action by providing technical assistance to affected organizations and individual users on remediation and prevention, said Amirudin.
Internet users can keep track of CyberSecuritys latest threat advisories on its website www.mycert.org.my.
As at 10 a.m. on Saturday, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said no attacks had been reported.
This article appeared on The Star newspaper website, which is a member of Asia News Network and a media partner of The Jakarta Post
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sun, May 14, 2017 15:32 2005 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a0bd640 1 News ecotourism,Tourism-Ministry,Tourism-Ministry-Pesona-Indonesia,tourism-ministry-wonderful-Indonesia,SDGs,Sustainable-Development-Goals,sustainable-tourism Free
In preparation for the upcoming International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development 2017 event on June 21 to 24 in Manila, the Tourism Ministry recently conducted a focus group discussion (FGD) on May 10 to discuss sustainable tourism statistics.
Sustainable tourism has become a priority on the national agenda of several countries, as well as on an international level, such as at the United Nations General Assembly.
Thats why this FGD is being held, to prepare material and recommendations from Indonesia that will be presented at the upcoming conference in Manila, explained I Gede Ardika, the head of the Sustainable Tourism Development Acceleration Task Force.
Read also: The birth of a new living organism: Indonesia's first Earthship
The conference in Manila is going to result in the declaration of how important the development of statistical framework is to measure sustainable tourism. Ardika expressed his wishes for the FGD participants to come up with a methodology to measure sustainable tourism, to understand the statistical issues in measuring sustainable tourism and gain some measuring examples to be implemented on a local and national level to act as a reference for the international level.
No one has ever discussed creating a standardized basis for data collection of relevant information on a national or sub-national level. This significant gap is limiting the potential development of the policy to improve sustainable tourism, said Samsriyono Nugroho, Tourism Ministrys technology and information special staff.
To bridge the gap, the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) with support from the UN Statistics Division (UNSD) has initiated Towards a Statistical Framework for Measuring Sustainable Tourism (MST). This project is a continuation of the UNWTO's previous projects, which are the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) and International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics (IRTS).
Read also: Protected waterbirds found in Ketapang, indicating healthy wetlands
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya said that Indonesia has good judgment when it comes to sustainable tourism. In fact, Indonesia ranked second after China in that category.
Tourism isnt merely just about destinations, but also takes into account the overall sustainable development of infrastructures. UNWTO defines sustainable tourism as tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impact, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities, he said. (asw)
The leaked draft of Labours election manifesto includes commitments to nationalise or renationalise many British industries.
But what does that mean?
What is nationalisation?
(Stefan Rousseau/PA)
Nationalisation is the transfer of a private business to state ownership or control. It is normally applied to the takeover of major branches of industry and companies rather than smaller businesses.
Which industries does Labour want to nationalise, according to the draft?
The draft includes nationalisation plans for the energy industry, the railway and bus networks and Royal Mail.
Would this mean the government would just take over running all of those industries?
Rail networks would be nationalised as each private franchise expires. Publicly owned bus companies would be set up. Royal Mail would return to public ownership (it was privatised fully in 2015) and a state owned rival company to the existing Big Six private energy firms would be created.
What do nationalisation supporters say?
You: haha he wants to renationalise the railways Also you: I'll have a 120 return please, with 4-hour delay and a bus replacement service Anita Singh (@anitathetweeter) May 10, 2017
Unite boss Len McCluskey said the manifesto policies in general were really really exciting and described rail renationalisation as the most popular policy out there.
YouGov poll in 2015 showed 58% of people supported re-nationalising rail, water supplies and other utilities.
Even though the railways are currently privately owned, the government still provides spends a large amount of money operating, maintaining, renewing and enhancing the railway to the tune of 4.8 billion in 2015-2016.
What do its critics say?
Josh Hardie, deputy director general of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), said: Proposals to damage the UKs flexible labour market and competitive markets will threaten jobs and prosperity.
Critics of nationalisation say keeping businesses and industries privately owned leads to increased efficiency and less government subsidy.
Has nationalisation been done before?
Many industries were nationalised during the 20th century.
They include railways, coal mining, the electricity, gas, iron and steel and civil aviation industries, telecommunications, the Bank of England and healthcare, which led to the formation of the NHS.
All of this was done by the Attlee Labour government in the late 1940s.
Have any famous names been nationalised?
(Jonathan Brady/PA)
Rolls-Royce was nationalised in 1971 by the Conservative Heath government after problems in its aviation engine arm left it in administration and on the brink of total collapse.
Similarly the Northern Rock bank was nationalised in 2008 during the Financial Crisis. Travel firm Thomas Cook was in state hands between 1948 and 1972 because it was owned by a rail firm when that industry was nationalised after the Second World War.
Was all nationalisation post-war?
According to the National Archives in 1916, during the First World War, five breweries and more than 300 pubs and bars in what is now northern Cumbria and south-west Scotland were nationalised as part of the Carlisle Experiment, so the government could control and reduce drinking by workers at armament factories in the area, as part of a nationwide drive to boost war production.
So what happened?
(Andrew Milligan/PA)
Sell-offs have happened at various points but they sped up after Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979, promising widespread deregulation after the industrial turmoil of the 1970s.
Her government privatised British Telecom, British Aerospace, British Airways, British Gas and the British Steel Corporation among others.
Her successor John Major broke up British Rail and, most recently, the government sold its last shares in Royal Mail in 2015, having floated it it in 2013.
To the artist, the landscape constitutes the primary source of melancholy. It's the symbol of death and the ruthless passing of time, but also a symbol of life - because landscapes are eternal , they will always outlive the ones who admires it.
The landscape of Nordic Iceland is not only a source of inspiration for many artists, but also a haven for those in need of getting in touch with the invigorating power of Mother Earth. The youngest area of the European continent is situated at the meeting point of the Arctic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. I visited the land of ice in the winter, seeking inspiration for one of my films.
After landing at the airport in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland - and the northernmost capital in the whole world - I felt as if I were in a fairytale. Right from the start, I could see that the Icelandic people adored elves.
They were everywhere - mascots, books, tshirts and figurines, all depicting elves. About 80% of Iceland's population believes in the so-called hidden people, or elves (allegedly).
The belief in elves is linked to the Christian faith. Legend has it that the first woman, Eve, was washing her children when God visited her. Embarrassed, she hid her unwashed children behind her back and since then, the so-called hidden people or elves have walked the Earth.
In the capital there is even an Elvish School, where you can attend lectures on Elvish history and culture and have a conversation with those who managed to meet and talk to the Elves.
People believe that it's the angry elves that bring avalanches to Iceland - for the rock avalanche that fell onto the city of Bolungravik, the residents blamed no one else, but the Elves.
The strong belief in supernatural beings is also reinforced by the fact that there are special roads built just for the Elves. Legend goes that whenever someone spotted an Elf walking along a street, a special road was built alongside it for the safety of the Elves.
Fascinated by the unconventional culture of Icelanders, I could barely wait until I would be able to take a bath in the most well-known geothermal spa in the world. The Blue Lagoon is a geothermal spa situated about an hours drive from Reykjavik. The geothermally heated groundwater, rising from the Earths crust, is rich in minerals, as well as silica. Around the hot spring, there are many pots filled with silica mud, which you can use to rub on your body.
This top tourist destination was named a wonder of the world by National Geographic. In its description, the magazine claims that "the steaming turquoise pools of Iceland's Blue Lagoon, trapped in volcanic rock represent an otherworldly vision."
On the first day of my stay, I was immediately intrigued by the Icelanders approach to nudity. Being naked in public showers or the sauna is something completely normal to them. After getting out of the Blue Lagoon, I wrapped a towel around myself and could feel that the locals were giving me strange looks. Well, I was the only one with a towel on after all, and everyone else wasn't embarrassed in the slightest by their nudity. They simply stood there and discussed what they watched in the cinema recently, as if it was the most usual thing in the world. The lady responsible for keeping the Blue Lagoon clean walked up to me and said to me with a smile on her face:
"You have to get used to that. Here, nobody is embarrassed by their bodies and nobody will judge you for you what you look like, only for who you are as a human being. Oh, and one more thing! Were a very happy nation and were always smiling. Were naked and smiling." Then the woman laughed and got back to her work.
Iceland is known as the land of volcanoes and geysers. Out of the 30-odd geysers scattered around Iceland, some of them are known as dormant geysers, or simply geothermal hot springs. Geysers are hot springs associated with volcanic areas. A geyser eruption could last anything from a few seconds to a few hours!
Its the difference in pressure that causes the groundwater to be propelled with great force out of the ground canals. The water inn a geyser can reach temperatures as high as 100C, so there have been instances of geysers swallowing up body parts, when people attempted to submerge their arms or legs in the hot spring.
A geyser erupting is an incredible sight to behold and it reminds you that Iceland truly is a land of the fairytales. As the rift, which marks the division between two tectonic plates runs across Iceland, the country has extensive volcanic activity. There are over 130 volcanoes on the island, 18 of which have been active since 874 AD, or the year the settlement of Iceland is generally believed to have begun.
It was there, in Iceland, that the largest effusive eruption of lava in recorded history occurred in 1783, which lasted for almost eight months. Iceland fascinated me with the energy and power that dwells within it its a place which I will definitely visit again!
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Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, has become the first woman governor of New York. She has defeated Republican U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin. Heres a look at the political journey of the 57th governor of New York.
Ballot stamps cause minor issue in Brown, turnout in Codington 63%
While there was a minor issue counting some ballots in Brown Co., local election officials said Tuesday night went pretty well. SD voter turnout 57.5%
By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Updating with fresh inputs)
From Aditi Khanna
London, May 14 (PTI) The "unprecedented" ransomware cyberattack has hit as many as 200,000 victims in over 150 countries, Europes leading security chief said today and warned of possible fresh disruption when workers switch on their computers at the start of the working week tomorrow.
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The countries, including India, were hit by what is believed to be the biggest-ever recorded cyberattack on Friday with investigators looking for those behind the hack that affected systems at banks, hospitals and government agencies globally, media reports said.
"At the moment, we are in the face of an escalating threat. The numbers are going up, I am worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn (on) their machines on Monday morning," Europol Director Rob Wainwright said.
The threat was "escalating" as cyber experts warned that another attack was imminent in coming days, he said.
"The global reach is unprecedented. The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries and those victims many of those will be businesses including large corporations," Wainwright told ITV news channel.
Fridays ransomware attack hit over 125,000 computer systems, with 48 National Health Service (NHS) trusts having to cancel appointment and operations.
As nearly 45 NHS organisations from London to Scotland were hit in the "ransomware" attack on Friday, patients of the state-funded countrywide service faced chaos as appointments and surgeries had to be cancelled.
The virus, which took control of users files, spread to 100 countries, including India, the UK, Spain, France and Russia.
Oliver Gower of the UKs National Crime Agency said: "Cyber criminals may believe they are anonymous, but we will use all the tools at our disposal to bring them to justice".
After taking computers over, the virus displayed messages demanding a payment of 300 dollars in virtual currency Bitcoin to unlock files and return them to the user.
BBC analysis of three accounts linked with the global attack suggests the hackers have already been paid the equivalent of 22,080 pounds (USD 28,458).
Individuals and organisations were discouraged from paying the ransom, as it was not guaranteed that the access would be restored.
MalwareTech blogger, who wants to remain anonymous, was hailed as an "accidental hero" after registering a domain name to track the spread of the virus, which actually ended up halting it.
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Investigators are working to track down those responsible for the ransomware used on Friday, known as Wanna Decryptor or WannaCry.
The virus exploits a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows software, first identified by the US National Security Agency.
A security update was released by Microsoft in March to protect against the virus.
However, it seems that many NHS trusts had not applied it or were using an older version of the operating system which is no longer supported - Windows XP.
NHS Digital said that 4.7 per cent of devices within the NHS use Windows XP, with the figure continuing to decrease.
Microsoft has now sent out patches for WindowsXP in an attempt to limit the damage, while the NHS took steps over the weekend to send out the recent security updates for trusts who had not put it in place.
The hackers are believed to have used "cyber weapons" stolen from the US National Security Agency to lock up computers and hold users files for ransom.
The most disruptive attacks were reported in the UK, where hospitals and clinics were forced to turn away patients after losing access to computers.
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The ransomware is a type of malicious software that infects a computer and restricts users access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it. It demands users pay USD 300 worth of cryptocurrency Bitcoin to retrieve their files, though it warns that the payment will be raised after a certain amount of time. The malware spreads through e-mail.
An Indian-origin doctor based in London had warned against the cyber-hack of the NHS just days before it crippled the countrys network.
Dr Krishna Chinthapalli, a neurology registrar at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, had warned that an increasing number of hospitals could be shut down by ransomeware attacks inan article on the vulnerability of the NHS network in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday, two days before the major cyber-hack.
He had highlighted an incident at Papworth Hospital near Cambridge where a nurse clicked on a malicious link and malware infected her computer and started to encrypt sensitive files. PTI AK CPS ASK CPS
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Actor and Bengal minister Bratya Basu on Sunday said that he was not sure if censorship of films could be effective in the era of internet.
I am not sure how much effect censorship currently has in our country in the wake of the explosion of Internet, Basu told at the screening of short film The Sixth Element, which deals with the intimate relation between a widow and a foreigner.
While, praising the film's director Arjun Dutta, Basu said, He did a commendable job by taking up such a subject which had seldom been handled properly in Bengali films.
The Sixth Element has won the best director jury award at Delhi International Short Film Festival and the best cinematographer jury award at Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival.
I wanted to show this in a very dignified way. I had always wanted to make a film on female bonding and as shooting progressed, I gradually incorporated the queer elements, Dutta said.
I think we are indebted to Rituparno Ghosh for bringing up such issues in our films so sensitively, he added.
The film features Debjani Chatterjee, Verity Danbold, Anushka Maitra, Shaoni Mojumdar, Mayukh Ray and Kunal Karmakar
The English are at it again, looting and pillaging as they have done through colonial times. The only point is, this time its not the Kohinoor or the wealth of Bengal that they are accused of running off with but a wealth of language. Philip Goodens book is designed to tell us how English became the rich language it is today aptly illustrated by the number of synonyms for loot on the cover! Actually borrow is probably the best word since the original ones still remain in the languages they came from and the language has in some cases transmuted the word.
Gooden chooses to organise his book differently. According to him, English disponges from other languages. Disponge by the way is a word that Shakespeare used to describe squeezing out of a sponge. The word did not survive but English continued to sponge with vim and vigour. Gooden provides a list of the stolen words starting with the earliest thing for example, is spelled with a Viking thorn instead of a th since the th did not then exist in the language and while talking about the word, taking the reader back through a kind of history of similar words and where they came from.
Many words came with the marauders who invaded England, like the Vikings, the Romans and the Normans. Not surprisingly, Shakespeare is responsible for quite a few words like disaster and incarnadine and occasionally affecting the use of language by turning nouns into verbs. And then when the English did set out to look and pillage on their own account, as Shashi Tharoor accuses them of doing, they brought back words with them as well as treasure.
Sugar for example is related to sakkar while shampoo comes from the Hindi champna. However, Gooden rather oddly does not delve into the Indian lexicon, restricting it to nirvana and juggernaut, not to mention doolally, which has gone out of use but comes from Deolali in Maharashtra where the Brits set up a transit camp and where people succumbed to melancholy from the malarial miasma.
The blow to Indian linguistic pride notwithstanding, the facts that accompany these words make for a fascinating collection of trivia for example, the first American lexicon was compiled by Samuel Johnson Junior who was no relation to the venerable Samuel Johnson responsible for the first English dictionary. Miltons pandemonium meant exactly the opposite when it was first coined and the dreaded juggernaut was first seen in action by a group of French priests! Mumbo jumbo comes from west Africa where it was a name given to a dancer who acted as third umpire in womens squabbles.
Gooden adds an interesting series of footnotes as well. Murphys Law, for example was coined by John Bangsund to describe how, if you set out as an editor to highlight someone elses written errors, you will inevitably make ones of your own. Of course Murphys Law has come to mean something else altogether by now.
The book is entertaining and rich, highlighting the fact that English has never stood still one of the latest words dates to 1954. But then, that would apply to an Indian language like Bengali as well. Languages have the freedom to reach out and borrow and then reinvent themselves all over again. In the process is a kind of shape-shifting that Shakespeare would have appreciated if it had been pointed out to him.
The reviewer is a freelance contributor
The government on Sunday said it has activated a "preparedness and response mechanism" to prevent any major cyber attack from a new ransomware "Wannacry" which has infected computer systems around the world.
According to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), it has activated a "preparedness and response mechanism" by instructing CERT-IN (Computer Emergency Response Team) to gather "all the information of the reported ransomware".
Just a few days ago a global cyber attack was launched using the "WannaCry" ransomware. The malicious software infects a computer and restricts users' access to it until a ransom is paid to unlock it.
On May 13, CERT-IN had issued an advisory for both reactive and preventive actions to deal with the ransomware.
"MeitY has initiated contact with relevant stakeholders in public and private sector to 'patch' their systems as prescribed in the advisory issued by CERT-IN. MeitY has also requested Microsoft India to inform all their partners and customers to apply relevant patches," the ministry said in a statement.
"In India, no reports have been formally received so far regarding this ransomware attack. However, it is understood that a few systems of the police department in Andhra Pradesh were impacted. MeitY has informed AP government, to follow the CERT-In advisory."
As per the Cyber Swachhta Kendra (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre), ransomware spreads by using a vulnerability in implementations of "Server Message Block" (SMB) in Windows systems.
India Today has access to proof of how former PWD engineer Dinesh Sharma exposed nepotism in Kejriwal's AAP by showing that he was relieved of his duty for not working on a contract as asked by the CM's relative.
By Syed Masroor Hasan, Md Hizbullah, Ankit Tyagi: After allegations of bribery, fake bills, hawala transactions and money laundering, India Today now has access to irrefutable proof of how deeply entrenched nepotism is in the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi.
The shocking revelations have come from former engineer in the Delhi Public Works Department Dinesh Sharma, who said that he was arm-twisted into abiding by the writ of Renu Construction company, which belongs to Kejriwal's deceased brother-in-law Surender Bansal.
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Sharma has claimed that Bansal's son Vinay Kumar called him in April last year and threatened him of dire consequences if he (Sharma) prevented his (Vinay Kumar's) workers from breaking the drain in Delhi's Mundka area to make a passage for his vehicle to pass through to carry material for the under-construction drain elsewhere.
"When I refused to listen to Mr Bansal's son, I was relieved of my duties in the Delhi government in May 2016", Sharma said.
WHAT HAPPENED
The former PWD engineer said that the department had given a contract to Renu Constructions to construct a drainage in Delhi's Mundka area. "They had bid at very low rates, at just 42 per cent of the minimum amount. Accepting the contract at such low rates was not economically viable. This work could not have begun while I was there because I demanded that the work be done in accordance with rules and propriety. So they had me transferred because they could not afford to let me continue in that post."
Dinesh Sharma's letter to the police. Dinesh Sharma's letter to the police.
In a letter to the Delhi Assistant Commissioner of Police, Sharma exposes the modus operandi employed by contractors under the AAP government. In the letter, he says that he caught 3 people demolishing a perfectly-built drain using a tractor and a compressor. When Dinesh asked them to stop destroying the drain, he got a call from Kejriwal's nephew, who threatened him with his life.
Sharma said, "My seniors in the PWD department could not pressurise me. Everyone knew what kind of a person I was. I wasn't going to take wrong orders from anyone. It was on April 3, 2016 when my boss asked the contractor to demolish the drain on a Sunday, my off day. However, I got to know about it and reached the spot to stop the illegal demolition. I got a call threatening me. But I refused to let the illegal work happen."
Last year in May when Sharma was on leave, he was transferred to the parent cadre CPWD and relieved of his responsibilities. "My transfer file was sent to the Secretariat. I got to know. I asked what had I done. On May 6, I left for America to visit my daughter. It was in my absence that I was transferred on May 10. I was relieved of my duty while I was on leave till May 22", Sharma said.
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HAVE FACTS TO RESPOND TO CHARGES: AAP
Meanwhile, reacting to India Today's Expose, the Aam Aadmi Party has said that the government will respond to the charges as they have facts.
According to sources, government and senior officials of the PWD department were told uncertain facts. Sources say out of the two contracts given to Renu Constructions, one has been completed while the other was cancelled. The contract which was cancelled is the one for which the said engineer filed a complaint.
The CM's office maintains that there has been no favouritism. AAP says ACB has already registered cases and investigation is going on. The party adds that anyone found guilty - whether that person be the CM's relative, a minister or any official - will be dealt with strictly in accordance with law.
WATCH VIDEO
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Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken on Sunday sought a "thorough probe" into the allegations levelled by sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra regarding "illegal" foreign funding received by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
At a press meet here, he also demanded Delhi Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal's resignation.
"The allegations are serious. Kejriwal should step down on moral and legal grounds," he said.
Maken said there should be an investigation to trace the source of foreign funding to AAP, adding that it was "unlikely that the government agencies were unaware of it".
The Congress leader also targeted the BJP-led government at the Centre and wondered why was it not prosecuting Kejriwal and why an FIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act was not lodged against the AAP government.
"AAP, which floated shell companies to convert black money into white money to show in its accounts, also receives illegal foreign funding, which is a serious matter," he said.
Mishra on Sunday accused Kejriwal and his party of "massive financial irregularities".
Earlier, Congress leaders Anand Sharma and Amarinder Singh had claimed that "divisive forces sitting in foreign countries" were funding the AAP.
The reported killing of an RSS worker, allegedly by CPI-M activists in Keralas Kannur, evoked sharp reactions on Saturday from the RSS and BJP with the former condemning the ruling Left party in the state for the incident and the latter demanding Kannur be declared a disturbed area.
Taking the CPI-M threat into account, Biju was provided with police security which was withdrawn last week. That itself implies that he was under their scanner for a long time and the murder was an outcome a sinister political conspiracy.
He was falsely implicated in a murder case by the police at the behest of the ruling party and state government. Once again, the ruling party CPI-M has reiterated that the party is reluctant to put down arms in Kannur and support the peace initiatives, RSS senior functionary Manmohan Vaidya said here.
The victim Kakkampara Mandal Karyavah Choorakkadu Biju was reportedly hacked to death near Payyannur, in Kannur on 12 May. The assailants in a car reportedly hit Bijus bike near a bridge at Palamkode and later hacked him to death with swords.
After the death of the RSS worker came to light a delegation of BJP state unit leaders headed by the partys lone MLA and former Union Minister O Rajagopal, called on Governor P Sathasivam and submitted a memorandum demanding Kannur be declared a disturbed area. They also sought imposition of AFPSA (Armed Forces (Special Powers) Acts).
Rajagopal later alleged that the state government had failed to maintain law and order. The only solution to maintain law and order is to hand over the law enforcement of the district to the army, he said.
Reacting to the killing, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday termed the incident as very unfortunate. He sought to project it as an isolated incident. Concerned persons have to be cautious to see that the situation is not turning worse. The government will make all efforts to bring the guilty before law, the chief minister said. The BJP called a dawn to dusk strike in Kannur.
Kerala has been witness to the politics of retaliation between the BJP-RSS and CPI-M for some time. The increased spate of murders of Swayamsevaks in Kerala under the CPI M) regime affirms the Governments conspicuous role in political killings. It is highly condemnable and despicable that the State Police and State machinery remain as silent spectators while the CPI (M) cadres are on killing spree towards Swayamsevaks in Kannur and other places," the RSS charged, demanding Kerala Police bring all murderers and conspirators to book.
Continuing his attack on Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, sacked minister Kapil Mishra on Sunday alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) lied about its donation figures to the Election Commission (EC). He collapsed when he was showing some cheques to the media and was rushed to hospital.
Addressing a press conference here, Mishra alleged that the AAP had over Rs 45 crore in its bank account during the financial year of 2013-2014 whereas the party in its declaration to the EC had showed an income of around Rs 9 crore.
Mishra alleged that the party concealed around Rs 36 crore from the party workers and government.
He said the party has accumulated the money through shell companies.
Mishra made a presentation during the press conference claiming false information was given by the AAP to the EC regarding its bank accounts, and, subsequently converted black money into white through hawala transactions.
The former minister has been on an indefinite hunger strike since Wednesday at his official residence here, demanding that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal must reveal the source of funding of the foreign trips of five Aam Aadmi Party leaders Sanjay Singh, Ashish Khetan, Raghav Chadhha, Satyendra Jain and Durgesh Pathak in the last two years.
Mishra was sacked on May 6 in a sudden move and later was also suspended from the party.
This comes a day after he alleged that the police were trying to forcibly take him to the hospital. Mishra, a lawmaker from Delhi's Karawal Nagar assembly segment, had alleged that he saw Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain pay Rs. 2 crore to Kejriwal at latters house. He also alleged that Mr Jain helped a relative of the AAP chief with a Rs. 50-crore property deal.
He alleged that hundreds of shell companies have been opened by Kejriwal to turn black money into white. He also assured to provide documents of the shell companies.
(With agency inputs)
In a diplomatic outreach to the Arab world ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Israel in early July, India will host Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas, who is arriving here on Sunday on a four-day State Visit.
The invitation to Abbas is being seen in diplomatic circles as a balancing act by New Delhi since there are many nations in the Arab world which are disappointed that the Indian PM will not be going to Palestine when he undertakes his maiden trip to the Jewish nation, a clear departure from the policy followed so far by Indian Heads of State while visiting the region.
Abbas will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr and Foreign Minister D Riyad al-Maliki. According to the MEA, Abbas will hold official-level talks with Modi on Tuesday. He will also have meetings with other top Indian leaders while President Pranab Mukherjee will host a banquet in his honour.
The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, Middle East Peace Process, regional and international issues, a press release said. Abbass trip will also help New Delhi get a sense of the current Palestinian position on its dispute with Israel ahead of Modis trip.
MoUs on cooperation in various areas are expected to be signed during the visit. The two sides are also said to be looking at the possibility of setting in place a security mechanism during Abbas visit. As of now, they share no pact on fighting terror and this security mechanism will enable sharing of information and perspectives, besides combating the menace.
Hyderabad police on 13 May registered a case against BJP legislator Raja Singh Lodh, who described old city of Hyderabad as "mini Pakistan" and made some other objectionable remarks.
Singh, who is a member of Telangana state assembly from Goshamahal constituency in the city, had told a television channel in an interview that the Constitution and the law currently in force are not his priorities.
The controversial MLA also stated that he is preparing a private Army and training the youth with the lethal weapons to fight with others.
"His interview is provocative, promoting enmity among the public and leading to the disturbance of peace, public order and communal harmony," Deputy Commissioner of Police V Satyanarayana said.
A case under section 153-A of Indian Penal Code has been booked against him at Mir Chowk police station in the old city.
Meanwhile, police have also booked Mohammed Abdul Majid of Darasgah Jihad-o-Shadat (DJS) on same charges for conducting mass drill with "arms" and lathis on at Hazrat Ujale Shah Edigha ground on 12 May and for making provocative speech.
According to police, he was conducting classes for volunteers/members and youths in the name of self defence.
A case against Majid has been booked in Saidabad police station.
Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and his four aides have been detained for spreading terrorism in the name of jihad, Pakistan's interior ministry has told a judicial review board.
Saeed appeared before the board yesterday and told it that he had been detained by the Pakistani government in order to stop him from raising voice for Kashmiris.
However, the interior ministry rejected his arguments and told the three-member board that Saeed and his four aides have been detained for spreading terrorism in the name of jihad.
The board comprising Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan of the Supreme Court (head), Justice Ayesha A Malik of Lahore High Court and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail of Balochistan High Court directed the ministry to submit a complete record regarding detention of Saeed and his aides Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid, Abdullah Ubaid and Qazi Kashif Niaz on next hearing on May 15.
The board also sought personal appearance of the attorney general of Pakistan on next hearing.
Police produced Saeed and his four aides before the board at Lahore registry of the apex court amid high security. A large number of Saeeds supporters gathered outside the court.
Saeeds counsel advocate AK Dogar was also present but the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chose to plead his case before the court.
The allegations levelled by the government against me had never been proved by any state institution. My organisation and I have been victimised for raising voice for freedom of Kashmir and criticising the governments weak policy on the issue, Saeed said.
He said that he had been placed under house arrest in order to stop him from raising voice for Kashmiri people. Saeed appealed to the board to set aside the Punjab governments detention order.
The government detained the JuD leaders under pressure from United Nations and international organisations, an official representing the federal interior ministry told the board.
Last Thursday Lahore High Court division bench had questioned as why Saeed and others were not presented before a review board before the government issued notification for extension to his detention for another 90 days.
On April 30, detention of Saeed and his four aides was extended by the Punjab government for another 90 days under preventative detention under 11 EEE (I) and 11D of Anti- Terrorism Act 1997.
The Punjab government on January 30 had put these five under house arrest in Lahore for their involvement in activities which can be prejudicial to peace and security.
The government has also placed JuD and FIF under second schedule of the anti-terrorism act.
The Nawaz government had reportedly taken action against Saeed after the US clearly told Islamabad that in case of not taking action against JuD and Saeed it may face sanctions.
JuD is said to be the front for the banned Lashkar-e- Taiba (LeT). The organisation has been declared as a foreign terrorist organisation by the US in June 2014.
Saeed and his aides said in their petition that the government detained them without any legal justification. They said the UN resolution followed by the government did not seek detention of any citizen.
The detention of the JuD leaders is a simple case of mala fide intention and ulterior motive on part of the government as it has been done so to please India and the United States, the petition said.
Dreaded Maoist leader Kundan Pahan, facing 128 cases including that of murder of senior police officers and carrying a reward of Rs.15 lakh on his head, surrendered before police here on Sunday.
The CPI (Maoist) Jharkhand regional committee secretary is an accused in the killing of special branch inspector Francis Indwar in 2008 and loot of Rs. 5 crore from a cash van of ICICI bank.
He was also allegedly involved in Baliba ambush in Saranda and killing of DSP Pramod Kumar in 2008 at Pundigiri near Bundu in Ranchi district, Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kuldip Diwedi said.
Family members of Pahan, who takes aliases like Vikash and Ashish, were present as he surrendered before Additional Director General of Police RK Malik, IG (CRPF) Sanjay Lathkar, DIG AV Homkar and other senior police officers here.
Malik congratulated the police team for convincing Pahan to come into the mainstream and their continuous success in controlling left wing extremism.
True repentance is to accept ones mistakes, Malik said on the occasion and appealed to others connected with the extremist organisation to join the mainstream.
Malik said state governments Nai Disha initiative gave one final opportunity this year to the naxalites to surrender.
Inspector General of Police (CRPF) Sanjay Lathkar said the naxalites coming forward to surrender have understood the hollowness of Maoist ideology and believe in the Constitution.
Deputy Inspector General of Police AV Homkar said it was a historic moment for the CRPF and the Jharkhand Police as several naxalites have given up arms due to their efforts.
Kundan Pahan said that he had realised that he had wasted 20 years and would now help in the development works in the state. He said directly or indirectly I take responsibility of the incidents and expressed sorrow for those who died in Maoist violence.
Pahan alleged that the senior Maoists get their children educated in foreign countries and indulge in extortion.
Hindi film superstar Shah Rukh Khan, one of the world's 100 highest paid celebrities, says the core of his job as an actor remains to spread happiness and that the money, awards and fame that come along are "peripherals", which he is grateful about.
The actor, whose TED Talk in Vancouver went viral on social media with his witty one-liners, words of wisdom, and more, spoke to in an email interview about his thoughts on stardom, how he can motivate others to follow their dreams, how he has so many dreams in his life that if he was to be left alone, he can just live in their company.
How does the life he is living today as Bollywood's King Khan compare to the dreams he had when he entered the industry?
Shah Rukh said: "It's extremely nice to hear the words King and Baadshah, heartthrob, loved, romantic hero, etc All these things are really positive things. I'd rather be hearing these than some negative aspects that people might attach to my name. So, I'm extremely thankful and happy that this happened."
"Having said that, my core job is to try and entertain people. Like I always say, make them smile Fulfil some unfulfilled desire or emotion in them that might exist. Give them a couple of hours of happiness. It has to be as simple as that. Everything else that comes is peripheral."
"Everything that gets attached to my acting in films whether it's the money, the fame, the name, whether it's on a power list, whether it's an award all of those are windfall games," Shah Rukh said.
"I'm very happy about them and grateful about them. But the core of my job is can I make people happy whenever I'm in touch with them? Through my cinema? Through just talking to them or meeting them. When you're a star, people feel happy just meeting you or seeing you pass in a car. So to me, the core is just that, nothing else."
Often, the 51-year-old star has said he sells dreams. But does the thought that there might come a time when he loses this ability, bother him?
"No. It doesn't bother me. I believe that anyone who has the capability, the ability, the desire to sell dreams, has to dream them first. So, I have lots of dreams. As a matter of fact, if I were to be left alone, I could just live in the company of my dreams."
"I don't really always need to get these dreams verified, quantified or substantiated," he said, stressing that he prefers to see the "optimistic side of life".
Shah Rukh, who has spent almost three decades in Indian showbiz, will be hosting "TED Talks India: Nayi Soch", a global first Hindi TV talk show created in partnership with TED, the non-profit organisation devoted to 'ideas worth spreading', for Star India.
Asked if motivational talks by public figures can bring about a positive change among the country's youths, SRK said: "I think 'motivational talk' as a term itself is overrated. It's not about giving motivation to someone."
"I think if you can hold on to the interest of people through your experiences, then it's up to people to take away something of some worth which suits them. Not like the whole talk is going to become something that people are going to live by."
"Some aspects may touch some people, some may not touch people, some may not like it at all. But I think as long as you can make it personal, people everywhere in the world get attached to personal emotions because emotions are universal."
He also said: "For me to sit down and pen down my struggles and romanticise them, I think it's being ungrateful about the success I've got. But having said that, yes, I think it makes a lot of sense when you achieve something, when you come from no background, like I have When you come from a different city and without anyone helping out when things fall right, it just feels nicer."
"It also gives the message to people that if you can work hard, and if you have a bit of talent and you believe in yourself, that's more than enough to achieve your dreams. You need nothing else."
North Korea on Sunday launched a ballistic missile which flew around 700 km, the South Korean Joints Chief of Staff (JCS) said.
This is the first provocative move from North Korea since South Korea appointed Moon Jae-in as the country's new President on Wednesday.
The US calculated that the missile landed in water 60 miles south of Russia's Vladivostok region, an American security official told CNN. Vladivostock is home to the Russian Pacific Fleet.
The US called for repercussions from the international community.
"Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement.
"North Korea fired an unidentified missile at around 5.27 a.m. today (Sunday) from an area in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan province," Yonhap News Agency quoted the JCS as saying in a statement.
A US defence official confirmed that it flew that far, but said Washington was still investigating to determine the type of missile.
In response, South Korean President Moon has strongly condemned North Korea for the launch, describing it as a grave threat to regional security and a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
He also called on Pyongyang to reverse its course of provocations for the resumption of dialogue while warning that his administration would deal resolutely in order to ensure it would not "miscalculate" the situation.
"Even if dialogue is possible, (we) should show (to North Korea) that it's possible only in case of North Korea changing its attitude," Moon said, presiding over a session of the National Security Council.
Moon asked for a review of a missile system that is being developed to protect South Korea.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also slammed the launch, reports CNN.
"Despite strong warning from the international community, North Korea launched a ballistic missile again," Abe said, adding "This is totally unacceptable and we strongly protest it. North Korea's missile launch is a serious threat to Japan and clearly violate against the UN resolution."
The projectile launch comes two weeks after a ballistic missile test that South Korean and US officials said failed.
That missile, launched on April 29, blew up over land in North Korean territory, according to a spokesman for the US Pacific Command.
Though tensions between the United States and North Korea have been higher than usual over the past few months, a senior North Korean diplomat told Yonhap News Agency on Saturday that Pyongyang is open to talks with Washington "under the right conditions".
An aircondtioner, a sofa and a carpet that were put up in the room at BSF martyr Prem Sagar's home in Deoria where Yogi Adityanath came to visit them were removed soon after the chief minister's departure.
By India Today Web Desk: Family members of BSF head constable Prem Sagar, who was marytred in Jammu and Kashmir and his body mutilated by Pakistan earlier this month, were shocked beyond words when at his hometown Deoria, the district administration first installed an airconditioner and put up a sofa and carpet and then removed the same soon after Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid his visit at Sagar's residence.
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The Deoria district administration could not have, in a more humiliating way, mocked the martyrdom of a soldier.
The martyr's kin said they were taken aback when authorities removed the window air conditioner, sofa and carpet soon after the chief minister left their place.
AC, SOFA GONE SOON AFTER CM's VISIT
"Officials took away the carpet, sofa and AC soon after Adityanath left our residence. Within 15 to 30 minutes of his departure, everything was gone", Dayasagar, brother of the fallen BSF trooper, said.
However, there was no official word on it.
The Deoria administration had installed an airconditioner, and put up a sofa and a carpet in the room where the chief minister was to meet the family.
A day before the chief minister's visit, dusty roads in the village were cleaned and drains which always used to remain open were covered.
WHEN WAS PREM SAGAR MARTYRED
Head Constable Sagar was on patrol duty on May 1 along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch when Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) crossed the LoC and ambushed the patrol team. While taking cover, Sagar and Naik Subedar Paramjeet Singh of the Army were left behind.
They were killed and their bodies mutilated.
Sagar's family had refused to perform his last rites, insisting that the chief minister visit them. They agreed to cremate his body only after the chief minister spoke to them.
Adityanath visited Sagar's family on May 12 at his native village Tikampaar to offer condolences and presented a cheque of Rs 4 lakh. He also reportedly promised employment to Sagar's children after they completed their studies.
ADITYANATH's PROMISES
The chief minister said a shaheed smarak (martyr's memorial) and a girls inter college will be set up in the village in the memory of the martyr.
He also promised a road to connect the village to the main road.
With regard to a demand for a gas agency for the family, he had said a recommendation would be sent to the central government.
(WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)
WATCH VIDEO
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Olympic gold medalist Kaetlyn Osmond can't wait to skate in front of Newfoundland crowd for her first performance since COVID
When Kaetlyn Osmond steps on the ice at the Mary Browns Centre in St. Johns next month, it will be the first time the Marystown native has performed on ice in front of an audience since before the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020. It's also the ...
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) Indian conglomerate Adani Group plans to begin extracting coal from the USD 16.5 billion Carmichael project in Australia in 2020-21, its Chairman Gautam Adani has said.
The Group, which has interests from ports to power, would finalise by June an investment decision for the project, which has been delayed due to protests from environmental groups.
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In an interview to PTI, Adani said his group is not just investing in coal but also in renewable energy in Australia, seeking to develop 1,500 MW of solar projects by 2022.
"Like in India, we are investing heavily in renewable energy in Australia too," he said.
It has signed pacts to build two solar farms, each with capacity of 100-200 megawatts in Queensland and South Australia.
Adani said the company has scaled down the coal mine capacity in the first phase.
Originally seen producing 60 million tons a year from six open-cut pits and five underground mines, a scaled-down first stage is now planned to produce 25 million tons a year of coal and will cost over USD 4 billion. Other phases will come later.
"We will begin work within months of getting final approval from the Australian government," he said.
Projections of a global glut of coal and prolonged low prices notwithstanding, Adani is pushing ahead with plans to build the mine that would produce thermal coal to generate electricity and operate for six decades.
"About 15 million tons of coal produced from the project (in the northern Australian state of Queensland) will be shipped to India for generating electricity," he said.
The group has for more than five years battled opposition from green groups who are opposed to any expansion of the port, saying it will cut into the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. The port is to be used for exporting coal to India.
"A port already exists with capacity to handle phase-one coal," he said adding a rail line will have to be built for transporting coal from the mines to the port.
The group has so far invested Australian dollar 3.4 billion on the Abbot Point port and preparatory work for the Carmichael coal mine. It has applied for an Australian government agency loan to finance the railway line.
Adani said he is expecting Australian federal and state government nods for the coal project soon.
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The Adani Group entered Australia in 2010 with the purchase of the greenfield Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin in central Queensland, and the Abbot Point port near Bowen in the north. PTI ANZ SBT ABM
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The Argentinean Navy published a series of documents pertaining to a UFO sighting in Necochea in 1962. The documents present the eyewitness account of a truck driver pursued by a flying saucer in the vicinity of La Dulce. By Inexplicata
5-13-17
CEFORA () recently published an Argentinean Navy file disclosing the details of an important UFO sighting event that took place in our city some 55 years ago.On August 29, 1962, Osman Alberto Simonini told his story of a UFO encounter in the vicinity of Km 28 of Route 86. Simonini was in his truck, driving out of La Dulce from the "Malabrigo" mink farm, property of Ernesto Arias. The case become widely known through an article in Ecos Diarios: the Navy commission launched its investigation through Capt. Omar Pagani and the files now form part of the private archive of researcher Roberto Banchs.The incident took place at around 20:10 hours as Simonini drove at slow speed and noticed - to his left and following a parallel trajectory, at a distance of 3 meters and an elevation of 2 meters - an "artifact" resembling two plates linked by their widest sides, the color of gunmetal, having an approximate diameter of 5 meters.The object projected red-and-blue beams similar to headlights from its lower section. The beams had a diameter of two meters, according to the description.Simonini said that the artifact accompanied his truck for some 200 meters. As it did so, the driver noticed that the grass moved as well, proof of its low altitude and some sort of "air or energy" expelled from its lower section.The object overtook the truck after the 200 hundred meters, racing ahead some 600 meters along the shoulder at low altitude. Upon reaching Km 26, it made a sharp right-angle turn into a seedbed. Simonini followed it and saw the object had stopped at an altitude lower than one meter. He stopped his truck and got up, and tried to approach the fence separating the field from the road, placing his hands on the wire only to find that the material was hot. He removed his hands, set them down again, only to find that [the wire] was even hotter. He moved some meters along, ascertaining that the wire there was completely cold.Two minutes later, the object took up at high speed and vanished into the sky.The witness stated his case to the border superintendent, the head of the federal police delegation, and Air Force officers in Mar del Plata with the support of notary Juan Jose La Terza, who stated that the following verbatim response was received when the incident was brought up [with these authorities]:"The officers specializing in these studies told me there was nothing extraordinary about the event, as this kind of phenomenon was already accepted as real, and that the scientific world was waiting for the next stage: making contact with these artifacts."At the time, Guillermo Gimenez (a member of CEFORA []) conducted an exhaustive on-site investigation in the area, after Juan Jose La Terza got in touch with him. The article can be found here (in Spanish).The documentation contains the report by notary La Terza, who acted as a sort of attorney-in-fact for witness Simonini.
But the tribe has a long way to go
If you see a logo with a hearing impaired mark and a legend below saying, 'Driver is deaf Please watch out,' you are in Hyderabad. The Telangana state transport department finalised the logo to be used by the hearing impaired drivers on their vehicles.
Manikanta Annapragada
The logo was designed by city-based graphic designer Manikanta Annapragada who will be the first person to obtain a driving licence under the hearing impaired category in the country.
In November 2016, the Union road transport and highways ministry had directed all states to issue driving licences to people with hearing disability. The state RTA also sought the help of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences seeking its opinion. The AIIMS said that hearing disability might not be a problem for driving as long as the person has good eyesight and is healthy. After this, the ministry of roads and highways sent circulars to all the state governments on October 28, 2016.
The Telangana government in turn issued a circular on April 29, 2017 to all the RTOs, DTOs and JTCs to issue licences to the persons with hearing disability. Learning that Manikanta was a graphic designer, the RTA then requested him to give a few design samples. Manikanta gave eight designs, of which one was picked up. This will be displayed on both the front and rear sides of the vehicle.
"I am grateful to the Telangana government for allotting driving license for people who are challenged by hearing impairment. I had been desperately waiting for this step by the government. It was a good opportunity to make logos for hearing impaired drivers. As per the discussions with the RTA officials, I made eight different logos. The logo signifies that the 'driver is deaf, please pay attention'. It is a way to spread awareness and to avoid accidents and a request for other people to cooperate. I am very happy with the choice made. The logo is simple and self-explanatory," says Manikanta.
He says: "I strongly feel that there must be many more persons like me who are waiting for a driving license. Being a graphic designer, I thought making a logo is more important. And more than money, I strongly feel that my logo is priceless as it will be helpful for so many others like me."
Manikanta is a hearing-disabled person from Moti Nagar. He says, "Despite having everything, I had to face the challenges as I lost my hearing power. But just because of that I did not keep cribbing. I made myself strong and confidently started moving ahead in life. At the age of 18 years, I began learning to ride gearless two-wheeler all by myself by cautiously looking into the side mirrors. I practiced it cautiously. With the constant support and encouragement of my father A. Sivarama Prasad, my mother late Varalakshmi and my friends, I began riding geared bike four years ago. I was never scared as I was having faith in God and myself.."
Manikanta had brain fever when he was a month-old, which led to the hearing problem. His teachers were his mother and younger sister who taught him lipreading. Manikanta says he can understand both English and Telugu. He was home-schooled by his mother.
There is no problem in driving and with vehicles in the rear because I use two rear view mirrors," he says.
Manikanta started drawing when he was eight and he pursued that line and turned a professional in 2007 after completing a course in fine arts. I completed animation courses at NIMSME and began working in 2010. Now, I am working as a background artist and graphic designer for the animation team for Healthsignz Technologies."
Manikanta, who has already obtained a Learner's Driving Licence and has completed the driving test, is waiting to receive the licence. "I have never been an undisciplined driver; I always follow traffic rules and drive slowly. Till date, I have not faced any problems. I am very happy to inform you that, I rode my bike to Vijayawada and back all alone, several times. With Gods grace, I have not faced any problems as I found all the people very cooperative and supportive. This has made me confident and a stronger person."
Hyderabad city and the Outer Ring Road have witnessed a number of fatal accidents recently. Two days back state cabinet minister P. Narayana's son Nishith and his friend Raja Ravichandra were killed after their Mercedes SUV rammed into a metro pillar. They died on the spot at 3 am in the morning. In another incident, four IIT students also were killed after they lost the control of their vehicle.
Manikanta also thinks the roads are unsafe. The Telangana government and Traffic Police of Hyderabad are putting equal efforts in curbing undisciplined driving. However, it is possible only when people think responsibly and contribute for a safer Hyderabad."
Kochi Metro has done something noble and praiseworthy. It has decided to employ 23 transgenders to different sections like housekeeping and ticket counters, based on their qualification.
It is the first time that a government-owned company is providing a lions share of their employment to the third gender. Said Reshmi C.R., communication manager, Kochi Metro, We have taken 23 transgenders so far. The target is 60. Of the 23, 18 would do housekeeping jobs and the remaining would be at the ticket counters. All of them were really positive during the training period and somehow wanted to get into the mainstream. We are happy that Kochi Metro has also become a livelihood improvement project.
The transgenders, like all the other candidates, were shortlisted through written tests and interviews. They are part of the 530 workers of the self-help group for women, Kudumbashree.
The first phase of Kochi Metro, from Aluva to Palarivattom, is nearing completion and will be inaugurated next month by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The Kochi Metro had, last year, decided to seek the support of Kudumbashree to form a group of transgenders who can take up jobs once the metro starts functioning.
Said Tani Thomas, district mission coordinator of Kudumbashree, We invited applications after consulting the police. We rejected people with criminal background. We gave them all the soft skill training that was needed for such a job.
Over 30,000 Kudumbashree members appeared for the test conducted by Kochi Metro in February, of which close to 700 women and 23 transgenders were shortlisted. The Kochi Metro had signed MoU with Kudumbashree in December on the management of metro stations.
Said Elias George, MD, Kochi Metro, "We hope our maiden attempt will be a runaway success. We expect other firms to follow suit and engage them in respectable positions.
We are excited and thrilled, said Vincy, a third gender employed by Kochi Metro. Said Vincy to THE WEEK, "I have been selected to sit at the ticket counter. People from Kochi Metro assessed us and helped us develop skills on customer care and spoken English at Rajagiri college. The training lasted for a month. I hope other companies all over the country will take notice of it and start hiring people from the third gender."
By Press Trust of India: Ahmedabad, May 14 (PTI) In an apparent reference to the ruling BJP at the Centre as well as in Gujarat, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel today asked the party cadres to use social media as a weapon to fight "Goebbels Propaganda."
The term Goebbels Propaganda was coined after the name of German politician Paul Joseph Goebbels who was the Reich Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945 and was known for his skills in public speaking.
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While addressing a seminar of partys IT cell here, Patel, who is the political secretary to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has changed various parameters for determining GDP to hide its failures.
"The social media is not a tool to exploit technology. Some persons use this medium to acquire power and then try to retain it by various marketing tools and spreading lies. Some people are only exploiting social media in a wrong manner," said Patel.
"I urge IT cell workers to use social media in a positive manner to defeat those who are into spreading Goebbels Propaganda. Along with strengthening the party, we should also spread message of harmony and national integration," said Patel.
Taking a dig at Modi, Patel said the Centre is now trying to change parameters for determining the unemployment rate in the country.
"The government failed on many fronts. Thus, they have started changing the goal posts. Earlier, they changed parameters for determining the GDP.
"Now, they are changing parameters for unemployment, so that we can not compare the current status with the track record of previous governments," he alleged.
"He (Modi) did the same when he was in Gujarat (as chief minister). It is his old tactic to hide failures," said Patel, who was accompanied by Gujarat Congress chief Bharatsinh Solanki and several other party leaders.
In his address, Solanki took a jibe at poll strategist Prashant Kishor, by claiming that IT cell members of the party are more competent than him.
"As polls are approaching in Gujarat, some said that PK, that is Prashant Kishor, is coming here. Then some said he is not. But, I feel that you are far more competent than PK," said Solanki in his address to the social media team.
Solankis views are in a total contradiction of those expressed by another party leader Shankersinh Vaghela, who had favoured Kishor and advised his party to hire him for the upcoming assembly polls in Gujarat.
In March, Vaghela, who is the leader of opposition in the Gujarat assembly, had opined that the party should consider hiring services of Kishor, as he can ensure victory for Congress in Gujarat. PTI PJT RMT RAX
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Indian and Pakistani troops resorted to heavy firing on Sunday along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district.
"Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing and shelling on our positions on the LoC in the Rajouri sector," Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta told IANS.
They are using small arms, automatics and mortars, he said.
"Our forces are effectively retaliating. The firing is presently ongoing," Mehta added.
Two civilians were killed and three others injured in Rajouri's Naushera sector due to the shelling from the Pakistani side.
Authorities have closed all schools indefinitely in the areas close to the LoC.
Since Friday, dozens of families from the border villages have left their homes to avoid the indiscriminate shelling.
India on Saturday refused to be a part of China's One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative citing its objections to the $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that passes through Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
Citing the CPEC that is being touted as a flagship part of OBOR, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay said, "No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity."
In a statement, a day ahead of the launch of the two-day summit in Beijing, he said, "Guided by our principled position in the matter, we have been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative, 'One Belt One Road' which was later renamed as Belt and Road Initiative'.
"We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side.
"Regarding the so-called 'China-Pakistan Economic Corridor', which is being projected as the flagship project of the BRI/OBOR, the international community is well aware of India's position. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity."
China is organising the two-day Belt and Road conference in Beijing starting Sunday which will be attended by 29 Heads of State including Russian President Vladimir Putin and a US delegation, and see the participation of over 100 countries.
India's non-participation comes as the top leadership of Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Myanmar are attending, while Bangladesh and Nepal are sending high-level delegations. Bhutan is not attending.
On Friday, Nepal officially inked a deal with China on OBOR for development of cross-border connectivity.
The $46-billion CPEC is part of OBOR, Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy initiative.
New Delhi firmly opposes this corridor of Beijing's project linking Xinjiang in China and the Gwadar port in Pakistan because it passes through Pakistani-administered Kashmir. India lays claim to the disputed region.
The general view was that India attending the forum might amount to surrendering its claim over the region.
However, Beijing has repeatedly sought to allay New Delhi's fears, saying China will not change its position on the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Beijing terms the dispute as bilateral.
Citing other problems, Baglay said, "We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality.
"Connectivity initiatives must follow principles of financial responsibility to avoid projects that would create unsustainable debt burden for communities; balanced ecological and environmental protection and preservation standards; transparent assessment of project costs; and skill and technology transfer to help long term running and maintenance of the assets created by local communities. Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Noting India shares the international community's desire for enhanced physical connectivity and believes that it should bring greater economic benefits to all in an equitable and balanced manner," Baglay said it was "working with many countries and international institutions in support of physical and digital connectivity in our own immediate and near neighbourhood".
He said expansion and strengthening of connectivity was an integral part of India's economic and diplomatic initiatives and referred to New Delhi's Act East policy that focuses on the 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Trilateral Highway project underway to link India, Myanmar and Thailand.
Baglay said under New Delhi's Go West strategy, it engaged with Iran on the Chabahar Port and with Iran and other partners in Central Asia on the International North South Transport Corridor. India, Iran, and Afghanistan have signed a trilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port that will will be vital to link south and central Asia.
He also referred to the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) motor transport agreement saying it is an initiative that is aimed at enhancing logistics efficiencies in the South Asian region.
"We are also actively considering acceding to TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers or International Road Transports) Convention," he said. The TIR Convention establishes an international customs transit system.
Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for dubbing the Rohtak gangrape case as the result of jungle raj in Haryana, the BJP on Sunday asked the Congress vice president not to politicise the issue and assured of stern action against the culprits.
I think Rahul Gandhi is giving cover to the Bihar government where jungle and corrupt raj is under rule. Instead of commenting on the dastardly attack and heinous act, it is very unfortunate that he is politicising a rape case, BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI.
Any rape is deplorable, shameful and inhuman. The state government is competent to handle the situation. Certainly, the culprits will be arrested and stern action will be taken, he added.
A 23-year-old woman was brutally gangraped and murdered. Later, her mutilated body was found in an empty plot in Haryana's Rohtak district.
After the incident came to light, Rahul Gandhi sais, Jungle Raj in the BJP-ruled states continues.
The incident occurred on May 9 and came to light when the victim's body was found in city's IMT area.
The forensic reports suggest that the victim was mutilated with sharp-edged weapons.
So far two people have been arrested in the case and a special investigation team has been formed for faster probe.
In a dramatic press conference that ended with sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra fainting, the former accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal of corruption and warned him to resign by the evening.
Meanwhile, Mishra has been rushed to the hospital. According to reports, doctors from Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital (RML) are treating him.
Doctors had yesterday advised hospitalisation to Mishra due to a drop in blood sugar level and dehydration, but he refused to do so.
Earlier addressing a press conference, Mishra said, "Arvind Kejriwal, have some shame. If you don't resign by today evening, I will drag you from your office to Tihar Jail. I'm Kapil Mishra."
Mishra further alleged that for three continuous years, black money was converted into white and spent on foreign trips of the AAP leaders.
"AAP did not inform about some of its fundings which it received from fake companies," he said.
Mishra further targeted Kejriwal and revealed that 16 shell companies added money worth crores in AAP's bank accounts.
"These fake companies are registered in the name of AAP MLA from Moti Nagar, Shivcharan Goyal. These companies have given Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal at 12 a.m. The fund received from these companies were sent to same branch branch of Axis Bank where there were allegations of converting black money into white at the time of demonetisation," he added.
AAP has its bank account at the Krishnanagar branch of Axis Bank and all the transactions happen from there.
Mishra also shared a bank cheque without a date which has already been encashed.
"I will file case against Arvind Kejriwal in Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday in connection with conversion of black money to white," the AAP leader said.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Sunday sent a summons notice to the political advisor of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Vaibhav Kumar in connection with water tanker scam.
Kumar will be interrogated by the ACB on May 17.
Last Thursday, Mishra made "serious allegations" against senior Delhi government functionaries in relation to the water tanker scam, which is alleged to have caused a loss of an estimated Rs. 400 crore to the State exchequer, in a detailed statement to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB).
Earlier, Mishra submitted documents related to the tanker scam to the ACB, while saying that he also apprised the agency about the misuse of the money by the Delhi government.
Additional Director General of Police (DGP) Akil Ahmad on Sunday assured that maximum possible penalty will be awarded to the accused in connection with the horrific Rohtak gang-rape case, adding that the police will appeal for fast-tracking the case
"Maximum possible penalty will be awarded to the accused. We will appeal for fast-tracking of the case," DGP Ahmad told the media.
He said a case has been registered under the arrested accused under sections 376 (rape), 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine person) and 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code in this regard.
The DGP further informed that the girl was kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9 and was brutally raped, tortured and murdered.
"The victim's mutilated body was found in Rohtak. Investigation is currently underway. The main accused belongs to SC, ST," he added.
In a chilling reminder of the 2012 Delhi gangrape case, a 23-year-old woman was kidnapped, gangraped and killed in the northern Indian state of Haryana.
The horrific incident took place in the state's Rohtak district, barely 70 kms away from the national capital, last Tuesday, but it came to light only on Saturday when her body was found lying in a vacant plot, with her skull in pieces and parts bitten off by stray animals.
Meanwhile, the post-mortem report of the Rohtak gangrape victim states that the cause of her death was due to head injury as blunt force injuries and multiple wounds were found on her skull and scalp.
The report said the victim's face, tongue, eye, ears was totally distorted, which made the face totally unidentifiable.
What makes the brutality even more evident, is that her oesophagus was missing and gnawing effects were seen over chest of the victim.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) Chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam on Sunday took suo moto notice in the gruesome case.
Kumaramangalam she said that she will be sending a team to Sonipat, following which she will visit herself.
NCW member Rekha Sharma, who visited the grieving family of the victim condemned the brutality and urged for death sentence for the accused.
"I am shocked the way all this happened. The torture she went through is horrifying. I cannot understand why men cannot take no from a woman. Like Nirbhaya case, I expect death sentence for these criminals," said Sharma.
"We have formed an inquiry committee; I have come here to pressure the police to expedite the process. We will also see how they frame charges and that the filing of the case is done properly," she added.
President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will move quickly to nominate a new FBI director, after he sparked a political firestorm by firing the man investigating possible collusion between Russia and the Trump presidential campaign.
Trump told reporters he might even be able to make his decision on who should succeed James Comey to lead the Federal Bureau of Investigation before he leaves on his first foreign trip on Friday.
"Even that is possible," Trump said, speaking on Air Force One before departing for Lynchburg, Virginia, where he delivered a commencement address.
"I think the process is going to go quickly," he said, adding that the candidates under consideration were mostly well known. "They've been vetted over their lifetime essentially. But very well known, highly respected, really talented people. And that's what we want for the FBI."
Critics have assailed Trump for abruptly dismissing Comey, who was leading the agency's investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 US election, and possible ties between Moscow and the Trump campaign..
Russia denies the claims and the White House says there was no collusion.
Trump made the remarks to reporters prior to speaking to about 50,000 people at Liberty University in Lynchburg, where he did not mention Comey or the controversy his dismissal on Tuesday caused. It was Trump's first public event outside the White House since Comey's ouster.
A White House official had said 11 people were under considerationincluding acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, Republican senator John Cornyn, New York Appeals Court judge Michael Garcia and former assistant attorney general Alice Fisherto replace Comey as FBI chief.
Two new names, however, emerged on Saturday: FBI special agent Adam Lee and US District judge Henry Hudson. A source familiar with the process said attorney general Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, had interviewed Hudson, Lee and five others on Saturday.
The FBI Agents Association, which claims more than 13,000 active and retired agents as its members, on Saturday endorsed another candidateformer Representative Mike Rogers, who had also worked as an FBI agent.
Trump also had strong words that seemed aimed at his critics.
"No one has ever achieved anything significant without a chorus of critics standing on the sidelines explaining why it can't be done," Trump said. "Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic, because they're people that can't get the job done."
Liberty's president, Jerry Falwell Jr. was a key early supporter of Trump during his campaign and helped rally support among religious conservatives.
Trump, who has been preparing for his first foreign tripone that will take him to the Middle East and Europealso will deliver the commencement address to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday.
At Liberty, the nation's largest Christian college, Trump peppered his remarks with the kind of anti-establishment rhetoric that fueled his maverick presidential campaign, telling graduates to challenge "entrenched interests." He thanked the crowd for their support and repeatedly invoked his own unlikely election victory.
"Relish the opportunity to be an outsider," Trump said. "The more that a broken system tells you that you're wrong, the more certain you should be that you must keep pushing ahead."
Political advisor to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal has been asked by the Anti-Corruption Branch to join the probe on Wednesday.
By Indo-Asian News Service: Delhi's Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) on Sunday sent a notice to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's political adviser Vibhav Patel asking him to join the investigation in the alleged Rs 400-crore water tanker scam on Wednesday.
"After rebel and sacked Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra told the ACB that two persons - Vaibhav Patel and Ashish Talwar - close to Kejriwal were responsible for the delay in action in the water tanker scam, the ACB sent a notice to Vibhav Patel," a senior officer of the ACB said.
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Kapil Mishra on Thursday recorded his statement with the ACB, after he submitted evidence in support of his allegations that two persons close to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tried to influence the scam probe.
Ashish Talwar is also likely to be summoned after Patel's statement in the case is recorded, according to the official.
The Rs 400-crore water tanker scam involved alleged favouritism shown in the allotment of contracts to private water tankers to supply water to areas not falling under the Delhi Jal Board's network during the previous Congress government in Delhi.
Also read: Kapil Mishra fires 'donation scam' salvo at Kejriwal, AAP deflects it towards BJP, Congress
Also read: Kapil Mishra 'exposes' Arvind Kejriwal: All you need to know about the charges against Aam Aadmi Party
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Councilman David G. Greenfield is once again offering his constituents access to free legal help.
On Monday, May 15th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. , the New York Legal Assistance Groups mobile van will be parked outside Greenfields Boro Park office at 4424 16th Avenue to offer free legal assistance to residents who cannot afford an attorney.
NYLAG lawyers can provide confidential legal advice at no cost on issues such as housing, identity theft, divorce, child custody, advance planning, and government programs such as Medicaid, Medicare, food stamps, and housing.
The attorneys at NYLAG are excellent and have wide-ranging areas of expertise, Greenfield said. Im proud that all my neighbors can take advantage of their legal insight.
Councilman Greenfield hosted the communitys first ever NYLAG mobile legal assistance day four years ago, and the NYLAGs mobile van has made regular visits to his Boro Park office ever since.
Anyone interested in taking advantage of these legal services is encouraged to make an appointment at https://mobilelegalhelpcenter.acuityscheduling.com.
Additionally, the Councilman has sponsored free immigration-related legal services in his district office twice a month in partnership with the City University of New York Citizenship Now project. Any resident interested in accessing immigration services is encouraged to call the Councilmans district office at (718) 853-2704 to schedule an appointment.
(YWN Desk NYC)
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times
So what is the story with bows and arrows on LaG BaOmer?
The Ramah Shulchan Aruch (OC 493:2) that on LaG BaOmer we engage slightly in Simcha joy, but no mention is made of the bow and arrow!
The reason for this minhag is explained by Rav Tzvi Elimelech Spira (1783-1841) in the Bnei Yissaschar (Maamrei Chodesh Iyar 3:4-5). But let us first get some background: Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, of course, was a tremendous Tzaddik who revealed the inner secrets of the Torah (see Chayei Adam Moadim 131:11).
In his tremendous merit, explains the Bnei Issaschar, the entire world was saved from Puranios afflictions. Because of this, the world did not have to see a rainbow a reminder that Hashem would not destroy the world. Because no rainbow was appeared during his lifetime, on the day of his ascension to shamayim we bring out bows and arrows to commemorate him and his great merit.
A second reason is that when the Romans forbade Torah study, Jews would go into the yaar and pretend to go hunting with bows and arrows. Instead, they learned Torah.
We should also know that this day of LaG baOmer commemorates the students of Rabbi Akiva who ceased dying during this day although the deaths persisted between Pesach and Shavuos. (Shla Psachim 525).
This is also the day that Rabbi Akiva granted ordination to his five students among them Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai they did not die in the plague that struck Rabbi Akivas other students (Pri Chadash OC 493)
Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai merited to compose two extraordinary books that form part of the Zohar. They are the Adara Rabbah and the Adarah Zutah. Rav Yoseph Chaim in his Responsa (Rav Pealim YD #156) explains why it was that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, above and beyond his masters the Tannaim, merited to write these extraordinary books. He explains that although his teachers and masters were greater than he was, he had the ability of couching these teachings in esoteric terms. Indeed, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai was so adept at obscuring the true understanding of these thoughts, that they could even be expounded upon publically and only those that truly merit understanding it would be able to figure out the true inner meaning and import. According to this, we commemorate the fact that Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai not only transmitted these remarkable teachings, but vouchsafed them in such a manner that they not be abused or taught to those who are unworthy.
Jewish Continuity
The ordination that Rabbi Akiva conducted on his five students was a heroic event that changed the course of Jewish history, and that of the world. These students were Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yossi, Rabbi Shimon and Rabbi Elazar Ben Shamoa. Under the pressure of the dark forces of Roman tyranny and religious oppression, these valiant scholars, who were privy to the noblest ideals of the Bible, its teachings and oral traditions, knew that no matter what the cost they must ensure the continuity of these teachings. They were the future educators of us all.
It was a point in time where the forces of evil and darkness were pitted against goodness and light.
The light of Torah ultimately won out and Torah Judaism was to effect and alter the world. We commemorate this remarkable event on this day of LaG BaOmer.
So how do we commemorate this day, other than the bow and arrows? The Bnei Yissasschar states that the custom is to light a number of candles in Shul on this day. We do not fast on this day even for a Yahrtzeit, except for a fast of a bad dream. We do not recite Tachanun on this day, nor on the Mincha before it. We get married and attend weddings. We join in with singing and dancing, and we listen to music (See Pri Magadim Aishel Avrohom 493:1).
So as we hear the song and dance of the Jewish weddings and the words, Od Yeshamah, let it still be heard in the cities of Yehudah and in the outskirts of Jerusalem, the sound of joy and the sound of happiness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride let us think of the great merit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who also vouchsafed the teachings of the Torah and enabled our Torah continuity.
May Hashem bring the Geulah Shleimah speedily in our days. Oh and one last point: Yes, many Admorim also engaged in using bos and arrows on LaG BaOmer.
The author can be reached at [email protected]
9:36AM IL: For the many who traveled to the tziyun of the Rashbi on motzei Shabbos, wishing to head home now, Sunday morning, they are unable to ascertain why there are no buses. The line of people waiting for a bus continues to grow without receiving any official response as to why there are no buses. Many report police are not only unhelpful, but quite belligerent.
Israel Police spokesman for the chareidi tzibur Shabtai Gerverchik told Kol Berama Radio a few minutes ago that there is a serious shortage of buses and the problem must be addressed by Transportation Ministry officials.
(YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times
A friend at Shalosh Seudos in shul commented that if LaG BaOmer is when the 24,000 Talmidim of Rabbi Akiva stopped dying, then why do we not commemorate the day when the 1.1 Million at Auschwitz stopped dying?
If we did, it would probably be on Yud Gimel Shvat, the 13th of Shvat the day that the Russians liberated Auschwitz. It was a Shabbos, on January 27th, 1945.
The Soviet Armys 322nd Rifle Division had entered the concentration camp at Auschwitz on that Shabbos morning. They were mounted on shaggy ponies, and were fearful of a Nazi ambush. But the Nazis had run away.
A Russian gunner, Ivan Martynushkin, then a 21-year-old lieutenant, and his fellow soldiers spotted some Jewish prisoners behind barbed wire.
It was hard to watch them. I remember their faces, especially their eyes which betrayed their ordeal, Martynushkin told a newspaper several years ago. At first there was wariness, on both our part and theirs, he told a radio station another time, But then they apparently figured out who we were and began to welcome us, to signal that they knew who we were and that we shouldnt be afraid of them that there were no guards or Germans behind the barbed wire. Only prisoners.
Ten days prior to the arrival of the Soviet Army, which had been sweeping through Nazi-held territory in Poland, retreating Nazi troops abandoned Auschwitz and forced some 60,000 inmates on a death march away from the site.
SURVIVORS HAD REBUILT
Since then, many of the survivors of Auschwitz had rebuilt Jewish life. Many of the Yeshivos and the Mosdos that we have in our midst were built by the survivors of this horrible epic in our recent Jewish history.
The Five Towns and Far Rockaway have many Mosdos that were built by holocaust survivors. Darchei Torah, Yeshiva Shor Yoshiv, TAG, Yeshiva of South Shore, the Agudah of Long Island, and many more. Yeshivos, shuls and other mosdos in Boro Park, Los Angeles, Lakewood, many Mosdos in Satmar, the kimpetorium in Seagate Brooklyn big or small, they were all built by survivors of the holocaust.
And like the five student survivors of Rabbi Akiva who also rebuilt Torah, so did our recent holocaust survivors.
Six years ago, Elly Kleinman, the Chairman of the 12th Siyum Hashas of Daf Yomi, had dedicated the Daf Yomi Commission in memory of his father, Reb Avrohom Isaac Kleinman, who was a Holocaust survivor who had rebuilt Torah in America after the war.
To a great extent, it was the emunah, bitachon, and many acts of heroism and sacrifice of the kedoshim that provided the yesod for the reestablishment of Torah Yiddishkeit to a degree that was unimaginable 70 years ago, he said.
In a remarkable parallel to the events of LaG BaOmer, the survivors and their children have rebuilt the Torah way of life, and have made it stronger. Today is their day as well. So as we take our children to bonfires and play with bows and arrows, our thanks should also go to them.
The author can be reached at [email protected]
Tomorrow, India and Pakistan will present their cases to the International Court of Justice over the contentious Kulbhushan Jadhav issue. The last time the two nations faced off at the ICJ was all the way back in 1999. Pakistan lost.
By India Today Web Desk: India and Pakistan last faced off at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) nearly 18 years ago, when Islamabad sought the Hague-based court's intervention over the shooting down of one of its naval aircraft.
Tomorrow, the ICJ, the United Nations' principal judicial organ, will hold a public hearing at the Great Hall of Justice housed in the Peace Palace at The Hague (the Netherlands), where India and Pakistan will be asked to present their case over the contentious Kulbhushan Jadhav issue.
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A Pakistani military court had sentenced Jadhav to death last month for alleged espionage and subversive activities. He had been arrested on March 3 last year.
India approached the ICJ on May 8 with its plea to stay Jadhav's execution till it hears the matter and reaches a conclusion.
It had accused Pakistan of "egregious violations" of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR), to which both India and Pakistan are signatories.
India has requested consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav 16 times, but in vain. As well, Islamabad hasn't responded to the request for visas made by Jadhav's family.
After India's application, the ICJ - using its powers under the 'Optional Protocol to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations concerning the Compulsory Settlement of Disputes of 24 April 1963' - stayed Jadhav's execution.
According to a Dunya News report, Pakistan is going to deny the ICJ's jurisdiction in the case.
PAKISTAN LOST PREVIOUS ICJ CASE
The previous case was related to the shooting down of Pakistan's maritime reconnaissance aircraft Atlantique by the Indian Air Force(IAF) in the Kutch region on August 10, 1999,
All 16 naval personnel on board were killed.
Pakistan claimed the plane was brought down in its air space, and sought $ 60 million (US) in damages from India for the incident.
A 16-judge bench of the court on June 21, 2000 voted 14-2 to dismiss Pakistan's claim. The decision was announced by bench president Gilbert Guillaume of France at a public sitting. The verdict was final and there was no appeal.
The ICJ found that it has no jurisdiction to entertain the application filed by Pakistan on September 21, 1999.
Public hearings in the case titled Aerial incident of August 10, 1999 (Pakistan vs India) lasted four days ending April 6, 2000. Arguments centred on the court's jurisdiction in the case, which had to be determined before its merits could be considered by the 16 judges.
The Atlantique case was ousted by the ICJ on the issue of jurisdiction and not on merits. Both parties had agreed that the question of jurisdiction would be decided first and only then would the issue of merits be taken up.
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Guillaume said the court would first have to decide whether it had the jurisdiction to go into the case as contended by New Delhi, after the Indian delegation led by the then Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, raised preliminary objections to its jurisdiction.
HOW THE HEARINGS UNFOLDED
Pakistan opened the first round of oral arguments, India replied to them, and then Pakistan followed with its second round, and India responded again.
India argued that the court did not have jurisdiction in the matter, citing an exemption it had filed way back in 1974 to exclude disputes between India and other Commonwealth states, and disputes covered by multilateral treaties.
Sorabjee told the court that Pakistan was "solely responsible" for the incident and Islamabad must "bear the consequences of its own acts." Pakistan's Attorney General Aziz Munshi had sought a speedy resolution, saying its application had to be concluded quickly so that it did not remain an irritant in India-Pakistan relations.
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Pakistan had also sought to politicize the case by referring to the Kashmir issue, the Kargil conflict, India-Pakistan relations and alleged motives for the shooting.
Pakistan wanted the court to intervene while India was opposed to its assumption of jurisdiction on the basis of Islamabad's application.
It urged the court to "dismiss the objections raised by India and accept its jurisdiction."
India maintained that none of Pakistan's arguments was sound and didn't provide a basis for invoking the court's jurisdiction.
Sorabjee expressed happiness with the courts verdict. "We are very happy. The court has accepted all our contentions," he had said.
AD-HOC JUDGES
Former Supreme Court judge B P Jeevan Reddy and Pakistan's former Attorney General Syed Sharifuddin Pirzada were co-opted into the bench as ad-hoc judges.
As per ICJ rules, when it does not include a judge possessing the nationality of the state party to a case, the state may appoint a person to sit as a judge ad-hoc for the purpose of the case.
The court also recalled that its lack of jurisdiction does not relieve States of their obligation to settle their disputes by peaceful means.
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The choice of those means admittedly rests with the parties under Article 33 of the UN Charter, it said, adding, they are nonetheless under an obligation to seek such a settlement, and to do so in good faith in accordance with the Charter. As regards India and Pakistan, that obligation was restated more particularly in the Simla Accord of July 2, 1972.
Moreover, the Lahore Declaration of 21 February, 1999 reiterated "the determination of both countries to implementing the Simla Agreement," it said.
Accordingly, the court reminded the parties of their obligation to settle their disputes by peaceful means, and in particular the dispute arising out of the Atlantique incident in conformity with the obligations which they undertook.
India's External Affairs Ministry, while hailing the verdict, especially welcomed the court's positive observations on the principles enunciated in the Simla agreement and Lahore Declaration as the basis for an India-Pakistan rapprochement.
Through its comments, the court has vindicated India's stand on these landmark agreements that are the very cornerstone of India-Pakistan relations, a ministry spokesman had said.
(Inputs from PTI)
ALSO READ | Kulbhushan Jadhav death sentence: Pakistan may overrule International Court of Justice's order
ALSO READ | Is International Court of Justice stay on Kulbhushan Jadhav hanging binding on Pakistan? All about how ICJ functions
ALSO WATCH | Kulbhushan Jadhav: D-Day on May 15 as International Court of Justice set to conduct hearing
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Teach NYS, a project of the Orthodox Union, encourages yeshivas to apply for New York City Local Law 2, the nonpublic school security guard program. The deadline is May 15, 2017.
To qualify for the program, a nonpublic school must have 300 or more pre-K-12 students in the 2017-2018 school year. The applications are complete on the NYC HHS Accelerator System and every school with the qualifying criteria gets accepted into the program.
Local Law 2, which was sponsored by Councilman David Greenfield, provides at least one private security officer for nonpublic schools with 300 or more students. With additional guards added for more students, yeshivas and day schools have found this program to provide a critical enhancement to security in these times of need.
Teach NYS led the fight for this program in 2015 and 2016 and continues to work to help schools take advantage of the opportunity. To date, there are nearly 80 yeshivas taking advantage of this program. Currently enrolled yeshivas dont have to reapply by May 15th.
Simply put, Local Law 2 is one of the most important ways to ensure all kids are safe at school, said Maury Litwack, executive director of the Teach Advocacy Network. We encourage all schools to enroll before the deadline on May 15.
Anyone interested in applying for this program should contact Teach NYS at 646-459-5158.
(YWN Headquarters NYC)
The Federal Railroad Administration agrees with Amtraks assessment that immediate track maintenance and repair efforts are needed at Penn Station.
The FRA says it conducted inspections of all 21 tracks with Amtrak and New York railroad inspectors after two recent derailments.
It found maintenance issues including loose or missing track clamps, bolts or braces, and insufficient fasteners in track segments or rail joints.
The FRA says Amtrak took immediate action to repair or mitigate risks at the nations busiest station. That included reducing track speeds from 15 mph to 10 mph.
An Amtrak spokeswoman says all the issues either have been addressed or will be in the coming weeks.
The New York and New Jersey governors Thursday called for a private operator to take over Penn Station operations from Amtrak.
(AP)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani offered a full-throated defense Friday of his opening the country to the world through the nuclear deal as his opponents sought to sully his reputation in the last televised debate before the presidential election.
Rouhani insinuated the top hard-line candidate he faces, Ebrahim Raisi, of being in the pocket of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. In response, Raisi and others levied corruption allegations against Rouhani ranging from receiving highly subsidized public properties to blocking a probe into corruption charges against his close relatives.
The exchanges marked a harsher turn after previous debates focused on the landmark nuclear accord that Rouhanis government reached with the United States and other world powers.
Im ready to, over the next four years, lift the rest of the sanctions against the Iranian nation, like the nuclear sanctions that I lifted over the past 4 years, with strength. Rouhani said in Fridays debate, focusing on the nuclear deal.
His first vice president, Eshaq Jahangiri, also a candidate, asked people to vote to protect Iran, We have to protect Iran. We should remove war from the region. Warmongers have reached power in various places in the world.
The moderate Rouhani is believed to be the front-runner in May 19 election but the failure of the nuclear deal to bring economic gains for the public has brought an opening that his main rivals, hard-liner Raisi and Tehran mayor Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, have sought to exploit.
Corruption is a major concern among Iranians and in Fridays debate Qalibaf sought to pin it on Rouhani. Qalibaf said that Rouhani and Jahangiri received highly subsidized properties from the government.
Qalibaf, a veteran member of the powerful Revolutionary Guard, also said Rouhani administration had facilitated large loans to particular individuals through state-run banks while average citizens still struggle to secure small loans.
He added that Rouhanis administration had given extraordinary payments to senior officials.
Raisi also claimed that Rouhani had blocked a legal probe into corruption charges against his relatives a veiled reference to the presidents brother and special adviser, Hossein Fere. He also suggested that ministers in Rouhanis government had been linked to illegal imports.
Rouhani denied the charges and levelled his own accusations of wrongdoing at his rivals. He said that security institutions had diverted public funds to Raisis campaign and bused people to his campaign gatherings.
Rouhani also said Qalibaf had a record of heavy-handed security enforcement, and criticized his handling of student protests in the late 1990s and early 2000s when he was the countrys police chief.
He also urged Qalibaf to pay attention to corruption in his hometown of Mashhad, suggesting he was somehow involved.
Irans presidential election is being seen as largely a referendum on Rouhanis outreach to the rest of the world following the nuclear accord.
With average Iranians yet to see substantial benefits from the deal in their daily lives, however, Rouhani remains somewhat vulnerable in his bid for another four-year term.
(AP)
The Lebanese government blamed Israel Friday for a recent hacking in which audio messages were sent to people in Lebanon claiming the Hezbollah leader was behind the death of the groups top military commander.
A statement issued by the Telecommunications Ministry said that sophisticated technology was used to breach Lebanons telecoms network, making it appear as if the messages were coming from inside Lebanon.
The audio and WhatsApp messages were sent to about 10,000 people, the ministry said.
The messages were sent during a speech by Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah Thursday, marking a year since Mustafa Badreddine died in Syria.
The killer of our martyr Mustafa Badreddine is giving his speech in front of you, said the audio.
Text messages were also sent via WhatsApp reading: Nasrallah continues to lie.
Hezbollah said it is in contact with the ministry to find out how the breach happened. It added that through the hacking, the telephone numbers of the groups media office were used to send the messages to people around Lebanon.
Israel has said it believes Badreddine was killed by rivals within the militant group.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials.
The telecommunication ministry said similar hacking occurred during the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
(AP)
The following is via CBC:
The number of Chasidic children in Montreal being educated at home has jumped dramatically over the past two years, following a crackdown by the Quebec government on ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools.
There are currently 705 Chasidic children registered to be supervised by the English Montreal School Board. That is a threefold increase since 2015, said Angela Mancini, the school boards chair.
When youre at 705 children, thats a school, Mancini told Radio-Canada. Thats like a small school.
The increase comes as Quebec education officials have been attempting to better regulate the schooling of Chasidic children, due to concerns that many attend schools that dont follow the provincial curriculum.
Last summer, a school in the RosemontLa Petite-Patrie borough was raided by youth protection workers, escorted by police.
As part of the crackdown, the government has encouraged parents in the Chasidic community to sign home-schooling contracts with school boards.
The demand for such contracts has proven so great that the EMSB has had to hire additional staff. In addition, the school board will start administering French, English and math exams to home-school students.
These are children who havent written exams in the past. They dont have the same path as the students in our schools, Mancini said.
The goal of the exams is really to ensure that the children have all the capacities, all the possibilities to succeed to not put them in a failing situation.
Only certain students, at first, will write exams, but eventually all of them will, Mancini added. The long-term goal is to have the students write province-wide ministerial exams as well.
Many of the Chasidic children enrolled in home-schooling programs still attend private Orthodox schools, where they receive religious instruction. At home, they are taught standard subject matter.
At least one religious school, Yeshiva Toras Moshe Academy, has said it will help prepare its students for the school board exams.
We obviously want to help them prepare, Jacob Maman, who heads the schools support services. This is something different from what theyve experienced in the past.
(Source: CBC News)
President Donald Trump said Saturday that we can make a fast decision on a new FBI director, possibly by late next week, before he leaves on his first foreign trip since taking office.
Even that is possible, Trump told reporters when asked whether he could announce his nominee by Friday, when he is scheduled to leave for the Mideast and Europe.
Eight candidates to be the bureaus director were in line Saturday for the first interviews with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, at Justice Department headquarters. They are among more than a dozen candidates Trump is considering, a group that includes several lawmakers, attorneys and law enforcement officials.
I think the process is going to go quickly. Almost all of them are very well-known, Trump said aboard the plane that took him to Lynchburg, Virginia, where he gave the commencement address at Liberty University. Theyve been vetted over their lifetime essentially, but very well-known, highly respected, really talented people. And thats what we want for the FBI.
The Trump administration is looking to fill the job, which requires Senate confirmation, after Trump abruptly fired Director James Comey on Tuesday.
The first candidate to arrive was Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.
Among those interviewed was Adam Lee, special agent in charge of the FBIs Richmond, Virginia, office. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe also interviewed for the permanent post despite his repeated willingness to break from White House explanations of Comeys ouster and its characterizations of the Russia investigation.
Also interviewed Saturday were Michael J. Garcia, a former prosecutor and associate judge on New Yorks highest court; GOP Sen. John Cornyn, the No. 2 Senate leader and a former Texas attorney general; and U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, a George W. Bush appointee who struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administrations health care law in 2010.
Frances Townsend, former homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush, and former Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers also met with Justice officials.
Rogers came endorsed by the FBI Agents Association, which said his diverse background makes him the best choice for the job. He is the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee who also worked as an FBI special agent based in Chicago in the 1990s.
Fisher and Townsend were the only women on the list of candidates. The FBI has never had a female director. Each has worked in high-profile positions in the Justice Department.
Fisher formerly served as assistant attorney general for the Justice Departments Criminal Division. She faced resistance from Democrats during her confirmation over her alleged participation in discussions about detention policies at the Guantanamo Bay facility in Cuba.
Among other roles, Townsend led the Office of Intelligence Policy and Review, which at the time handled requests for government surveillance warrants in terrorism and espionage cases.
Sessions has faced questions over whether his involvement in Comeys firing violates his pledge to recuse himself from investigations into Russian interference in the election. Some lawmakers have alleged the firing was an effort to stifle that FBI probe.
Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores said Sessions and Rosenstein are involved in the interviews because the FBI director reports to them as attorney general and deputy attorney general. They can make recommendations, but the president will ultimately make the hiring decision.
(AP)
[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Magen David Adom spokesman Zaki Heller reported at 7:00AM IL that hundreds of EMTs, paramedics and doctors are providing first aid in Meron for those requiring the service. In addition to hundreds of personnel, MDA is operating a medical clinic staffed by doctors in addition to basic and advanced life support ambulances standing by along with medicycles which respond with easier access due the volume of visitors.
MDA reports treating 353 people as of 7:00AM, including syncopal episodes, cardiac-related, chronic medical issues, and soft tissue injuries. 37 of the patents required ambulance transport to a local hospital, Poriah Hospital in Tiveria or Zif Hospital in Tzfat.
In the event of a medical emergency, dial 101.
(YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit: MDA spokesman unit)
[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE] Police mounted units are being used to keep hundreds of mispallalim wishing to leave Meron in one area. According to many reports received, persons are waiting hours for buses to head home, standing around, tired, hungry and far from feeling good.
Israel Police spokesman Shabtai Gerverchik told Kol Chai Radio a short time ago that the Transportation Ministry is to blame as there is a critical shortage of buses.
(YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
A year has not passed in which chareidi lawmakers do not decry the transportation failures to and from Meron on Lag BOmer. However, it is being reported this year appears to be a record-breaking.
Police did not permit empty buses to pick up mispallalim who wished to return home on Lag BOmer morning. Hundreds are waiting on line, and some, as seen in the video, are finding ways to get on a bus by bypassing the doors.
Buses heading to Tzfat, Carmiel and other areas were simply stuck in traffic for hours. The police checkpoints did not operating properly and parking areas collapsed from the lack of organization. Many are already accusing police of not deploying sufficient manpower.
(YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Few Indian scholars who attended China's Belt and Road Forum said that no Indian delegation took part in the two-day meet for International Cooperation in Beijing.
By India Today Web Desk: No Indian delegation was seen at the opening ceremony of China's Belt and Road Forum addressed by Chinese President Xi Jinping, who delivered a keynote speech at the opening of the two-day meet for International Cooperation in Beijing today.
Xi said that the Belt and Road initiative should be an open one that will achieve both economic growth and balanced development. "We should build an open platform of cooperation and uphold and grow an open world economy."
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China welcomes efforts made by other countries to grow open economies, participate in global governance and provide public goods, he said.
"Together we can build a broad community of shared interests," Xi added.
INDIA BOYCOTTS BELT AND ROAD FORUM
The Chinese president's remarks came after India on Saturday refused to be part of Beijing's One Belt One Road initiative maintaining its opposition to China's investment in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Few Indian scholars attended the meeting today. Media was not permitted inside the conference hall, where the opening ceremony took place.
The general view was that India attending the forum might amount to surrendering its claim over the region.However, Beijing has repeatedly sought to allay New Delhi's fears, saying China will not change its position on the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay on Saturday had said, "No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity."
Xi Jinping also called for upholding the multilateral trading regime, advancing free trade areas and promoting liberalization and facilitation of trade and investment.
WHAT IS THE CONFERENCE ABOUT?
China is organising a two-day Belt and Road conference in Beijing that started today, which will be attended by 29 heads of states including Russian President Vladimir Putin, a US delegation, Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, his Sri Lankan counterpart Ranil Wickrmasinghe, and will see the participation of over 100 countries.
India will not be participating in the summit and neither will Bhutan. Nepal on Saturday officially inked a deal with China on OBOR for development of cross-border connectivity.
The $46-billion CPEC is part of OBOR, Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature foreign policy initiative.
WHY INDIA IS WARY
Citing other problems, Baglay yesterday said, "We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality."
He also said that expansion and strengthening of connectivity was an integral part of India's economic and diplomatic initiatives, while referring to India's Act East policy.
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The Act East policy focuses on the 10 nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Trilateral Highway project underway to link India, Myanmar and Thailand.
GO WEST POLICY
Baglay said that under India's Go West strategy, it engaged with Iran on the Chabahar Port and with Iran and other partners in Central Asia on the International North South Transport Corridor. India, Iran, and Afghanistan have signed a trilateral agreement to develop the Chabahar port that will will be vital to link south and central Asia.
He also referred to the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal (BBIN) motor transport agreement saying it is an initiative that is aimed at enhancing logistics efficiencies in the South Asian region.
"We are also actively considering acceding to TIR (Transports Internationaux Routiers or International Road Transports) Convention," he said.
(With inputs from IANS)
Also Read:
China backs Pakistan on PoK dam ahead of Belt and Road Forum
India to miss China's One Belt One Road summit, Nawaz Sharif to take centrestage: Reports
Also Watch:
India and China strategic dialogue begins in Beijing; foreign secretaries discuss bilateral issues
--- ENDS ---
Hotel operator Travelodge is spending 5 million on SuperRooms aimed at attracting budget-conscious business travellers.
It is converting 1,000 rooms into the new class, which it has compared to premium economy airline seats. It hopes they will also attract longer-stay guests.
Chief executive Peter Gowers said: For British business, the days of extravagance on expenses are long behind us.
Value conscious: Business travellers are becoming more likely to opt for budget hotels
Were all used to airlines offering a premium economy cabin that bridges the gap between economy and business class and we wanted to bring that choice to budget hotel guests.
More business travellers are opting for a budget hotel and last year we generated more sales from them than those on holiday.
The rooms, which will cost around 10-20 more than the companys standard rooms, will feature wider desks, extra plug sockets and USB charging points, a Lavazza coffee machine, and extra lighting.
Key corporate clients include BT, Vodafone and Lloyds.
I have been in business as a hairdresser for 20 years at the same address, employing two part-time staff.
The agreement between the landlord and myself is that electricity is included in my rent. I have now received a letter from debt collector Arvato, saying that I owe British Gas 20,038 for electricity.
I have never even received a bill before, though the meter has been read regularly. Can you help? TK.
Over-sized bill: I have now received a letter from debt collector Arvato, saying that I owe British Gas 20,038 for electricity
Tony Hetherington replies: The letter from Arvato is scary. It says: Despite several reminders, your electricity account remains unpaid. If we are unable to reach an agreeable resolution then we may pass this account to our clients field collections team to visit your property with a view to commencing disconnection activity.
Arvato goes on to say that if you fail to make contact, British Gas may apply for a warrant of entry entitling it to enter your premises and cut off your electricity. This will add 450 to your bill.
It warns: If your supply is disconnected, reconnection can take up to two weeks and may cost up to 1,800 plus VAT, dependent on the size of your meter.
All of this threatened to put you out of business, and your staff out of work. But there were a few puzzling questions. For a start, the letter was addressed to your hairdressing business and not to you personally.
This made me wonder whether you were even a British Gas customer, so I asked Arvato to comment, but it did not reply.
British Gas was a lot more helpful. Its records show you are its customer, though they bear the name of your business, rather than your name.
Any agreement that your landlord should pay the bills is between you and him. The company insists it sent four reminders about the bill so perhaps you simply handed these over to the landlord.
But the bottom line is that the demand for 20,038 is just plain wrong. Apparently British Gas had been using estimates for quite some time, until last November when an actual reading of your electricity meter showed significantly lower consumption than expected, taking the reading well below the earlier estimates.
As a result, British Gas assumed that the meter had gone all the way round to 99999 and had started again at zero, producing a huge bill.
A meter reader visited you and confirmed the low reading was correct. Unfortunately, British Gas failed to update its records and carried on demanding payment.
Catrin Millar, of British Gas, told me: We are sorry we let Mr K down. As soon as we realised we had sent him a large bill in error, we should have put the matter right straight away.
By the time you read this, you will have received an apology from British Gas, a hamper of goodies, and just over 350 as a gesture of goodwill. Excellent.
PPI claim left me with court threat Ms D.P. writes: Over a year ago I had a communication from a firm called Bank Smart, advising that I was owed money over payment protection insurance on an Alliance & Leicester mortgage. I filled in a form, authorising it to claim a refund, and last June received a letter advising me it was unable to continue with the claim so no money was owed. Now I have received a letter threatening court action, saying I owe Bank Smart 165. Bank Smart is just one of a long list of trading names used by Symmetric Systems Limited, based in Truro, Cornwall. Manager Amy Piper told me its original letter was just a sales pitch and not an assurance that you were owed a penny. But she added: Having reviewed Ms Ps account, I can see she registered two claims with us. The first was for recovery of mis-sold insurance and the second was for the recovery of unfair penalty charges. She said that when Alliance & Leicester confirmed you never had insurance, this claim was cancelled without charge. Your other claim remained active, but Bank Smart said you failed to reply when it asked repeatedly for details, so it billed you for work done. As you may have been confused over the two separate claims, Bank Smart has closed its file and scrapped the bill. You should hear no more about it.
While the FTSE 100 index of companies is up just 10 per cent from where it was a decade ago, over the same period the price of pink diamonds has skyrocketed by an incredible 388 per cent.
Last month, a new record was set when the Pink Star became the most expensive diamond ever sold auctioned at Sothebys for an eye-watering $71 million (55 million).
But diamonds are not just for millionaire investors. For those who are willing to do their research, investing in the precious stones can make savings sparkle though investors need to tread carefully.
Record price: The Pink Star became the most expensive diamond ever sold when it was auctioned for $71 million
Tobias Kormind, founder of online diamond retailer 77 Diamonds, says: Diamonds are the next area for alternative investments. People have done wine and art and they are looking for something else.
Unlike art and wine, diamonds are portable and using them does not reduce their value they are meant to be worn.
While many people might be familiar with traditional white diamonds, it is coloured diamonds that are now catching the eye of experts. Impurities in the rocks in some rare instances lead to a gleaming coloured stone being created. Their price is based on this rarity.
Around one carat of white diamond is produced for every ton of rock mined. With coloured diamonds the production rate is around 0.1 per cent of that.
A cut above ...stone that was fit for the Monarch THE largest rough white diamond ever discovered is the Cullinan Diamond at 3,106 carats. It weighed 621 grams and was found at a mine in South Africa in 1905. The diamond named after the chairman of the mine, Thomas Cullinan was cut into several gems, including the Great Star of Africa, which sits in the head of the Sovereigns Sceptre With Cross. Another is mounted in the Crown. Both are part of the Crown Jewels. The Cullinan Diamond sits in the head of the Sovereigns Sceptre With Cross. Another is mounted in the Crown Before the Pink Star set a new record in April, the most expensive diamond ever sold was the Oppenheimer Blue, a 14.6-carat stone which sold for $57.5 million (44.4 million.) The largest known yellow diamond is the pear-shaped Cora Sun-Drop at 110.3 carats.
Most rare are red diamonds experts do not even know what causes this colour to occur in the stone. Next most valuable are blue diamonds, caused when there is boron in the rock. Pink results from distortions in the stones structure, yellow when there is nitrogen present and green when there is radiation.
The price of blue diamonds has climbed 228 per cent over the past decade and yellows by nearly 49 per cent. White diamond prices are up just 3.5 per cent over that period. But there are dangers for investors. Kormind says: Diamonds are not only a store of value but they have outperformed any stock market in recent years.
The five Cs of diamonds are carat, cut, colour, clarity and certificate
But there are awful stories about people spending their life savings only to find out they bought worthless crystals, so investors must do their research and only deal with a reputable company.
The five Cs of diamonds are carat, cut, colour, clarity and certificate. This last point is crucial to any would-be investor. A certificate from an accredited, internationally-recognised body such as the Gemological Institute of America means a diamond has been independently assessed for authenticity and graded according to its quality.
Any diamond purchase should come with this certificate not one which is written in-house by the jeweller or dealer.
And the next best thing: Invest in mining firms For investors who do not want to buy actual diamonds, another way to access this trend is by buying shares in diamond mining companies or investing in funds that own them. The BlackRock Gold & General fund invests in Petra Diamonds, which has mines in South Africa, Tanzania and Botswana. FTSE 100 company Anglo American has an 85 per cent stake in diamond giant De Beers. Funds that invest in the diamonds business include Baring Global Mining, JOHCM UK Growth and Schroder Recovery. With many precious commodities, such as gold, investors can plough money in through a tracker fund which simply follows the trade price of the chosen product though there is not one following diamonds. Charl Malan, senior analyst at investment manager VanEck, says: Diamond prices are driven by supply and demand. Supply is set to fall and, if the world continues its economic recovery, demand will increase. Diamonds differ from gold in that they do better when times are good. But investing in diamonds, whether actual stones or company shares, is incredibly risky so investors should only ever put a small proportion of their money in them. Darius McDermott, managing director at London-based broker Chelsea Financial Services, says: Investing in diamond-related companies comes with high risk as they are operating in some dangerous areas. Buying diamonds is the obvious way of investing, but investors need to consider whether they would be able to store them safely.
Each stone should also have a laser inscription corresponding to its certificate which should be checked by an independent third party.
The other four Cs differ in their importance depending on whether they are referring to coloured or white stones.
Clarity refers to how pure the stone is, but this is less important in coloured stones although you do not want a stone which has obvious marks or inclusions in it.
Carat is the size of the diamond, which can have an even bigger effect on the price when it comes to coloured stones.
While a one-carat white diamond is around four times as expensive as a half-carat white diamond, a one-carat blue stone could be 50 times pricier than one half its size.
But most important is the intensity of colour a small red stone is more valuable than a large pink one.
The colour of a white diamond is graded D to G, while coloured stones are deemed at best vivid and at worst light fancy.
Kormind says: Without hesitation, this is an example of where size does not matter. The most important thing is the quality of the colour.
This can be subjective, but really you want the most vivid colour. With pinks, for example, what you really want is a bubblegum pink.
By Press Trust of India: By Anil Bhatt
Nowshera (JK), May 14 (PTI) Forced to flee their homes, leaving behind cattle and ready to harvest crops due to frequent shelling by Pakistan, the residents along the Line of Control are batting for construction of community bunkers in their villages.
For the thousands living in these vulnerable zones, fear creeps in when the sun sets as their hamlets come under intense shelling by the neighbours army.
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Mortar marks on walls of houses and shops in the area are a testimony to the brute firing by Pakistani army targeting the civilian population.
The Pakistan armyhad yesterday pounded civilian areas and forward posts along the LoC in Nowshera area with mortars, killing two civilians and injuring three others.
The border dwellers are now batting for construction of community bunkers to safeguard themselves from the heavy cross-border shelling, which have seen a spike since 2002.
Madan Lal (62) said he along with his five family members took shelter in an underground bunker set up by him near his house for 20 hours, before being ferried in a bullet-proof vehicle by police and housed in a camp in Nowshera.
"It was the worst shelling along LoC in Nowshera since 2002. Hundreds of mortar shells were fired by Pakistan, especially targeting civilian areas and hamlets. It was raining shells," he said.
With fear and terror writ large on his face, the farmer said, "We fled our houses, leaving behind the cattle and ready to harvest crops to save our lives. We took refuge in an underground bunker near my house for several hours."
His wife Sudha said, "The mud bunker near our house saved our lives as shells damaged our house. For border dwellers, such bunkers are like the bullet proof jackets."
The couple said such bunkers could also help in keeping their cattle safe.
Jangarh residents--Rajan Choudhary, Mohinder and Suresh Kumar-- also vouched for the usefulness of such bunkers for safeguarding lives.
They said community bunkers should be constructed in each and every hamlet dotting the Indo-Pak border.
Three civilians have been killed and five others injured in Pakistani shelling along LOC in Nowshera sector of Rajouri district on May 11 and 13.
As many as 42 villages along the LoC have been caught in the crossfire recently.
"Our village Pukharmi was hit by over 70 mortar shells in just 10 to 15 minutes. A shell hit our house. My wife Akhar Bi died in the attack," 40-year-old Haneef, who was injured in the attack, said.
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"If the government would have set up a bunker, my wife would not have died. The government has failed to keep the promise of setting up community bunkers for border dwellers," he said.
Underground community bunkers have become like a "second home" for the border residents, with most of these being constructed by the locals on their own.
The decision to construct community bunkers was taken by the Union government in December last year.
The Jammu and Kashmir government had in 2015 submitted a proposal to the Centre for setting up of over 20,000 bunkers at a cost of over Rs 1,000 crore in 448 border areas in the state.
"The proposal will cover a population of 4,02,455 living close to the border areas in districts of Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch," then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had said.
The border dwellers also want the Narendra Modi-led Central government to deal with Pakistan with an iron hand.
"Give them (Pakistan) a befitting reply so that they never dare to resort to even a single ceasefire violation in the future," a border resident Puran Chand said.
After the Pakistani shelling, 270 people were evacuated from various areas along the LoC in Rajouri district to safer places.
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The government had last month said the Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year. Nine perons were killed in these incidents.
Minister of State for Defence Subhash Bhamre had said some time back that between April 2016 and March 2017, the maximum of 88 violations were witnessed in November 2016 followed by 78 in October 2016 and 22 in March this year.
The ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into force in November 2003. PTI AB SRY
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It is a modern-day version of David versus Goliath where little David triumphed not once but twice.
Fifteen years ago, Andy Macpherson took on the financial behemoth HSBC over a disputed protection insurance claim relating to bladder cancer.
The bank said his cancer was not serious enough to warrant a payout but he begged to differ. He won despite all the odds with a little help from The Mail on Sunday.
Amazingly, he has now won a second protracted battle with the same bank over another insurance claim also involving bladder cancer but this time for cover bought by his younger brother Alistair.
Brothers in arms: Alastair, left and Andy Macpherson
Again, HSBC considered Alistairs cancer unworthy of a payout. Andy thought otherwise and took up the cudgels on behalf of his brother and won. Andys willingness to fight the bank culminated in a payout of 160,000 for himself in 2002.
His refusal to take no for an answer from the bank with regards to his brothers claim has now resulted in a 100,000 award for Alistair plus a further 76,500 payout on another policy that his brother has with insurer Old Mutual Wealth.
It is a story of brotherly love to warm the heart. Alistair says: I am delighted that financial justice has prevailed. Andy has been an absolute star.
'If it had not been for his terrier-like tenacity I would have quietly gone away and my policies would have proved worthless, just money down the drain.
Support: Alistairs rejection by HSBC was reported in 2015
Crucially, the story highlights the scandalous fact that many protection insurance policies written years ago are now no longer fit for purpose and are often inferior to those that are sold today.
Insurers, only interested in acquiring new business, show no inclination to automatically upgrade customers plans, leaving it only to savvy advisers to ensure clients have the best up-to-date cover.
Indeed, many policies sold today not by HSBC would have automatically made payments to both Andy and Alistair when their cancers were first diagnosed.
At loggerheads: Correspondence relating to Alistair's case
Last year, we highlighted the case of Hein Pretorius who lost a leg in a motorbike accident in 2015. His protection insurance claims were declined because only the loss of both legs would have triggered a payout.
Vague policy terms, a trait of longstanding cover, also provide insurers with the opportunity as HSBC tried to do with the Macphersons to wriggle out of what they consider contentious claims.
Their David and Goliath clash is an epic financial tale. It is about Andy going into battle for Alistair when Alistair was at his wits end enduring numerous operations, just about keeping his import business afloat and contemplating giving up on his battle to get his claim met.
It is about a cussed, determined and wily brother who took HSBC and its army of medical advisers to the Financial Ombudsman Service (funded by the financial services industry) and, despite the odds against him, won for his younger sibling.
A stack of paperwork is testimony to the hours and days Andy spent writing to HSBC, challenging its rebuttals and urging it to do the right thing and pay up.
It is also a tale of extraordinary coincidences.
Both brothers fell victim to cancer of the bladder (which is not genetic).
Their insurances, sold on the basis they would pay out a predetermined lump sum on diagnosis of a serious illness, were both with HSBC and certain experts acting either for the bank or for the brothers were involved in both 2002 when Andy went to war with HSBC and 2014 when Alistairs battle with HSBC began.
David and Goliath: Fifteen years ago, Andy Macpherson took on the financial behemoth HSBC over a disputed protection insurance claim relating to bladder cancer
How Andy had to fight HSBC
It all started in early 2000 when 66-year-old Andy, then in his late 40s, fell victim to cancer. It resulted in two operations to remove tumours plus extensive chemotherapy.
Running a successful recording studio Revolution Studios from near his home in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, he was comforted by the fact that he had longstanding insurance with HSBC, designed to provide financial protection in the event of serious illness.
But initially HSBC would not pay out the 160,000 sum assured because it said his cancer was non-invasive in situ (it had not spread). Such a cancer is excluded under HSBCs claimable cancer definition. Andys consultant, Gerald Collins, a renowned urological surgeon, took exception, telling HSBC his patients illness was cancer in the purest sense of the term.
After Andys case was highlighted in The Mail on Sunday, HSBC did a U-turn and paid up, apologising for the problems he had experienced in its assessment of his claim.
The bank chief who didnt even respond Not even an impassioned letter from Andy Macpherson to HSBC boss Stuart Gulliver in December 2015 persuaded the bank to meet his brothers insurance claim. Indeed the 15-page-long correspondence, urging HSBC to accept Alistairs claim, was not even acknowledged by 58-year-old Gulliver, who last year was paid 5.7 million. In the letter, Andy spelt out in black and white terms Alistairs poor health and the devastating impact of HSBCs decision not to pay up on his brothers claim. He wrote: During this year alone my brother has been unable to work for over 100 days due to constant hospitalisation and the unpleasant side effects of his treatment. The current medication regime is very rugged and Mr Collins [Alistairs consultant] is of the opinion that my brothers overall medical condition is very poor. Silence: HSBC boss Stuart Gulliver He concluded his heartfelt letter by referring to a quote Mr Gulliver had made on the citizenship section of the banks website by setting the highest standards of behaviour our aim is that all our employees and customers can be proud of our business. Andy said: Perhaps, having read my brothers story, you could spend some time to reflect on how proud you feel he might be of his treatment by HSBC. On Friday, Alistair told The Mail on Sunday: Every time my consultant came into bat for me with evidence that my claim should be met, the bank pulled up the drawbridge and said no. Every time Andy fired off a letter on my behalf, it came back with the same excuses as to why my claim would not be paid [see above]. The stress it has put me under is immeasurable and Mr Gulliver did not even give my brother Andy the courtesy of a reply. On Friday, HSBC said Gulliver had passed on Andys letter to the head of insurance for him to comment.
Fighting back a second time for his brother
Since 2002, Andy has been in and out of hospital having tumours dug out of his bladder.
Thankfully, since 2012, he has had no further problems. But for the past three years, he has devoted much time to his younger brother Alistair and his quest to get a claim met under insurance bought from the same bank.
Like Andy, 64-year-old Alistair, from Poynton near Stockport, was diagnosed with cancer of the bladder but in 2014. Again the bank played hard ball, using the same tactic it employed against Andy, stating his cancer was in situ and there was no evidence of invasion.
Watchdog ruling: An initial adjudicator at the Ombudsman found in Alistairs favour, only for the bank to request a review of the decision
This was refuted by Alistairs surgeon the same Gerald Collins that had diagnosed Andys cancer who described the cancer as a serious and potentially aggressive malignant tumour.
As if further proof was needed, since 2014 Alistair has endured a series of operations which have left him weak and struggling to keep his import business afloat.
Despite extensive treatment, the cancer keeps coming back the last time being last December and he now faces the prospect of his bladder being removed.
Most people rebuffed by their insurer quietly go away, accepting its reason for not meeting their claim. But brother Andy was having none of it.
Armed with all the knowledge he had acquired from 15 years ago when doing his own battle with HSBC, he was determined to get justice for Alistair. Having exhausted all complaints channels at HSBC, Andy took his brothers case to the Financial Ombudsman Service which arbitrates in unresolved disputes.
An initial adjudicator at the Ombudsman found in Alistairs favour, only for the bank to request a review of the decision. In March, Ombudsman Jo Storey came down again in favour of Alistair, siding with the consultants evidence that the cancer was invasive and stating that the bank must pay him the 100,000 due under the terms of his cover. Together with returned premiums the figure is 105,851.
Andy was not finished. Alistair also has a near identical policy with Skandia Life, now Old Mutual Wealth. Although it had played hard ball like HSBC, it relented when presented with the Ombudsmans verdict against HSBC. Alistair is 76,507 richer as a result.
On Friday, Alistair told The Mail on Sunday: Because of Andys never-say-die spirit I now have a degree of financial security. I can devote my energy to fighting my cancer while looking after my family and loving wife Lois.
Andy is modest about what he has done for his younger brother but like Alistair he believes it is unacceptable that some protection policies are full of ambiguities. In my eyes, cancer is cancer, he says.
On Friday, HSBC told The Mail on Sunday: We accept the decision of the Financial Ombudsman Service and wish Mr [Alistair] Macpherson well in his recovery. At the time the policy was taken out, many insurance companies did not pay out on claims such as that made by him. But the market has changed and we have made a number of improvements to the cover we now offer.
Old Mutual Wealth said: We are sorry for any inconvenience caused to Mr Macpherson and wish him a full and speedy recovery.
No loyalty: Stick with your insurer for too long and it will take advantage of you by pushing up your premiums while luring in new customers with cheaper deals
Loyalty has long counted for nothing in financial services. It is a drum we have banged for a long time. Stick with your insurer for too long and it will take advantage of you by pushing up your premiums while luring in new customers with cheaper deals.
A number of insurers, led by Aviva, have now promised to stop discriminating against loyalty although I will not be convinced until their words are turned into actions.
While the likes of Aviva boss Mark Wilson (who somehow manages to combine his demanding role with being a part-time journalist) contemplate how to do something they should have been doing all along, I trust they will embrace protection insurance within this loyalty review.
As we highlight today, it is unacceptable that hundreds of thousands of people have longstanding cover that is no longer fit for purpose but no one has bothered to tell them it is.
Lose a leg and you will not be covered (you need to lose both). Got cancer of the bladder? Tough, as the Macpherson brothers discovered (see above).
It is about time the insurance industry found a way of updating existing policies on an ongoing basis so that all customers are treated fairly.
At the very least, long-standing customers should be offered the opportunity to update their cover, even if it means higher premiums. There must be a way forward on this. Any thoughts Mr Wilson?
While Mark Wilson contemplates his insurance navel, anyone sent a renewal notice should at the very least challenge their provider on the price offered.
A work colleague was recently called by British Gas to see if he was happy with the new premium quoted to renew his boiler cover. He wasnt and threatened to leave. The company suddenly pulled a 30 per cent loyalty discount out of its hat and now, rather than facing a 50 annual increase, he has cut the covers cost by 170. What a gas.
A work colleague was recently called by British Gas to see if he was happy with new premium quoted to renew his boiler cover
Fighting crime
Financial crime is a fact of modern life and sadly it is here to stay. Whatever steps you take to thwart it and irrespective of the measures financial companies introduce to combat it criminals still hold the upper hand.
They are cunning, driven by the fact that rich pickings can be made and are feeding off our predilection for use of technology that can often be easily compromised.
Whether it is fraudsters attempting to dupe you into handing over thousands of pounds to bogus holiday booking websites (an issue investigated by my colleague Sally Hamilton in recent weeks) or criminals tricking you into giving them your bank details under the pretext of a tax rebate coming your way, they are everywhere. They spare no one, including myself.
Last week, I withdrew money from a NatWest cash machine opposite work in Londons Kensington. As usual I checked the machine for anything suspicious and then ensured nobody was shoulder-surfing me to get hold of my PIN.
All my safety measures counted for nothing because crooks cloned my card. The result was that they then proceeded to withdraw (from China) five identical sums of 229.28 from my account. Although the withdrawals were processed, fraud-busters at my bank Cater Allen soon picked up on the unusual transactions.
Accepting that I was not on a flying visit to China, they reimbursed the 1,146.40 plus interest. So a big thank you to Cater Allen for digging me out of a financial fraud hole. And a big warning to all you lovely readers you cannot be too careful in this era of financial crime.
Money education
Investment houses get a lot of stick for feathering their own nests at the expense of fund investors. Most of it is justified.
But hats off to the 16 companies which have just put 1 million behind a campaign to get primary school children interested in money issues.
The KickStart Money project will be delivered by financial education charity MyBnk and target 18,000 children in 100 schools.
The 1 million may be small beer compared to the 35 million bonus pot that key employees of Aberdeen and Standard Life (both KickStart backers) will feast on once the companies complete their merger. But its a sound start.
Target: Mike Pinggera tries to beat the Consumer Prices Index by four percentage points a year
The investment objective behind Sanlam Four Multi-Strategy Fund is simple to make money when conditions are favourable, but then not to lose it in difficult times.
It is a pretty straightforward goal on paper, but its execution is anything but easy.
Manager Mike Pinggera, a longstanding multi-asset investment expert, uses a wide range of financial instruments from options to holdings in global equities, infrastructure, renewable energy and property to deliver on the funds promise.
So far, he has done a decent job, though it is relatively early days for the fund, which was launched in early 2013 but has been available to retail investors only since November 2013.
Over the past three years, the fund has achieved an overall return of 11 per cent, though much of the performance has been produced in the last year.
The fund is one of 100 targeted absolute return vehicles, which try to make a positive return in all kinds of markets.
No two are the same, all using different combinations of assets and financial instruments to produce gains. And they have attracted criticism, especially when failing to generate those absolute returns.
Pinggera sees his fund more as a savings product than an investment and has his own pension invested in it. For regulatory reasons the funds objectives are more clearly defined than simply making positive returns.
The aim is to outperform the Consumer Prices Index by four percentage points a year over five-year periods, with a target of generating absolute returns on a rolling three-year basis.
The fund has two key elements. There is a safety core, which primarily provides the portfolios income. This comes from exposure to fixed income, renewable energy, infrastructure and income producing property holdings, such as Land Securities. Key fixed-income positions include corporate bonds in Anglian Water, HSBC and Tesco.
Career history: Before Sanlam, Pinggera worked for Credit Suisse
Then there is a growth element, built around exposure to global equities. Money is made from holding equities and short-selling specific indices. For example, Pinggera is currently shorting the FTSE 100 Index.
Combined, Pinggera says the two strategies produce an income of about three per cent, plus capital uplift. Since November 2013, the fund has produced 22 months of positive return, 17 of negative and one of zero return. We have an eclectic investor base, he says.
The fund is popular with charities and pension funds. They are drawn in by the fact that we are trying to make money and if that is not possible then we are doing our best not to lose it.
Sanlam Four manages assets of 4.3 billion. It was spawned out of boutique investment house Four Capital Partners, formed in 2006, before South African-owned financial services group Sanlam took a controlling stake in late 2014.
It is a tight-knit operation of 23 investment professionals, most with more than 20 years in the City under their belt. Before Sanlam, Pinggera worked for Credit Suisse and Insight.
Fund rating website FundCalibre rates nine targeted absolute return funds, but Sanlam Four Multi-Strategy is not one of them.
Among its favoured funds are Brooks MacDonald Defensive Capital and Jupiter Absolute Return.
Last week, investment house Man GLG launched the UK Absolute Strategy Fund, which ambitiously aims to produce an annual return of 10 per cent within an absolute return strategy.
By Press Trust of India: Jammu, May 14 (PTI) Invoking Atal Bihari Vajpayee, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah today appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare a "unilateral truce" along the Indo-Pak border during the holy month of Ramzan.
The "bold" move will show that India wants to have peace and is ready to sit together to resolve the issue, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister told reporters.
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"I will appeal (to Prime Minister Narendra Modi). Ramzan is approaching. It is just a few days away. It will better if they announce unilateral truce," Abdullah said here, a day after two persons were killed in heavy shelling by Pakistan along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district.
The NC leaders statement drew a sharp reaction from the BJP with Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh asking why he was not giving similar advice to Pakistan, which has frequently violated the 2003 Indo-Pak ceasefire along the border and targeted civilian settlements.
Asked about the ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Abdullah said that despite the hostile situation in Jammu and Kashmir and on the borders, former prime minister Vajpayee had announced a unilateral ceasefire against anti-terror operations in the year 2000.
"It has become a serious problem. To resolve this, we have to take decisions. There was a very serious problem... when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister and he took a bold decision, went to Lahore and announced unilateral ceasefire during the month of Ramdan," he said.
Announcing a unilateral truce against terror oprations, Vajpayee had on November 19, 2000 said in a statement, "I hope that our gesture will be fully appreciated and all violence in the State and infiltration across the Line of Control and the International Border will cease and peace will prevail".
Later in 2003, the Indo-Pak ceasefire came into force. The government had last month said that Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year.
Between April 2016 and March 2017, the maximum of 88 violations were witnessed in November 2016 followed by 78 in October 2016 and 22 in March this year.
"Time has come when both countries should move forward towards it. Four wars have been fought and except death and destruction, we have got nothing," Abdullah said.
The holy month of Ramadan will begin towards May-end.
The NC leader said that he had impressed on the Prime Minister during their recent meeting that there was immediate need to take a political initiative on Kashmir issue and the situation in the valley should not be looked as a law and order problem.
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"We shared our view point on Kashmir situation. I told him that it is very important to take a political initiative. It is not a mere law and order problem. We have to think beyond the law and order angle.
"A Parliament delegation came (to Kashmir). They gave a report on the situation but nothing was done. The iterlocutors report has not been implemented. I told him you need to work fast on it and take an urgent initiative," he said.
Abdullah said the situation in Kashmir "is getting bad" and tension is increasing on the borders.
"A situation should not be allowed which will result in a war. It is not good for us. It will only cause destruction. So there is need to have talks," he said.
Asked about Hizb commander Zakir Moosas statement that militants are fighting for Islam in Kashmir, Abdullah said, "Where in Islam is it written that we have to wage a war and kill innocents. Please show me the book in which it is written.
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"It is a state of Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and Bhuddists. Does Islam say kill innocents? If you kill one innocent person, you will go to hell.
"It (Kashmir) is political issue. It cannot be resolved through a war. It will be resolved through talks. You have keep the door open for commencement of talks," he said. PTI AB RT
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SITEKI As pupils are getting ready for the schools opening for the second term this week, about 350 pupils from the Assembly of God Primary School in Siteki are not quite sure if they should iron their uniforms and dust their books in readiness for the resumption of classes.
The pupils are in the dark after Health Inspectors from the Ministry of Health ordered that it be closed as it was found to have poor sanitation and unfit for human habitation hence posing health hazards to the pupils, teachers and to the community members around the school.
The inspectors carried out an impromptu sanitary inspection in March, during which they discovered that it lacked proper sanitation, had dilapidated classrooms, no water supply and food stored in a tool shed. Assembly of God Primary School is situated in the outskirts of Siteki.
The school was given a 30-day ultimatum to resolve its sanitary problems. Ignatius Shongwe, Lubombo Regional Environmental Health Officer said the current state of the pit latrines at the school can contribute to diarrhoeal diseases, which is in violation of the Public Health Act of 1969. Shongwe said the condition observed at Assembly of God Primary Schools classrooms were in violation of the Act and the state of the kitchen was also in violation of the same legislation and the Food Regulations Act of 1973.
Shongwe expressed his dissatisfaction with the state of both the teachers and learners toilets because they lacked signage, water supply, doors and were stinky. He said classrooms were discovered to be in a dilapidated state, with cracked walls and floors had potholes. Nonhle Masango - Head teacher of the school said the issue of poor sanitation and poor learning environment at the school dated back from 2014. She said the school authorities had tried on numerous occasions to get assistance from the Ministry of Education but in vain.
The head teacher expressed her grave concern over the issue of poor sanitation at the school mentioning that they posed a health hazard to the learners, especially diarrhoeal infections, since this had been a neglected issue. A report on the sanitary condition of the school is with the Health Environmental office. Masango said the Ministry of Education and Training assisted only with the renovations of the lower grades.
Mbabane Without a doubt, the most talked about criminal case at the moment is that of the allegedly kidnapped Matsapha business mogul Almor Oliveira and the fate of the trio that is suspected to be behind the businessmans disappearance.
With one of the three Asian suspects already free after being admitted to E5 000 bail, well-known attorney Advocate Mduduzi Mabila is fighting for the release of the prime suspect Qing Ming He the first accused in the matter.
The accused was arrested on April 28, 2017 and subsequently charged with eight counts, including one of kidnapping, six of them involving contravening the Arms and Ammunitions Act, and one for the theft of a vehicle number plate.
While investigating officer Superintendent Clement Sihlongonyane has presented his own arguments on why Qing should not be freed, Mabila has sought to counter these.
The crux of Sihlongonyanes evidence is on four points: By virtue of being a foreigner, the suspect is a flight risk; he would interfere with Crown witnesses; he tried to escape from lawful custody by grabbing the cell keys; and that the business community was gripped with fear and further outraged by the kidnapping of Oliveira.
Advocate Mabila, under the instruction of lawyer Ncedo Ndlangamandla, submitted before the Mbabane Magistrates Court a number of arguments, which he believes should see his client being released from jail.
Mabila has based his arguments on Section 96(1) of the Criminal Procedure and Evidence Act 67 of 1938 (as amended) which states: In any court-
(a) an accused person who is in custody in respect of an offence shall, subject to the provisions of section 95 and the Fourth and Fifth Schedules, be entitled to be released on bail at any stage preceding the accuseds conviction in respect of such offence, unless the court finds that it is in the interests of justice that the accused be detained in custody;
(b) subject to section 95, an accused who desires to be released on bail may make a written application in the form of a petition, or in any other form if the court so directs, to the appropriate court;
(c) subject to the provisions of section 95, the court referring an accused to any other court for trial or sentencing retains jurisdiction relating to the powers, functions and duties in respect of bail in terms of this Act until the accused appears in such other court for the first time and where the commitment is on a warrant issued by the High Court, it shall only be competent to apply for bail to the High Court;
(d) if the question of the possible release of the accused on bail is not raised by the accused or the prosecutor, the court shall ascertain from the accused whether the accused wishes that question to be considered by the court.
MBABANE - From owning a posh house that comprised three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a lounge, dining room, kitchen and a garage to living in a rented one-bedroom house located in the outskirts of the city.
That is the sad story of an elderly Matsebula couple and their four sons after the place they had called home for almost 20 years was sold by the Swaziland Building Society to recover a debt of E49 741.87.
The couple now lives at Mpolonjeni while their sons have had to find alternative accommodation.
The Matsebulas believe and are convinced that the Society inflated the outstanding debt, first to E170 000, and later to E220 000 so as to render them unable to settle the amount.
For almost 17 years now, the Matsebulas are still fighting, with little success, to see justice prevail in the matter and, most importantly, have their house returned to them.
The matter dates back to 1996 and the Matsebulas were eventually evicted from their home in 2000.
What has given them further courage to contest the sale of their house is the June 2016 Supreme Court judgment that saw Rodgers Bhoyane Du Pont regaining ownership of his farm which had been sold by the same financial institution over an outstanding debt
Simon Matsebula also suffered the same fate after he took a mortgage bond with the Society to purchase the house that is situated at Eveni (Lot No. 1578 Mbabane Extension No.12) measuring 2 249 square metres.
The Society even refused an undertaking by the Central Bank of Swaziland (CBS) to provide Matsebula with an advance of E100 000 to settle the debt. At the time, Matsebula was employed by the CBS.
Through a letter dated December 8, 1999 written by CS Dlamini, the then Acting Senior Director of the CBS, it was stated: I am writing to advise that following a request for an urgent housing loan, the bank has agreed that it can advance to Mr. Matsebula an amount not exceeding E100 000 (one hundred thousand emalangeni) towards settlement to his housing loan debt, including accumulated interest and other costs with the Swaziland Building Society. In response, the Society, through its lawyers from Robinson Bertram, informed Matsebula in a letter dated December 14, 1999 that an order for his ejectment from the house had been granted on December 3, 1999. Matsebula was told to have vacated the premises no later than December 16, 1999.
Kindly take notice that should you still be in occupation of our clients premises after the time limit set out above the Deputy Sheriff will execute the ejectment order on Friday, December 17, 1999, Matsebula was informed.
On October 11, 1999, Matsebulas lawyer, the late Bheki Simelane, questioned the Society on the amount that his client owed because various figures were popping up.
Entfonjeni National Primary School where the incident took place.
MBABANE A Grade III class teacher at Ntfonjeni National Primary School in the northern Hhohho region astounded his colleagues and pupils alike when he instructed the children to sing South Africas National Anthem Nkosi Sikelela iAfrica - instead of Swazilands own.
Swazilands national anthem is Nkulunkulu Mnikati Wetibusiso temaSwati, which is a compromise between Swazi and western styles of music, and was adopted after independence in 1968.
The lyrics were authored by Fanyana Simelane, and the composer of the tune was David Rycroft.
According to Wikipedia, the South African national anthem was first sung as a church hymn but later became an act of political defiance against the then apartheid government. Nkosi sikelela, thina lusapho lwayo (let us live and strive for freedom in South Africa our land!)
Most interestingly, national schools in Swaziland are held in high esteem as they are under the directorship of royalty.
A national school can be established either by the head of state, royal family members or by a certain community and then handed over to the King.
The Times SUNDAY understands that the singing of Nkosi Sikelela iAfrica at Ntfonjeni National Primary School took place two weeks before schools closed for the first term. The first term ended on April 21, 2017.
Information reaching this publication is that the issue is still being investigated by the Ministry of Education and Training.
It has been further established by this publication that the matter has attracted a lot of interest particularly because the learning centre is a national school and the alleged offender, identified as one Bhekisisa Ndlangamandla, is a civil servant and a Swazi.
Giving his side of the story, the teacher in question agreed that he did instruct the pupils to sing Nkosi Sikelela iAfrica, but argued that he did not regard the song as a national anthem of the neighbouring republic.
Ndlangamandla said he did not even know any other African national anthem except the Swazi one.
The people who have concluded that I forced the pupils to sing Nkosi Sikelela iAfrica do not read the hymn book because it originates from verses in this book. There is no National anthem titled Nkosi Sikelela iAfrica, not even in South Africa as many countries sing such a song. Those who had made this conclusion are all propagandists, said Ndlangamandla.
Online registrations for Delhi University's various programmes will begin from May 22.
Admissions for merit-based UG programmes are starting on May 22. But some of these courses, including BBA and BA (Hons) are beginning on May 31.
By Mail Today Bureau: Bringing the long wait to an end for many admission aspirants, Delhi University on Saturday announced the admissions schedule will start from May 22 for its undergraduate merit-based, entrance-based, postgraduate programmes, MPhil and PhD programmes.
Similar to the procedure followed last year, eligible aspirants wanting to make it to Delhi University will have to register online for all the programmes they want to apply for on Delhi University's site du.ac.in
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Candidates seeking admission for undergraduate programmes for merit-based programmes can register online, starting May 22.
As for aspirants seeking admission under Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS), BA(Hons) Business Economics, Bachelor of Business Administration (Financial Investment Analysis) courses, which are conducted through entrance exams, the online registration starts on May 31. Admission under postgraduate programmes and MPhil and PhD will also begin on May 31.
The online registration also includes sports, extra-curricular activities, Kashmiri migrants, children/widows (defence) and persons with disability (PwD) categories. The details of registration process and subsequent admission updates will be published in the bulletin of information soon.
In order to make the application procedure accessible and proximate, the DU admission committee members have introduced 12 new centres for conducting DU Joint Admission Test (DU-JAT) across the country for the upcoming academic session this year.
Increasing the number of centres which stood at six - Bengaluru, Nagpur, Delhi, Jammu, Varanasi and Kolkata - last year, the students will now be allowed to appear in cities like Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Chandigarh, NCR, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Mumbai, Patna, Ranchi, Thiruvananthapuram.
They are reeling under the exhaustive process to secure a seat in DU, which is delayed in stark contrast to securing a seat in other private colleges.
"The wait to get into DU leaves students hanging as the demanding cut-off requires students to be certain of their percentage if they want to get into DU," said a concerned parent.
ALSO READ | Delhi University's solution for high cut-offs: An all-India entrance test
ALSO READ | Committed to making admission drill glitch-free, say Delhi University panel officials
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By Naeisha Rose
With Mothers Day coming up this weekend, some moms are beginning to celebrate their resiliency thanks to the guidance of HELP USA, a Manhattan-based nonprofit that aids individuals in transitional housing.
Domestic violence is the leading cause of women and families in shelters, and HELP USA has made it their priority to find people homes, all the while preparing them for practical and emotional obstacles, Program Director Dr. Hayley Carrington-Walton said.
Created in 1986 in Brooklyn, HELP USA has been reaching people throughout the country with representatives on the ground and via its hotline to help stem the prevalence of homelessness.
Through HELP USA, mothers in domestic violence situations get help with obtaining employment, managing finances, parenting tools, therapy for their kids, and post-counseling resources to help them stay on their journey to becoming independent.
Women that have made it after domestic violence, we want to help them continue seeking strength and empowerment, Carrington-Walton said.
One of the mothers to benefit from HELP USA was Isha Hemmans, 31, who has five children. Hemmans was in a two-year relationship that went from romantic to almost deadly.
Initially, he was loving and caring, Hemmans said of her ex-partner. Eventually, things got violent and she knew she had to leave.
He threatened to kill me and when I went to the precinct, they knew he was gang-related, and the police officer said we are going to have to get you out of here, Hemmans said.
Buying a bus ticket to Pennsylvania to help move Hemmans and her three children at the time was HELP USA.
After returning to New York in 2014, Hemmans reconnected with HELP USA and joined their post domestic violence program.
We provide counseling and try to keep them linked to their community, Carrington-Walton said.
Realizing that she had co-dependency issues and needed to work more on becoming independent, Hemmans called up a friend who told her about selling makeup for Avon and being her own boss. She now sells from her home in St. Albans.
Im just happy that there are people out there that are dedicated to helping women get out on their own feet and get moral support so that they can do better than their life before and that their life does matter, Hemmans said.
International investigators hunted Saturday for those behind an unprecedented cyber-attack that affected systems in dozens of countries, including at banks, hospitals and government agencies, as security experts sought to contain the fallout.
The assault, which began Friday and was being described as the biggest-ever cyber ransom attack, struck state agencies and major companies around the world from Russian banks and British hospitals to FedEx and European car factories.
"The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits," said Europol, Europe\s police agency.
Europol said a special task force at its European Cybercrime Centre was "specially designed to assist in such investigations and will play an important role in supporting the investigation".
The attacks used ransomware that apparently exploited a security flaw in Microsoft operating systems, locking users\ files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual currency Bitcoin.
Images appeared on victims\ screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!"
Payment is demanded within three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received within seven days the files will be deleted, according to the screen message.
But experts and government alike warn against ceding to the hackers\ demands.
"Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released," the US Department of Homeland Security\s computer emergency response team said.
"It only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victim\s money, and in some cases, their banking information."
Experts and officials offered differing estimates of the scope of the attacks, but all agreed it was huge.
Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Helsinki-based cyber security company F-Secure, told AFP it was the biggest ransomware outbreak in history, saying that 130,000 systems in more than 100 countries had been affected.
He said Russia and India were hit particularly hard, largely because Microsoft\s Windows XP one of the operating systems most at risk was still widely used there.
French police said there were "more than 75,000 victims" around the globe, but cautioned that the number could increase "significantly".
The virus spread quickly because the culprits used a digital code believed to have been developed by the US National Security Agency and subsequently leaked as part of a document dump, according to researchers at the Moscow-based computer security firm Kaspersky Lab.
Microsoft said the situation was "painful" and that it was taking "all possible actions to protect our customers".
It issued guidance for people to protect their systems, while taking the highly unusual step of reissuing security patches first made available in March for Windows XP and other older versions of its operating system.
US software firm Symantec said the majority of organisations affected were in Europe, and the attack was believed to be indiscriminate.
The companies and government agencies targeted were diverse.
In the United States, package delivery group FedEx said it was "implementing remediation steps as quickly as possible," while French carmaker Renault was forced to stop production at sites in France, Slovenia and Romania.
Russia\s interior ministry said some of its computers had been hit by a "virus attack" and that efforts were underway to destroy it. The country\s banking system was also attacked, although no problems were detected, as was the railway system.
Germany\s rail operator Deutsche Bahn said its station display panels were affected. Universities in Greece and Italy also were hit.
Kaspersky said it was "trying to determine whether it is possible to decrypt data locked in the attack with the aim of developing a decryption tool as soon as possible."
On Saturday, a cyber security researcher told AFP he had accidentally discovered a "kill switch" that could prevent the spread of the ransomware.
The researcher, tweeting as @MalwareTechBlog, said registering a domain name used by the malware stops it from spreading, though it cannot help computers already affected.
"If you have anything to patch, patch it," the researcher said in a blog post. "Now I should probably sleep."
A hacking group called Shadow Brokers released the malware in April claiming to have discovered the flaw from the NSA, Kaspersky said.
"Unlike most other attacks, this malware is spreading primarily by direct infection from machine to machine on local networks, rather than purely by email," said Lance Cottrell, chief scientist at the US technology group Ntrepid.
G7 finance ministers meeting in Italy vowed to unite against cyber crime, as it represented a growing threat to their economies and should be tackled as a priority. The danger will be discussed at the G7 leaders\ summit next month.
In Britain, the attack disrupted care at National Health Service facilities, forcing ambulances to divert and hospitals to postpone operations.
"There will be lessons to learn from what appears to be the biggest criminal cyber-attack in history," Interior minister Amber Rudd said.
"But our immediate priority as a government is to disrupt the attack, restore affected services as soon as possible, and establish who was behind it so we can bring them to justice."
SOURCE: AFP
By Press Trust of India: Chandigarh, May 14 (PTI) A major fire broke out at the administrative block of Panjab University here today, destroying some records of the accounts department.
It took about two hours for 10 fire tenders to put out the flames which engulfed the first floor of the Dewan Anand Kumar Hall, the administrative building of Panjab University, which has been facing a "financial crisis".
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No casualty was reported in the incident, which took place around 3 am, Station Fire Officer Paramjit Singh Gill said.
An electric short-circuit was suspected to have triggered the fire. However, an inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the exact cause.
The fire was first noticed by a group of students coming from the library around 3 am. They saw thick smoke coming out from the building and alerted the varsitys security officials.
PU vice-chancellor Arun Kumar Grover said an inquiry committee would be constituted to ascertain the probable cause of the fire and assess the extent of damage.
Personnel of the Central Forensic Laboratory has visited the site, he said.
"Several documents have been destroyed, but the transactional data is retrievable," the VC said.
He said a safety assessment would be undertaken to prevent recurrence of fire incident. PTI SUN CHS SMN
--- ENDS ---
North Korea fired a ballistic missile early Wednesday, South Korean military officials said, the first such launch in two months and just a week after the US slapped fresh sanctions on the hermit state and declared it a state sponsor of terrorism.
The North has stoked international alarm over its banned nuclear missile programme but before Wednesday had not staged a missile test since September 15, raising hopes that ramped-up sanctions were having an impact.
The missile flew east from South Pyongan Province, the military Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
The US Pentagon said it had detected a "probable missile launch" from North Korea.
South Korea\s military staged a "precision strike" missile exercise in response, Yonhap news agency said, also quoting the JCS.
Seoul\s unification minister had on Tuesday said signs of unusual activity had been detected in North Korea, hinting at a possible missile test.
The US last week unveiled new sanctions targeting North Korean shipping, raising pressure on Pyongyang to abandon it\s atomic weapons programme.
Pyongyang condemned the move as a "serious provocation" and warned that sanctions would never succeed.
In September the North conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test and staged an intermediate-range missile launch over Japan.
SOURCE: AFP
Nepal held local level polls on Sunday, the first since 1997 and a key step in the country\s rocky transition to democracy over a decade since the end of the civil war.
Around a third of registered voters across three provinces were eligible to cast their vote, with the rest of the country due to vote in a month\s time.
The vote has been split into two phases because of unrest in the southern plains bordering India, where the minority Madhesi ethnic group is refusing to take part until an amendment to the constitution is passed.
Local representatives were last elected in 1997 and their five-year terms expired at the height of the brutal Maoist insurgency.
The 10-year war ended in 2006 and the country began a fraught transition from a Hindu monarchy to a secular federal republic, which has seen it cycle through nine governments.
The long gap between polls has left an institutional void at the local level, which has seen graft become a way of life in Nepal, hampering the delivery of basic services as well as the recovery from a devastating 2015 earthquake.
"It is difficult to expect much from our politicians they have always been selfish and not worked for the people but I hope that with this election things will change," housewife Shova Maharjan, 41, told AFP after casting her vote in the capital.
With nearly 70 percent of the population aged under 35, many were voting for their local representatives for the first time.
Polls opened at 7:00 am (0115 GMT) and closed at 5:00 pm, with each voter casting their ballot for seven local representatives: mayor, deputy mayor, ward chairman and four ward committee members.
The ballot paper in the capital Kathmandu one of the largest constituencies was around one metre long (three feet) to accommodate the 878 candidates.
Nearly 50,000 candidates were standing for election across 283 local municipalities in the first phase, with many registered as independents or with a number of small reformist parties hoping to grab some votes from the traditional political heavyweights.
While the youth vote is seen as key in undermining the grip of the three main political parties, the elderly were also out in force, including an 105-year-old man who cast his ballot in Gorkha, the epicentre of the devastating 2015 earthquake, according to the election commission.
There were sporadic reports of violence on Sunday with one person killed when police opened fire on a group attempting to raid a polling station in Dolakha district, 180 kilometres (110 miles) northwest of the capital Kathmandu, police told AFP.
A bomb was also found early Sunday morning outside the house of a mayoral candidate for the main opposition CPN-UML party in Bhaktapur, 15 kilometres (nine miles) east of Kathmandu. It was diffused without incident.
The remaining four provinces, considered potential flashpoints for election-related violence, will vote in the second phase on June 14.
But with results expected from Sunday\s vote later this week, observers have expressed concern that the first phase will influence the outcome of the second.
As part of the deal that ended the civil war, a new constitution was written and finally adopted in September 2015, nearly a decade after the end of the conflict.
The charter mandated that local elections, followed by provincial and then national elections, be held by January 2018 the final step in the drawn-out peace process.
But the constitution sparked protests by the Madhesi community who say the document leaves them politically marginalised and led to a months-long blockade of the India-Nepal border in 2015 that caused a crippling shortage of goods across the country.
The Madhesi threatened to boycott the local polls unless the constitution is rewritten. This forced the government to split the vote into two phases.
The government has promised a vote on an amendment to the constitution after Sunday\s election, but the fragile ruling coalition is struggling to get a majority in parliament to pass the bill.
SOURCE: Agence France-Presse
Times' Game of the Week Preview: No. 4 Mapletown vs. No. 5 South Side
No. 5 South Side gears up to stop the top-scoring No. 4 Mapletown Maples and star running back Landan Stevenson in the quarterfinal Class 1A matchup.
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Date: May 13, 2017
Venue: Houston Field House, 1900 Peoples Ave., Troy
Degrees awarded: Russell Sage College 226 bachelor's degrees; Sage College of Albany 195 bachelor's degrees; Sage Graduate School 385 master's degrees and advanced certificates, and 77 doctorates.
Featured speaker: Sage Colleges President Susan C. Scrimshaw, Ph.D., who is stepping down June 30, delivered the commencement address, "Lessons from Sage History."
Notable: A. Alexandra Jupin, a producer on Broadway and London's West End; a Sage alumna, university administrator and former trustee, received an honorary degree. Frederick A. Miller, a Sage trustee, past board member of Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc., and chief executive officer and lead strategist of The Kaleel Jamison Consulting Group Inc. in Troy, received an honorary degree.
Quotable: Susan C. Scrimshaw "What began as a small college for women emphasizing the 'practical arts' is now a soon-to-be university reflected in all of you, the graduates here today. What began as a college that provided educational access to a group that had been denied it, women, now provides access to the diverse group of graduates here today. Like Sage, you continue into a world that is changing ever more rapidly. Your legacy from your alma mater is contained in the themes from our history: courage, vision, tenacity, collaboration, community engagement, giving, mentoring, adaptable, opportunistic, creative, innovative, and nimble."
Beirut
Syrian Kurdish-led forces were closing in Saturday on the de-facto capital of the Islamic State group in Syria, seizing a cotton mill only a couple of miles north of the city and clashing with the militant group on a number of fronts, activists and Kurdish media reported.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, backed by U.S-led coalition airstrikes, advanced as they clashed with the militants in a multi-pronged offensive northeast and northwest of the city.
The offensive brings the SDF 2.5 miles from the northeast of the city, the Observatory said. Fighting was also reported about 3.7 miles north of Raqqa and 8 miles to the northwest, the Observatory said.
The Raqqa Campaign, a Facebook page affiliated with the Kurdish-led forces, said the fighters seized the cotton mill just north of the city on Saturday. Kurdish Hawar news agency said the Kurdish-led fighters also seized the office of a farmer's union, a local ruling party headquarters and a prison used by the militants. The agency said the fighters seized about 115 miles north of the city in their advance in the last four days.
The Kurdish-led forces said Friday they expect to advance on Raqqa this summer, following their capture of a strategic town and dam, about 25 miles west of the city. "The city is near, very near," said Nasser Haj Mansour, an adviser for the SDF.
Kurdish activist Mustafa Bali said the SDF are moving fast to reach the outskirts of Raqqa city, but that the battle for the city is likely to take time. He said in one push, the SDF moved through 5 miles with good air cover, arriving 2.5 miles north of the city.
The activist-run Raqqa Being Slaughtered Silently group said the public markets in Raqqa have been closed, suspecting it is because of the proximity of the clashes. Later, the activist-run group said the militants ordered merchants to evacuate the vegetable market for the next few days. The group didn't elaborate.
The campaign to recapture Raqqa appeared to be accelerating following a decision by the Trump administration to arm the Kurdish-led forces with heavy weapons, giving a push to their ground partner to move toward the city, held by the militants since 2013. The weapons have not yet been delivered to the Kurdish-led forces, which include an Arab fighters unit.
Turkey strongly objects to Kurdish-led forces leading the campaign. Turkey considers the main component in the Kurdish-led SDF to be an extension of the domestic insurgents it labels as terrorists.
Also Saturday, activists reported that Syrian government forces were able to regain control of an air base in the northern province of Aleppo from Islamic State militants. Al-Jarrah air base was seized by IS militants in 2014, and the government troops recapturing it comes amid an offensive in rural Aleppo to drive IS out of one of its last remaining territories in the province, Maskaneh, which borders Raqqa.
Former investment banker Emmanuel Macron will become the youngest postwar French leader and the first to be born after 1958 when President Charles de Gaulle put in place the country's fifth Republic.
By Reuters: Central Paris will come to a standstill on Sunday for the inauguration of Emmanuel Macron as President of France for a five-year term, which he overcame the odds to win and which he has said can unite a divided nation.
In a first for the world's fifth largest economy that is a founding member of the European Union, the 39-year-old centrist newcomer was unknown to the wider public three years ago and does not belong to any traditional political grouping.
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The former investment banker will become the youngest postwar French leader and the first to be born after 1958 when President Charles de Gaulle put in place the country's fifth Republic.
In the coming parliamentary elections in June he must try to win a parliamentary majority for his start-up Republic on the Move (REM) party which has blown apart traditional French political boundaries.
Those who believe that the open borders, closer European ties and business-friendly reforms are the key to prosperity and peace were relieved when he won a run-off vote against far-right candidate Marine Le Pen a week ago with 66 percent of the vote.
MACRON TO PAUSE ANTI-GLOBALISATION TREND
A 21 gun salute at the Esplanade des Invalides behind the Eiffel Tower after he takes power will mark at least a pause in the anti-globalisation trend that brought Donald Trump the US presidency and led British voters to pick a future outside the European Union.
But the outcome of a fraught, tight, and bitterly contested election campaign was a disappointment for almost half of France's 47 million voters.
Many of them feel dispossessed as manufacturing jobs move abroad and as immigration and a fast-changing world blur their sense of a French identity.
In the first round of voting, more than 45 percent chose either Le Pen or other candidates who promised the opposite of Macron's medicine; that they would close the wealth gap by rolling back globalisation, shutting borders and unravelling the institutions of the EU.
Macron, once an aide to outgoing Socialist President Francois Hollande and who rose to fame as his economy minister between 2014 and 2016, may therefore struggle to get the country behind him.
The business-friendly labour reforms in his programme will push on with an effort Hollande started and which killed his chances of a second term by failing to fix unemployment. They helped make Hollande the least popular French president in modern history.
PERFECT TIMING OF MACRON
But the timing of France's youthful new leader is good.
The economy, in the doldrums for years, is beginning to show signs of recovery.
Union power has waned in the Hollande years, even though workers rights are still held dear. And until a financial scandal ruined his campaign at the start of this year, Macron's mainstream conservative rival Francois Fillon had won wide electoral support for a far more aggressive set of pro-business measures.
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Macron has already forged close ties with EU anchor nation Germany, and will head for Berlin on Monday to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel and ram home the message that the bloc is resilient despite Britain's 'Brexit' vote.
The handover begins at around 10 am (0800 GMT) at the 18th century Elysee palace presidential residence with a meeting that will include the exchange of nuclear missile launch codes.
Then Hollande will leave.
Back inside the Elysee, the result of the election will be read out - a moment that marks the actual assumption of power.
LEGION D'HONNEUR
Macron will then be presented with what is effectively his chain of office - a heavy golden necklace mounted on a red cushion that makes him Grand Master of the National Order of the Legion d'Honneur - an honour system for servants of the Republic.
Aides said he will not actually put on the necklace. Neither of his two predecessors did.
After that, the pomp will ramp up.
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An inspection of troops behind the palace will be followed by the 21 gun salute, and the new president will leave the Elysee through a gate topped by a gilded cockerel - a creature symbolic of France for centuries.
ARC DE TRIOMPHE
Then Macron will visit the Arc de Triomphe and the tomb beneath it of the unknown soldier, one of the millions who died as World War One raged a century ago.
Heavy with military symbolism, the site is a potent reminder that France is a member of the NATO defence alliance, of its place in two world wars, and of its turbulent past under Napoleon Bonaparte who ordered the Arc's construction in 1806 to commemorate his brief conquest of Europe.
The Arc is also in sight of the place officials believe was the scene of the latest Islamist militant attack to hit France.
Days before the first round of presidential voting in April, a policeman was shot dead by a suspected militant on the Champs Elysees shopping avenue that leads from the Arc.
Macron's inauguration takes place under a state of emergency in place since 2015.
More than 230 people have died in attacks claimed by Islamic State in the past two years as France takes part in military action against the militant group that controls parts of Syria and Iraq.
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Fifteen hundred police will be mobilised to ensure security for the event. A large section of Paris will be closed to traffic all morning.
WATCH:
ALSO READ:
French presidential election: All you need to know about France's blue-eyed boy Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron-Brigitte Trogneux love story: If you don't mind, age doesn't matter
--- ENDS ---
Bolton Landing
Angelo Paccione spent 20 years in the NYPD, most recently in a joint anti-terrorism unit.
Now he patrols the choppy waters of Lake George aiming to stop a different threat to public safety Log Bay Day.
"There is a plan in place. I can't comment on that plan," Paccione, a sergeant for the Lake George Park Commission, said coyly Thursday.
David Wick, the director of the commission, a state agency, was equally cagey.
"We have met a few times with the entire law enforcement community," said Wick, an East Greenbush native who spent 20 years working with the Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District. "We think we have some pretty good plans in hand just to make sure that day doesn't happen again."
Until now, "that day" was Log Bay Day, the last Monday in July. Wick explained it began as a day for local hospitality workers to hit the water and relax.
"It was 20 or 25 people who worked at restaurants getting together and just hanging out for the day on the bay," Wick said in his Lake George office. "It has really metamorphosed into what it is right now, which is a massive drunken bash. It can be anywhere, on a good weather day, upward of 800 or 1,000 people out there and anywhere up to about 300 boats. The challenge is making sure that everybody is not only acting responsibly and safely when they're there, but also after the fact on their way home."
The annual bacchanal on the east side of the lake turned deadly on July 25 when Alexander West, now 25, partied at Log Bay Day and later crashed his 21-foot Larson motorboat and struck a Gar Wood vessel slowly cruising along the shore by Cramer Point about 9:22 p.m. The crash killed Charlotte McCue, 8, of Carlsbad, Calif., and severely injured her mother, Courtney McCue.
It led to West being convicted on May 8 of manslaughter, felony assault leaving the scene and alcohol-impaired boating. He faces 7 1/3 to 22 years at his sentencing next month. Law enforcement officials want Log Bay Day to get a life sentence.
"Log Bay Day is no more. It's over," Warren County District Attorney Kate Hogan told reporters after the verdict.
In addition to Charlotte's death, a man who partied at Log Bay Day dove off his boat and ended up paralyzed from the neck down, officials said.
"One of the things that we've been noting is the incidents and accidents that result just from the single day of Log Bay Day almost equal the rest of the incidents and problems that we have the rest of the year," Wick said. "So if we can eliminate this as a day, that will be going a long way."
On Thursday morning, Wick arranged for Paccione to take a Times Union reporter to the site of Log Bay Day. Paccione motored a marine patrol boat from his station near the historic Sagamore hotel in Bolton Landing, cut across the lake hitting water that sounded like concrete and arrived in a tranquil area still within site of the hotel. The water appeared shallow, maybe three to five feet, and inviting if this were the last Monday in July and not a chilly morning in May.
Prosecutors showed photos at West's trial of legions of scantily clad twentysomethings partying on boats and the water. Log Bay Day revelers danced to music, tossed beach balls and staged chicken fights. Testimony showed revelers drank too much, smoked pot and hash oil, snorted cocaine and took ecstasy.
"This is the area right here," Paccione said, "where the big party happens."
The party began about 8 a.m. and continued until nightfall.
"We get people from the Albany area, we get people from Massachusetts, from Rhode Island, Jersey. They come from all over for it," Paccione explained. "It's a drinking party. It's a party where they come out here to get as drunk as they can." He said last year was a lighter year because of rainy weather.
The next day hangover affected not just drinkers, but the lake as well.
"If you come here the day after Log Bay Day, you wouldn't go in the water," Paccione said. "That's how mucked up it gets."
Wick stressed that this year, police agencies, state parks officials and prosecutors are all on board. Between 15 and 17 law enforcement boats will be on the water. They will increase the number of checkpoints to stop drunken boaters. The commission plans to issue 20,000 cards out at marinas and boat inspection point telling people that if they plan on drinking, get a designated ride.
Last year authorities were prepared for Log Bay Day with more than two dozen officers on both land, where revelers could reach the spot from Washington County, and water.
"And we still were unable to avoid the tragedies that happened last year," Wick said.
"The concern is, will it move to a new day or another location? There is no other location like Shelving Rocks Bay, where you can access it from the land as well as from the water. So we don't have that concern," Wick said, "And what we also have, which is extremely important, is the public will and sentiment that this thing needs to go away. Every municipality around Lake George, Warren County, Washington County, have come up with resolutions saying it needs to stop. There is a petition with over 1,000 signatures on it and they can easily get another 1,000 if they wanted to saying it needs to stop."
Some locals don't want Log Bay Day to stop. Several irked fans of the event posted their opinions in the comments section of news articles about the planned cancellation. They reflect feelings that revelers as a whole are paying the price for West.
Some were not hesitant to put their names to those opinions.
"It was the individual that should have been held responsible for it," said Christopher Lamoureux, 29, of Bolton Landing, referring to West, when asked about the cancellation. "I don't think that you should just cancel the whole event because one person made a stupid mistake. Maybe they should regulate it more, better and officers should do their jobs, maybe have checkpoints and things like that. I don't think it should be canceled."
In Lake George, Linda Duffy had mixed feelings. The owner of Duffy's restaurant and bar said she has made sandwiches for people on their way to the event.
"I think if a bunch of friends want to get together on their boats, then they should get together on their boats," Duffy said. "If you have kind of a mob scene, that's one thing. But if they've got 25 friends that want to go hang out, let's just go hang out. It doesn't have to be Log Bay Day."
On July 25, West and seven friends partied at Log Bay and then cruised to Bolton Landing, where they docked his boat and walked to Lake Shore Drive to eat at The Huddle, a restaurant and bar. The majority of Bolton Landing business owners who spoke to the Times Union seemed eager to have the day end.
"When it comes to making a little money or somebody dying, I'll pass on the money every time," said Bob Lagas, the owner of Bob's ice cream on Lake Shore Drive in Bolton Landing. He has had a location in Lake George for more than 25 years.
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In Bolton Beans diner on Lake Shore Drive, a woman identifying herself as the owner was fed up with Log Bay Day and the general history of drinking and boating being accepted on the lake, which she said has not been paid the proper attention.
She said she went to the first Log Bay Day.
"I get it. It's fun," she said. "Everybody parties, everybody does whatever they've done for years and years and years. Now we have consequences that are really extremely substantial. ... I feel that it's impossible to go out there, get impaired and come back safely, no matter what your plan is."
Jeff Strief, owner of Happy Jacks clothing and gifts in Bolton Landing since 2005, said the day is traditionally slow for business.
"More people are out on the water than there are in town so it's not a good day for us. So shutting it down, I really don't know if it's going to hurt or help. Not as many people will probably come to town because it's not happening but my sales are likely to go up a little bit because people will be in town shopping."
Employees typically find a way to get the day off, he said.
"It's terrible on my schedule. Anybody under the age of 30 suddenly magically calls in sick that day. They were fine the night before but so it's always as staffing issue."
Asked if he's been to Log Bay Day, he said, "No, I work."
Kelly O'Neil-Teer, owner of the Serendipity Boutique in Bolton Landing, said Log Bay Day has changed for the worse.
"It didn't become the type of event that it was originally was intended to be a fun day on the lake for people to gather and relax and enjoy themselves," she said. "It turned into a party atmosphere that got out of control and I personally feel bad for the Lake George Park Commission and all of the local sheriff's departments and local police officers because it just seems like it was such a draw on their departments just to sit there and watch them and try to pick them off."
Nicole Somma, owner of Lakeside Lodge & Grill on the hamlet's main drag and a mother of two children, said some Log Bay Day revelers have needed their friends to pull them out of the water because they were unable to stand. She has watched them arrive in Bolton Landing drunk.
"They come off the boat and they can't function," Somma said. "I went to Log Bay Day when I was younger and is was not like it is now. It's different. It was fun and people were responsible. Now, the crowds are getting younger and younger and out of control. I personally would like it done because I don't want my kids to ever go out there. Ever. And if they do, I'm coming with them."
Somma predicted some would-be Log Bay Day revelers will try to find another place to party. That will not include her friends and staff, she said.
"A little girl died," she said. "They're done."
rgavin@timesunion.com 518-434-2403 @RobertGavinTU
Albany
Edward Abbott hasn't driven since 2007.
When he needs to get around Troy, particularly up the steep incline that carries Route 7 east, he begrudgingly braces for a cab ride.
"The Albany-Troy-Schenectady cabs are the worst cabs I've ever been in," the Troy man said flatly.
Soured by repeat negative taxi experiences, Abbott is looking forward to this year using a service here that he uses in other cities across the country when he travels for work: Ride-hailing.
Yet what is a potentially useful transportation option for Abbott continues to be a policy thornbush just down the river at the state Capitol, even with ride-hailing barrelling toward its arrival this summer.
Approved as part of the state budget in April, ride-hailing services, such as those offered by Uber and Lyft, can begin operating as soon as July 9. It's unlikely that users of those services elsewhere like Abbott will see much of a difference when it comes to getting from Point A to Point B.
But the industry itself which has operated in a sort of digital Wild West known as the sharing economy that lawmakers across the country are sprinting to catch up with will see differences that may lead to impacts on consumers.
Notably, there will be taxes on rides. A four percent assessment will go to the state's general fund and another 2.5 percent assessment will flesh out a workers compensation fund for drivers.
There also is the option for cities and counties of 100,000 people or more to opt out of allowing ride-hailing services to operate within their borders, a semblance of the traditional local control of transportation for an industry that primarily will be regulated by the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
The other big-ticket mandate on the industry is that every driver will be subject to a criminal background check before they can be approved for a license to drive for a ride-hailing company. Such checks are not required of traditional cab drivers for all companies or in all areas.
Yet for all wonkish provisions that lawmakers dumped into the final legislative language, expansion of ride-hailing services outside of New York is what the public overwhelmingly asked them to accomplish during the legislative session this year. The April Siena College poll showed that 75 percent of voters statewide believe that ride-hailing will make New York better.
What's good for the public, is good for the politician who represents them.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo capitalized on the popularity of ride-hailing expansion by make it an imperative in a budget proposal that was well-received by the public. He wasn't alone. Scores of upstate lawmakers in particular scrambled to surf the wave of public support after ride-hailing expansion fell off the table at the last minute to end the 2016 legislative session.
But as they take a victory lap with the lawmaking behind them, it's local elected officials in some of the state's larger municipalities that face a political quandary if they think the brakes should be applied to ride-hailing expansion.
"Given where the public is at, any elected official who takes a position against ride-sharing services for upstate New York does so at their own political peril," Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg said.
Regardless of if some elected officials decide that ride-hailing isn't for their constituents, it's not as if there is a statutory requirement that the industry operate everywhere.
"The bottom line is that the Ubers of the world will go where the people are," said Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, who was integral in the crafting of ride-hailing legislation. "They won't go because the law is written in this way or that way."
Yet operators aren't backing off of lofty promises, including Uber's pledges to bring 13,000 jobs to upstate, made during their intense public awareness and lobbying campaign.
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"Our mission is to provide affordable, reliable transportation to everyone everywhere as reliable as running water," said Josh Gold, Uber's New York policy director. "And that means being in Kingston, it also means being in the North Country, it also means being in Westchester and New York City and Buffalo and Albany. It means being in the entire state and entire country."
"Are we going to be able to launch in Kingston on July 9? I don't know," Gold added, responding Cahill's trepidation. "Do we want to get that done before the end of the summer in Kingston? Yes we do."
Even with ride-hailing arriving this summer, that doesn't mean that state lawmakers are walking away from the ongoing debate over the industry. In the month since the state budget passed, legislation has been introduced to amend the new law, primarily to speed up its implementation. One proposal in particular that is gaining steam would move up the date when ride-hailing companies can start picking up fares to June 29, the idea being that July 4 revelers would have another way to get home from the party.
The other bill that has gained attention would amend the background check portion of the law to ban all registered Level 1 sex offenders from being able to drive for a ride-hailing company closing a loophole that the bill's sponsors say could have dangerous consequences.
Even after the law takes effect, it's entirely possible that over the course of time ride-hailing debates will flare up at the Capitol as lawmakers look to adapt to changes in services.
The law calls for a state task force to analyze how services operate and to recommend best practices for the industry. While the task force's mandate is broad, two policies that ultimately were not included in the final ride-hailing deal could offer a window into how the industry may be changed. For one, advocates for the disabled vocally pushed for fleets to be made 100 percent wheelchair accessible. Secondly, the background check process drivers must undergo does not include fingerprinting, an idea pushed by the taxi industry in New York and a popular rallying point across the country.
Yet while inside the Capitol bubble conversations about industry flaws and changes undoubtedly will continue, whether riders who have bemoaned transportation problems in some communities will want to change a service they overwhelmingly supported remains to be seen.
"I don't think (ride-hailing is) going to be a panacea," said Samuel Johnson, a Colonie man who has been burned by a local cab experience. "... But I do think, if nothing else, having some competition should be helpful."
mhamilton@timesunion.com 518-454-5449 @matt_hamilton10
Michael Lowry T.D. is delighted to have supported and assisted Scoil Micheal Naofa, Holycross with additional classroom space.
Deputy Lowry has informed the Board of Management that contracts are in place for the 200,000 development. Works are due to commence immediately and the new building will be completed for September.
Mr. Ger Corbett, Principal of Scoil Micheal Naofa, Holycross said; The school community is delighted with the news that we have received departmental sanction for the construction of two additional resource rooms in conjunction with the new classroom previously announced. This is a very welcome addition to the facilities ranging from our excellent Gort na nOg Creche, preschool and afterschool facility and our nine classrooms catering for our enrolments of 238. The school community has worked very hard to provide these and Michael Lowry T.D has played a key role in ensuring that the best of educational facilities continue to be provided at Scoil Micheal Naofa to cater for this growing community for many years to come.
Our pupils are being catered for by a dedicated and motivated staff of nine class teachers and five special educational needs teachers and our valued ancillary staff.
I sincerely congratulate and thank the partners involved in the education of the young children of this community and we confidently look forward to the years ahead, Mr Corbett said.
Deputy Lowry pictured at St Michael NS with Cllr Micheal Lowry and members of the Board of management and some pupils.
[May 13, 2017] Swiss EY Team Joins Polybius Cryptobank as Advisors, ICO to Follow
TALLINN, Estonia, May 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Swiss EY (Ernst & Young) Partner Daniel Haudenshild, financial services managers Valdemar Scherer and Sven Moller are collaborating to lead the Polybius project team on banking operations, technology, and legislation. Polybius aims to create a regulated, decentralized bank for the digital generation and the company is planning an ICO this May to garner community support for its initiative. The London-based audit and consulting firm, Ernst & Young is one among the "Big Four" audit companies. Many of EY's activities involve advisory support to financial institutions. The Polybius Cryptobank project attracted the attention of Swiss financiers at the BlockchainUA conference held in Kiev in March. Experts from EY were interested in the idea of re-inventing the bank by using a combination of traditional banking services for all segments of the population, business types and latest technology solutions like blockchain and artificial intelligence to reduce costs, increase efficiency and profitability. Advisors from EY have noted how competently bold and unconventional moves like document circulation on the blockchain and the system of remote verification of the user's identity for interaction with commercial and governmental structures fit into the latest EU regulations. The evolving financial market and changing requirements for EU regulations have driven the European regulators to be at the forefront of technological changes and regulatory requirements. It s a need of the hour to ensure the preparedness of EU's financial institutions for the ensuing opportunities and bold future undertakings.
Partner at Swiss EY Daniel Haudenschild applauding the efforts of Polybius said: "We are impressed by the consistency of the Polybius team and how successfully their ideas fit into the opportunities that are opening up against the background of the changes in the European legislation."
Polybius Cryptobank, a project established by the Estonian company Polybius Foundation, is a payment institution offering classic banking services fueled by most modern technologies that meet the strictest requirements of European legislation. Polybius ICO The money for launching the project will be collected during the crowdfunding campaign, during which the placement of the tokens will take place. The goal of the campaign is to raise at least $ 10 million. 20% of the annual distributable profit of the bank will be shared among holders of all tokens as dividends. The crowdfunding start date will be announced in May on the project website, via Polybius newsletter and social media. About Polybius Polybius Bank combines features of modern banking, IoT, Big Data and Blockchain-based technologies while also meeting security and UX requirements. The Digital Pass technology, developed by HashCoins and implemented into Polybius Bank, will serve as an automation and digitalization ecosystem, enabling full industry integration. Learn more about Polybius at https://polybius.io
Follow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/PolybiusBank
Follow on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/polybiusbank/
Join the discussion in Telegram https://t.me/polybius_eng Media Contact Contact Name: Edgar Bers
Contact Email: [email protected]
Telegram: +37258159212
Company: Polybius
Location: Tallinn, Estonia Polybius is the source of this content. Virtual currency is not legal tender, is not backed by the government, and accounts and value balances are not subject to consumer protections. This press release is for informational purposes only. The information does not constitute investment advice or an offer to invest. Related Links Bitcoin PR Buzz Polybius To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/swiss-ey-team-joins-polybius-cryptobank-as-advisors-ico-to-follow-300457192.html SOURCE Polybius
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Proposed Kentucky constitutional amendment to end right to an abortion defeated in vote
By Press Trust of India: Chennai, May 14 (PTI) Union minister Venkaiah Naidu today paid rich tributes to former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa and urged AIADMK leaders to fulfil her dreams for the benefit of the people.
The Union Minister for Urban Development said expansion of metro rail in the state capital was Jayalalithaas dream, as he flagged off the first underground metro rail service from Thirumangalam to Nehru Park here.
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"The metro rail project was started by Jayalalithaa ji. I feel sad that we are missing her today," he said.
"The expansion of metro rail service in Chennai was Jayalalithaas dream. That dream is coming true today," he said.
"That is why I call upon the Tamil Nadu government, the chief minister, ministers, MPs, MLAs to see to it that whatever she promised to the people of the state, they get fulfilled without any problem," Naidu, also the minister for information and broadcasting, said.
He assured chief minister Palaniswami that the Centre would extend full support to Tamil Nadu government to fulfil the dreams of Jayalalithaa.
The senior BJP leader said over the last 18 years he had been interacting with the former AIADMK supremo, who, he said used to discuss issues very frankly.
"It is unfortunate that she is not among us today," he said.
"Jayalalithaa ji is one leader whom I admired outside my party (BJP) because she was not only dynamic but also an able administrator. More than that she was a lovable personality and very affectionate," Naidu said. PTI VIJ KIS
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A new instance of violence in the name of protecting cows has been reported from Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain. A video showing at least 10 men brutally thrashing a man is going viral on social media. E
A man being mercilessly thrashed by self-proclaimed cow vigilantes in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain. Photo: Screengrab from video
By India Today Web Desk: Violence in the name of safeguarding cows in India has been making news frequently since the Bharatiya Janata Party backed by Hindutva organisations like RSS came to power at the Centre.
Two years ago, in Uttar Pradesh's Dadri, a 52-year-old man -- Mohammad Akhlaq -- was mercilessly beaten to death by a Hindu mob accusing him of consuming and storing cow meat. Earlier this year, 55-year-old Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer, transporting cattle he purchased in Jaipur to Haryana, was stopped by so-called 'gau rakshaks' affiliated with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal and was thrashed to death.
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Disturbing video of a similar incident is now doing the rounds on social media. In the video that is said to be from Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, a man could be seen singled out and beaten up by at least 10 men.
The 2-minute-long video was first tweeted by ANI saying, "Man thrashed by cow vigilantes in Ujjain" and is now going viral.
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:
DISCLAIMER: THE CONTENT COULD BE DISTURBING TO SOME. VIEWER'S DISCRETION ADVISED
#WATCH Madhya Pradesh: Man thrashed allegedly by cow vigilantes in Ujjain; police arrested four people, search for others underway pic.twitter.com/UqO7pRqyqy- ANI (@ANI_news) May 14, 2017
Madhya Pradesh Police arrested four people in connection with this violent incident and a search is on to find others involved, reported ANI. However, according to news agency PTI, two arrests have been made.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is in power in the state.
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By Press Trust of India: Maha police dept partially hit
Eds: Updating with details
New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) The countrys cyber security agency has alerted Internet users against damaging activities of a strong and globally active ransomware virus- Wannacry- that critically infects work stations and locks them remotely.
In the evening, the Maharashtra Police department said it was partially hit by the ransomware.
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"Cyber experts have been engaged to fix the systems," a senior police officer said.
The red-coloured critical alert was issued by the Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), the nodal agency to combat hacking, phishing and to fortify security- related defences of the Indian Internet domain.
"It has been reported that a new ransomware named as Wannacry is spreading widely. Wannacry encrypts the files on infected Windows systems. This ransomware spreads by using a vulnerability in implementations of server message block (SMB) in Windows systems.
"This exploit is named as ETERNALBLUE," an advisory issued by the CERT-In, accessed by PTI, said.
It said the ransomware called WannaCry or WannaCrypt encrypts the computers hard disk drive and then spreads laterally between computers on the same local area network (LAN).
"The ransomware also spreads through malicious attachments to emails," it said.
A huge extortion cyber attack had hit dozens of nations yesterday, holding computer data for ransom at hospitals, telecommunications firms and other companies.
Following the alert, the Gujarat government began equipping its state computer systems with anti-virus softwares and upgrading its Microsoft operating systems.
Computers linked to the Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN), one of countrys largest IP-based IT infrastructure connecting taluka-level government offices to the state capital with around 45,000 computers, are being monitored closely, said Science and Technology Department Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi.
A cyber ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid through the online medium.
The cyber sleuths agency advised users to apply patches to their Windows systems in order to prevent its infection and spread.
The ransomware virus is such lethal and smart that "it also drops a file named !Please Read Me!.txt which contains the text explaining what has happened (to the computer) and how to pay the ransom."
WannaCry encrypts files with the following extensions, appending .WCRY to the end of the file name like .lay6, .sqlite3, .sqlitedb, .accdb, .java and .docx among others.
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The CERT-In has suggested some anti-ransonware measures:
Check regularly for the integrity of the information stored in the databases, regularly check the contents of backup files of databases for any unauthorised encrypted contents of data records, do not open attachments in unsolicited emails even if they come from people in your contact list and never click on a URL contained in an unsolicited email, even if the link seems benign.
"In cases of genuine (universal resource locators) URLs, close out the email and go to the organisations website directly through browser," it said.
The most important advisory by the CERT-In stated "individuals or organisations are not encouraged to pay the ransom as this does not guarantee files will be released.
"Report such instances of fraud to CERT-In and law enforcement agencies," it said. PTI NES ND KA ZMN
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WITH THOUSANDS OF LIVESTREAM VIEWS, HUNDREDS OF SHARES AND GROWING CONNECTIONS . . . MR. WASHINGTON IS TAKING HIS CRIME-FIGHTING GAME TO THE NEXT LEVEL VIA SOCIAL MEDIA!!!
This week was theMainstream media cut him out of that story but as the growing group of his fans, followers, supporters and friends expressed their outrage . . . Mr. Washington seemed strangely calm.Why?Sadly, Alonzo Washington is accustomed to media neglecting to report his instrumental role in the historic Kansas City case but also because he has found a new audience and a lot of people willing to help his cause on Facebook.Accordingly . . .In the past week he has garnered at least three viral threads where he asks for tips to solve crimes, calls out local media denizens and shares his thoughts on lackluster coverage.Developing . . .
"It was a great weekend to see all the families and students graduating from UMKC and Avila this weekend. Traffic was unbelievably conjested at times and one family that consistently shows up uninvited is The Westbound Baptist Church. But there's a different climate in the political landscape that makes Westboro Baptist Church appear to be slipping into the past. WBC members have been banned from other countries because of their hateful views. Now there place in history appears to be banishment because people are glad to see WBC slip into oblivion with hardly memory in even recent history. So much is going on that civilization is tunneling it's way to the another side where it can finally look back and visualize a paradigm shift."
Insight into shifting American politics from Kansas City citizens journalists who document their debate over the weekend . . .You decide . . .
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - At least two people were shot after an armed robbery in a vacant house at 31st and Brighton early Saturday morning. Police were called to the shooting about 3:00 a.m. Saturday. One victim was located in critical condition, a second victim with life-threatening injuries.
KANSAS CITY CITIZENS FOR RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT JUST EARNED AN EPIC CHECK FOR $25K FROM JOHNSON COUNTY ACTIVIST PHIL KLEIN!!!
We report this in fairness and because those silly anti-Go bond commercials that the newspaper deemed racist were also powered by this JoCo political denizen and they ultimately didn't prove very effective.
Quick note for Sunday about the ongoing battle over development and representation . . .$25,500 to be exact . . . It's an impressive sum and know we know how they're paying for all of those billboards amid the streetcar debate.And so, for voters, this news should mean that the struggle over the streetcar, the downtown hotel and the upcoming airport will continue as more cash coming into the fight on both sides powers the debate.Developing . . .
Papadimitriou also underlined the need to promote the necessary policies for the relief of those hit by globalization
Greek Economy and Development Minister Dimitris Papadimitriou called for the support -in priority- of small- and medium-sized enterprises in all sectors including tourism without adequate funds and know-how in order to exploit the possibilities offered by free trade agreements and to develop their export activity in new markets, during a meeting of the FAC-Trade External Trade Ministers Council in Brussels.
The ministers exchanged views on a wide range of issues related with European trade policy, particularly the efficient implementation of free trade agreements, to ensure maximum benefits for European enterprises from preferential terms in accessing markets outside the EU. The ministers also discussed the current situation of negotiations in the framework of World Trade Organization ahead of the 11th ministerial meeting in Buenos Aires. The Greek minister expressed the need to intensify efforts to ensure positive results in supporting free and fair trade and called for a careful handling of agricultural issues in negotiations.
Papadimitriou also underlined the need to promote the necessary policies for the relief of those hit by globalization and said that national priority was strengthening human capital, re-integration in the labour market and creating an efficient social insurance system for all.
We are focusing on actions to support enterprises, particularly small- and medium-sized and innovative, so that they develop their extroversion, Papadimitriou said, adding that the future of EU depended, among others, on answers to be given in distributing the benefits of globalization to everyone and not just part of the society
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
Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday met with Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa Theodoros who is paying a visit to Greece
New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday met with Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa Theodoros who is paying a visit to Greece.
I want you to know that your have our love and unconditional respect, said the main opposition leader to Patriarch Theodoros.
I am leaving in the afternoon for Alexandria, we are having difficult times but we thank you for the triangle Cyprus, Greece, Egypt at gives us strength, said Patriarch Theodoros.
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
Pell Frischmann, one of the UK's leading engineering, development and management consultancies, said it has completed the design of a $700-million water infrastructure rehabilitation project in Iraq with the help of Aconex, a major provider of the global platform connecting teams on construction and engineering projects.
The Water Supply Sector Loan Project involves refurbishing aging facilities and building new infrastructure to support the public health of residents in the Ninewa, Anbar and Salah El Din governorates of Iraq.
Pell Frischmann pointed out that the entire water system had been long overdue for a major upgrade.
"The people here badly needed this system," remarked Stewart Neal, civil engineer at Pell Frischmann and design manager on the project.
"Since water demand exceeded supply, water would be turned on for 24 hours in one zone of a city, and the next day water would be turned off in that zone and directed to another zone. The intermittent water supply and low water quality created public health risks," stated Neal.
In 2012, the Iraqi Ministry of Municipalities and Public Works utilised financing from the Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) for the redesign and reconstruction of water intake facilities, water treatment plants, transmission facilities, and distribution pipelines.
Following an international tendering process, the ministry awarded the design project to Pell Frischmann. Active in Iraq since 2004, the firm had won the British Expertise International Masterplanning Project of the Year Award in 2017 for its collaborative work on the countrys transportation infrastructure.
With design teams in Exeter and London (UK), Baghdad (Iraq) and Mumbai (India) and a client in Iraq with an unreliable IT infrastructure and security issues, Pell Frischmann knew the project would present challenges.
The firm selected the Aconex platform to be able to store, access and share design data securely in the cloud, manage complex design reviews, track approvals, and keep all communications and processes connected to the project rather than lost on email or internal servers, said Neal.
Even then, Aconex helped Pell Frischmann quickly avert problems that the firm could not have anticipated.
We found that the client preferred to review and approve designs on paper, explained Neal. Sending design documents by mail or courier was expensive and time-consuming. File sizes and regional connectivity issues made email impractical, he added.
Aconex solved the problem with project-wide collaboration, connecting the entire team and all project data on a single platform.
The design phase of the project was completed on schedule due to the visibility and control Aconex gave Pell Frischmann," said Neal.
"There was never any ambiguity about who was holding up the workflow. Everyone could see who had approved designs, where the bottlenecks were and who needed to take action," he added.
On the achievement, Steve Cooper, the general manager, UK and Ireland, at Aconex, said the Iraqi water system design was yet another example of its leadership in Middle East infrastructure projects across multiple sectors.
"We are pleased with the opportunity to deliver value to Pell Frischmann and its project team, and we look forward to supporting the firm with similar projects in the future," he added.-TradeArabia News Service
Iran will sign an agreement for buying and building 6,000 freight wagons during the upcoming Iran Rail Expo in Tehran, said the deputy head of Iran Railways Company.
Based on the agreement, 4,900 freight wagons will be built by three local companies with a 100-per cent foreign fund plus a 250-million ($273,000) Russian investment, Babak Ahmadi was quoted as saying by Irna.
1,100 wagons will also be imported to Iran, he added, stressing that no import would be allowed in until the launch of manufacturing line of the three Iranian companies for semi-wagons.
Noting that the 5th Iran Rail Expo will be held on May 15-18, he said that the event would be the world's second largest exhibition during which 160 local and 130 foreign companies from 16 countries, including Italy, Spain, China, France, Germany and Turkey will put their products on display.
Pointing to Iran's need of 8,000 freight wagons plus 4,000 passenger wagons in 1402 (2023) Iran Vision Plan, he said that the country had also to buy 1,000 locomotives by the year.
Oman Air Cargo, one of the most innovative and fastest growing Cargo carriers in the world, brought its participation at Air Cargo Europe 2017, held in Munich last week - to a successful conclusion.
More than 55,000 visitors from 124 countries attended the event.
Mohammed Al Musafir, senior vice president Commercial Cargo, along with a number of commercial cargo managers welcomed visitors to the Oman Air Cargo stand, which showcased a number of the divisions special products, with specific focus on Secure Vault, Oman Air Cargos VAL product offering, as well as the airlines expanding global network and innovative Cargo IT solutions.
Oman Air Cargo worked alongside Oman Airports Management Company (OAMC), to promote the country as a strategic regional cargo hub, with major logistics projects and developments, as the Sultanate shifts its focus towards logistics as a major pillar for economic growth.
Mohammed Al Musafir said: Its been a pleasure participating at Air Cargo Europe 2017, the leading Air Cargo industry event, which has given us the platform to highlight a number of our special products, with particular focus on our valuable cargo offering, discuss possible partnerships and agreements to further expand our network, and the pleasure to welcome a great number of visitors to our stand.
Participation at Air Cargo Europe 2017 comes at an exciting time for the airline, which has seen recent significant increases in the size of the airlines fleet, major expansion of its network to include more than 56 destinations and the introduction of a range of new products and services. The upcoming state-of-the-art cargo handling facility at its hub in Muscat will also offer the airline the opportunity to carry more consignments than ever before, further specialize its product offering, and support the cargo divisions growth strategy.
Propelled by national carrier Oman Air, Oman Air Cargo is one of the most innovative and fastest growing Cargo carriers in the world. With a soon to be completed the cargo handling facility at Muscat International Airport, and a 100 per cent cloud based cargo platform, Oman Air Cargo offers access to over 150 online and offline destinations across the globe. - TradeArabia News Service
Marking the debut of The Ritz-Carlton brand in Jordan, Marriot International and Al Eqbal Real Estate Development have announced the signing of an agreement to establish The Ritz-Carlton hotel and residences in Amman, which is scheduled to be complete in 2020.
The agreement was inked by Tawfiq Fakhouri, founder and chairman of Al Eqbal Real Estate Development, and Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International, during a private ceremony attended by executive team members from both companies.
The Ritz-Carlton hotel and residences are strategically located in the heart of the capital Amman, within proximity to a high-end residential neighborhood. The Ritz-Carlton hotel and residences are situated next to high-end five-star hotels, which sit on the other three corner plots of the Circle, perfecting the picture as the final piece of the puzzle.
The Ritz-Carlton, Amman comprises 233 guest rooms, of which 33 are suites, and two specialty restaurants one of which is on the rooftop, and an elegantly-designed 1000-sq-m grand ballroom. As for The Ritz-Carlton Residences, it consists of 20 stories and 90 private residences for purchase from the developing company, overlooking the incomparable and magnificent views of Amman. The residences come in a variety of spaces, ranging from 100 to 1,000-sq-m, as well as two sky villas.
On this occasion, Fakhouri said: We are proud to introduce The Ritz-Carlton international brand to Jordan. Through The Ritz-Carlton hotel and residences in Amman, we aim to enhance the hospitality sector with luxury offerings in line with the highest international standards. At Al Eqbal Real Estate Development, we started by hiring the most experienced and talented team of architects and designers from around the world while fostering partnerships with some of the biggest international companies to ensure the implementation of attractive designs and dazzling interior decorations, which reflect the authenticity of the Jordanian culture with a modern twist. The most notable were Dar Al-Handasah for architectural design, engineering and supervision, WATG for the concept design, Wimberley for interior design and DG Jones & Partners for project management. We will also offer the highest levels of service that embody the spirit of The Ritz-Carlton, surpassing the expectations of the citys visitors, whether they are tourists or businesspeople looking for an exceptional stay, or owners of the luxurious residential apartments who seek a life of luxury.
We are delighted to be working with Al Eqbal Real Estate to introduce The Ritz-Carlton in Jordan. This property will play a significant role in catering to the desires of leisure and business tourists alike, said Kyriakidis,
Jordan is an integral part of Marriott Internationals growth strategy in the Middle East. We have a strong presence in the country with five hotels in operation and now, with the signing of The Ritz-Carlton, we are on track to double our portfolio in the market in the next four years.
Along with The Ritz-Carlton, Amman, the brand will open properties in Tunis, Tunisia; Ras Al Khaimah, UAE; Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt; and in the Moroccan cities of Tamuda Bay, Marrakech and Rabat. - TradeArabia News Service
By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Added details)
Lucknow/New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) A Hizbul Mujahideen militant was apprehended at the Indo-Nepal border in Maharajganj in Uttar Pradesh as he was trying to cross into the country to carry out terror activities, according to officials.
Naseer Ahmed alias Sadiq (34), hailing from Banihal in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, was held last evening from Sonauli border post. He was trying to sneak into India from Nepal in the guise of a shawl and carpet vendor, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), which guards the 1,751-km-long open border, said.
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He was carrying a Pakistani passport and an identity card of being a resident of Lala Musa village in Gujrat district in Punjab province of the neighbouring country, it said.
Ahmed was handed over to the Uttar Pradesh ATS for further investigation.
According to security agencies, Ahmed had joined Hizbul Muzahideen in 2002-03 and moved to Pakistan. He was involved in a number of terrorist activities. In 2002, he sustained bullet injuries during an encounter with the Army in Banihal.
"Ahmed was residing in Pakistan since September, 2003. He was involved in many attacks against civilians and security forces including an attack on an STF camp in India in 2003.
"He was sent to India by his handler for a specific mission," an SSB spokesperson said.
When he was asked for his identity proof by the SSB personnel at Sonauli, Ahmed was unable to produce any supporting documents, the spokesperson said.
The paramilitary, based on initial interrogation of the terrorist, said Ahmed and his associate Mohd Shafi landed in Kathmandu on May 10 from Faisalabad in Pakistan via Sharjah. Shafi separated from him in Kathmandu.
A top security official said that Ahmeds name did not figure in the list, maintained by Jammu and Kashmir police, of those who want to shun terrorism and are desirous of returning to the Kashmir Valley for rehabilitation.
"Ahmed was apprehended by SSB based on its own intelligence inputs and profiling," the spokesperson said.
The SSB said Ahmed reached the Indo-Nepal border in a bus "with an intention to sneak into Indian territory and carry out terrorist activities in India".
"He was in touch with a handler from India, who used to deposit money, in his account, off and on.
"On his instructions, he came to India for undertaking terrorist activities but was apprehended by the SSB," the spokesperson said, adding the handler who provided him money has been identified.
Ahmed had crossed over to Pakistan in 2003 in a group of 23 people to join the Hizbul cadre.
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He was trained in unarmed combat and weapon handling at Atak in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province in Pakistan by Hizbul Mujahideen, ISI and the Pakistan Army "with an aim of waging war against India and to fight with Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir".
"Ahmed revealed he used to preach Quran to Hizbul cadres during his stay at various camps," the spokesperson said.
In Pakistan, he married Asha Naeem (25) of Gujrat district on November 2, 2009. He had two sons. He also started a hosiery business in Gujrat district of Pakistan, the official said.
The SSB said Ahmed sustained two bullet injuries during an encounter with security forces in Banihal in Jammu and Kashmir in 2002. He was among the terrorists who exploded mines during polls in the same year in which two civilians and as many army personnel were killed.
Ahmed was part of the terrorist team that attacked the Special Task Force camp in Ramsoo near Banihal in 2003, the spokesperson added.
He will be produced by the ATS in court and his custody will be sought for further interrogation, the officer said. PTI NES/ABN SMI DIP RT
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Exes Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan were clicked while they were on a dinner date last night.
By India Today Web Desk: Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan may not be married anymore but boy do they look great together whenever they step for their umpteenth outing.
Recently, Sussanne Khan and Hrithik Roshan were spotted at a posh Mumbai restaurant. They were accompanied by, among others, Sonali Bendre and Gayatri Joshi.
Hrithik and Sussanne called off their marriage officially in 2015. But the two keep hanging out together frequently leading to fans speculating about the future of their relationship.
I request people to stop speculating. There will never be a reconciliation with @iHrithik. But we will always be good parents. #no1priority- Sussanne Khan (@sussannekroshan) May 2, 2016
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At one point, Sussanne Khan herself took to Twitter to rubbish rumours of her patching up with Hrithik Roshan. She added though they they would be good parents.
On the work front for Hrithik Roshan, the actor was last seen in the film Kaabil which released in January this year. Hrithik is starring in a small role in the Marathi film Hrudayantar scheduled to release later this year.
(All photos by Yogen Shah)
ALSO READ: The Hrithik Roshan and Sussanne Khan love story
WATCH: Fine with both the truth and lies, says Hrithik Roshn on questions about personal life
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Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 14
A major fire broke out in the administration building of Panjab University in the early hours on Sunday, destroying at least part of the records of the accounts section, though no casualty was reported.
Part of the first floor of the administration building, Dewan Anand Kumar Hall, was engulfed by the fire.
The chief of university security reached a little after 3 am, after he received information that smoke was seen coming out of the first floor. The fire service and police were informed, who reached the spot to douse the fire, which took two hours.
The fire affected the Accounts, Grants and Plan sections. Vice-Chancellor Arun Kumar Grover, Registrar and other senior officials of the university also reached the spot. The damage to the records is being assessed.
An enquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of fire. However, there has been no loss of life or injury to anyone.
Meanwhile, former Union Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, local BJP president Sanjay Tandon and other senators visited the university to assess the damage caused by the fire. Experts from the Forensic Department also reached the spot to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.
Admitting that the university was not adequately prepared for the disaster, the Vice-Chancellor said each building would now be assessed to make the campus secure. He, however, claimed that all data lost in the fire would be retrieved.
The university has been embroiled in a running feud with the government over fund shortage.
MK Bhadrakumar
IN the Kulbhushan Jadhav case, the governments decision to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague instead of proceeding further along the back-channel route to Murree is a fateful one. Murree is much closer to Islamabad than The Hague which is so far away, figuratively and literally. The back-channel diplomacy by steel magnate Sajjan Jindal on April 27 was an imaginative move. Jindals meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif might not have been productive, but it appears to have been substantive. Last Wednesday, Sharifs adviser on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, hinted that if India showed interest, Pakistan would look into the possibility of a meeting between the two prime ministers on the sidelines of the SCO summit meeting in Astana on June 8-9. These are positive vibes.
Therefore, the ICJ being operationalised at this point after a political route was quietly opened a few weeks earlier remains incomprehensible. This sort of zigzagging conveys a poor impression of crisis management. The Indian media, quoting a top source, have us believe that the government took recourse to the ICJ route after receiving inputs from the Mission in Islamabad and taking into account the pressure building up in India to do something to get justice for son of India Jadhav. It is an ingenuous explanation that passes the buck to bureaucrats.
The efficacy of the ICJ route is debatable and it can only be justified as a public relations exercise by the government to rally domestic opinion. The ICJ is an exotic and esoteric institution whose decisions are not enforceable. All member countries of the UN can file cases with the ICJ and argue cases without being obliged to pay heed to its verdicts. Curiously, member countries have the freedom to inform the UN Secretary-General the specific categories of issues where they shall not be bound by ICJ verdicts. Simply put, the ICJs workings are of interest mainly to diplomats and academics.
Take the celebrated case of the so-called Iran hostages, when in the heat of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the Iranian revolutionaries occupied the American Embassy in Tehran and the consulates at Tabriz and Shiraz and detained their diplomatic and consular staff in Tehran and two more US citizens. Iran refused to take part in the ICJ proceedings following the complaint filed by the US in March 1980. Tehran maintained that the ICJ could not, and should not, take cognizance of the case. The ICJ nonetheless upheld the US petition and in its judgment of May 24, 1980, said Iran had violated its obligations to the US under international conventions in force between the two countries as well as under long-established rules of general international law and must immediately take all steps to redress the situationmust immediately terminate the unlawful detention of the US personnel. But Tehran simply ignored the ruling. The American hostages were finally released as a unilateral step by Iran on January 20, 1981, coinciding with the inaugural of Ronald Reagan as President possibly, as per a tacit understanding. The curious part is that although the US filed the case against Iran, the ICJs decisions are not enforceable in US courts, and the US is not required to submit to the ICJs jurisdiction in any given case.
Suffice to say, a false triumphalist narrative has appeared that the ICJ has issued a stay order. Whereas, in reality, the ICJ has far from determined even on its jurisdiction in the contentious case. Incredibly enough, to add to the confusion, while approaching the ICJ in the matter, India was apparently in the dark that several weeks ago, on March 29, Pakistan had already informed the UN, invoking Article 36 of the ICJ Charter that its jurisdiction shall not apply to: a) disputes relating to questions which fall essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of Pakistan; b) disputes relating to or connected with any aspect of hostilities, armed conflicts, individual or collective self-defence or the discharge of any functions pursuant to any decision or recommendation of international bodies, the deployment of armed forces abroad, as well as action relating and ancillary thereto in which Pakistan is, has been or may in future be involved; and, c) all matters related to the national security Pakistan.
Alas, we probably didnt even know that the horse had bolted away when our bright IFS officers apparently came up with the tantalising idea of locking it up in the ICJ stable. All this brings us back to the hypothesis that the government took the case to the ICJ largely because of the optics involved. Simply put, the ruling partys core constituency had to be appeased. However, the heart of the matter is that India has approached the primary judicial branch of the UN for a third-party intervention in an India-Pakistan issue when the bilateral route exists.
Conceivably, Pakistan too must be in some dilemma over Jadhav. The execution of the son of India will be like slamming the door shut and throwing the key away on dialogue with India for a foreseeable future, while on the other hand, the Pakistani leadership also cannot afford to show leniency toward a terrorist who allegedly undermined their national security. The bottom line is that the Murree route is the only viable route today.
Therefore, why the government lost nerve remains a puzzle. Does the government regard the ICJ as a court of appeal against Jadhavs death penalty? If so, it is a deeply flawed estimation. Simply put, the ICJ has no jurisdiction to sit on judgment over facts adjudicated in a criminal trial in any country. Having mustered the political courage to open a back channel, the government should go on the political path. Pakistan seeks talks with India. Its expectation was that once the state election in UP got over, the BJP would have no more compulsions to do grandstanding, and that in turn would give space to the government to resume talks.
The heart of the matter is that the Jadhav affair can be handled only through a candid political exchange at the highest level to be followed up with the resumption of talks with Pakistan to discuss a range of issues. For that to happen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to take the call. It takes two to tango and Islamabad has signalled its receptiveness to the idea. True, the grave crisis in J&K will be Modis Achilles heel and his core constituency might feel let down. But then, make no mistake: Jadhavs life hangs in the balance. And the government is tempting fate.
The writer is a former Ambassador
Maj Gen Ashok K. Mehta (retd)
CHINAs semi-official mouthpiece, the belligerent Global Times recently warned that it would punish India for allowing the "splittist" Dalai Lama to visit Tawang. The threat needs to be taken seriously. Where can retribution be delivered? Along the 4,000 km LAC is the first place that comes to mind. But it has the potential to blow up into a local war which Beijing does not want. Its hands are full with Kim Jong-un's shenanigans in North Korea and the US challenge to its claims in the South China Sea. It is already punishing India by raising Pakistan's military and economic profile, blocking New Delhi's entry to NSG and refusing to endorse Jaish-e-Mohammad's Masood Azhar as a UN-sanctioned terrorist.
It has opened a new diplomatic front in Nepal where it could puncture India's boast of unique and special relations with Kathmandu. China has abandoned its policy of non-interference in the affairs of other countries. Last year, for the first time, it prevented the collapse of the Left Alliance KP Oli government which was blamed on India. When the Oli government finally fell a few months later, it was not without Beijing giving a good fight to save it. Both in Nepal and Sri Lanka, the two regional rivals are jockeying for space to have in place, a government of their choice. For the moment, New Delhi has the upper hand but the contest will continue even as the pro-India Prachanda-led Maoist and Nepali Congress government may survive the full life of the second Constituent Assembly till January 2018.
The once pro-China Prachanda who became the Prime Minister after the 10-year-long civil war in 2008 and was removed through Indian intervention in less than a year never succeeded in returning to office till last year after he had publicly admitted that India was more important for Nepal than China. Beijing expressed anger by cancelling President Xi Jinping's visit last year and delaying an invitation to Prachanda as he had put on hold, the 10 agreements his predecessor Oli had signed with China with which India was unhappy. Prachanda did go to China for the Boao Forum and not on a state visit.
The converted Prachanda's sense of a balanced foreign policy is realigning Nepal to a special relationship with India from Oli's push to China. Egged on by China, Oli is waiting for his moment to topple the Left-Centre coalition in a country that has seen eight Prime Ministers in nine years.
With long view, founder of modern Nepal, King Prithvi Narayan Shah had said Nepal is a yam between two boulders China and India. China has bent with the wind from once calling Maoists as miscreants who had hijacked the fair name of Mao Tse Tung to later hailing the Maoist election victory as rediscovery of ideological similarities. Nepal is afraid of China and accepts its diktat on Tibet, one-China policy and the taboo on its legislators meeting the Dalai Lama. China has sought parity with India in political, economic and military domains. For long, China has asked to do joint exercises with the Nepal army. This happened after the visit of Defence Minister and State Councillor Gen Chang Wanquan last month. Global Times' loaded comment that "holding joint military exercise with China can contribute to deterring ethnic separatism in Nepal" was a veiled reference to Madhesis who have been demanding an inclusive constitution.
China has increased military assistance for the Nepal army from a mere $3 mn to $33 mn, invoking the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Programme. China's FDI has overtaken India's and its ODA is second only to the US. During Nepal's Investment Conclave 2017, China committed $8.3 bn and floated big ideas of connectivity in Nepal with Deputy Prime Minister KB Mahara visiting China to sign the agreement on a railway line from Kyirong to Kathmandu. China's soft power is also at work. Numerous Confucius institutions and China study centres have mushroomed in Nepal. More than 100 Nepali schools offer free Mandarin courses, with maximum youth joining Chinese universities wearing Mandarin tattoos and using Chinese mobiles. Strangely, large number of Nepalese believe China does not interfere in their internal affairs. Nepal's youth leaning towards China is the unintended consequence of the Madhesi blockade of 2015 which India tacitly supported and has cost it dear especially in people-to-people relations. Chinese presence and activity has multiplied several times over in the last decade and is no longer benign.
Three elections panchayat, provincial and Parliamentary have to be held within the remaining nine months before the expiry of the term of the Constituent Assembly. Prachanda has announced a two-phase local election on May 14 and June 14, being held after 20 years. China was the first country to provide monetary and material assistance for local elections. Prime Minister Modi's promise of India's assistance for local elections signals that it is not insisting on the constitutional amendments regarding residual Madhesi demands, including provincial boundaries as it did in 2015. The political situation is dynamic. The Chief Justice was removed for impeachment and restored, exacerbating conflict between executive and judiciary. New political alignments are in play. Significantly, Prachanda is required to hand over the Prime Minister's office to Nepali Congress's Sher Bahadur Deupa after the first phase of elections for the remaining life of the Constituent Assembly. This is where trouble could arise. Oli with new allies, and China, are waiting in the wings to return to power. In 2015, India crusaded Madhesi cause demanding constitutional amendments. Initially, Oli refused which led to the five-month long blockade, rupture in India-Nepal ties and Oli turning to China. New Delhi is silent over the revised constitutional amendment, so as not to endanger the ruling coalition. Oli will give his left arm to return to government to hold crucial provincial and parliamentary elections which will decide the fate of Nepal's democratic polity. Can China, using its money power, punish India by orchestrating the return of a UML-led Left Alliance or another coalition to challenge the time-tested India-Nepal relations?
The writer is the erstwhile convener of an India-Nepal Track II dialogue
A PUBLIC debate on issues that agitate Indians tends to be driven more by emotion than reason or evidence. Genetically modified crops have provoked sharp exchanges in the country before and after Bt cotton without a conclusion. Now a replay is expected with the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee clearing GM mustard for commercial cultivation. While experts squabble, the common mans worry in this region is how tasty Bt saron (sarson) da saag would be. Bt cotton arrived here amid stiff opposition from NGOs, academics and environmentalists. The outcome has not been as disastrous as critics had warned. Life has become a little more bearable in Punjabs cotton belt, where frequent crop failures used to trigger farmer suicides. Suicides still happen but now debt is cited as the reason.
Maybe, more time and research is needed to assess the real damage of Bt cotton, if any, on Punjabs as well as Indias bio-diversity and citizen/animal health. However, protests against hybrid crops did succeed in stalling Bt brinjal in 2010. Safety evidence given in its support was said to be insufficient. Even though the 26-member Central biotech regulatory authority has vouched for its safety, a previous MNC attempt to sell Bt mustard in India did not succeed. MNCs are red rags to left-leaning activists. This time there is no rapacious MNC to oppose. Developed by a Delhi University team, the genetically altered mustard not only awaits a nod from the Environment Ministry, but also a judgment from the Supreme Court. Unlike Bt cotton, Bt mustard is a food crop and concerns about public health are greater.
However, despite the known opposition by an RSS-backed think tank and questions raised about the yield and safety data, the NDA appears more open to GM crops than the previous UPA. Terming the opposition by anti-GM groups as unscientific, the Environment Ministry is trying to clear doubts about the consumption and cultivation of transgenic mustard. Contingent on the Supreme Court verdict, Central approval for the countrys first GM food crop would be a watershed moment as it could clear the way for other transgenic crops.
Sonepat, May 14
The family of the 23-year-old Dalit woman, found gangraped and murdered in Rohtak on Thursday, had around a month back complained about a man who was harassing her but the police failed to act, one of her relatives alleged on Sunday.
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Drawing parallels with the brutality witnessed in the 'Nirbhaya' case of Delhi, the victim's family has sought maximum punishment to the accused.
The police acknowledged that a "verbal" complaint had been made but refuted the charge of inaction saying that the victim's family had later come to a compromise with the man and said there was no need for action.
Read: Woman from Northeast 'gangraped' in moving car in Gurugram
The same man, named Sumit, has now been arrested for the crime, the sheer savagery of which emerged today in the post-mortem report which found the victim's skull shattered, a part of the food pipe missing and suggested sharp-edged objects may have been inserted into her private parts.
"We had approached the police with a complaint of harassment by the main accused but no action was taken," a kin of the victims told reporters in Sonepat.
The police, however, refuted the charge.
"There was a verbal complaint some time back by the woman to Sonepat police saying that the main accused was pressuring her to marry him. It was a verbal complaint, there was no written complaint to police station," Superintendent of Police, Sonepat, Ashwin Shenvi said.
"However, later, the complainant and her mother again came to the police station and said they had struck a compromise and there no need for police action," the officer claimed.
The body was identified by the victim's mother on the basis of her clothes.
"He (Sumit) was putting pressure on her to marry him and used to threaten her. A week ago, he stopped her when she was returning from work. When she resisted, he threatened and abused her. She slapped him and ran home," said the mother in her statement to the police.
While Sumit (24) has a private job, the other person arrested, Vikas (28), works as a car mechanic.
"The woman was a Dalit and out of the two accused, main accused Sumit is also a Dalit," Shenvi said.
He said as the victim belonged to Dalit community, the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have also been invoked.
Shenvi said during investigations, involvement of only two people had come to fore and both have been arrested.
The post-mortem report also indicated savagery as was witnessed in the 'Nirbhaya' case.
The findings suggest that it was a brutal rape and murder," said Dr S K Dhatterwal, head of the department of forensic medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak, who conducted the post-mortem.
He said multiple head injuries, inflicted by some blunt weapon, were the main cause of the death and several bones of the victim's skull were found to be shattered.
"There were injuries on the private parts, which means that woman was sexually assaulted," Dhattarwal said adding that the vaginal swab had been sent to a forensic science lab for confirmation regarding rape.
The injuries suggest some sharp-edged objects may have been inserted in her private parts, he further said.
Indicating that the woman was given sedatives before she was raped and murdered, Dhattarwal said signs of some such drugs had been found in the stomach.
Rohtak range Inspector General of Police Navdeep Virk said the family gave the names of six more persons last evening.
"A supplementary statement of the family has been recorded. Out of these six persons, five are relatives of Sumit, main accused. The sixth may also be related in some way," a police official said.
The opposition hit out at the BJP government in Haryana over the incident. Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda alleged a complete breakdown of law and order while demanding exemplary punishment for the culprits.
Financial assistance of Rs 10.5 lakh was announced today for the victim's family.
As she was a Dalit, the state welfare department would provide Rs 8.5 lakh to her family under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act while Rs 2 lakh will be given by the Red Cross, Sonipat Deputy Commissioner K Makrand Pandurang said.
National Commission for Women member Rekha Sharma met the family of the victim.
The decomposed and mutilated body of the 23-year-old woman, who went missing from Sonipat on May 9 and was gang- raped and brutally murdered, was found near the Industrial Model Township in Urban Estate, Rohtak, on May 11. Stray dogs had bitten off the face and lower portion of her body.
The sheer brutality of the crime, reminiscent of the 'Nirbhaya' incident in Delhi which triggered nation-wide outrage, occurred barely a month after the BJP-led Haryana government launched 'Operation Durga' to stop harassment of women.
Following the incident, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had expressed deep shock, saying it highlighted the need to revisit the issue of women safety.
Minister demands fast track' courts
Condemning the gangraped incident, Haryana Women and Child Development Minister Kavita Jain has demanded that dedicated, separate courts should be set up in the country for speedy trial of cases involving sexual assaults on women.
Talking to the media, Jain said, "In order to deal with crime against girls, women, there should be dedicated courts, and trials should be conducted on the line of fast-track courts. So that the culprits should not lose fear of punishment and think twice before committing such crime."
The Harayana Minister who visited the family members assured them of strict action will be taken against the culprits. Agencies
Gurugram, May 14
A 22-year-old woman from Sikkim was allegedly raped by three men in a moving car here and thrown out on a road in Delhi in yet another chilling rape incident in Haryana days after the Nirbhaya-like case in Sonepat.
The woman was attacked at around 2 am when she was returning from Delhi to her residence in Sector-17 here.
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As she reached near her house, she was dragged by three men into their Swift car. They then took turns to rape her in the moving vehicle while heading to Najafgarh in the national capital, 20 km from here, a senior police officer told PTI quoting the victim's statement.
Read: 23-yr-old gangraped, murdered
The woman had gone to visit Connaught Place with her friend on Saturday night.
The accused then threw her out in Najafgarh area and sped away, the officer said.
The woman later approached some passersby and informed the Delhi Police which alerted the Gurugram police.
A case of rape has been registered against three persons.
One of the accused was addressed as Deepak by the others, police said.
"We have identified a few vehicles on the basis of her statement and CCTV footage and raids are being conducted at various locations to nab the accused," the officer said.
The incident comes days the gruesome gangrape and murder of a 23-year-old woman came to light after her decomposed and mutilated body was found near the Industrial Model Township in Urban Estate, Rohtak. The woman had gone missing from Sonepat on May 9. Stray dogs had bitten off the face and lower portion of her body.
Women's safety remains an issue of concern despite a slew of steps taken by the government after the December 16, 2012 gangrape and murder of a paramedic student in Delhi sparked nationwide outrage. She later came to be known as 'Nirbhaya' (the fearless). PTI
By Press Trust of India: Ranchi, May 14 (PTI) Security forces have seized over 1,000 bullets, 5,000 detonators and 200 kg of explosives from an ammunition dump of Naxalites in Jharkhand.
A joint team of the CRPF and the state police had launched a search in the jungles of Murhukarchatoli and Husru in Lohardaga district, officials said, adding the team made the seizure late last evening.
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The cache includes 1,010 bullets of different calibre, 5,100 detonators, 21,600 feet-long explosive cordex wire and explosives weighing 200 kg.
The seized ammunition has been handed over to the state police, they said.
A similar dump was unearthed by the joint security forces squad in the same district few days back. PTI NES DIP
--- ENDS ---
Tribune News Service
Solan, May 14
Villagers from 22 panchayats of Kandaghat sub-division today converged on Rurra village and constituted a Gramin Sangharsh Samiti to deal with the controversial Baba Amardev issue which has vitiated the atmosphere in the area. Jagdish Chand has been nominated samitis pradhan, while Praveen Kumar and Om Prakash have been chosen up-pradhan and secretary, respectively, to deal with the unsavoury episode.
The samiti gave a weeks time to the state government to oust the controversial Baba Amardev, who was constructing Shri Ramlok Temple after encroaching upon 5.6 bigha of government land, from the area. The samiti also warned the state government that if the Baba was not ousted from the area within a week they would take to the roads and initiate an agitation.
Daggers have been drawn between Baba Amardev and the villagers since the April 26 scuffle which has left a 52-year-old woman grievously injured. Criminal cases have been slapped against 11 villagers.
While leaders from the Congress and the BJP lent support to the peoples cause, Kisan Sabha also came forward to share the villagers agony. Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar was also present on the occasion. He assured the villagers of an amicable settlement of their grievances soon.
The villagers demanded that the whereabouts of the Baba should be inquired and how he was constructing temple by incurring crores should also be investigated. They also stressed the need for speedier action in the cases related to the seizure of hides and encroachment and attack on Shanti Devi.
Praveen Kumar said that the samiti members would meet Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh tomorrow. In the wake of a patient audience today by the Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar the villagers were hopeful of an amicable solution.
One-week ultimatum to govt
Villagers from 22 panchayats of Kandaghat subdivision in Solan set up a committee which gave a weeks time to the state government to oust Baba Amardev, who is constructing Shri Ramlok Temple after allegedly encroaching upon government land.
Probe sought
The villagers demanded that the whereabouts of the Baba should be inquired and how he was constructing the temple by incurring crores should also be investigated. They also sought speedier action in cases related to the seizure of hides and encroachment.
Ambika Sharma
Tribune News Service
Baddi, May 14
Former Chief Minister PK Dhumal today said people were eagerly awaiting the Vidhan Sabha elections to oust the state government which was neck deep in corruption and was patronising various mafias.
He was addressing BJPs Mafia Raj Hatao, Pradesh Bachao rally at Baddi today. Dhumal said Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh had lost the morality to rule as he himself was facing criminal cases pertaining to corruption. Things have come to such a pass that fingers were being raised on the MLAs of the ruling Congress by their own colleagues about embezzlement of government funds worth crores.
He said people were fed up with the corruption ridden state government and they would give a befitting reply to the Congress at the hustings.
Earlier, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda, while addressing the gathering, said the Congress government would fall under the weight of corruption. He urged BJP workers to work in unison to ensure partys victory. He said the Congress had become synonymous with corruption, mafia rule, dynasty politics and said the BJP wave which swept Uttar Pradesh, Uttrakhand and Delhi will sweep Himachal too and the BJP will form the government.
He said the Central government was providing ample financial assistance to the state but the inept Congress government had failed to utilize the same for ushering in an era of development.
State BJP president Satpal Satti said corruption was prevailing in every sector. The overwhelming support which the BJP rallies received across the state indicated the frustration of the people from the state government.
MLAs KL Thakur, Govind Ram, Rajiv Senzal, MP Shimla Virender Kashyap former MLA Vinod Chandel were among those present on the occasion.
Amir Karim Tantray & Shyam Sood
Tribune News Service
Jammu/Rajouri, May 13
A Class VII student was among two civilians killed and three others injured as Pakistan resorted to heavy shelling on Indian posts and several villages along the Line of Control today in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district.
Those killed are Tuffail Hussain and his granddaughter Asiya Banoo of Jhangar village. Hussains wife Zaitoon Begum was critically injured and has been referred to Government Medical College, Jammu.
Four soldiers were reportedly injured, too, though there was no confirmation from the Army.
The Pakistan army started unprovoked firing around 7:15 am, using 82 mm and 120 mm mortars as well as small arms to target civilian areas mainly in Nowshera and Manjakot sectors. The Indian Army responded effectively, said defence spokesman Lt Col Manish Mehta.
Confirming the deaths, Deputy Commissioner Shahid Choudhary said schools in border areas had been shut. As many as 270 people have been shifted to relief camps. Twenty-six villages in Nowshera subdivision and nine in the Manjakot sector have been affected by heavy shelling, Choudhary said. While three camps had been made operational at Nowshera, 28 more had been notified, he added.
This is the third ceasefire violation along the LoC (Line of Control) since May 10. Pakistani Rangers had violated truce on the International Border as well yesterday, injuring a BSF constable.
On May 10 and 11, Pakistani troops shelled civilian areas near the LoC, killing a woman. Two Pakistani soldiers were injured in retaliatory fire by the Indian side. Pakistan had last time resorted to heavy shelling in 2016 when the Indian Army conducted surgical strikes.
Islamabad summons indian envoy
Islamabad: Pakistan on Saturday accused India of committing ceasefire violations and summoned the countrys Deputy High Commissioner, who countered the allegation by asserting that the cross-border firing was initiated by Pakistani troops to give cover to terrorists. A Pakistan army statement alleged that three civilians were injured in the firing in Karela, Kotkoterra, Khuiratta, Sabzkot, Baroh, Tandar and Khanjar sectors. PTI
Majid Jahangir & Amin Masoodi
Tribune News Service
Srinagar/Handwara, May 14
In a major breakthrough, security forces killed two Pakistani Lashkar-e-Toiba militants who were a part of the fidayeen attack on an artillery garrison in Kupwara on April 27 that left three Army men, including an officer dead.
The militants were killed in a brief gunfight in Kupwara district on Sunday when joint teams of the Army and the police launched an anti-militancy operation in Waripora village of Handwara, around 100 km from Srinagar.
Two fidayeen Lashkar militants killed in Waripora were a part of the infiltrating group that launched an attack on an Army base in Panzgam Kupwara, J&K Police chief SP Vaid said.
The Commanding Officer of 21 Rashtriya Rifles, Colonel Kuldeep Singh, said they had found evidence that confirmed the involvement of the two militants in the Panzgam attack.
We have found a wound on one of the eliminated terrorist which is indicative of likely involvement of these two terrorists in the Panzgam attack. We have found some other evidence, including the war-like stores, Colonel Kuldeep Singh told reporters.
In the first fidayeen attack of the year, an Army captain, two soldiers and two militants were killed while a militant managed to flee from the Army base at Panzgam on April 27. The artillery garrison close to the Line of Control was stormed by the militants from the rear of the camp by cutting the barbed wire.
Todays firefight erupted when the Armys 21 RR battalion and Special Operations Group of the police, launched an anti-militancy operation following inputs about the presence of the militants.
During the 10-minute firefight, two LeT militants were killed. Their identity is being ascertained but they appear to be Pakistani nationals linked to the Lashkar, Senior Superintendent of Police, Handwara, Ghulam Jeelani said.
Two AK-47 rifles, two pistols, four AK magazines, two pistol magazines, two UBGL grenades and other articles, including maps, were recovered from the encounter site, he said.
Police sources said for the last one week, the forces had been closely following leads about the presence of the two ultras in the area.
Mystery blast in Tral
Three persons were injured in a mysterious blast in the Tral area of Pulwama district on Saturday night. The police said the incident was being investigated. TNS
AK rifle recovered
An AK rifle and three magazines were recovered in Handwara on Sunday. The police said the recovery was made during the demolition of an old mosque in the Rajwar area of Handwara. The locals found an AK rifle and three magazines during the demolition of an old masjid sharief in Lashipora, Rajwar. Later, the villagers informed the police and handed over the rifle and magazines to them, a police spokesman said. TNS
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 14
BJP leaders are keeping the partys choice for the posts of the President and the Vice-President of the country a closely-guarded secret. But what they confidently reveal is the fact the saffron party has managed to gather the numbers to elect the man or the woman of its choice for the topmost Constitutional posts of the country.
Short of just about 8,000 votes, primarily due to lack of numbers in the Rajya Sabha, the NDA alliance last week managed to get on board two crucial vote blocks YS Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress and K Chandrasekhar Raos Telangana Rashtra Samithi, valuing around 16,800 votes and 22,000 votes, respectively.
It was a meeting that made the NDA ally Telugu Desam Party uncomfortable, but its political opponent in Andhra Pradesh Jaganmohan gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi what he needed the most the promise to the support to his candidate.
Likewise, the TRS also pledged support provided the candidate chosen by the BJP was in favour of the state. Sources say BJP chief Amit Shah in his visit to Telangana as a part of the partys Vistar Yojana will refrain from being too aggressive on the ruling TRS. The cancellation of his three-day visit (May 10-12) to Tamil Nadu is believed to be linked to the arithmetic of the presidential polls in July. The AIADMK holds a crucial set of around 59,200 votes, which the BJP does not want to jeopardise.
So far as the choice of candidate, saffron leaders say the PM will opt for someone who is close to the BJPs ideology, most likely a political personality, a man or woman of stature and of reckoning both in India and abroad and someone who will give the country good representation at the international level.
Simran Sodhi
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 15
As India chose to boycott the two-day One Belt, One Road (OBOR) Summit in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping today called the OBOR as the project of the century and stressed all countries should respect each others sovereignty and territorial integrity. India has chosen to stay away from the summit on the grounds that the initiative and some of its projects violate its sovereignty.
The Chinese President today sought to assure the world at large that Beijing was not using this as a front to expand its influence globally. That is the suspicion which India and many western countries, including the US, which nevertheless did send a top adviser to the summit, harbour.
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However, what ought to worry India is that apart from the fact that Russian President Vladmir Putin and Turkish President Erdogan were in attendance and supportive of the OBOR initiative, is the close linking of Pakistans economy with China as part of the OBOR.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif met Xi a day before the summit got underway and both countries moved closer on many accounts. Sharif in his comments today said CPEC was open to all the countries in the region and the issue must not be politicised. The reference to India was loud and clear in Sharif's comments.
It is time we transcend our differences, resolve conflicts through dialogue and diplomacy, and leave a legacy of peace for future generations, Sharif said.
Beijing, May 14
Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $124 billion on Sunday for his new Silk Road plan to forge a path of peace, inclusiveness and free trade, and called for the abandonment of old models based on rivalry and diplomatic power games.
Xi used a summit on the initiative, attended by leaders and top officials from around the world, to bolster Chinas global leadership ambitions as US President Donald Trump questions existing global free trade deals.
We should build an open platform of cooperation and uphold and grow an open world economy, Xi told the opening of the two-day gathering in Beijing. China has touted what it formally calls the Belt and Road initiative as a new way to boost global development since Xi unveiled the plan in 2013, aiming to expand the countrys links to Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond underpinned by massive infrastructure investment.
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Massive funding boost
Xi pledged a major funding boost to the new Silk Road, including an extra 100 billion yuan ($14.50 billion) into the existing Silk Road Fund, 380 billion yuan in loans from two policy banks and 60 billion yuan in aid to developing countries and international bodies in countries along the new trade routes.
Leaders from 29 countries attended the forum, as well as the heads of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, a close Chinese ally, praised Chinas vision and ingenuity. Such a broad sweep and scale of interlocking economic partnerships and investments is unprecedented in history, Sharif said.
India refused to send an official delegation to Beijing, reflecting displeasure with China for developing a $57 billion trade corridor through Pakistan that also crosses the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Indian foreign ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay, adding that there were concerns about host countries taking on unsustainable debt. China plans to import $2 trillion of products from countries participating in its Belt and Road initiative over the next five years, commerce minister Zhong Shan said.
Unease over summit
But some Western diplomats have expressed unease about both the summit and the plan as a whole, seeing it as an attempt to promote Chinese influence globally. They are also concerned about transparency and access for foreign firms to the scheme.
We will not interfere in other countries internal affairs. We will not export our system of society and development model, and even more will not impose our views on others. In advancing the Belt and Road, we will not re-tread the old path of games between foes. Instead we will create a new model of cooperation and mutual benefit, Xi said. Reuters
Lahore, May 14
Mumbai terror attack and Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed and his four aides have been detained for spreading terrorism in the name of jihad, Pakistans interior ministry has told a judicial review board.
Saeed appeared before the board yesterday and told it that he had been detained in order to stop him from raising his voice for Kashmiris.
However, the interior ministry told the board that Saeed had been detained for spreading terrorism.
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The board, comprising a Supreme Court judge, besides judges from the Lahore and Balochistan high courts, directed the ministry to submit a complete record regarding the detention of Saeed and his aides Zafar Iqbal, Abdul Rehman Abid, Abdullah Ubaid and Qazi Kashif Niaz on the next hearing on May 15.
It also sought personal appearance of the Pakistan attorney general. The Nawaz Sharif government had reportedly taken action against Saeed after the US warned of sanctions. PTI
Lucknow/New Delhi, May 14
A Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist has been arrested by border guarding force SSB from Sonauli in Uttar Pradesh along the Indo-Nepal frontier.
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The Sashastra Seema Bal said it apprehended Naseer Ahmed (34) on Saturday evening from Sonauli border post.
The SSB is tasked to guard the 1,751-km-long open border.
Ahmed was residing in Pakistan since September, 2003. He was involved in many violent attacks against civilians and security forces, including an attack on a STF camp. He was sent to India by his handler for a specific mission, an SSB spokesperson said here.
Ahmed, a resident of Banihal in Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir, was trying to sneak into India from Nepal in guise of a Kashmiri shawl and carpet vendor.
When he was asked for his identity proof by the SSB personnel at Sonauli, he was unable to produce any supporting documents, the spokesperson said.
The paramilitary, based on initial interrogation of the terrorist, said Ahmed landed in Kathmandu on May 10 from Faisalabad in Pakistan via Sharjah.
The SSB said Ahmed reached the Indo-Nepal border in a bus with an intention to sneak into Indian territory and motive to carry out terrorist activities in India. He was in touch with a handler from India, who used to deposit money, in his account, off and on. On his instructions he came to India for undertaking terrorist activities but was apprehended by the SSB, the paramilitary claimed. PTI
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) Domestic products such as textiles and chemicals would get greater market access in Chile as the expanded preferential trade agreement between India and the South American nation will come into effect from May 16.
Under this expanded preferential trade agreement (PTA), both the countries have offered to lower or eliminate duties on a number of items traded with each other.
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Chile has offered duty concessions on as many as 1,798 goods such as agri items, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, plastics, textiles, apparel, iron and steel items, copper machinery, to Indian exporters as compared to 178 items earlier.
On the other hand, India has offered concessions to Chile on 1,031 products including meat items, fish, vegetable oil, processed food, pharma, plastic and pearls as against 296 earlier.
"With this pact coming into force, we are going to see a big growth in the bilateral trade," Commerce Secretary Rita Teaotia said.
Over 96 per cent of the total trade is now covered by this agreement.
Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministry in a statement said that the expanded PTA would immensely benefit both sides as a wide array of concessions has been offered by the two countries on a number of products which will facilitate more trade.
Chile is the fourth largest trading partner of India in LAC region after Brazil, Venezuela and Argentina.
It also said that during the last few years, bilateral trade has been in favour of Chile because of import of high volume of copper ore which constitute more than 88 per cent of the imports from Chile.
It added that keeping in view that Chile is the founding member of the Pacific Alliance to which India is an observer member, implementing the expanded PTA could deepen its engagement with the emerging trade bloc. PTI RR SRK ABM
--- ENDS ---
Prateek Chauhan
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 14
Hizbul Mujahideen militant Naseer Ahmed (34) was apprehended by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) at the India-Nepal border in Maharajganj (Uttar Pradesh) while trying to enter India in the guise of a shawl and carpet vendor.
Naseer, who hails from Banihal in Ramban district of J&K, was allegedly involved in many attacks against civilians and security forces, including an attack on the STF camp.
According to an SSB official, when Naseer was enquired about his identity by SSB men at Sanauli in Maharaganj district, he was unable to produce any supporting documents. On physical search, a Pakistani passport and an identity card having address of Lala Musa village in Gujarat district of Punjab (Pakistan) was seized from his possession.
Naseer, accompanied by Mohd Shafi of Butpura, Kupwara district, J&K, reportedly landed in Kathmandu from Faislabaad (Pakistan) via Sharjah (UAE) on May 10. From Kathmandu, they got separated and Naseer boarded a bus to reach India-Nepal Border so that he could enter India to carry out terror attacks, said an SSB officer.
He is reportedly well-trained in operating weapons like AK-47, Ak-56, SLR, rocket launcher (RPG7), assault rifle (G3 and G2) and grenades. After completing his training in Pakistan, he reportedly stayed at various Hizb camps and preached Quran to the cadres.
During his stay in Pakistan, he married Asha Naeem (25) of Gujarat district there in 2009. He has two sons from that marriage.
Yash Goyal
Jaipur, May 14
A man has been detained for having tried to make an Aadhaar Card for killed al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden, police said on Sunday.
Saddam Hussain Mansuri, an Aadhaar agent, filled up a form for Bin Laden, the man behind the 9/11 attacks in the US and who was killed in 2012. Masuri, who runs an Aadhaar Card Registration Centre in Mandal town, also used Ladens blurred image. Inconsistencies in address caught the eye of officials at the Unique Identification Authority of India, who promptly alerted police. Additionally, the application also had no thump prints and iris imaging.
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Police booked Mansuri on Friday evening, Mandal Police Station Head Officer Harish Kumar Sankhla said, adding the suspect claimed that the application was made accidentally and without any malice.
Police said the suspect would be detained for questioning.
In September 2014, a man had tried to have a 12-digit number Aaadhaar Card for Hindu deity Hanumanji in Rajasthans in Sikar district. The card showed the deity wearing a crown and string of pearls. It listed the cardholder's father as Pawanji (The Ramayana describes Hanuman as the son of Vayu, the Wind God).
New Delhi, May 14
The Ministry of External Affairs has said it has not received any request so far for extradition of 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and 1993 Mumbai bombings accused Dawood Ibrahim from the agencies probing them.
The ministry was responding to an RTI query filed by a PTI Bhasha correspondent seeking information on the action taken by the government for bringing back Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Saeed and fugitive gangster Ibrahim.
"The ministry of external affairs has not received any request for extradition/deportation/return in respect of Hafiz Sayeed and Dawood Ibrahim from the investigating agencies concerned in India," it said.
Ibrahim is the main accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case in Mumbai in which around 260 people were killed, and more than 700 were injured. He fled the country post the bombings and is understood to be hiding in Pakistan at present.
Saeed, also the co-founder of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e- Taiba terror group, is accused of plotting the militant attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, in which 166 people were killed by a group of terrorists who had entered the city through a sea route.
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In April, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had stated that there was no doubt that Dawood was still in Pakistan. During the last 10 years, India has sent several dossiers to Pakistan in this regard, saying Ibrahim is the key accused in the serial bomb blasts case.
In 2011, P Chidambaram, the then home minister in the UPA government, had stated that Ibrahim was based in Karachi.
He had also said that India would continue to push its case to bring to justice the people who had planned the 2008 attack.
India has for long been advocating an extradition treaty among SAARC countries to ensure quick action against those involved in terrorist activities. PTI
Vibha Sharma
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 14
BJP leaders play close to the chest on the partys choice for the posts of the President and Vice-President of the country. But what they do reveal is the fact that whosoever it is, the saffron party has managed to gather the numbers to elect the man or the woman of its choice for the topmost Constitutional posts of the country.
Short of just about 8,000 votes, primarily due to lack of numbers in the Raya Sabha, the NDA last week managed to get on board two crucial vote blocks Y S Jaganmohan Reddy-led YSR Congress and K Chandrasekhar Raos Telangana Rashtra Samithi, valuing around 16,800 votes and 22,000 votes, respectively.
It was a meeting that made the Telugu Desam Party, an NDA ally, uncomfortable, but its political opponent in Andhra Pradesh Jaganmohan gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi what he needed the most the promise to the support to his candidate.
Likewise the TRS has also pledged support provided the candidate chosen by the BJP was in favour of the state.
Sources say BJP president Amit Shah in his visit to Telangana as a part of the partys "Vistar Yojana" too will refrain from being too aggressive on the ruling TRS.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of his three-day visit to Tamil Nadu Chennai and Coimbatore on May 10, 11 and 12 due to personal reasons, is believed to be linked to the arithmetic of the presidential polls in July. The AIADMK holds a crucial set of around 59,200 votes, which the BJP does not want to jeopardise, it seems.
As far as the choice of candidate is concerned several names continue to do the rounds. Saffron leaders say the Prime Minister will opt for someone who is close to the BJP's ideology, most likely a political personality, a man or woman of stature and of reckoning both in India and abroad and someone who will give the country good representation at the international level.
The party is no longer susceptible to "leaks" and the BJP leaders say "only the Prime Minister and Amit Shah know who the person will be. It (the name) may come as a complete surprise".
This apart, Delhi's political rumour mill continues to be alive with the names of senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Sumitra Mahajan, M. Venkaiah Naidu and Jharkhand governor Draupadi Murmu. The name is expected to be "finalised" by the core group but the sources say the Prime Minister and Shah, in agreement with ideological fountainhead RSS, have already zeroed in on the BJP's choice for the next President and the Vice-President.
The arithmetic is in its favour and there is no way the saffron party can lose, they say, with 412 MPs and more than 1,600 legislators amounting to around 5,32,000 votes. MPs Yogi Adityanath, Keshav Prasad Maurya and Manohar Parrikar's resignation from their Parliamentary seats has been put on hold till the Presidential elections.
The President and Vice-President of India are indirectly elected by an electoral college comprising 776 members of Parliament and 4,120 legislators in State Assemblies and the Union Territories of Delhi and Puducherry with the total value of votes amounting to around 10,98,882. The NDA needs 5,49,442 votes and the gap, BJP leaders say, stands bridged.
Geetanjali Gayatri
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 14
The mother of the 23-year-old gangrape victim, whose mutilated body was found in Rohtak on May 11, has named six more suspects, even as the Sonepat police have traced the route taken by the criminals, from the victims house in Sonepats Kalupur village to the site where her body was dumped.
Sources said the police were gathering details of the cellphone location of those named. It had obtained CCTV footage of cameras installed between Sonepat and Rohtak and identified a Santro car used for abducting the victim.
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Rekha Sharma, member of the National Commission for Women, which has taken suo moto cognisance, today met the victims mother and wrote to the government and the police to act swiftly. She said the police had its own version in the light of the fact that the victims family lodged an FIR only on May 11, two days after the girl went missing.
Sources said among the six names mentioned in a supplementary statement were that of the mother of key accused Sumit Kumar and their relatives. As the victim was a Dalit, additional charges under the SC/ST Act have been filed against Sumit Kumar and co-accused Vikas. They were arrested by the Sonepat police on Friday night.
Haryanas Director General of Police BS Sandhu claimed they had almost pieced together the sequence of events leading to the barbaric rape and murder and were interrogating those named by the victims mother.
The Inspector General of Police, Rohtak Range, Navdeep Singh Virk, and Sonepat SP Ashvin Shenvi today met the family and assured them of a fair investigation. ADGP (Law and Order) Mohammad Akil too visited the family. Three of the six suspects named today are yet to join the investigation, he said, adding that a PCR team had been deployed at the deceaseds house as a security measure.
A five-member SIT headed by DSP Mukesh is handling the case. The district administration has announced a compensation of Rs 10.5 lakh for the aggrieved family.
Autopsy reveals extent of savagery
SC Vasudeva
I, an overseas citizen of India, hold a New Zealand passport and am receiving pension from the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. According to the I-T Act, a resident, who has stayed in India for 183 days or so in the previous year, is required to file an I-T return for income earned in India. So to file return, am I required to apply for an Aadhaar card? vinod jaura
The issue with regard to providing the Aadhaar number in the income-tax return is not applicable to a non-resident on the basis of a clarification issued by the Central Board Direct Taxes. For resident assesses, there is no exemption from this requirement. It may however be added that a public interest litigation is pending in the Supreme Court with regard to the mandatory requirement of Aadhaar for filing tax return. The Supreme Court is yet to take a call on it.
I am a Punjab Government employee. I have a single girl child and she is studying in a private medical college. Last year, I had paid annual tax of Rs 63,000. My particulars for March 2017 are:
Gross salary: Rs 74,077
Government Provident Fund: Rs 3,000
Group Insurance Scheme: Rs 120
How can I reduce my tax liabilities? renu bala
You can deposit an additional of Rs 1,50,000 in Public Provident Fund which would be deductible for computing the taxable income. Besides, you can also deposit another Rs 50,000 under a pension scheme notified by the government and such amount shall also be admissible as deduction under Section 80CCD(1B) of the Act. This is in addition to the deduction admissible in respect of PPF. You can also avail the benefit of deduction under Section 80D of the Act by taking a health insurance policy. A deduction to the extent of Rs 25,000 is permissible under the said section.
My wife, 69, has been maintaining an account under the Senior Citizen Saving Scheme with a post office since June 2014. She had provided her PAN to the post office. As the interest earned was not reflected in AS-26 and the post office did not ask for H16 form, we thought it is tax-free and did not mention it in income tax statements of assessment years 2015-16 and 2016-17. If I add interest earned to the income earned in 2015-16, there is no tax payable. But same is not the case for 2016-17. This year, the post office deducted tax in the first quarter and asked for H16 form, which we gave. No further tax was deducted, but the tax deducted is not reflecting in AS-26. We have filed a revised return in 2016-17. How to show this income in this years return? kk chanana
It would be advisable to file a revised return for the assessment year 2016-17. The return can be revised up to March 31, 2018. The revised return should include the amount of interest received from the post office on deposit under Senior Citizen Saving Scheme. The amount of tax after adjusting tax deducted at source should be paid at the time of filing of revised tax return. Such payment should include the interest for non-payment of tax. She can claim the tax credit for the tax deducted at source by the post office on the basis of certificate from the post office.
Rachna Khaira
Tribune News Service,
Jalandhar, May 14
Five persons, including two children, were killed when their car collided with a truck near Khatti village in Phagwara on Sunday, the police said.
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The car collided with the truck near Khatti village, 4 km from Phagwara, killing Vikas (41), Shikha (37), her sister Reena (42), Raghav (10) and Manav (7), Phagwara Sadar SHO Lakhbir Singh said.
Reenas husband Surinder Kumar (46) and Vikass 8-month-old daughter, Shivaka, escaped with injuries and are out of danger, he added.
The impact caused the fuel tank of the truck to burst into flames.
The family was on its way back from a pilgrimage to Chintpurni, Himachal Pradesh.
The police said it took them several hours to pull out the bodies from the wreckage.
The truck driver, who fled the accident scene, has been booked under under Sections 304A (causing death by negligence), 279 (rash driving) and 427 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
He was fired from job four years ago
Parvesh Sharma
Tribune News Service
Sangrur, May 14
Justice comes at a cost and 42-year-old Dalit labourer Sarbjit Singh knows it well. His temporary service as helper under the incharge of the Persons-with-Disabilities scheme at Sant Longowal Institute of Engineering and Technology (SLIET), Longowal, was terminated in 2013.
He lost his job after he raised his voice against the alleged misuse of funds meant for persons with disabilities. Then, he procured information through the RTI Act and wrote to many authorities, but justice continues to elude him.
Fearing that their wrongs would be exposed, SLIET authorities are allegedly threatening Sarbjit with dire consequences. But he has refused to compromise.
With a bag of documents that Sarbjit has procured under the RTI Act, he has been visiting various villages of the district to trace the students whose money has been misused.
Despite having grants, SLIET authorities did not give financial aid to enrolled persons-with-disabilities students for vocational courses under the scheme from 2007 to 2015. The authorities should pay Rs 5,700 to each student. I have detailed information that lakhs have been misappropriated by the authorities concerned. My services were terminated in 2013 after I raised my voice against it, said Sarbjit. He has written to SSP Sangrur for action against SLIET employees.
He alleged that on his complaint to the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) in August 2016, SLIET authorities despite having the grant -- gave wrong information to the PMO that a large number of students were waiting for the grant as funds were not available.
First, they offered me money. When I refused, they started threatening me. These days, I am being pressured to withdraw my complaints. I fear that I may be killed and SLIET authorities will be responsible for it, he said.
Today, he was in Sangrur to board a bus to New Delhi to meet authorities of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
The scheme for integrating persons with disabilities in the mainstream of technical and vocational education was launched in 1999-2000 with an objective to upgrade the skills of physically challenged persons.
Mahesh Arora, incharge of PWD scheme, SLIET, has denied the allegations. No one is issuing threats from our side. It is a baseless allegation, said Arora.
SHO Longowal Jugraj Singh confirmed that Sarbjit has lodged a complaint and said that he would look into it.
New York, May 14
A 26-year-old Sikh-American has made history by becoming the first police officer from the community to join the police department in Indianapolis, the capital of the US state of Indiana, a media report has said.
Mittan Katoch feels it is a 'great honour' to join Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) as the first American-Sikh, the Indianapolis broadcaster RTV6 said.
"I honestly thought there might be more Sikh police officers in IMPD, but to learn I am the first is quite shocking," Katoch, a graduate of the department's 13th recruit class, was quoted as saying by the RTV6.
He said it has been his dream to become an officer since he was a child. "I used to write essays about it," he said.
"I've got tons of feedback, tons of support, comments on Facebook like 'hey, we're proud of you, way to lead the way.' I feel like I'm the spearhead to the movement of getting different ethnicities into the department," he said.
According to IMPD, the current amount of minorities that make up the population of the department is about 18 per cent - however in Marion County, recent US Census data shows minorities make up more than 34 per cent of the population, the report said.
In 2015 and 2016, 17.3 per cent and 17.6 per cent of the IMPD's force were minorities, respectively.
Katoch said he is excited about his career and the chance to build a bridge between communities.
"Being born and raised in America, I'm Americanised enough to know I can do anything I want," he said. "This is the land of opportunity and to be a part of a police department that's reflective of that is awesome." PTI
GS Paul
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, May 14
The Punjab Government will relaunch the multi-crore Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS), which was a pet project of the then Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal.
During a review meeting presided over by Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal here today, it was decided to start an integrated public transport system in the PPP (public-private partnership) mode. Also, at least 10 lakh saplings will be planted in the holy city to compensate for the loss of green cover due to the project.
Sukhbir had decided to replicate the BRTS in Amritsar after he took a ride on the 52-km route of a similar venture in Turkey in February 2015.
A Rs 580-crore project was initiated, with the Central and state governments contributing equally. As per records, civil works to the tune of Rs 495 crore have been completed. However, it is learnt that several irregularities were committed while executing the first phase of the project. A total of 93 buses were scheduled to run on the 31-km corridor, but only 12 became operational. The other buses have been left to rot in the yard at the Verka bypass.
Both ministers said those found guilty of siphoning off funds would not be spared.
Terming BRTS as a white elephant, Sidhu said, It was an ill-conceived project which was prematurely implemented by the SAD-BJP alliance with an eye on the Assembly elections. Now, when over Rs 450 crore have already been pumped in, it was decided not to scrap it, but give it a fresh try. The aim is to plug traffic snarls and widen the routes.
He said the low ground clearance of the buses was posing a problem. We will use vehicles of the city bus service project on the BRTS routes and try to complete the unfinished works, he added.
Manpreet said the state government would create an Urban Transport Fund to revamp public transport in Amritsar. He is banking on the upcoming GST (good and services tax) regime for financial relief.
We aim to overhaul public transport in the holy city in six months. Under GST, we expect to get 14 per cent tax revenue benefit per annum for the next five years. This implies that we may get Rs 5,000-6,000 crore per year, he said.
Others who attended the meeting included Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla, party MLA OP Soni and officials concerned.
SAD asks Sidhu to prove embezzlement charge
Chandigarh: The SAD on Sunday asked Navjot Sidhu to prove his embezzlement charge or apologise for resorting to cheap theatrics. You are in the habit of telling lies to earn a few laughs, said SAD spokesman Dr Daljeet Singh Cheema, reacting to Sidhus charge that Smart City project funds had been embezzled by the Akali-BJP government. Rs 200 crore was sanctioned for Ludhiana, of which the Finance Department released Rs 32 crore. You should work to get the rest released, Cheema said. TNS
An Indian Air Force chopper flew two DRG jawans to Raipur for treatment, after evacuating them from a Naxal-infested area in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. They were injured during exchange of fire between DRGs and Naxals.
The 2 DRG personnel who were rescued after a Naxal encounter in Bijapur, and brought to Raipur (ANI Photo)
By Manjeet Negi: An Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter today evacuated two District Reserve Guards (DRG), who were seriously injured during an encounter between DRGs and Naxals in Basaguda, in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.
The incident took place in a remote Naxal-infested area with thick vegetation. Since the nearest helipad for Mi 17 operations was far away, it was decided that two helicopters would be launched, with one of them functioning as an airborne escort for protection.
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After the choppers left from Jabalpur, one of them landed in a field, successfully evacuated the two jawans, and flew them to Raipur - Chhattisgarh's capital - for treatment. It flew for more than two hours in the process.
The most notable aspect of the mission was the IAF's quick response in undertaking a very high-risk mission in an active operation area, by landing on a field and not a secure helipad - which is the norm.
The jawans are recovering at the hospital.
ALSO READ | UP district uses community outreach, skill development to fight off Naxal threat
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ALSO WATCH | Sukma attack: Meet the IAF bravehearts who flew the mortal remains of the CRPF jawans
--- ENDS ---
PK Jaiswar
Tribune News Service
Attari, May 13
Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju today said a committee had been formed for installation of full-body truck scanners at the Integrated Check Post here to scan goods arriving from Pakistan.
Rijiju said the process was delayed due to a complaint by one of the companies, which had quoted higher rates for the scanners. As it was necessary to verify the contents of the complaint, it took time and, therefore, the installation was delayed, he told the media.
He said he had expressed anguish over the delay and the panel had been constituted to hasten the process. Our officials visited Saudi Arabia and other countries where such scanners were installed to study the project. Things are almost done now.
The Minister also unfurled a 107-foot-tall Tricolour near the border here. After the unfurling, Rijiju said it was a proud moment for the nation, and that funding for the flags maintenance would be provided by the Centre.
He interacted with the staff of Landport Authority of India, Customs, Border Security Force and other agencies at the ICP and took stock of their problems. He also met traders involved in import-export business to Pakistan and assured them of addressing their problems.
On WhatsApp groups created by terror outfits across the LoC to woo Muslim youth from Jammu and Kashmir and to provoke them for stone-pelting at security personnel, he said false propaganda was being unleashed by various Pakistani agencies. The government is aware of this and appropriate measures are being taken, which cannot be discussed in the media, he said.
He was accompanied by MPs Shwet Malik and Gurjit Aujla, MLA Tarsem Singh DC, and Mayor Bakshi Ram Arora besides district administrative officials.
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, May 14
Uttarakhand Sugarcane Development Minister Prakash Pant has sought a package to the tune of Rs 895 crore for the modernisation of sugar mills in the state.
Pant put forward the states demand before Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh when he met him later in Dehradun today. Prakash Pant said the package amount besides modernisation of sugar mills would also assist in power generation through cane residue in the mills. He said the package could be given in the form of loan with minimum rate of interest through National Cooperatives Development Corporation.
Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh on his part assured all support to Uttarakhand. He said the Union Agriculture Ministry understood the concerns of both sugar mills and farmers of the state.
Uttarakhand Secretary Sugarcane Development Vinod Sharma disclosed that five sugar mills in the state fell under the Uttarakhand Sugar Cooperatives Federation. These included Bajpur, Nadeyee, Sitarganj, Kitcha and Doiwala. He apprised that a proposal for modernisation of these had been sent to the National Cooperatives Development Corporation. Rudraprayag BJP MLA Vinod Kandari was also present on the occasion.
Beijing/Islamabad, May 13
China and Pakistan today signed six pacts to boost cooperation on the $50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), including one on building an airport at the strategic Gwadar port city, with President Xi Jinping asserting that ties with Islamabad were a priority.
The pacts were signed in the presence of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang ahead of the much-publicised Belt and Road Forum beginning tomorrow.
The agreements included accords of cooperation in diverse fields, framework of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Initiative, Economic and Technical Cooperation with assistance of $210 million for Gwadar Airport, Economic and Technical Cooperation for Gwadar Airport ($115 million) and East Bay Expressway ($160 million), state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
After the MoUs and agreements were signed, Xi told Sharif that the bilateral ties remain a priority for China and Beijing was willing to enrich the "all-weather" strategic and cooperative partnership with Pakistan.
Sharif also attended a presentation made by China's National Energy Administration on the construction of Bhasha Dam, a project which he said is of critical importance for the future of Pakistan.
The pacts deal with the increasing bilateral cooperation within the framework of China's ambitious Silk Road project, upgrading the main railway track between Karachi and Peshawar referred to as ML-1 , and an MoU for the establishment of a dry port in Havelian, Radio Pakistan reported.
On the CPEC, Xi said the supplementary projects in and around the Gwadar port in the restive Balochistan province should be steadily advanced and the study on the construction of industrial parks along the corridor facilitated. The deep-water port and the CPEC is of significance to China as they together facilitate Beijings access to the Arabian Sea and resultantly links it with Eurasia and Africa. The Gwadar port opposite the Mumbais port housing the Indian Navys western naval command provides a berth for China in the Arabian Sea and to the Indian Ocean. PTI
Kathmandu, May 14
Nepalese were voting today in the first local-level polls in two decades, an election crucial for cementing democracy amid political turmoil in the country. The first phase of local elections are peacefully taking place at 281 local units out of 283, said the office Election Commission.
Out of 283 local bodies where first phase elections were scheduled, the elections are being held in 281 local bodies as candidates were elected unopposed in two local units, it said.
According to an Election Commission spokesperson, around 42% of total registered voters in 34 districts have cast their votes by noon. Altogether 4.9 million voters are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of elections.
Nearly 50,000 candidates are vying for the position of mayor, deputy mayor, ward chairman and ward member in 281 local municipalities.
Local-level elections could not be held after 1997 largely as a result of the decade-long Maoist insurgency that claimed more than 16,000 lives. The elections should be held in every five years but due to political instability, they were halted since May 1997.
Local bodies remained ignored during the long transitional period even after the peace deal signed between the government and the Maoists in November 2006. PTI
As digitisation and automation become the new normal, IT biggies like Infosys, Cognizant and Tech Mahindra are seeing a spate of layoffs and this trend may continue for the next 1-2 years, say experts.
By Press Trust of India: As digitisation and automation become the new normal, IT biggies like Infosys, Cognizant and Tech Mahindra are seeing a spate of layoffs and this trend may continue for the next 1-2 years, say experts.
The pink slips are being handed out to thousands of employees as part of their performance appraisal process, but it is believed that these are directed more towards cost control amid pressure on bottom line due to a rising tide of protectionism in most target markets.
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Indian software exporters in particular are facing headwinds in the business environment and stricter work permit regime in countries like the US, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. Moreover, with newer technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), robotic process automation and cloud computing, which help complete the job with less manpower, software companies are now having to reconsider their strategies.
FAILED TO KEEP PACE WITH CHANGES
"Its a situation wherein the available talent haven't kept up with the pace at which the industry was evolving and hence, many of them find themselves redundant," said Rituparna Chakraborty, TeamLease Services Executive Vice-President and co-founder.
Executive search organisation GlobalHunt MD Sunil Goel said: "This rationalisation does happen in every 3-5 years in the industry through new-age technologies, but this has impacted it more this time as the US also has changed policies for foreign IT workers."
Goel further noted that "the consolidated trend may continue for next 1-2 years", but sees it as an opportunity for IT professionals to upgrade themselves and get into the new-age technologies where demand is going to be huge.
SURGE IN DEMAND FOR DATA SCIENCE, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Pink slips are likely for jobs in manual testing, technology support and system administration since these are increasingly going to be managed by AI and robotics process automation based systems. However, there is surge in demand for latest and innovative technologies like data science, artificial intelligence and digital domain specific skills.
"It is a painful transitory phase. However, things would look up in the next two quarters as each of the IT services company successful steers towards a stable growth phase," Chakraborty said. Talent management solutions provider KellyOCG India Country Director Francis Padamadan said, "We will continue to see some amount of rationalisation happening among IT companies though it is difficult to put a number."
Japanese brokerage firm Nomura, in a research note, said that the job cuts of 2-3 per cent of the overall headcount of nearly 7,60,000 by Infosys, Cognizant, Tech Mahindra and Wipro are not material. However, this kind of rationalisation is likely to be a continuing phenomenon until the workforce realignment towards digital skills is complete.
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Also read:
IT job market crashes: Nearly 2 lakh jobs at stake at Infosys, Cognizant and others
Trump effect? Infosys to lay off 2,000 employees, says firings an annual process
ALSO WATCH:
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By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Updating with additional inputs)
From Aditi Khanna
London, May 13 (PTI) An Indian-origin doctor based in London had warned against the cyber-hack of the UKs state-run National Health Service just days before it crippled the countrys network.
Krishna Chinthapalli, a neurology registrar atthe National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, had said an increasing number of hospitals could be shut down by ransomeware attacks inan article on the vulnerability of the NHS network in the British Medical Journal on Wednesday, two days before the major cyber hack of the National Health Service (NHS) system on Friday.
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He had highlighted an incident at Papworth Hospital near Cambridge where a nurse clicked on a malicious link and malware infected her computer and started to encrypt sensitive files.
"Fortunately, the hospitals daily data backup had just been completed. The IT director admitted that they were very lucky, saying, Timing absolutely was everything for us," Chinthapalli wrote.
"We should be prepared: more hospitals will almost certainly be shut down by ransomware this year," he wrote.
The revelation came as UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd confirmed today that as many as 48 NHS trusts had been affected by thelarge-scale cyber-hack by an international criminal gang wreaked havoc around the country.
After chairing an emergency meeting of the COBRA committee, Rudd said that all but 6 trusts were now back to normal.
Confirming that 97 per cent of hospitals were "back to normal", she said,"This is a virus that attacked Windows platforms. The fact is the NHS has fallen victim to this."
The Opposition Liberal Democrat and Labour parties have both demanded an inquiry into the cyber-attack.
Patients of the state-funded country-wide service are still facing days of chaos as appointments and surgeries were cancelled after NHS organisations from London to Scotland were hit in the "ransomware" attack yesterday.
NHS Digital said the impact of the cyberattack could continue.
"The situation is changing and impacting organisations in a range of different ways," a spokesperson said.
Ciaran Martin, who leads the UKs National Cyber Security Centre, said his team was doing everything in their power to get "vital services" back up and running.
"We are very aware that attacks on critical services such as the NHS have a massive impact on individuals and their families, and we are doing everything in our power to help them restore these vital services," he said.
"Its important to understand that cyber attacks can be different from other forms of crime in that their sometimes highly technical and anonymous nature means it can take some time to understand how it worked, who was behind it and what the impact is," he told the BBC.
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Critically ill patients are being diverted to unaffected hospitals as computer systems failed in A&E units and doctors were locked out of test results, X-rays and patient records.
NHS England said patients needing emergency treatment should go to Accidents & Emergency (A&E) or access emergency services as they normally would.
However, there have been some reports of ambulances being diverted from affected hospitals and individual NHS trusts have asked registered patients not to attend unless it is urgent.
Londons Barts Health NHS Trust, the largest trust in the UK, cancelled all outpatient appointments at its five hospitals today.
The NHS has not been affected in Wales and Northern Ireland.
The assault is part of an attack that has affected organisations in more than 70 countries, including the United States, China, Russia and Spain, disrupting power and telephone companies.
Gangs are thought to have used tools stolen from US spies and dumped online by hackers linked to Russia.
"This is not targeted at the NHS, its an international attack and a number of countries and organisations have been affected," British Prime Minister Theresa May said.
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"The National Cyber Security Centre is working closely with NHS Digital to ensure they support the organisations concerned and that they protect patient safety. We are not aware of any evidence that patient data has been compromised," she said.
The attack came after warnings of NHS vulnerability, with cybersecurity allegedly neglected despite a series of attempted hacks.
Ransomware programmes, which are sent by email and spread swiftly, can be bought on the dark web with sellers negotiating a percentage of the takings.
"We will be advising NHS trusts to modernise their platforms," UK home secretary Amber Rudd said.
The malware used in the NHS attack is called WannaCry and attacks Windows operating systems.
It encrypts files on a users computer, blocking them from view, before demanding money, via an on-screen message, to access them again.
The demand is for a payment of 300 dollars in virtual currency Bitcoin to unlock the files.
The virus is usually covertly installed on to computers by hiding within emails containing links, which users are tricked into opening.
A German ticket machine, a university laboratory in Italy and a number of Spanish firms - including telecoms giant Telefonica, power firm Iberdrola and utility provider Gas Natural - are among those hit by the outbreak.
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Portugal Telecom, delivery company FedEx, a Swedish local authority and Megafon, the second largest mobile phone network in Russia, also said they had been affected. PTI AK MRJ
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The Blue Dome Arts Festival was started as a small event to showcase local artists and has grown to include nearly 300 area artists and performers.
Artwork will include painting, pottery, carving, photography, jewelry, home decor and more. All artists produce their art by hand and will be selling their original works.
Live music and other performances will be featured on the main stage at Second Street and Elgin Avenue all three days of the free festival, which begins Friday. A food truck court will circle the stage.
New this year is a Chill & Grill Zone that will be at the east end of the festival where guests can relax and cool off under a tent with misters while grabbing a bite from a second food court.
The Pet Zone, presented by Dr. Chet Thomas of City Veterinary Hospital of Tulsa on Brookside, will return this year. It will include a sodded area where pets can relax, cool off and grab a treat. Pet owners can check out a variety of local pet organizations and businesses that specialize in the industry, as well as local pet adoption through the Tulsa SPCA and Oklahoma Alliance for Animals.
The OAA will also be offering microchipping, and PetsWell Pantry, Tulsas only pet food truck, will be offering treats for dogs. Thomas will host a Q-and-A session all weekend and will offer nail grindings. All pets must be registered and must check in at the PetZone once arriving at the festival. They will receive a treat and a Blue Dome bandana.
The Family Zone will host a variety of hands-on collaborative and individual art projects, as well as inflatables and a handprint wall, where everyone can make their mark.
Food trucks and trailers will set up in three locations throughout the festival. Here are the trucks to find:
Stage food court: Andolinis, Back Street, Cajun Boil, Coolray Coffee Cafe, Dog House, Gyros by Ali, Kona Ice, Lick Your Lips Mini-Donuts, Lone Wolf, MASA, MeeMees Strawberry Patch, Mr. Nice Guys, Rub, The Wurst
Chill & Grill Zone food court: El Ranchero, Hardens Hamburgers, Kettle Treats, Mods Coffee & Crepes, Pie in the Sky, Steak & Bake
Family Zone snacks: Goforth Concessions, Louies Dawg House
A major political leader in the U.S. House of Representatives recently remarked that he would not waste time reading anything that was not conservative. Also, I have heard liberals argue that the liberal approach to public policy always should be used.
My question is whether or not these absolute types of orientations are realistic, and whether or not they actually undermine the constitutional democracy that our Founding Fathers and more recent political leaders over a period of time have developed.
Our political culture has become more ideological and too often it emphasizes absolute thinking, which leaders try to impose on the voter. Personally, I am committed to a fully functioning constitutional democratic approach that enables differing political groups to discuss issues constructively, and to work out compromises that permit the political order to function for the good of the voting community.
Serious deadlocks threaten our system of government and promote politics that threaten to lead to an insidious form of authoritarianism. President Trumps denial of certain major reporters to attend his press conferences is a dangerous example of authoritarianism.
Radical ideologists will make every effort to impose their ideology on all of us. Think back over the communist ideologists such as Lenin, Stalin and Mao all them imposing autocratic and vicious government, which led to many deaths of the people they ruled. Ideology was imposed absolutely. Do we want absolute ideology and harsh government imposed on us, the American people? Government deadlocks have been damaging enough.
Unfortunately, in the United States we are seeing strong currents of ideology, failure to take issues seriously and failure to vote. Under these circumstances, absolutist ideologies rise and crippling deadlocks result.
Is there an answer?
Of course there is an answer. The history of the United States, starting with our Founding Fathers and the historic changes such as allowing women and 18-year-olds to vote, reflect responses to a viable constitutional democracy. We must be more conscientious and recognize that basic political values should not take an absolutist form.
Absolutist policies must be rejected. Education should place much more emphasis on the political values of a constitutional democracy in history, government and other social studies classes. Political leaders must speak to the issue. We must be more pragmatic!
Why can we not simply focus on the pragmatic aspects of our problems, have a discussion between reasonable conservatives and liberals, and work out a compromise that relates to the majority of voters? We can have reasonable debates between the people who are inclined toward one orientation or another, make some compromises and stabilize our country. Otherwise the United States is going to become a weaker power.
Lets talk to one another. Be reasonable, work out problems, develop policies that are pragmatic and serve the best interests of our country!
Harold V. Sare is regents service professor of political science emeritus at Oklahoma State University.
NITV premieres a new 6 part culinary program, On Country Kitchen filmed in the south-west of Western Australia.
NITV Channel Manager, Tanya Orman said: A series for the whole family to enjoy, On Country Kitchen explores Western Australians beautiful landscape, teaches us how to make bush tucker and makes us laugh at Mark and Dereks funny adventures.
On Country Kitchen stars celebrity chef and Bundjalung man Mark Olive (aka the Black Olive). As a renowned Indigenous chef, Mark boasts over 30 years experience cooking. His charismatic personality and creative approach to food has helped him build a reputation and large following in Australia and around the world. Mark has a passion for fusing native and Indigenous Australian ingredients with contemporary cooking techniques to create a dynamic and unique gastronomic philosophy.
Marks right hand man in On Country Kitchen is West Australian comic and Noongar man, Derek Nannup. Funny man Derek is eager to learn cooking skills from Mark in the series and goes on the hunt to collect fresh produce, meeting farmers from around the Western Australian countryside. As well as his work as a comedian, Derek is an actor, dancer, circus performer, didgeridoo player, childrens hospital clown doctor and cultural presenter, making him a hilarious character alongside Mark throughout the series.
On Country Kitchen takes the complexity out of cooking and starts by teaching simple tips and tricks, as Mark opens his culinary world to Derek, with the two not only cooking up mouth-watering dishes, but a bit of fun too.
On Country Kitchen is a Mago Films production, commissioned by NITV, with assistance from Screenwest and Lotterywest.
EPISODE ONE: Duck, Tapenade and Abalone, Wednesday 24 May, 7.30pm
Derek starts his journey with a special blessing from the local Indigenous Wardan women before heading out on the hunt for some duck. He helps to make an olive tapenade before going to sea to collect abalone straight from the reefs, and even finds time to shake a leg with a local Noongar kids dance group.
Recipe: Pan Seared Duck & Mushroom Risotto
Recipe: Damper with Dukkah & Tapenade
Recipe: Abalone Salad
EPISODE TWO: Sheep Cheese, Black Garlic and Marron, Wednesday 31 May, 7.30pm
Derek heads to Cambray Cheese in what he says is a town named after him Nannup! He tries black garlic in Osmington, teaches a couple of local kids some busking tips on the streets of Margaret River before watching a local dive for freshwater marron. He even has time for a quick circus lesson.
Recipe: Sheep Cheese Frittata
Recipe: Black Garlic & Greens
Recipe: Marron with Chilli Butter
EPISODE THREE: Beetroot Pasta, Beef and Bloodroot, Wednesday 7 June, 7.30pm
Derek learns how to make beetroot pasta, goes cattle herding on a four wheeler and even heads on country on a real hunt in the bush for Indigenous bloodroot with a father and son.
Recipe: Beetroot Pasta Salad
Recipe: Smoked Beef & Vegetables
Recipe: Thai Beef Salad with Bloodroot
EPISODE FOUR: Pork, Lemon Myrtle and Egg, Wednesday 14 June, 7.30pm
Derek is on the hunt for pork, to find some orchard raised free-range eggs, and investigates a very special Lemon Myrtle herb. He also talks country and culture with Indigenous Noongar man Joe Northover.
Recipe: Pork Fillet with Cabbage and Apple
Recipe: Lemon Myrtle Shortbread and Lemon Myrtle Tea
Recipe: Caesar Salad with Egg
EPISODE FIVE: Kim Chi, Maple Smoked Bacon and Honey, Wednesday 21 June, 7.30pm
Derek starts out with a fun way to harvest cabbages; he then helps prepare smoked meats, and helps a beekeeper put a queen bee into a new hive! We hear the special sounds of two
Didgeridoos in the Boranup Forest and we even discover why Derek uses a plastic didgeridoo.
Recipe: Kim Chi with Prawns & Oysters
Recipe: Maple Smoked Bacon, Lettuce, Avocado & Tomato
Recipe: Honey Popcorn with Lemon Myrtle
EPISODE SIX: Avocado, Finger Lime and Olive Oil, Wednesday 28 June, 7.30pm
Aboriginal school kids sing to a proud Derek in their shared Noongar language before he heads out to pick avocados, learns about native finger limes and gets Mark some more of his favourite olive oil.
Recipe: Avocado Salsa
Recipe: Finger Lime Butter
Recipe: Swordfish with Finger Lime Butter
A Ukrainian prankster is facing up to five years in prison for gatecrashing a Eurovision performance by 2016 winner Jamala, and mooning the audience.
Draped in an Australian flag, the prankster was Ukranian Vitaly Sediuk, who has form in his celebrity stunts.
He was detained for 72 hours, until the court comes up with a sentence a fine or up to five years in jail, Arsen Avakov, Ukraines interior minister, wrote on Facebook.
Now, this shame of our country can practice his hobby while in police custody.
Last year, Sediuk famously ambushed Kim Kardashian in Paris. At the 2013 Grammy Awards, he stormed the stage and accepted the prize on Adeles behalf.
In the replay last night, SBS sought to distance itself from the man in the Aussie flag, telling viewers he was not with us.
Source: RT
The bridge is seen as an attempt by India to shore up its defence requirements along the Sino-Indian border particularly in the Northeast besides providing easy access to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with air and rail connectivity.
By Press Trust of India: India's longest river bridge, capable of withstanding the weight of a 60-tonne battle tank, will be inaugurated in Assam close to the border with China on May 26 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
With the inauguration of the 9.15-km-long Dhola-Sadiya bridge over the Brahmaputra river, the prime minister will kick start the celebrations of the NDA government's three years in office from this eastern-most part of Assam.
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The bridge is seen as an attempt by India to shore up its defence requirements along the Sino-Indian border particularly in the Northeast besides providing easy access to the people of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam with air and rail connectivity.
It is 3.55 km longer than the Bandra-Worli sea link in Mumbai, making it the longest bridge in India.
"The prime minister will dedicate the strategically important bridge to the nation on May 26. It will bolster the road connectivity in the Northeast as the bridge will be used by people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh besides defence forces extensively," Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal told PTI.
BRIDGE CAN WITHSTAND MOVEMENT OF MILITARY TANKS
The construction of the bridge began in 2011 at a project cost of Rs 950 crore. The design is such that the bridge can withstand the movement of military tanks.
"Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have huge strategic value to the country. Since the bridge is located close to our border with China, it will help quick movement of military troops and artillery in times of conflict," Sonowal said.
The bridge is located 540-km away from Assam capital Dispur and 300 km away from Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar. The aerial distance to the Chinese border is less than 100 km.
After Kaliabhomora bridge near Tezpur, there is no bridge over the Brahmaputra for the next 375 km upstream till Dhola, where the new bridge is constructed. Currently, all the transport between the two banks of the river are being carried out through water only.
BRIDGE TO CUT DOWN TRAVEL TIME
The bridge, when opened for the public, will cut down the travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh by as much as four hours.
As there is no civilian airport in Arunachal Pradesh, this bridge will help people of the state to reach the nearest rail head in Tinsukia and the airport in Dibrugarh easily.
Sonowal said the delayed works of the bridge was expedited after Modi assumed the charge in 2014. The bridge was originally scheduled to open in 2015.
The Bharatiya Janata Party government in Assam will complete one year in office on May 24.
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The bridge is one of the key projects of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in the Northeast and is built in public-private partnership with a construction company.
ALSO READ:
Get set UDAN: PM Modi flags off first low cost flight from Shimla to Delhi
PM Modi inaugurates Chenani-Nashri tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir
WATCH:
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The rocket's main and bigger cryogenic engine has been developed by space scientists and will be powering the rocket for the first time.
By Indo-Asian News Service: Buoyed by the successful launch of the South Asia Satellite, the Indian space agency is now busy preparing for the maiden launch of its heaviest rocket -- the 640-tonne Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-Mark III (GSLV Mk III).
The notable aspect of this rocket is that the main and bigger cryogenic engine has been developed by space scientists here and will be powering the rocket for the first time.
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"Our 12 years of labour is expected to bear fruit this June. Preparation for the June launch of GSLV Mk III rocket carrying communication satellite GSAT-19 is on at Sriharikota," K. Sivan, Director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), told IANS.
"All the officials are confident of the proposed mission's success. The strap-on motors and the core stage/engine have been integrated," Sivan added.
Queried about the slight postponement in the rocket's launch -- earlier it was said the rocket would fly end-May -- Sivan said: "As this is a new rocket, we want to carry out extensive tests and hence there has been a slight change in the launch schedule."
According to him, the GSLV Mk-III will make its maiden voyage during the first week of June.
GSAT 19: HEAVIEST SATELLITE TO BE LIFTED BY INDIAN ROCKET
The GSAT 19, weighing around 3.2 tonnes -- the heaviest satellite to be lifted by an Indian rocket -- is already at the Sriharikota rocket port.
"The rocket's design carrying capacity is four tonnes. The payload will be gradually increased in the future flights of the GSLV Mk-III," Sivan said.
According to ISRO, GSAT-19 is a multi-beam satellite planned to carry Ka and Ku band forward and return link transponders. The satellite's design lifespan is 15 years.
The Indian space agency had flown a similar rocket without the cryogenic engine but with 3.7 tonne payload in 2014.
"That was mainly to test the structural stability of the rocket while in flight and the aerodynamics," Sivan said.
During the atmospheric flight phase, a rocket will encounter different kinds of pressures.
"The 2014 mission was a success. The vehicle performed as expected but gave data for slight modifications in rocket's outer shield to improve the aerodynamics. The shape of the heat shield and the strap-on motors has been slightly changed now," Sivan said.
2014 MISSION PAVED WAY FOR NEW LAUNCH
"That mission proved the transition of stage (engine) burn, the rocket's overall design and the separation of various stages," S. Somanath, Director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), told IANS.
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Somanath, who was earlier Project Director for the GSLV Mk-III, said the inputs of the 2014 mission enabled ISRO reduce the load on the rocket by around 20 per cent.
"Designing the rocket engines and, more particularly, the cryogenic engine of the GSLV-Mk III is not a simple extrapolation of specifications of the GSLV Mk-II's cryogenic engine," Somanath said.
The mass of the GSLV Mk-III's cryogenic engine is double that of the GSLV-Mk II's cryogenic engine.
"The GSLV-Mk II cryogenic engine's propellant volume is 12 tonnes while that of GSLV- Mk III is 27 tonnes. The thrust power of the bigger cryogenic engine is 19.5 tonnes while that of the previous engine was 7.5 tonnes," Somanath said.
As to the learnings from developing the cryogenic engine for the GSLV-Mk II, Somanath said: "It enabled us to learn about cryogenic materials. It gave us the experience in handling cryogenic materials. We also established the various procedures from scratch."
According to Somanath, ISRO has got the government's approval to build more GSLV-Mk II rockets and orders for hardware have been placed.
India presently has two rockets -- the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and GSLV-Mk II -- with a lift-off mass of 415 tonnes and a carrying capacity of 2.5 tonnes.
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WATCH:
ALSO READ:
South Asia Satellite GSAT-9: How Pakistan orbited out of SAARC space
Countdown begins for ISRO launch of South Asia satellite: PM Modi's gift to India's neighbours
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Burlesque icon Dita Von Teese is set to astound audiences with the west coast run of her North American tour The Art of the Teese variety show, including a stop at the House of Blues Las Vegas on July 10, 2017 (Photo credit: Scott Harrison).
Im proud to bring together a show-stopping, diverse cast of the creme de la creme of modern burlesque stars that elate and inspire! The Art of the Teese is an opulent and riotous spectacle that is not to be missed!
The decadent spectacle treats audiences to four of Von Teeses most exhilarating performances, including a brand new version of her iconic Martini Glass routine which features a beautiful new champagne glass, crystalized from top to bottom with more than 250,000 Swarovski crystals. She will also debut a brand new costume for the routine featuring her recently added male dancers. Each show throughout the tour will showcase the stunning visuals of the exclusive acts that have made Von Teese the consummate performer in modern Burlesque, captivating the imagination and transporting audiences worldwide.
This leg of the tour brings new acts never before seen in the United States including Lazy, an act only ever performed at The Crazy Horse Paris (including new costuming from British designer Jenny Packham), an all-new ballet-themed act Swan Lake Stripteese, plus a revitalization of her show-stopping Cowgirl Act with her sexy male Vontourage.
Von Teese will be joined on stage by an eclectic supporting cast of todays brightest stars of Burlesque.
Taking audiences on a journey into fantasy and spectacle, Von Teese is renowned for her ornate sets and dazzling haute-couture performance costumes adorned with hundreds of thousands of Swarovski crystals. This Burlesque Superheroine (Vanity Fair) determines every aspect of her burlesque shows from the sets and costumes, to the music and lighting. Von Teese is celebrated for her distinct sense of style and remains on top of Best Dressed lists internationally. Beyond her live performances, Von Teese has curated her brand across multiple platforms including her own lingerie line, fragrances, eyewear, gloves and stockings. In addition, she is a New York Times Best-Selling author who recently released her third book, Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour.
Pakistan Army on Sunday morning resorted to indiscriminate firing along the LoC in Rajouri sector to which the Indian Army is retaliating.
By India Today Web Desk: Pakistan once again violated the caesfire today in Chiti Bakri in Chingus area of Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district. This is the third violation in the last 2 days.
On Saturday, 2 civilians were killed and 3 injured in Pakistan shelling on the Line of Control (LoC) in Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir, leading to an exchange of firing and shelling between Indian and Pakistan armies in Rajouri sector.
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Police on Saturday said that Pakistan has now started targeting civilians of three villages along the LoC namely Bhawani, Baba Khowari and Kalsian.
The civil administration in Rajouri district announced indefinite closure of all schools on Saturday along the Line of Control in the area till further orders.
As many as 14 families from the border villages in Naushera sector fled their homes on Friday following indiscriminate shelling by Pakistani troops. On Saturday, more villagers were seen abandoning their homes to take shelter in safer places away from the line of enemy fire.
Also read: J-K: 2 killed as Pakistan violates ceasefire in Nowshera, Army patrol fired upon in Pulwama
Also read: Opposed to China's CPEC that passes through PoK, India boycotts Belt and Road initiative
WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
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Following the release of his new album Everybody last week, today Def Jam Recordings/Visionary Music Group artist Logic announces Everybodys Tour featuring support from Brooklyn upstart Joey Bada$$ and Big Lenbo. The 29-date tour will make a Las Vegas stop at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas Saturday, July 8.
On tour, Logic will perform music off his new album Everybody, which was released just last week to rave reviews. Rolling Stone highlighted Logics ridiculous skills on the album while Pitchfork proclaimed Everybody is an album you should listen to now. This week, Logic was featured on the cover of Complex Magazine alongside famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who is featured on the album, and delivered an rousing performance of his track Black SpiderMan on ABCs Jimmy Kimmel Live! featuring a choir, strings and dancers.
Everybody features eclectic line-up, among them Neil deGrasse Tyson, Killer Mike, Alessia Cara, Khalid, Juicy J and more. Along with the album, Logic released an exclusive 45-minute documentary, which follows him through the album recording, giving fans unprecedented access to his life and creative process.
The Everybody Documentary Trailer
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7J0-WsHseE
Everybody Standard & Deluxe http://smarturl.it/LogicEverybody
Exclusive Merchandise & Album Bundles www.AllAboutTheFans.com
Everybody is the eagerly awaited follow-up to The Incredible True Story (2015). The monster 18-track long-player crafted a sci-fi space odyssey script that developed throughout the interludes on the album, and cemented Logics status as one of musics most creative young MCs. In support of The Incredible True Story, Logics 2016 Incredible World Tour crisscrossed North America from February through April.
The Incredible World Tour segued into The Endless Summer Tour, a sold-out 25-city run across the U.S. and Canada, co-headlined by Logic and G-Eazy. Coinciding with the tour, the Bobby Tarantino mixtape (July 2016) upped the ante, as Billboard declared Logic heats up the summer with a new banger, while additional raves were piled on by Pitchfork, Spin, and Complex.
Logic, the 27-year-old rapper born Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, first broke free from the pack in 2014 with Under Pressure, his RIAA gold Def Jam album debut, which shocked the industry with a #2 chart debut. Hailed as one of the years finest hip-hop debuts, Huffington Post crowned Under Pressure 2014s Best Hip-Hop Album So Far, iTunes named it Best Hip Hop Album 2014, Artist Direct called it The Best Debut of 2014, and MTV News nominated it as Rap Album Of The Year Contender. The buzz earned Logic performances on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Lollapalooza, Wireless Festival UK, Governors Ball, and a headline world tour.
The belated-birthday celebrations continued Saturday for Cody Christian as he kicked off the day at TAO Beach in The Venetian (Photo credit: Tony Tran Photography).
The Teen Wolf star and his friends partied the afternoon away at a VIP cabana where the TAO Beach staff surprised him with a birthday presentation complete with a giant fortune cookie.
Photo credit: Tony Tran Photography.
That night, the group headed to TAO Asian Bistro and enjoyed a selection of favorites from the chef. After fueling up with dinner, the party continued upstairs in the nightclub where Christian was once again treated to a birthday presentation from the TAO staff.
Sacked FBI chief James Comey (pictured). (Photo: AFP/Nicholas Kamm)
It was a complicated week for the Republican billionaire and his spokespeople - one that earned him a mountain of negative press. His aides conveyed a somewhat scattershot message, and Trump was reportedly angry.
He turned to Twitter, his communications method of choice, to issue a threat - the possible scrapping of the daily White House briefings.
"Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future 'press briefings' and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy???" he mused, admitting that his own people were struggling to keep up with his "active" presidency.
Trump then doubled down on the idea in an interview with Fox News, saying: "We just don't have them, unless I have them every two weeks and I do them myself. We don't have them. I think it's a good idea."
"You have a level of hostility that's incredible and it's very unfair," he told the network in an interview to air in full on Saturday.
But Trump's critics said the hiccups in his media operation were his own fault, and questioned his willingness to impugn the credibility of his own team members, who the president said could not "stand at podium with perfect accuracy."
"He needs to empower his people and spokespeople to understand what's happening and be okay to legally communicate it to the world," Josh Earnest, the former spokesman for Trump's predecessor Barack Obama, told MSNBC.
"That is a flaw at the top."
Former White House communications director Jen Psaki said the week's events had raised questions about whether Trump's spokespeople "are prepared, and whether credibility and honesty are valued."
"That is troubling not just in the United States but around the world," Psaki, also a former State Department spokeswoman, told AFP.
SWIRLING STORIES
Once the bombshell news of Comey's firing broke late on Tuesday, the White House was at pains to explain it - and its series of contradictory statements were quickly ridiculed.
Officials first said Comey had been dismissed over his handling of the investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's use of private email while at the State Department.
Vice President Mike Pence said the move, which followed the recommendation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, was the "right decision at the right time."
But Trump himself later made an about-face, admitting the decision was based at least partly on the fact that Comey was leading a probe into Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 election and the Trump circle's possible collusion with Moscow - a notion the president says was "fabricated" by Democrats.
He then went a step farther, warning Comey not to speak to the press about their meetings and suggesting there could be "tapes" of their private conversations in the Oval Office.
SPICER IN THE HOT SEAT
The embattled White House spokesman Sean Spicer - who had been off for a few days on Naval Reserve duty - returned to the podium on Friday, where he faced a grilling from reporters.
On whether Trump was surreptitiously recording Oval Office meetings, Spicer said he had "nothing further to add on that." As for the tweet to Comey, Spicer said: "That's not a threat. He simply stated a fact. The tweet speaks for itself."
But the spokesman admitted he and his staff sometimes "don't have an opportunity to get in to see him to get his full thinking."
Earnest said that situation was untenable, and not Spicer's fault.
"There are days when Sean Spicer can't get into the Oval Office before he does the briefing," said Earnest, who served as Obama's primary spokesman for three years. "That's not Sean's fault. That's the fault of the president of the United States."
'WONDERFUL HUMAN BEING'
Trump defended his surrogates in the interview with Fox News, calling Spicer a "wonderful human being" and deputy spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders a "lovely young woman."
The president has so far dismissed the notion that Spicer could be fired, lamenting that "he gets beat up" by the press corps. But it is not only at the White House that Trump has communications problems.
At the State Department, regular daily briefings - which are as closely followed by the diplomatic corps as the White House press conferences - have not resumed since late January, save for a few exceptions in March.
However, for both Earnest and Psaki, the moment of truth will come when a national security crisis erupts.
"When there is a general national security crisis when the world is tuning in to the White House briefing wondering what the president thinks about it, and there may be a spokesperson standing behind the podium that hasn't spoken to the president that day, that's going to be a problem," Earnest said.
Psaki added: "When that moment comes, the public and the global community will be looking to the president, the vice president and the White House to speak with one voice."
A worker at the B.Braun Viet Nam Company Limited, a Germany-invested medical equipment producer. Germany has invested around US$1 billion in Viet Nam to date. - VNA/VNS Photo Danh Lam
They are in the country along with the visiting German Parliamentary State Secretary of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, Iris Gleicke.
The visit of Gleicke to Viet Nam has promoted relations between the two nations, and this is a good chance for Vietnamese localities to introduce themselves to German investors, Dr Nguyen Hoang Long, director of the Department of Foreign Affairs for Provinces, said.
Germany is the biggest trade partner of Viet Nam in Europe and Viet Nam would like to become the biggest trade partner of Germany in Southeast Asia.
Gleicke said: Germany and Viet Nam have had many open political discussions. I highly appreciate this mornings roundtable because our enterprises from Eastern Germany had a unique experience in transitioning from a centrally-planned economy to a market economy.
Our Eastern enterprises are very famous for their high-tech, wastewater treatment, air treatment and environmental pollution reduction technology.
We recognise that Viet Nam has a very special geographic position and if our enterprises can enter Viet Nam, we can enter the rest of South East Asia.
Marko Walde, chief representative of the Delegate of German Industry and Commerce Viet Nam, said: German businesspersons would like to know about investment procedures in Viet Nam and this roundtable is the best place to provide such information.
Peter Alltschekow, managing director of Eastern Germany, German Trade and Invest, the German Governments economic development agency, said: This is the fourth time Eastern German enterprises are coming to Viet Nam. We need to meet localities, local enterprises and we hope this visit will open new opportunities for German enterprises.
At the roundtable, HCM City, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An, and Da Nang highlighted their investment opportunities to the visitors.
An official from the HCM City Department of Planning and Investment told them how to set up a foreign business in Viet Nam. A Da Nang labour official spoke about procedures for obtaining a work permit for foreigners in Viet Nam. A Long An Province official spoke about import/export procedures.
Earlier on Thursday, the vice chairman of the HCM City Peoples Committee Le Thanh Liem had met Gleicke.
Around 100,000 Vietnamese live in Germany while another 100,000 Vietnamese can speak German.
Germany has invested around US$1 billion in Viet Nam, with 90 per cent being concentrated in the southern region.
Visitors to the Hanoi Opera House will tour its facilities, hear about its history and architecture, and see a live performance. The 2,600sq.m theatre was designed by two French architects named Harlay and Broyer and constructed between 1901 and1911. Its a phenomenal piece of neo-classical French architecture with pillars, shuttered windows, balconies, a mirrored room, and Gothic detailing on its doors and domes.
Tourists will get a close look at the lobby, the main performance hall, and the mirrored room. The lobby welcomes visitors with beautiful Italian marble. The performance hall has a large stage and many small viewing boxes on the mezzanine. At the back of the Opera House are 18 dressing rooms, 2 warm-up rooms, a library, and a meeting room.
Nguyen Quy Phuong, Director of the Travel Department of the National Administration of Tourism, said We wanted to create a package tour connecting cultural and historical sites in Hanoi that will allow tourists to experience the local cuisine and lifestyle, visit museums, and watch a performance at the Opera House. All these places are in Hanois Old Quarter and near Hoan Kiem Lake.
Nguyen Hong Nguyen of the Hanoi tourist travel company said In order to attract tourists we need to learn about their countries and their tastes. But performances should reflect the character of Hanoi.
The National Administration of Tourism has produced publications, brochures, and souvenirs, and trained the staff of the Hanoi Opera House to receive foreign tourists.
The statement was made at a closed meeting between VNAT and the Da Nang Tourism Association to address the latters suggestion to amend the controversial planning of a Son Tra National Tourist Zone.
According to the VNAT drafted plan approved by the Vietnamese Prime Minister in February, 1,056 hectares of Son Tras total 4,439 hectares will eventually be developed into a national tourist zone capable of accommodating 1,600 hotel rooms by 2030.
Over 30 reporters from local news agencies who gathered at the venue for May 11 meeting were barred from entering the room despite the continuous demands of Huynh Tan Vinh, president of Da Nang Tourism Association, for the press to be let in.
In a brief meeting with press after the meeting, Vinh acknowledged that Ha Van Sieu, deputy director of VNAT who chaired the meeting, has no intentions amending plans for the Son Tra National Tourist Zone and that the current framework was drafted and approved in accordance with established procedures.
Sieu, on the other hand, opted to leave the venue without taking questions from the press.
The minutes of the meeting was left unsigned by the representatives from the Da Nang Tourism Association, Vinh said, reiterating that the two parties were unable to reach a mutual agreement.
He added that the associations request for scientists, experts, and representatives from relevant associations to attend the meeting was also rejected by VNAT.
Representatives from VNAT also refused to attend a seminar hosted by the association on the conservation and sustainable development of the Son Tra Peninsula, Vinh said.
The seminars organizers on May 10 sent a letter to the Prime Minister and the administration of Da Nang proposing a comprehensive review of all projects slated to affect the Son Tra Peninsula in order to determine the amount of special-purpose forest that might be harmed.
Son Tra Peninsula, dubbed Gods Eye of Indochina by locals, is known for its untouched beauty and natural forest.
It shields the city from typhoons, sustains eco-tourism growth, and serves as a key element of the nations defense.
Schoolchildren in Ban Qua Commune, in the northern province of Lao Cais Bat Xat District.- VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Ha
They expressed confidence that the region would continue to lead global economic growth, despite some political instability and indications of protectionism seen elsewhere.
The optimism appears justified given that 95 per cent of the Asias population now lives in middle-income economies, while as recently as the 1990s, more than 90 per cent of Asians were low-income earners.
The regions rapid transition and current robust growth also encourage the economies to look forward to a higher stage of development to become high-income countries. However, the transition is expected to be more challenging and might take longer.
In fact, the number of the poor in the region substantially declined mostly thanks to Asias large populous countries such as China, India and Indonesia. In many other developing countries, poverty and inequality are still challenging governments seeking to sustain inclusive growth.
The challenge will likely be more stubborn under the circumstances of the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution that is already fundamentally changing the way people live, work and connect to each other by eliminating physical boundaries and overcoming technology limitations.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution or Revolution 4.0 a concept first put forth by Klaus Schwab, the Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum (WEF) at the Davos economic summit in 2016 might hurt developing economies rather than create a promising future, for the following reasons.
Chart shows the four industrial revolutions.-Source: hame.org.vn
Job losses
First, it could cause more unemployment.
According to Schwab, the Revolution 4.0 is characterised by developments of a range of new technologies such as genetic engineering, artificial intelligence, robotics, nanotechnology and biotechnology. The resulting job displacement would likely occur in labor-intensive industries.
The WEFs Future of Jobs report in 2016 shows that on a global scale, by 2020 the Manufacturing and Production job family will see a decline of 1.63 per cent in employment growth rate, led by labour-substituting technologies, more resource-efficient sustainable production use, lower demand growth in ageing societies and threats to global supply chains due to geopolitical uncertainty.
On the other hand, the Architecture and Engineering jobs will experience a growth of 2.71 per cent, driven by the demand for skilled workers able to use 3D printers or robotic systems, and the employment rate for Computer and Mathematical jobs will grow by 3.21 per cent.
The report, issued in early 2016, also forecasts a negative employment outlook in ASEAN countries. The employment rates in all three job groups mentioned above are predicted to decline, even though the number of employees in these sectors is already much lower than in others groups.
The ASEAN region now has 9.34 million people working in manufacturing and production jobs, 3.6 million people in the computer and mathematical job group, and nearly 2.2 million employees in the architecture and engineering family of jobs.
Source: World Economic Forum's "The Future of Jobs" Report 2016
The prediction is understandable as most ASEAN economies are pursuing an export-led, labour-intensive and natural resource dependent growth model. From both objective and subjective perspectives, this model would not be easy to shift to a technology-driven one overnight.
Lets take Viet Nam as an example. The country has a strong textile and garment industry using cheap labour as a comparative advantage in global trade competition and integration, and most of its revenue is export generated.
However, a recent report of the International Labour Organisation predicted that robots would replace 85 per cent of workers in the Vietnamese textile and garment sector in the next few decades.
One might argue that the figures of job loss in ASEAN, which comprises only ten Asian countries, are not sufficiently persuasive and representative to prove that developing Asian countries would probably be more negatively affected by Revolution 4.0. This is especially true given that debates over whether the revolution will create a net job growth or a net job loss are continuing. The second reason explained below might make the argument invalid.
Rising inequality
On the cusp of Revolution 4.0, income disparity could grow, especially in a region where the income gap and inequality in opportunities to access education have been persistent.
Cyn-Young Park, an ADB economist, wrote in an opinion piece Inequality in Asia: the case for inclusive growth for the East Asia Forum in June 2016 that The [Asian] region remains home to two-thirds of the worlds extreme poor living on less than US$1.9 a day, with evidence pointing to deteriorating income inequality in recent years.
Clearly, the displacement of workers in more sophisticated manufacturing and production sectors results in a strong increase in demand for high-skilled engineers and specialists. As a result, talent and intellectual white-collar workers would obviously be offered higher salaries and benefits, compared to less educated and low-skilled labourers, intensifying the income gap.
The WEF Human Capital Report 2016 assesses the effectiveness of countries investment in education and human capital usage. Among the indicators used in the survey, one shows the ease or difficulty of finding skilled employees in each economy.
According to the report, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Viet Nam are among one fifth of 124 countries ranked at the bottom. Notably, countries ranked high on this indicator like Malaysia (4th), Singapore (20th), Japan (23rd), and China (27th) are those classified as high-middle income or high-income nations.
To some extent, the large gap in the ranking among the Asian countries reflects different stages of education development in various countries, and income inequality is the direct consequence of the skill premium shortage.
It should be noted that income disparity occurs not only between countries in the region but also within countries because of the unequal provision of education services, especially between rural and urban zones.
Therefore, as long as changes in education do not catch up with the advancements of technologies, the skill-biased technological transformation will affect people with insufficient or unsuitable education, perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty and inequality.
Human resource investment
The solution to the negative impact of Revolution 4.0 on countries path to inclusive growth is none other than increasing investment in human resource development. Particularly, inequality in opportunities to access education, usually between rural and urban areas in developing countries, needs to be addressed.
In order for the next generations to be fully and equally prepared for the technological revolution, increased education spending is an essential condition.
Amid the rapid change in technologies, it is critical for businesses to take part in education and training of the current workforces through reskilling and upskilling as they cannot wait for the next generations to mature. They must change from accepting ready-made human capital to designing their workforce on demand.
Governments should cooperate with businesses in making up an innovative and creative education environment and create favourable conditions for talents to live up to their full potential.
In short, it might be a little bit early for low-middle income countries in the region to think of leap frogging to a higher stage of development, but it is not early for them to make a shift in human capital investment. Their ability to take advantage of the positive aspects of Revolution 4.0 for productivity improvement and growth promotion in the future totally depends on their actions today.
Students at a flag-raising ceremony in Viet Nam - Cuba Primary School. - VNS Photo oan Tung
The citys Education and Training Department allows parents to register their kids online via the departments official website http://tsdaucap.hanoi.gov.vn/.
The enrollment window for students starting kindergarten is between June 19-22, those starting first grade at primary school June 15-18 and June 23-26 for those entering sixth grade at secondary school, the Tien Phong (Vanguard) online newspaper reported.
Although parents were encouraged to register online, for parents uncomfortable or unable to register online, they can register in person at schools between July 1 and July 15, the department said.
Nguyen Ngoc Lan, of Hoan Kiem District, said I am very worried if the website suddenly crashes or there are unexpected errors if it has too many people online at the same time that I will fail to register my son for a public primary school. Additionally, the online enrollment time was short, she said.
Nguyen Van inh, of Hai Ba Trung District, said It upsets me very much.
He could not register online and plans to register directly at school to ensure his daughter can attend.
Pham Thao My, of Long Bien District, said she spent a great deal of time reading and copying the registration instructions from the website.
When the online registration opens, it will take me little time to finish the registration, she said.
The parents worries were easy to understand, given the fact that data from the citys education and training department showed that local public schools only have room for about 70 per cent of students in the city. The rest would have to study at private schools, the department said.
Ngo Van Chat, head of the departments examination management and education quality assurance office, said parents should carefully prepare all required information before the registration window.
This would make the registration process quicker, more accurate and avoid mistakes that could lead their children to miss the chances to study in public schools they want to, he said.
Overloading in public schools
Overcrowding at schools, especially kindergarten and primary schools, is predicted to persist in districts with a lot of new urban areas, residential buildings and major industrial zones in the city.
Vice chairwoman of Peoples Committee of Thanh Tri District Pham Thi Thu Huyen said in the school year 2017-18, some 6,632 new children are expected to start studying at kindergartens in the district, while primary schools are bracing for 500 more children than the previous school year.
For example, Ta Thanh Oai Primary School, located in Ta Thanh Oai urban area, has 12 first-grade classrooms; however, the number of first-graders in the area this year is set to be 913, she said.
This means that on average, up to 80 first-graders may have to study in a single classroom, she said.
Vice chairwoman of Peoples Committee of Long Bien District inh Thi Thu Huong said the number of sixth-graders this year was estimated to be 6,000 higher than last year.
With an average of 41 students per classroom, public secondary schools in the district would need 23 new classrooms to meet demand, she said.
For public primary schools, the number of first-graders is set to rise by 995, leaving the district needing five new classrooms, she said.
Although the city administration constructed 121 new public schools across the city with total investment of VN3 trillion (US$132.2 million) during 2012-15, this still failed to meet demand because of rapid population growth.
Statistics from the education department show the city has 2,265 public schools with about 1.8 million students at all levels.
The city administration has ordered districts and agencies to spend more land funds to build schools to fix the situation by 2020.
Surrendered Maoist commander Kundan Pahan was carrying a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head.
By India Today Web Desk: A Maoist commander who was involved in the killing of former Jharkhand minister Ramesh Singh Munda surrendered in Ranchi today.
Kundan Pahan, who was wanted in 128 cases in Ranchi, Khunti and West Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand, carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head.
Surrendered Maoist Kundan Pahan was behind the beheading of police inspector Francis Induwar in 2009.
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HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE THE SURRENDERED MAOIST COMMANDER: Forty four-year-old Kundan Pahan today surrendered before Additional Director General of Police (Operation) R K Mallick, Inspector General CRPF Sanjay Lathkar, and other senior officers of state police and CRPF. Continued pressure against the Maoists by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Jharkhand Police led to surrender of Kundan Pahan. Nearly 10 days ago, another top Maoist zonal commander, Nakul Yadav, also carrying a Rs 15 lakh reward on his head, surrendered. Maoist Kundan Pahan was involved in the killing of former minister and Janata Dal (United) MLA Ramesh Singh Munda in 2008, and the beheading of police inspector Francis Induwar. Kundan Pahan was involved in the 2008 sensational loot of more than Rs 5 crore and 1.3 kg gold from an ICICI Bank's armoured cash van. The surrendered Maoist was involved in the infamous killing of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Sunil Mahato in 2007. Mahato was assassinated while he was watching a local football match in East Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. Kundan Pahan carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head and a total of 128 cases were lodged against him in the state, said Kuldeep Dwivedi, Senior Superintendent of Police, Ranchi. The surrendered Maoist was notorious in Ranchi, Khunti and Seraikela-Kharsawan districts. Ranchi and Jamshedpur districts were under his operational control. On Kundan Pahan's orders, Special Branch Inspector Francis Induwar was abducted from Khunti. He was later beheaded. Kundan Pahan joined the Maoists in 1999 when he was 16. He became a member of the Regional Committee in the Communist Party of India-Maoist in 2006. In 2012, he became secretary of the committee. Speaking after the surrender of the Maoist commander, ADG Mallick said Maoists have an opportunity to surrender in 2017. "Otherwise they will face consequences in 2018," the officer said. Jharkhand Police has launched a new programme under which Maoists are encouraged to surrender. Till now, 107 Maoists have surrendered. Speaking to reporters, Kundan Pahan said: "I take responsibility for all the incidents in which I was directly or indirectly involved. I admit I committed mistakes and will try to reform myself." Kundan Pahan's two elder brothers were also Maoists--one surrendered and the other was arrested.
(With inputs from Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu)
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The 5th plenum of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Central Committee takes place from May 5-10, 2017. Photo: VGP
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said awareness of the role and position of private economy has been improved significantly, thus the sector has become an important driving force of the country's economic growth.
He said private and state sectors are the core of an independent and self-reliant economy in the context of international integration.
The Party chief called on State apparatus to consistently reform, improve and effectively organize the implementation of laws, mechanisms and policies in line with market rules and international practices and standards.
All prejudices and obstacles must be removed while reform of administrative procedures needs to be accelerated to create favorable conditions for the development of private economic sector.
The message from the plenum will be the footing for the Government to move forward in improving institutions, reforming business environment and State-owned enterprises.
Next week, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc will chair a dialogue meeting with business community, the second time since he took office in early 2016.
This years dialogue will be attended by around 2,000 delegates, including central and local government officials, policy-makers, and business leaders as part of the Governments effort to concretize the outcomes of the CPVCCs 5th plenum.
All economic sectors need an equitable, transparent and healthy competition environment but the greatest desire comes from the private businesses.
The biggest hurdle for the private economic sector, as may said, is institutions which can only be improved if the State apparatus overcome outdated way of thinking.
According to former Minister of Trade Truong Dinh Tuyen, institutional improvement is of significant important and an urgent issue.
The dialogue, as PM Phuc required, will take place in a real and direct manner with the attendance of Deputy PMs, ministers and heads of agencies.
Organized right after the CPVCCs 5th plenum, the dialogue demonstrates the Governments high determination to create new breakthroughs in the national development path.
Viet Nam Competition Authority will hold a public consultation on anti-dumping tariffs on H-shaped steel products.-Photo satthep.net
The consultation, related to H-shaped steel products imported from China (including Hong Kong), will be held on June 20, wherein all parties will get the opportunity to express their opinions on anti-dumping tariffs.
Applications to participate in the consultation have to be sent to the VCAs Trade Remedies Investigation Division before 5pm on June 5, and concerned parties can send their contents before 5pm on June 9.
VCAs deputy director Nguyen Phuong Nam said the public consultation would be based on Order No 20 on anti-dumping tariff on goods imported into Viet Nam, and Decree No 90 on the implementation of this order.
Earlier, the ministry had issued a decree imposing temporary anti-dumping duties on H-shaped steel products imported from China. Under Decree No 957/2017/QD-BTC, anti-dumping duties imposed for all Chinese steel produders exported to Viet Nam is 36.33 per cent and will be in effect from April 5 to August 2, 2017.
However, some companies such as Heibei Jinxi Iron and Steel Group and Hebei Jinxi Section Steel were charged lower anti-dumping taxes at 29.4 per cent, others such as Rizhao Steel Holding Group and Rizhao Medium Section Mill were charged at 21.18 per cent.
H-shaped steel products are used to make support beams during constructions, girders for containers and trucks, steel decks and chassis.
The World Health Organization says the Democratic Republic of the Congo is again facing an outbreak of the contagious and deadly Ebola virus.
Congolese Health Minister Oly Ilunga announced Saturday that three people had died of the virus in the northeast of the country.
Ilunga urged people not to panic and said officials had taken all necessary measures to respond to the outbreak.
The World Health Organization said it was working with Congolese authorities to deploy health workers in the remote area where the three deaths occurred, all on April 22. Eleven other cases are suspected in the area.
WHO's regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, went to the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, on Friday to discuss disease response.
The remoteness of the affected area, 1,300 kilometers from Kinshasa, means word of the outbreak was slow to emerge. WHO said specialist teams were expected to arrive in the area, known as the Likati health zone, within the next day or two.
This was the first outbreak of the virus in DRC since 2014, when 49 people died of Ebola.
Larger outbreak
Experts say the 2014 DRC outbreak was not linked to a much larger outbreak that killed 11,000 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, beginning in 2013. They say active virus transmission for that outbreak was halted last year.
In December 2016, The Lancet, a medical journal, published results of a WHO-led trial showing that the world's first Ebola vaccine provides substantial protection against the virus. Among more than 11,000 people who were vaccinated in the trial, no cases of Ebola virus disease occurred.
Reports say the vaccine is now awaiting formal licensing clearance.
Ebola, named for the Congolese river near where it was first identified in 1976, begins with a sudden fever, aching muscles, diarrhea and vomiting. It is a hemorrhagic fever, marked by spontaneous bleeding from internal organs and, in most cases, death. It can be transmitted by close contact with infected animals or people, usually through blood or other bodily fluids.
People can contract the virus through direct contact with victims' bodies at funerals. Caretakers, nurses and doctors treating Ebola patients also are at high risk.
Judges from one of the Egyptian judiciary's three main branches voted Saturday to defy a newly adopted and widely disputed law giving the president a degree of control over the judiciary, nominating as head of their branch a judge who ruled against a government decision to surrender two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.
State Council judges, who rule on disputes with the government, voted overwhelmingly to put forward judge Yahya Dakroury, their most senior, as their nominee to head their branch. The move clashes with the new law that stipulates that each judiciary branch nominate three of its seven most senior judges to the president to choose one to head each of the three branches.
The judiciary's two other branches the court of cassation and government lawyers already have complied with the new law, adopted by parliament and ratified by the president last month with uncustomary speed. Many judges see the law as an infringement of the judiciary's independence and a violation of the principle of the separation of government branches.
Before the new law came into effect, each branch of the judiciary nominated their most senior judge to head their branch, with the president's ratification a foregone conclusion.
President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi will now have to either ratify Dakroury's nomination to avoid a confrontation with the powerful State Council or independently name one of the most senior judges from that branch as its head.
Dakroury's ruling last year on the fate of the two islands went against the government's stated position that Tiran and Sanafir, at the mouth of the Red Sea's Gulf of Aqaba, belonged to Saudi Arabia but were placed under Egyptian control in the 1950s to protect them against a perceived threat from Israel.
His ruling was upheld in January by a higher court, which declared as unconstitutional an Egyptian-Saudi agreement signed in April 2016 to cede control over the islands to Riyadh.
El-Sissi last month said the executive branch has nothing more to do with or say about the agreement, saying its fate was now in the hands of the judiciary and parliament, a 596-seat chamber packed with his supporters.
Ahmad Dawoud recalls the day 10 years ago when a Lebanese soldier asked to search his taxi. Then 17, the Palestinian didn't wait for the soldier to find the weapons hidden in the trunk.
He jumped from the car and fled into the nearby Palestinian refugee camp, where the Lebanese army has no authority.
But it was not long afterward that Dawoud, who once admired the radical groups that have sprouted in the camps in Lebanon, decided he was tired of running. That same year, in 2007, he surrendered to authorities and spent 14 hard months in jail.
Although he was released without a conviction, he couldn't erase the biggest strike against him: As a Palestinian in Lebanon, he is a stateless, second-class resident in the only country where he's ever lived.
On Monday, Palestinians mark 69 years since hundreds of thousands of them were forced from their homes during the 1948 war that led to the creation of Israel. Many settled in the neighboring West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
As refugees, various U.N. charters entitle them and their descendants to the right to work and a dignified living until they can return to their homes or such settlement is reached.
But Palestinians in Lebanon suffer discrimination in nearly every aspect of daily life, feeding a desperation that is tearing their community apart.
Many live in settlements officially recognized as refugee camps but better described as concrete ghettos ringed by checkpoints and, in some cases, blast walls and barbed wire. The U.N. runs schools and subsidizes health care inside.
In Lebanon, there are 450,000 refugees registered in 12 camps, where Lebanese authorities have no jurisdiction inside.
"Our lot is less than zero," Dawoud said in a recent interview outside Ein el-Hilweh, the crowded camp in Sidon that is one of the most volatile.
On peaceful days, children play in the damp alleys and merchants park their carts of produce along the camp's main streets.
But the place feels hopelessly divided along factional and militant lines, and it frequently breaks down into fighting between Palestinian security forces and militants or gangs that capitalize on the general despair.
Last month, 10 people were killed in a flare-up that drove out thousands of the camp's estimated population of 75,000.
Palestinians are prohibited from working in most professions, from medicine to transportation. Because of restrictions on ownership, what little property they have is bought under Lebanese names, leaving them vulnerable to embezzlement and expropriation.
They pay into Lebanon's social security fund but receive no benefits. Medical costs are crippling. And they have little hope for remediation from the Lebanese courts.
Doctors are prohibited from working in the Lebanese market, so they find work only in the camps or agree to work for Lebanese clinics off the books, and sign prescriptions under Lebanese doctors' names. That leaves them open to employer abuse, a condition normally associated with low-skill work.
"If a young boy gets in trouble because he is Palestinian, the prosecutor writes in his note to the judge, `He is Palestinian,' meaning: `Do what you wish to him. Be cruel to him. Forget about his rights,"' said Sheikh Mohammad Muwad, a Palestinian imam in Sidon.
The crush of war refugees from Syria has made it even harder for Palestinians here to find work. Nearly six in 10 under age 25 are unemployed, according to the U.N.'s Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, and two-thirds of all Palestinians here live below the poverty line.
UNRWA country director Claudio Cordone said they feel trapped in political limbo and see an "almost total lack of meaningful political prospects of a solution" to their original displacement from Palestine.
Lebanese politicians say that assimilating Palestinians into society would undermine their right to return. But Palestinians say they are not asking for assimilation or nationality, just civil rights.
"They starve us, so we go back to Palestine. They deprive us, so that we go back to Palestine. Well, go ahead, send us back to Palestine! Let us go to the border, and we will march back into Palestine, no matter how many martyrs we must give," Muwad said.
For those in the camps, the line between hustling and criminality is often blurred. Unemployed and feeling abandoned by the authorities, many turn to gangs for work.
Adding to this is a widely shared disaffection with the Palestine Liberation Organization, which many Palestinians now see as having sold out their rights with the failed Oslo Accords of 1994.
This has helped fuel the rise of radical Islam - a shift in the occupied Palestinian territories that is reflected by Hamas' rising popularity, and one outside the territories in the meteoric trajectory of militant groups such as Fatah al-Islam in the volatile and deprived Nahr al-Bared camp.
Growing up in Nahr al-Bared, a camp much like Ein el-Hilweh, Dawoud felt a strong affiliation for Fatah al-Islam, his gateway to radical extremism.
"They were the only ones who seemed honest," he said. "Of course, later I figured out they were just like everyone else, too."
In 2007, the Lebanese army razed most of Nahr al-Bared to crush Fatah al-Islam.
By that time, Dawoud already was in Ein el-Hilweh, and his arrest was the beginning of a slow falling out with the gangs that once sheltered him and treated him like a brother. After his stint in prison, they began to feel they couldn't trust him, and he was chased out of Ein el-Hilweh in 2013. Now, he can only enter the parts of the settlement firmly under PLO control.
With no job, no prospects and little wealth, Dawoud now runs errands for others in his white 1980s-era BMW - all done under the table, of course. Palestinians cannot apply for the red license plates that identify taxis and other commercial vehicles.
"I don't even think about marrying and getting into those situations," he said, waving off starting a family at age 27. His ambition now is to apply for a visa to leave Lebanon. But first he needs a travel document, and for that he needs to be on good terms with the Lebanese authorities.
Not all Palestinians live in camps, but even the most privileged among them endure discrimination.
At a panel on Palestinian labor rights at the American University of Beirut, Muhammad Hussein asked a Lebanese Labor Ministry official why he was denied work even in sectors that are formally open to Palestinian employment.
The 22-year-old graduate showed the official an email he received from a marketing firm in Dubai refusing his job application on the grounds that the Lebanese office had to give priority to Lebanese workers.
"The problem isn't finding vacancies," Hussein said. "It's getting the job."
U.S. President Barack Obama has condemned what he called the "appalling" terrorist attack at a hotel in the capital of Mali that left 25 people dead, and he vowed relentless pursuit of the killers.
Speaking at a summit of regional leaders in the capital of Malaysia, Obama said the Friday assault in Bamako will only stiffen U.S. resolve to combat terrorism.
Like the heinous attacks we saw in Paris and attacks we see all too often elsewhere, this is another awful reminder that the scourge of terrorism threatens so many of our nations, said Obama in Kuala Lumpur while attending the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
He said the U.S., allies and partners are determined to protect their citizens, push back on the hateful ideologies that fuel this terrorism, and root out terrorist networks.
Two West African militant groups - al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and its affiliate El Mourabitoune - claimed joint responsibility for the attack. A U.S. defense official called AQIM the "leading suspect" in the assault.
In addition to the 25 hostages who were killed, two gunmen also died when Malian special forces conducted a floor-to-floor assault to clear the hotel, according to Malian officials.
A reporter for VOA from Bamako says it is not clear if there was a third gunman in the attack. She says forensic investigators were at work inside the hotel Friday evening.
Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who cut short a visit to Chad to return to Bamako Friday, has declared a state of emergency and three days of mourning in the West African nation. In remarks broadcast on state television, Keita said the government will do everything it can "to eradicate terrorism in Mali."
Earlier reports said the gunmen had taken up to 170 hostages and that only 80 had been released. The discrepancy may be because some hotel guests escaped on their own and have not been accounted for.
Obama said the U.S. was still working to account for all citizens who may have been at the hotel.
WATCH: Scenes from outside Radisson Blu hotel in Bamako
Gunmen went room to room
The Radisson is a popular hotel for foreigners and was reportedly hosting delegates to Malian peace talks. Witnesses say gunmen entered the hotel in a car with diplomatic license plates early Friday morning, then went room to room seeking victims.
"When it started I thought that it was firecrackers. But it went on and on," one hotel guest told VOA's French to Africa Service. "We heard the alarm from the hotel and I even went out of my room... but I noticed a lot of smoke in the hallway. I went back to my room and the Malian soldiers came, knocked on the door, took a small group of us out."
Malian special forces spent several hours going through the 190-room hotel, rescuing guests and tracking down the gunmen. Both of the deceased gunmen were killed by security forces.
U.N. peacekeepers stationed in Mali helped with the operation, while a number of French troops and two American military personnel assisted outside the hotel.
Condemnation from abroad
Besides the U.S., condemnation also came from U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and French President Francois Hollande.
Hollande is scheduled to meet with Obama in Washington in the coming days to discuss stepping up Frances contribution to the U.S.-led effort to counter Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.
White House Deputy Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said there is a greater sense of urgency to do more following the terror attacks in Paris earlier this month. U.S. security officials have said it appears Islamic State is behind the bloodshed there.
The attack in Mali underscores the threat posed by Islamist militants who remain active in northern and central Mali despite the presence of U.N. peacekeepers.
A French-led military force ousted Islamist groups from power in northern Mali in 2013. The groups had seized power in the north after a military coup in Bamako in 2012.
An attack in the capital in March on a restaurant popular with tourists killed five people.
France has inaugurated new president, Emmanuel Macron, a 39-year-old independent centrist who was elected May 7.
The president of the Constitutional Council, Laurent Fabius, proclaimed the official result of the vote in a ceremony Sunday at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.
Macron formally took power after his predecessor, Socialist Francois Hollande, met with him for one hour and left. Hollande was applauded by the employees of the French presidency at his departure. He shook hands with Macron, who accompanied him to his car and also applauded him. Macron then posed for photographers at the front porch of the Elysee with his wife, Brigitte.
Macron had been Hollande's top economy adviser from 2012 to 2014, then became his economy minister until last year, when he decided to quit the Socialist government and launch his independent presidential bid.
As president, Hollande steered his nation through deadly extremist attacks, poured troops into battle abroad and anchored the boldest world agreement to fight global warming.
But as he hands power Sunday to his former protege, he may be most remembered for his failure to create jobs and his crushing unpopularity.
The two were to meet in the presidents office before Hollandes departure, taking a last few minutes to discuss the most sensitive issues facing France, including the countrys nuclear codes.
Macron takes charge of a nation that, when Britain leaves the European Union in 2019, will become the EUs only member with nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.
Macron will then make a speech in the Elysee reception hall in front of about 300 guests, officials and family members, including his wife, Brigitte Macron.
Kamal Haasan, who is soon to make his small screen debut with Bigg Boss Tamil, opened up on the hosts of the Hindi version of the show.
By India Today Web Desk: After conquering the film industry, Tamil superstar Kamal Haasan has set his sights on television. The actor, who is all set to host Bigg Boss Tamil, spoke to The Hindu ahead of his small screen debut. Kamal said, "I saw both Amitji (Amitabh Bachchan) and Salman Khan hosting the show. I liked Salman's version better because there is an honest approach to it. I'm trying to do something similar, but different."
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Although Bigg Boss has earlier been hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, Shilpa Shetty, Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi, it is Salman Khan who has been most popular with the audience and has become an irreplaceable part of the show.
Bigg Boss, which recently completed 10 successful seasons in Hindi, currently has Bengali and Kannada versions as well. Kamal Haasan will soon kickstart the Tamil version.
ALSO READ: Salman Khan's Tubelight vs Baahubali 2? No, please, says Kabir Khan
ALSO READ: Did you know Vinod Khanna inspired Kamal Haasan to take up direction?
ALSO WATCH: India will fight for Tamil Nadu in 'civil war of ahimsa,' says Kamal Haasan
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Mutinous soldiers in Ivory Coast have killed one person and injured several others after using gunfire to disperse a march Sunday against their mutiny in Bouake, residents said.
Violence by some of the soldiers involved in a January mutiny demanding higher pay began Friday, a day after Ivorian television broadcast some of the mutinous soldiers meeting with President Alassane Ouattara and dropping their demand for unpaid bonuses.
Many took over the second-largest city of Bouake, and other cities including Daloa and Korhogo, to show they still demanded the rest of their bonuses promised after the January mutiny. Unrest in Abidjan was quickly controlled by the army.
Residents were forced to flee or stay indoors because of the violence.
"This morning, we united in the city to protest against being taken hostage by these soldiers. The mutinous soldiers shot at us, and we've registered several wounded who have all been taken to the hospital," said Soumaila Timite, a Bouake resident.
Odile Kouame, one of the leaders of Sunday's protest, called on the government to take action.
"They cannot abandon us," he said. "Everyone is fearful."
A former rebel who participated in Sunday's march was killed and his body is in the morgue, said Ouattara Mamadou, the spokesman for demobilized ex-rebels not in the army.
Ivory Coast's Armed Forces chief of staff said a military operation has been launched to bring order.
In a statement, he called on the mutinous soldiers to lay down arms, saying that those who continue to threaten civilians and defy authorities will face disciplinary action.
The mutinous soldiers are former rebels who helped put President Ouattara in power after his predecessor refused to cede office after losing the 2010 election. They have sought higher pay and better living conditions.
Frances youngest head of state since Napoleon Bonaparte presented himself as president of all the French Sunday as he was sworn into office in Paris, following in the Fifth Republic footsteps of political giants Gen. Charles De Gaulle and Jacques Chirac.
Much is riding on the 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron, who two years ago set out on what many dismissed as a Quixotic quest to get himself elected to the French presidency as a centrist, pro-European Union candidate on his first ever political campaign and without the support of the countrys established parties.
Macron was greeted midmorning at the Elysee Palace by outgoing President Francois Hollande, who for many of the French exemplifies more than most of his predecessors the old saying that all political careers end in failure.
Macron has the reputation, reinforced by his election, as a man who always succeeds. Now he has the greatest of all challenges to fulfill objectives even grander than those outlined by Hollande at his inauguration five years ago.
Just before Macron's arrival, Hollande stood on his office balcony taking one last sweeping glance from it of the palace grounds.
Amid the pomp and circumstance Sunday, future challenges were half-forgotten by the crowds lining the Champs-Elysees, where at the Arc de Triomph, Macron lay flowers at the memorial to the unknown soldier Inside the Elysee's ballroom earlier, Macron was presented with the grand collier de la Legion d'honneur once owned by Napoleon I. One of his supporters, Axelle Tessandier, a marketing consultant, tweeted Emotion immense.
But the task ahead wasnt forgotten long. At his swearing-in ceremony, Macron, a former investment banker who served a mere two years as an appointed minister in Hollandes government, told France his goal is to renew the Fifth Republic and to unify the French.
The world needs what the French have always taught. For decades France has doubted herself, he said. The world, and Europe, need France more than ever, he added.
My mandate will give the French back the confidence to believe in themselves. He said he would convince the people that "the power of France is not declining - that we are on the brink of a great renaissance.
Unifying France will be a tall order. Twenty-one million people voted for Macron in the second round of the elections, but 12 million backed far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen, despite her lackluster campaign. Millions more didnt turn up at the polling stations. And four million destroyed their ballot papers as a sign of disapproval of both candidates, the largest number ever to do so in a French election.
Having set himself the monumental tasks of trying to expand the center, and of convincing half the country which disapproves of EU membership that the European bloc is something to be valued, Macron has the immediate challenge of securing a parliamentary majority to back him.
He can do that either by leading his one-year-old En Marche! Movement -- renamed last week Republique en marche to victory in parliamentary elections next month, or by cobbling together a center coalition. Polls suggest he might be able to pull off a parliamentary victory, one as unthinkable as his presidential win, and secure, a majority in the 577-seat lower house. Much will depend on who he names Monday as his initial prime minister.
If his party fails to win the majority of seats, the alternative would be La Cohabitation with a prime minister from an opposing political party, something the Fifth Republic has seen three times since 1958. La Cohabitation, analysts agree, would likely spell major trouble for Macrons highly ambitious policy program. Macron wants to cut public spending and reorder a rigid labor market to allow businesses to hire and fire more easily, all in a bid to revive a stagnant economy.
At the same he says he wants to ameliorate the downsides of globalization for those left behind.
One of Macrons rivals for the presidency, the conservative Republican Francois Fillon warned during the first round of presidential voting that Macron in office would be forced to cook up parliamentary dishes of impotence and compromises. Grubby legislative deal-making risks fueling public disillusionment with government paving the way, some fear, for a Le Pen victory in five years time and a defeat of Macrons aim to turn the French away from the extremes of left or right.
Meeting with Merkel
On Monday, Frances new President will endure his first rite of passage a flight to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel. On his election, Merkel acknowledged the expectations many Europeans have of Macron, saying he carried the hopes of millions of French people and also many in Germany and across Europe.
Hes likely to enjoy smoother relations with Merkel than Hollande. He has been courting assiduously German leaders the past two years. He intends to push for closer cooperation between EU members as well greater centralization of the countries in the eurozone with the creation of a budget.
But he wont please EU federalists in Brussels by likely also arguing the bloc has to be more flexible and in the recent words of Jean Pisani-Ferry, his chief economic adviser, recognize that the governance of the eurozone remains excessively cumbersome and technocratic.
Macron has talked tough about Britain when it comes to Brexit, but his approach will likely be shaped by Pisani-Ferry. In a policy paper last year for Bruegel, a think tank in Brussels, Macrons aide argued the EU should use Brexit as a chance to shape a Europe of two circles, with the EU at its core and an outer circle of countries in a structured partnership.
Former President Mauno Koivisto, who in the 1980s and 1990s guided Finland from the shadow of the crumbling Soviet Union and into the European Union, has died at a hospital in Helsinki. He was 93.
The office of the Finnish presidency announced the death early Saturday. Koivistos wife, Tellervo, said earlier this year that he suffered from Alzheimers disease.
The son of a ships carpenter, Koivisto, a Social Democrat, served two six-year presidential terms between 1982 and 1994, a tumultuous period that followed the 25-year presidential reign of Urho Kekkonen. He earlier served twice as prime minister, from 1968 to 1970 and 1979 to 1982.
Koivisto is widely credited as president with strengthening the role of parliament, after his nationalist predecessor consolidated much political power within the office of the presidency.
Koivisto is also broadly acknowledged for building strong ties with the last Soviet president, Mikhail Gorbachev, while also establishing rapport with U.S. President George H.W. Bush as Europe began in the late 1980s to witness the beginning of the end of communism. He also maintained strong ties with Bushs predecessor, Ronald Reagan.
In a statement Saturday, President Sauli Niinisto described Koivisto as a leader in the generation that took part in wars and [the] following rebuilding, and which guided Finland to the path of current success and well-being.
In his last interview four years ago, Koivisto was asked by the Helsingin Sanomat newspaper to summarize what he viewed as important in life.
In life, it is generally wise to trust that everything will go well. It often pays off, even if you wouldnt have believed it would, he said.
At least 1,500 Syrian rebels and their families abandoned another long-held district just outside of Damascus on Sunday, as the army of President Bashar al-Assad and its allies push to seize full control of the capital and surrounding areas for the first time in nearly five years.
State media and witnesses said the evacuation began at dawn, less than a day after government forces captured the Qaboun district, and just days after hundreds of other beleaguered rebel fighters and their families departed two other nearby districts.
A government deal facilitating the Qaboun evacuation was announced late Saturday.It replicates earlier agreements under which rebels were granted safe passage to rebel-held territory near the Turkish border in exchange for an end to a weeks of shelling and airstrikes by Syrian and allied Russian warplanes.
Government forces have pressed for several months to recapture rebel districts north and east of Damascus, and analysts say they succeeded only after discovering and destroying underground tunnels that connected the three neighborhoods.
As civil war raged near the capital, Kurdish-led Syrian forces far to the north pressed a separate offensive against Islamic State extremists just outside the de facto IS capital, Raqqa.
Syrian Kurds battle Islamic State in north
Monitors from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported a third straight day of fighting between the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and IS fighters seeking to defend their stronghold city.
There were no reports of casualties, but witnesses reported hundreds of civilians fleeing toward SDF battle lines on Sunday as the anti-jihadist force took aim at extremist fighters.
Monitors on Saturday reported that SDF forces had advanced within four kilometers of Raqqa, and an SDF spokesman predicted an all-out offensive on the city within the next several months.
Forces pushing to liberate Raqqa include SDF forces attacking from the north and rival Syrian ground forces backed by Shi'ite allies and Russia pressing toward the city from the south.
Sunni Arab and Turkmen militias also are involved, along with a separate contingent of Turkish-backed forces opposed to a faction of Kurdish fighters in the U.S.-backed SDF alliance.
Conflicts within the widely divergent anti-jihadist alliance have so far been addressed with quiet diplomacy by U.S., Turkish and Russian military commanders.
U.S. advisers have so far maintained peace within the factions by creating buffer zones separating Kurdish fighters from Turkish-backed forces.
Anti-jihadist push gains steam
It remains unclear what, if any, role Syrian government forces and their Russian allies will play in the planning or execution of the complex Raqqa offensive.
The push to retake Raqqa appears to have gathered strength, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a decision last week to arm Kurdish-led forces with heavy weapons.
That decision has been roundly criticized by Turkey, which sees a key Syrian Kurdish unit in the U.S.-backed SDF alliance, the so-called YPG, as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, the PKK.
Turkish leaders have voiced fears that any heavy weaponry used by the SDF against extremists at Raqqa will eventually fall into the hands of PKK fighters, who have battled the Turkish government for an autonomous homeland in Turkey's southeast for more than three decades.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who opens an official visit to Washington Tuesday, told reporters last week that he hoped "this [U.S. decision] will be reversed immediately."
Authorities in Pakistan have unleashed a crackdown on social media activists accused of criticizing and "ridiculing" the army in their online postings.
An official announcement late Sunday said the cyber crime wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has been ordered to swiftly move against "elements" who are engaging in these "condemnable" activities.
"Ridiculing [the] Pakistan army or its officers on social media in the name of freedom of speech is unacceptable" and "a serious offense" under the law, it quoted Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan as warning.
Khan explained that the constitution does not permit citizens to indulge in activities that undermine the "prestige, reputation and honor" of the military institution.
The minister directed the FIA to take strict action against anyone found guilty of posting the content on social media "intentionally or unintentionally."
Military criticized
The crackdown comes amid sustained criticism of the military for issuing a controversial statement days before it was recanted last week. The move purportedly undermined the authority of civilian Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
The civil-military rift stemmed from a controversial article in a leading English-language newspaper, Dawn, published last October that suggested the army was reluctant to crack down on Islamic militants plotting attacks against neighboring Afghanistan and India from sanctuaries on Pakistani soil.
The report outraged the military leadership at the time, pressuring the Sharif government to set up a high-powered commission to investigate the matter and identify officials responsible for leaking information about a security meeting chaired by the prime minister himself.
The commission submitted its findings late last month, prompting Sharif to oust a key foreign policy aide along with a senior information ministry bureaucrat for allegedly leaking details of the top-level meeting to the media.
Hours after the prime ministers office announced the removals, the military "rejected" Sharifs actions as "incomplete," refueling speculations of a showdown between the civilian and military institutions.
But the lingering crisis defused last week when the military unexpectedly announced it had resolved the "Dawn Leaks" row with the government and had retracted its statement that "rejected" Sharifs actions as incomplete.
Reaction mixed
Opposition parties criticized the government for not making the inquiry report public while social media activists slammed the army for agreeing to maintain secrecy on the whole issue.
Pro-democracy groups, however, have declared it a rare victory for civilian leaders over army generals in a country where tensions between the two in the past have prompted military leaders to oust elected governments and impose years of dictatorial rules.
The last military coup in Pakistan was staged in October 1999 ousting Sharifs then-elected government before he was forced into exile in Saudi Arabia along with his family.
Sharif returned to Pakistan after almost eight years, and his party won the 2013 election to return him to power for a third time in the country's troubled democratic history.
Tech staffs around the world worked around the clock this weekend to protect computers and patch networks to block the computer hack whose name sounds like a pop song "WannaCry" as analysts warned the global ransomware attack could be just the first of a new wave of strikes by computer criminals.
The United States suffered relatively few effects from the ransomware that appeared on tens of thousands of computer systems across Europe and into Asia, beginning Friday. Security experts remained cautious, however, and stressed there was a continuing threat.
In contrast to reports from several European security firms, a researcher at the Tripwire company on the U.S. West Coast said late Saturday that the attack could be diminishing.
"It looks like it's tailing off," said Travis Smith of Tripwire.
"I hope that's the case," Smith added. The Oregon firm protects large enterprises and governments from computer security threats.
Ransomware attack
The code for the ransomware unleashed Friday remains freely available on the internet, experts said, so those behind the WannaCry attack also known as WanaCryptor 2.0 and a variety of other names could launch new strikes in coming days or weeks. Copycat attacks by other high-tech criminals also are possible.
"We are not out of the woods yet," said Gary Davis, chief consumer security evangelist at McAfee, the global computer security software company in Santa Clara, California. "We think it's going to be the footprint for other kinds of attacks in the future."
The attack hit scores of countries more than 100, by some experts' count and infected tens of thousands of computer networks.
Industry reports indicate Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine and Britain were among the countries hit hardest, and more hacking reports can be expected when offices reopen for the new workweek Monday or, in some parts of the world, Sunday.
One of the weapons used in the current attack is a software tool reportedly stolen from the U.S. National Security Agency and published on the internet by hackers last month.
The tool affords hackers undetected entry into many Microsoft computer operating systems, which is what they need to plant their ransomware. However, Microsoft issued patches to fix that vulnerability in its software weeks ago that could greatly reduce the chances of intrusion.
Outdated operating systems
The crippling effects of WannaCry highlight a problem that experts have long known about, and one that appears to have hit developing countries harder.
Some organizations are more vulnerable to intrusion because they use older or outdated operating systems, usually due to the cost of upgrading software or buying modern hardware needed to install better-protected operating systems. Companies like Microsoft eventually stop updating or supporting older versions of their software, so customers using those programs do not receive software patches or security upgrades.
Much of the ransomware's spread around the world occurred without any human involvement. The WannaCry malware self-propagates, copying itself to all computers on a network automatically.
When a demand for ransom payments appears on a user's screen $300 at first, doubling to $600 in a few days it's usually too late: All files on that computer have been encrypted and are unreadable by their owners.
The hackers said they would reverse the effect of their software once they received the payments they demanded.
Microsoft patched the "hole" in the newest versions of its operating software Windows 10 for most home users in March, three weeks before the stolen NSA exploit software was published on the internet. Since Friday, the company dropped its refusal to update old versions of its programs and issued patches specifically written for use in Windows XP and several other systems.
Microsoft declined a request for an interview, but a statement on the company's blog said: "Seeing businesses and individuals affected by cyberattacks, such as the ones reported today, was painful. We are taking the highly unusual step of providing a security update for all customers to protect Windows platforms that are in custom support only, including Windows XP, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2003."
"A lot of people in the security community were impressed with Microsoft's speed, but it highlights an ongoing challenge we have," said Stephen Cobb, a senior security researcher with ESET, a global security software company. "If a malicious code outbreak breaks out tomorrow, and targets unsupported operating systems, Microsoft may have to go there again."
Countries across the globe scrambled to respond to a malicious "ransomware" virus, as internet security watchdogs said the attack had disproportionately targeted Russia.
The Russian cyber security firm Kaspersky Labs was among the first to identify the so-called "Wanna Cry" malware a viral worm that exploits a vulnerability in the Windows operating system to encrypt files without users permission.
A group of hackers known as "The Shadow Brokers" are widely believed to have stolen the program from the U.S. National Security Agency last April and deployed it as a means to ransom user data around the world for cash profits.
Kaspersky Labs initially reported 45,000 attacks by the malware in more than 70 countries, with Russia bearing the brunt of the onslaught. The range of targets and victims is likely much, much higher, warned the Kaspersky report.
Within hours, other internet security firms put the number of computers targeted at more than 75,000 computers in 100 countries. Those numbers are expected to grow.
Russian fallout
Russias powerful Interior Ministry and national railway service both confirmed they had fallen victim to the malware. The Russian mobile telecom giant, Megafon, too, issued a statement saying its servers had been compromised.
But by mid-day Saturday, spokesmen from all three said they had successfully isolated the virus and were operating as usual.
The statements came as other key Russian ministries, and the countrys central bank, pushed back against claims state computer infrastructure had been compromised.
In statements to Russian media, all argued they had thwarted the virus using non-Windows operating systems while trumpeting the merits of data backups using a, notably, Russian-made server, Elbrus.
The claims have not been confirmed by outside experts.
Kremlin-net
The Kremlin has long been suspicious of Western technology firms, arguing they work in collusion with American intelligence agencies.
In 2014, Russias Duma passed a law requiring Western tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google to relocate servers to Russia in an effort to protect Russian user data. Though not yet fully implemented, Russian internet activists have argued the law gives Russian security services dangerous access to private data with little legal recourse.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also pushed for digital independence from Western tech firms, partially in response to American and European sanctions introduced following Russias annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Sunday, the Kremlins advisor on internet strategy German Klimenko seized the latest cyber attack as a chance to praise those moves.
The presidents order to create a Russian segment of the internet, [it created] a closed Internet solely for government bureaucrats, said Klimenko in an interview with Russias Channel One television.
The defense against attacks has been in place a long time, he added. It is doubtful our [government] data suffered.
NSA connection?
Meanwhile, Russias online community debated the disproportionate targeting of Russia, in particular allegations the virus had originated with the NSA.
But on the Russian-built secure messaging app Telegram, users traded theories the virus was a U.S. plot aimed at disrupting the countrys 2018 presidential elections, apparent payback for U.S. intelligence agencies conclusion Russian hackers had interfered in last years American presidential elections.
But Anton Nossik, a longtime leading internet voice in Russia, rejected those charges as terribly funny in a widely shared post to his Live Journal blog.
That 74 countries were implicated in the virus is explained as Russias enemies desire to hide the real goal of their attack, wrote Nossik, who notes that Russian governmental officials had been too lazy to install a Windows "patch" available since last March that resolved the security flaw.
Really, how can you deceive our ever wakeful conspiracy theorists? he added wryly, To hack their computers is the simplest thing, but to destroy their vigilance? Never!
Other Russian digerati, too, pushed back against the idea that Russia had been a target by design.
"There's no politics or intention here. The virus is just spreading randomly," says Ilya Sachkov, Director of the Moscow-based Group IB, a company that tracks internet fraud, in an interview with Moscow's Business FM radio.
Sachkov notes ransomeware attacks have been growing in number and strength for years.
Snowden, again
The unfolding crisis and alleged links to the NSA again thrust Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who was granted asylum in Russia after leaking classified NSA documents to the press in 2013, into the spotlight.
In a series of Twitter posts, Snowden argued the NSA bore moral responsibility for the leak.
Despite warnings, the NSA built dangerous attack tools that could target Western software, wrote Snowden. Today we see the cost.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says he is not worried about his standing with President Donald Trump following Trump's firing of FBI chief James Comey.
"I have a great relationship with the president," Tillerson told NBC News' Meet the Press on Sunday. "I understand what his objectives are. When I'm not clear on what his objectives are, we talk about it."
Tillerson spoke as Trump prepares for his first overseas trip as president. He heads Friday to Saudi Arabia for discussions with King Salman and to Israel for a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about ongoing turmoil and security threats in the volatile Middle East. Later, Trump is to visit Pope Francis at the Vatican and meet with more world leaders at NATO and at a G7 economic summit.
"I am devoted to helping the president achieve his objectives, helping him be successful," Tillerson said. "And I understand I have to earn his confidence every day with how I go about those affairs and how I go about conducting the State Department's activities consistent with the direction he wants to take the country."
Comey's firing
Trump on Tuesday fired Comey as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In the wake of Comey's firing, opposition Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have called for a special prosecutor to be appointed to lead the investigation into Russia's meddling in last year's U.S. presidential election.
Tillerson said the Washington political debate over Comey's firing does not affect him and his relationship with Trump.
"I will never compromise my own values." Tillerson said. "And so that's my only line. And my values are those of the country."
Tillerson met last week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov but defended not bringing up the U.S. intelligence community's conclusion that Moscow meddled in last year's U.S. presidential election to help Trump win, a contention that Russia has rejected.
Tillerson said the United States and Russia have numerous major issues to consider, but said he has no question in his own mind that Russia interfered.
"We have to look at this relationship in the broadest contour," he said, adding that he was committed to improving cooperation between Moscow and Washington.
Western diplomats shunned the opening ceremony of a conference in Qatar on Sunday attended by Sudan's president, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who came to power in Sudan in a 1989 Islamist and military-backed coup, has continued to travel abroad since the ICC charged him with genocide and crimes against humanity in 2008.
But his appearance on a list of speakers at a humanitarian conference in Doha on Sunday attended by the deputy head of the United Nations prompted the U.S., Canadian and Australian ambassadors to boycott the event, according to two Western diplomats in Doha.
Spokespeople for the three embassies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Three European diplomats who attended the event said they walked out before Bashir addressed the Doha Forum attended by the Gulf state's emir and U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed.
"The Sudanese president is wanted by the ICC so it would not be appropriate to be present for his remarks," said one of the diplomats.
A UN official in Doha declined to comment on Bashir's attendance but said that the U.N. had attended the conference for over a decade in a "spirit of cooperation."
Qatar, which has brokered peace agreements in Sudan, is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, a court that has no means of enforcing its arrest warrant on its own and relies instead on states to do so.
Bashir denies the charges against him. Many African and Arab states, along with Sudan's key ally China, have called for the warrant to be suspended.
In March U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said Jordan had broken its treaty obligations by hosting Bashir.
Sudan is seen as having drawn closer to Sunni Muslim Gulf states since it sent hundreds of Sudanese soldiers to Yemen in 2015 to bolster the mostly Gulf Arab alliance fighting the Iran-allied Houthi movement.
Dr. David Nabarro says he wants to rid the world of two diseases that are close to being eradicated: polio and guinea worm. Polio exists mainly on the Pakistani-Afghan border and in northern Nigeria. Both are conflict zones, where vaccine workers risk their lives to immunize children.
The last part of eradicating any disease is always the hardest part, Nabarro said during a visit to VOA. If you dont do it, you lose everything. To do it, youve got to really bring all the energy and commitment you can to bear.
The World Health Organization has worked to eliminate polio for more than 30 years. Nigeria was to be declared polio-free this year, meaning the country had no cases for three continuous years, but then the disease returned.
We must remain vigilant and focused until we are certain that the last case has been found and that we have got everybody protected, Nabarro said.
Watch: WHO to Vote on New Director-General; David Nabarro Wants the Job
Guinea worm
Nabarro also wants to rid the world of Guinea worm, a disease that starts when people drink water containing fleas infected with guinea worm larvae. The larvae grow in human intestines. And while it is not life-threatening, it is painful when the worm emerges.
In 1986, about 3.5 million people had Guinea worm disease. Last year, 25 people had it. This was the result of efforts by United Nations agencies, the Carter Center, which was founded by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Nabarro wants to make more inroads in ending malaria, a disease that threatens nearly half the worlds population. Even through malaria can be prevented and cured, the WHO says it caused nearly half a million deaths in 2015.
Ebola epidemic
During the Ebola epidemic, Nabarro visited the West African countries ravaged by the disease as the U.N. special envoy on Ebola. It took the world a long time to put together an effective response to the epidemic, and before it was over more than 11,000 people died.
The WHO was heavily criticized for the way it handled the pandemic. Nabarro wants to make sure a tragedy of this magnitude does not happen again because of a lack of preparedness.
I want to be sure the world as a whole helps nations to respond quickly when theres a threat of infection. Usually, that means that the problem doesnt get out of control, he told VOA.
Life of public health service
Nabarro has spent his life working in public health. He worked in Iraq with Save the Children in 1974. He continued to work in public health positions until he joined the World Health Organization in 1999 and has worked at the WHO and for the U.N. since then. Nabarro has worked on malaria programs.
Now, he hopes to be elected director-general of the World Health Organization when the World Health Assembly meets in Geneva May 23.
This is the first time candidates will be elected to become director-general of WHO by member nations.
Sacked Aam Aadmi Party Minister Kapil Mishra on Sunday fainted after accusing Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP of "massive" financial irregularities.
By India Today Web Desk: It was an unusually hot Sunday in New Delhi where the sun was beating down like a furnace while mercury soared to 44 degrees Celsius and in this sweltering heat, the Aam Aadmi Party leaders - rebels as well as loyalists - hurled fresh salvos at one another.
Sacked Delhi Minister Kapil Mishra called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal corrupt and dared him to quit failing which he "would drag him by collar to Delhi's Tihar jail".
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Sanjay Singh, Ashutosh and Raghav Chadha of AAP deflected Kapil Mishra's allegations towards the BJP, which demanded Kejriwal's resignation. The Congress, on the other hand, sought probe into the allegations of foreign funding.
KAPIL MISHRA FAINTED
Kapil Mishra fainted at a media conference on Sunday but not before he had accused Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of "massive" financial irregularities.
"It has now become clear that Arvind Kejriwal is a corrupt man," Mishra said before he fainted, apparently weakened by five days of fasting in protest against AAP's refusal to disclose details of five party leaders' travels abroad.
Mishra told the media at his residence that AAP had received "crores of rupees" from "shell companies" run by people close to Kejriwal, mentioning in particular AAP legislators Shiv Charan Goel and Naresh Yadav. These shell companies, Mishra alleged, also had "ghost" directors who donated money to the party and converted "black money into white".
Kapil Mishra said there were also discrepancies in the money received by AAP and the amount it declared before the Election Commission.
Mishra fainted before he could share with the media documents he said proved his charges. He was taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital here, where doctors said he was stable and conscious, but suffered from a "a little weakness and mild dehydration".
"His vital signs are all normal," an RML doctor said.
KAPIL MISHRA'S ALLEGATIONS
Earlier, referring to one of the cases of alleged discrepancies, Mishra said AAP received Rs 90 lakh as donation from a person identified as Priya Bansal of Bengaluru for 2014-15 and 2015-16, but the tax payable on her income was merely Rs 4,000.
"In 2014-15, AAP had Rs 65,52,40,752 (Rs 65.5 crore) in its bank account, but the Election Commission was informed about only Rs 32,46,16,662 (Rs 32.4 crore) while the party put only Rs 27,38,71,611 (Rs 27.3 crore) in the public domain and told its volunteers it had no money," Mishra said.
He also held that the party had made 461 "bogus" entries. "All this happened with the knowledge of Arvind Kejriwal as these shell companies deposited money in AAP's bank account on the same day and time in January 2014," Mishra said, brandishing a sheaf of documents.
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Mishra was accompanied at the meet by a man identified as Neil Haslam, who he said helped in "exposing" the funding. "This is why I have been demanding foreign travel details of five AAP leaders," Mishra said.
Kapil Mishra added that he would also approach the CBI on Monday with documents and would soon expose another "scam" related to AAP's mohalla or health clinics.
AAP SHIELDS KEJRIWAL
The AAP refuted Mishra's charges and said he was "parroting" the Bharatiya Janata Party. In another press conference, AAP MLAs Goel and Yadav denied links with the entities named by Mishra and said they would file a defamation suit against him.
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said Mishra was echoing the allegations the BJP voiced just before the 2015 Assembly polls.
"This is the BJP's ploy to finish AAP. It should stop questioning the credentials of AAP and Arvind Kejriwal. He (Kejriwal) quit as the joint commissioner with the income tax department as well as the chief minister (during his first term as CM). We have ensured all transparency while accepting funds," Singh said.
On May 7, Mishra had claimed that he had seen Health Minister Satyendar Jain pay Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal.
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BJP GETS SHOT IN ARM
Branding Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as "Mr Corrupt", the BJP on Sunday demanded his resignation after sacked minister Kapil Mishra alleged "massive" financial irregularities in the AAP's funding.
BJP national spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi also rubbished the Aam Aadmi Party's claim that Mishra was acting at its behest. She said Kejriwal must come clean about the allegations levelled by the sacked Delhi minister.
Kejriwal must respond to Mishra's claims instead of resorting to mud-slinging, she demanded.
"Mr Corrupt has increased corruption in Delhi by leaps and bounds and this has overshadowed governance. The AAP's leadership is being questioned because it is one man's party indulging in corrupt practice and filling the coffers of his own family and of the people around him," Lekhi said.
The Aam Aadmi Party has now become "Kejriwal Aadmi Party", she added. The AAP swept to power in Delhi riding on its anti-corruption movement.
Responding to the AAP's claim that Mishra was "parroting" the BJP, Lekhi, an MP from central Delhi, said the sacked Minister was once Kejriwal's confidant.
"Nobody has to parrot the BJP's lines. This person (Mishra) is somebody at whose behest people like Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav were thrown out of the AAP. He was close to Mr Corrupt."
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"The BJP has nothing to do with him. When people from within the AAP are questioning the party leadership, we really don't have much task to do. We can only ask questions in consonance," she said.
CONGRESS ASKS WHY NO CASE AGAINST KEJRIWAL
Delhi Congress chief Ajay Maken has sought a "thorough probe" into the allegations leveled by sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra regarding "illegal" foreign funding received by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
At a press meet in New Delhi, he also demanded Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal's resignation. "The allegations are serious. Kejriwal should step down on moral and legal grounds," Maken said.
Maken said there should be an investigation to trace the source of foreign funding to AAP, adding that it was "unlikely that the government agencies were unaware of it".
The Congress leader also targeted the BJP-led government at the Centre and wondered why was it not prosecuting Kejriwal and why an FIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act was not lodged against the AAP government.
"AAP, which floated shell companies to convert black money into white money to show in its accounts, also receives illegal foreign funding, which is a serious matter," he said.
(WITH INPUTS FROM PTI)
Also read | Kapil Mishra 'exposes' Arvind Kejriwal: All you need to know about the charges against Aam Aadmi Party
Also read | Kapil Mishra fires 'donation scam' salvo at Kejriwal, AAP deflects it towards BJP, Congress
Also read | Kapil Mishra continues fast, promises another AAP expose as cops reach his home in late-night drama
WATCH VIDEO
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Chinese President Xi Jinping called Sunday for closer cooperation among countries across Asia and Europe in areas from anti-terrorism to finance, as officials from dozens of governments met to promote a Beijing-led initiative to expand trade links across the region.
Speaking to an audience that included Russian President Vladimir Putin and leaders of 29 other countries, Xi outlined the most ambitious political vision yet for the Belt and Road Initiative, a multibillion-dollar project to build ports, railways and other facilities. It covers an arc of 65 countries reaching from the South Pacific through South and Central Asia to Europe and Africa.
The initiative would provide some of the $7 trillion of investment in infrastructure the Asian Development Bank says the region needs this decade. But governments including Russia, the United States and India are uneasy that China is using its status as the second-largest global economy to expand its political influence.
Xi insisted his government has no desire to impose our will on others. But he also called for economic integration and cooperation on financial regulation, anti-terrorism and security all fields in which Chinas economic heft would give it a prominent voice.
We should foster a vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security and create a security environment built and shared by all, Xi said. He called for stepped-up action against terrorism and what he called its root causes of poverty and social injustice.
In a reminder of the potential security threats facing the region, North Korea test-fired a ballistic missile Sunday that flew for a half-hour and reached an unusually high altitude of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). The launch was seen as a challenge to a new South Korean president who was elected last week and came as U.S., Japanese and European naval forces gathered for war games in the Pacific.
Xi foreign policy initiative
The Belt and Road is Xis signature foreign policy initiative. The two-day meeting that started Sunday gives him a platform to promote his image as a global leader and an advocate of free trade in contrast to President Donald Trump, who has called for import restrictions.
Xi said Beijing will contribute an additional 100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) to the Silk Road Fund set up in 2014 to finance infrastructure projects. He said his government will provide aid worth 60 billion yuan ($8.7 billion) to developing countries and international organizations.
Two Chinese government-run banks also will set up lending facilities valued at a total of 380 billion yuan ($55 billion) to support the initiative, Xi said.
Putin sees danger in protectionism
Speaking after Xi, Putin echoed the Chinese presidents theme that economic development would help to nurture political stability. The Russian leader said the rise of trade protectionism is creating a breeding ground for international extremism and terrorism.
Russia believes that the future of the Eurasian partnership is not just about fostering ties between a few countries and economies, Putin said. It should change the very political and economic landscape of the continent bringing Eurasia stability, prosperity.
Xi said Beijing plans to announce dozens of new investment and other agreements during the two-day event.
No major Western leaders
Other leaders at the gathering included Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan and President Michelle Bachelet of Chile. No major Western leaders attended, though Britain, France and Germany were represented by top finance officials.
The U.S. delegation was led by Matt Pottinger, special assistant to Trump and senior director for East Asia at the National Security Council.
The United States and other governments have said Belt and Road is a natural outgrowth of Chinas status as the biggest global trader and they welcome the investment. But they also have expressed concern Beijing might undermine human rights and international standards for lending or leave poor countries with too much debt.
Most of the Chinese financing is loans, instead of grants.
India criticism
India delivered an implicit criticism of Chinas initiative Saturday in a statement that said such an initiative should meet international norms and not create unsustainable debt.
India has objected to Chinese state-owned companies working in the Pakistani-held part of Kashmir, the Himalayan region claimed by both sides. New Delhi sees that as an endorsement of Pakistans control.
No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity, the statement said.
Some diplomats and political analysts say Beijing is trying to create a political and economic network centered on China, push the United States out of the region and rewrite rules on trade and security.
Xi promised to avoid forming a small group of allies, which he said might harm regional stability.
Instead, he said, Beijing wants partnerships of friendship and a big family of harmonious coexistence.
Sacked minister Kapil Mishra has levelled charges of money laundering against the Aam Aadmi Party, and dared Arvind Kejriwal to quit as Delhi Chief Minister.
By India Today Web Desk: Sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra today accused the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party of running a 'donation scam'.
After levelling serious charges at the AAP, Kapil Mishra asked the Delhi Chief Minister to quit or "he will drag him by the collar and take him to Tihar Jail".
Here are the charges levelled by Kapil Mishra against the Aam Aadmi Party:
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1) He accused the Aam Aadmi Party of under-reporting its donation figures to the Election Commission.
Kapil Mishra alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had Rs 45.74 crore in its bank accounts during the financial year 2013-2014. Of this, the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP declared Rs 9.42 crore to the Election Commission.
He alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party concealed nearly Rs 36 crore in donations from the Election Commission. According to Kapil Mishra, the AAP reported Rs 19.82 crore on its donation website.
The sacked AAP minister alleged that following notices from the Income Tax department, Arvind Kejriwal's AAP revealed Rs 30.08 crore in donations to the Election Commission.
Kapil Mishra alleges under-reporting of AAP's political funding.
2) Kapil Mishra also alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party accumulated money through shell companies.
Kapil Mishra alleged that Aam Aadmi Party MLA Shiv Charan Goyal and his wife floated several fake companies or shell companies to route money to the Aam Aadmi Party.
Sacked minister Mishra also alleged that AAP MLA Naresh Yadav's wife Preeti Yadav is also linked to these fake companies. She invested in these fake companies and the money was routed to the Aam Aadmi Party, alleged Kapil Mishra.
3) Kapil Mishra alleged that Aam Aadmi Party converted black money into white through hawala transactions.
He alleged that the AAP was routing hawala money through Axis Bank branches.
Kapil Mishra alleged that Aam Aadmi Party received two cheques of Rs 35 crore each from shell companies.
"Arvind Kejriwal was furious with notebandi (demonetisation) because the conversion of black money into white had to be stopped," Mishra alleged. "All these (fake) companies have accounts in Axis Bank which was raided during demonetisation," the sacked Delhi minister claimed.
ALSO READ:
Kapil Mishra expose: Story of water tanker scam that connects Arvind Kejriwal, Sheila Dikshit and BJP
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AAP Ka Scam II: PWD report nails incompetence of Arvind Kejriwal's kin
Aam Aadmi Party: Is this an end of the road for Arvind Kejriwal's national ambitions?
ALSO WATCH
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I Love Dick A Short History of Weird Girls Season 1 Episode 5 Editors Rating 4 stars * * * * Previous Next Previous Episode Next Episode Kathryn Hahn as Chris. Photo: Amazon
There are 500 times as many female nudes in art history textbooks as there are female artists. So says Toby toward the end of this episode, which takes the objectification of women in art and life as its theme. Part of what makes Chris Krauss book (and now this show) so revolutionary is that its a product not of the male gaze, like all those prints in the art-history books, but of the female one, with Dick as the objectified babe.
Every woman in Marfa seems to see Dick as a symbol of something different. They all have fantasies in which he plays a starring role. Paula fantasizes about him validating her work as a curator. Toby fantasizes about beating him at his own game. Devon fantasized about being him when she was a kid, and maybe still does. Chris, as we already know, fantasizes about sex with him. A Short History of Weird Girls takes a break from the main narrative to chronicle the back stories of these four women, each in the form of a letter to Dick.
Chriss letter pulls back the curtain on her sexual evolution. Ive been horny since I was six, she tells the audience, deadpanning at the camera in the middle of the stark West Texas landscape. As she recounts her various affairs (with a stuffed animal, with a rock star), we see that her need to demand attention and intimacy from partners who do not fully reciprocate did not begin with her arrival on the plains.
Her first Dick, as it were, was a stuffed rhino. She liked to hump it in front of her babysitter Karen. Something about the feeling of being watched excited her even then. Her next threesome didnt come until after college, when she and her friend made up their minds to bed a rock star. They told him they wanted to create a living representation of feminist sculptor Louise Bourgeoiss The Couple, a major aluminum work which shows two sets of legs dangling below a pair of spiraling torsos that have melded together. The point of the project seemed fairly lost on the rock star, although he did get one thing right. Youre weird girls, he tells them, wagging his finger lecherously. As we know, this would not be the last time Chris would try to make art of out of something sexual.
Sylvere was the first man who didnt dismiss Chris as weird. Nothing freaked him out, Chris remembers, and you begin to understand the roots of their connection. It turns out that the film she submitted to Venice was based in some ways on these early encounters, but her memory of those days is far warmer than her film suggests. Unlike the bored fat man in her movie, Sylvere was lithe and vibrant, twiddling his toes in excitement as he engaged her in post-coital discussion of philosophy. In bed, he tells her to remove her clothing, ordering her to keep her boots on. He lies back and watches Chris touch herself. The present-day Chris, striking in a bold red dress, suddenly enters the scene and has a look around, like Woody Allen in the flashback sequences of Annie Hall. Watching Sylvere watch her younger self, her face is impassive, analytical. Does she like what she sees? Its impossible to say.
A Short History of Weird Girls opens with a clip from the 1999 short film Removed, by Naomi Uman. To make it, Uman went through reels of 70s pornography and erased the images of women from every frame using nail-polish remover and bleach. Whats left are shots of men observing and caressing a glowing, ghostly presence or more accurately, an absence. In Chriss flashback scene, Soloway employs Umans technique so that Chris herself becomes an omission, a ghost. Its an enigmatic moment that speaks to the older Chriss efforts to untangle herself from Sylveres powerful gaze.
In the early stages of their relationship, Chris loved seeing herself through Sylveres eyes. But a year after they got married, they stopped having kinky sex; five years after that, the sex stopped altogether. Today, Chris says, she doesnt want to see herself through any mans eyes. I dont care how you see me, she tells her fantasy image of Dick, who sits naked on his couch, barely covered by one of his Navajo blankets. I dont care if you want me. Its better that you dont. Its enough that I want you.
Dick plays a totally different role in Devons life. She doesnt want to sleep with Dick; she wants to become him. She first saw him when she was five years old and immediately recognized his sexual charisma. I loved watching you play cowboy with all your women, Devon tells us, and we see how Devons whole slow, swaggering, sexy style can be traced to Dicks influence. Her familys relationship with Dick goes back too her grandparents and great-grandparents worked on his familys land. When her female cousins want to practice kissing, Devon pretends shes Dick. In the present, narrating in a red jumpsuit, Devon observes Dick cozying up to a pretty blond, and then taps his shoulder and takes his place. The memory gets darker when she comes home to find Dick walking out of her mothers bedroom.
Devon puts on a good Dick act, but shes incapable of playing it cool when she really wants somebody, as is the case with her college girlfriend, a pretty cello player. When the cellist shifts her gaze to a boy named Gabe, Devon, devastated, drops out of school, abandoning her dream of becoming a playwright. She goes back to Texas to try to figure out what to do with her life, working odd jobs at the institute in the meantime. Its not until Chris comes to town that Devon decides to take another stab at writing a play.
Paula backs into her Dick story by first telling us about how, as a young girl, she fell out of love with her mother when she saw a tampon string dangling from her crotch one night. Why is this so distressing to Paula? It seems to have something to do with the frank explicitness of the image. Paula, we come to understand, does not like things to be clearly defined. Instead of following her mother around, she turns the closet into a cozy reading nook and locks herself inside. As she reads, she touches herself. I didnt have a word for it, she said. All I knew was that it felt good. The day she learned that this was called masturbation, she didnt want to do it anymore. Naming it was literally the least sexy thing I could imagine. Dick, we learn, never titles his pieces, and its this refusal to be defined and named that draws Paula to his work, which provokes in her a feeling of boundlessness.
But when she comes to Marfa to work with him as the curator at the institute, his laconic style proves to be a bummer. He wont offer much in the way of guidance or support. He often says nothing at all to her suggestions. Their relationship is hardly the dynamic collaboration she envisioned. Its as though shes invisible to him. Im still here, she proclaims in her letter, searching for something youll say yes to.
Toby begins her letter by listing Dicks accomplishments his scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute, his MacArthur Genius grant, and so on. Dicks work, she says, is primarily about reminding the world of the size of his massive steel and concrete cock. He embodies everything anyone has ever wanted from a late 20th century alpha-male artist and scholar. Toby projects something close to disdain for the remote, mysterious, unknowable cowboy. Yet she knows so much about him because her hippie parents had one of his coffee-table books. (It was her favorite.)
She leads us on a tour of her funky childhood home in Santa Fe. Her pot-smoking dad was an expert on children, so he thought he was allowed to touch me, she coolly remarks. Her cousin Tara introduced her to porn, and thus Tobys obsession was born. As a precocious art-history major at Columbia, she began her formalist study of hardcore pornography, which prompted her frowning male professors to urge her to move into the gender-studies department. Refusing to be marginalized in this way, she holds fast to her vision and launches a promising career. Her letter ends on a taunting note. You havent made a piece in nearly a decade. Your time is running out. Dear Dick, we are not far from your doorstep.
Film clips, in order of appearance
I Love Dick weaves short clips from avant-garde feminist directors throughout each episode. Sometimes, those clips blend into the story lines unfolding in Marfa; other times, theyre used for contrast. In each recap, well identify them.
1) Naomi Uman, Removed
2) Naomi Uman, Leche
3) Cauleen Smith, Chronicles of a Lying Spirit (By Kelly Gabron)
4) Petra Cortright, enchanted foreststrippersnopeleeasy2girls[1]
@FunHomeMusical
James Comey has, perhaps unsurprisingly, been laying low ever since he was fired from the FBI last week by President Trump. But the self-imposed short seclusion ended on Saturday afternoon, when Comey and his wife, Patrice, decided to take in a matinee of the touring Tony-winning Broadway musical Fun Home. And what fun it was! The Washington, D.C., outing was less Mike Pence at Hamilton and more Hillary Clinton in the Theater District per the New York Times, the Comeys (and the audience) were in good spirits and were welcomed backstage by the cast at the end of the show. Pictures were taken! Pleasantries were exchanged!
Today James Comey and his wife Patrice joined us at #FunHome in Washington, D.C. pic.twitter.com/W5HLrgKaPi Fun Home (@funhomemusical) May 13, 2017
One of Fun Homes lead producers explained that the couple had bought tickets to the show prior to Comeys firing, but they were still keen on attending despite the politically turbulent circumstances. Their daughter saw the tour in Chicago and told them they had to see it, the producer explained to the Times. They were wiping away the tears as they came backstage to meet the cast. He said something to the effect of it was the best thing they could have picked for their first outing both said they were really emotionally affected by the show. Where will he pop up next?
Expelled AAP minister Kapil Mishra entered the fifth day of his indefinite fast on Sunday even as Delhi police reached his home on Saturday night in an attempt to get him to end his agitation. Mishra has also promised to unveil another expose implicating AAP leaders today.
By Mail Today Bureau: In late night drama, Delhi police reached the Civil Lines house of sacked AAP minister Kapil Mishra and asked him to call off his hunger strike, which entered its fourth day on Saturday.
Police want Mishra to end his fast and get admitted to a hospital as his health condition deteriorated. But a team of doctors from RML said Mishra is fit to countinue his hunger strike. Police personnel will remain posted outside his house as a preventive measure, said officials.
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Mishra had earlier shown apprehension over his medical examination done by doctors sent by the Delhi government.
Mishra said the claims of his poor health are a conspiracy by Delhi Government and Arvind Kejriwal as Delhi government hospital doctors report to health minister Satyendar Jain, who has been accused of corruption by him. Mishra on Twitter appealed Delhi to the police commissioner not to forcefuly make him end this strike as he is fighting for a bigger cause.
He announced that he would expose misdeeds of AAP leaders on Sunday and suspected that the cop visit was intentionally arranged by AAP.
"I am completely fine and media is covering this. I am being forcefully taken away. I don't rely on these doctors. I need opinion from an independent one," Mishra said.
Earlier in the day, AAP had tried a hunger strike of its own, but in vain. Sanjay Jha, who is the MLA from Burari, was detained by the police while he was proceeding to stage a planned hunger strike outside Mishra's residence.
He was taken to Sarai Rohilla police station. Jha has demanded that Mishra come clean on the claim that he saw health minister Satyendar Jain pay `2 crore to Kejriwal.
Jha also went to Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi's memorial, to seek blessings in what has become a tradition for AAP leaders.
Meanwhile, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia attacked sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra saying his indefinite fast was "sponsored" by the BJP.
"On one hand, Sanjeev Jha is picked up by police, while on the other, a BJPsponsored fast is being held that is being provided police protection and other safeguards,"he said.
ALSO READ | Kapil Mishra's indefinite fast 'sponsored' by BJP, alleges Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia
ALSO READ | RTI activist Sanjeev Jain to help Kapil Mishra with info on AAP ministers' foreign visits
ALSO WATCH | AAP crisis: Former Delhi minister Kapil Mishra attacked outside his home
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India said that apart from the political support, it continues to support developmental projects in Palestine.
By India Today Web Desk: India on Saturday reiterated its "political support" to the Palestinian cause ahead of the visit of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to New Delhi.
Abbas, who arrives today, will be on his third state visit to India after 2008 and 2012. According to reports, the Palestinian President will be accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Abu Amr, Foreign Minister Riad Malki, Diplomatic Advisor Majdi Khaldi, Presidency Spokesperson Nabil Aburdeineh and Palestine's Chief Judge Mahmoud Habbash.
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Abbas will call on Mukherjee and hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Vice President Hamid Ansari and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also call on him.
OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW BILATERAL RELATIONS
According to the external affairs ministry, the visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East peace process, and regional and international issues. Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are also expected to be signed during the visit.
The external affairs ministry on Saturday in a statement said, "Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance."
INDIA-ISRAEL PROXIMITY
The statement assumes significance given that there have been commentaries on the increasing proximity between the Modi government and Israel which may have a bearing on New Delhi's relations with Palestine. In July, Modi will travel to Israel, the first Indian prime minister to do so.
During his visit to India, Abbas will visit C-DAC (the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in Noida on May 15 to forge cooperation between Palestine-India Techno Park being built by India in Palestine and Indian IT industry. He will also deliver an address at the Islamic Cultural Centre here.
(With inputs from agencies)
Also read: Palestinian stabs woman dead on Jerusalem train, says Israeli police
Also read: World diplomats reaffirm backing for two-state Israel-Palestine solution
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Class acts
Kaitlynn Dickerson, a fifth-grade student at China Spring Intermediate School, has been invited to join the 4th-6th Grade Talent Search for gifted students sponsored by Duke Universitys Talent Identification Program (TIP).
Each year, a select group of students in the United States are identified as academically gifted based on their exceptional standardized test scores in school and are invited to participate in the Duke TIP program.
Participants are then invited to take the above-grade level PSAT 8/9 test designed for older students so that their academic abilities and potential can be more accurately evaluated.
She is the daughter of David and Shannon Dickerson. Her grandparents are David and Marion Dickerson and Calvin and LaNell Lumpkin.
Jill Blaha, of Abbott, was recently initiated into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nations oldest all-discipline collegiate honor society. She was initiated at the University of Texas at Arlington. Membership to the honor society is by invitation only.
Courtney Wilson, of McGregor, was named to the deans honor roll for the spring semester at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas. She is a senior majoring in business management.
The Affordable Care Act Obamacare was based on a one-size-fits-all approach that put bureaucrats in Washington in charge of your health care. This month I, along with a majority of my House colleagues, took a vitally important first step in repealing and replacing this disastrous law. The House passed the American Health Care Act to begin the process to provide America with a 21st century health-care system that lowers costs, encourages competition and, most importantly, empowers patients to take control of their health-care decisions.
Across our nation, Obamacares failures continue to impede access to, and the affordability of, health care for all Americans. Recently, another Virginia insurer announced it will be leaving the Obamacare exchanges next year. A Maryland insurer just publicized a 58 percent rate increase in 2018 to compensate for instability within the marketplace. The only remaining insurer in 94 of 99 Iowa counties declared that it is planning to leave the marketplace altogether. And Aetna just announced its complete exit from all Obamacare exchange markets.
Unfortunately, similar examples across the country continue to mount. Here in Texas, 70 percent of counties have only one health-care option. Many will lose that option as early as January 2018 due to the fatal flaws in Obamacare. By repealing and replacing Obamacare we can end the harm that American families and businesses are suffering.
The AHCA delivers immediate relief from Obamacares taxes and mandates that have stifled job creation, increased premiums and limited options for patients and providers. The AHCA replaces damaging outcomes with provisions that return control of health care to the states while restoring the free market so Americans can access quality, affordable health-care options.
Under the AHCA, if you choose to purchase health insurance through the individual insurance market, you will receive a monthly age-based tax credit to purchase quality coverage of your choice. If you are currently utilizing employer-based health-care coverage, coverage through Medicare or the military or are enrolled in traditional Medicaid, you will not be directly impacted by the AHCA.
You will, however, see the benefits of a robust free market with increased choices and lower costs. The AHCA does this by establishing a $138 billion Patient and State Stability Fund available for states to facilitate diverse coverage at a lower cost while providing greater health-care options for all Americans, including those with pre-existing conditions.
Make no mistake; we are committed to caring for those who are most vulnerable within our communities. The AHCA protects individuals with pre-existing conditions by prohibiting insurance companies from denying or rescinding coverage or raising premiums, assuming they maintain continuous coverage.
Under Obamacare, Medicaid expanded to include able-bodied adults and the program has become so fiscally unstable that it cannot serve those it was originally designed to serve as a safety net the poor, disabled, elderly, pregnant mothers and their children. The AHCA modernizes and strengthens Medicaid by enacting the largest entitlement reform in the programs history. By reforming Medicaid financing we are empowering states to meet the unique needs of their citizens.
That said, under the AHCA Medicaid-expansion recipients will be grandfathered in their current coverage, subject to continuing eligibility. We have designed the AHCA, however, so that this population will have improved opportunities to receive health insurance through an employer, qualify for tax credits to purchase insurance on the individual market or receive health coverage through innovative state programs funded by the AHCAs Patient and State Stability Fund.
Like many constituents throughout Congressional District 17, I am forced to receive my familys coverage through an Obamacare exchange. We have had the same frustrating experiences of many other hardworking Texas families, including premium increases, exploding out-of-pocket costs and fewer options. I continue to believe that Congress live under the laws it passes. So, along with the AHCA vote, the House also unanimously passed legislation to ensure that all members of Congress have the same coverage afforded to Main Street America under the AHCA.
Since my first day in office, one of my top priorities has been not only to repeal Obamacare but to replace it with free-market principles that improve competition and increase choices for each and every American. Passage of the American Health Care Act, coupled with administrative actions by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and additional legislation to improve the delivery and cost of health care will create a 21st century health-care system that is patient-focused, market-driven, competitive and affordable for all families. I strongly urge my Senate colleagues to work diligently with the House of Representatives to fulfill these goals.
What happened to James Comey is not particularly unusual in Washington: When a political scandal explodes at your agency, you are expected to protect the president by risking your own reputation and, possibly, your job. Yet the particulars of this case make it deeply troubling.
Start with the reason Comey was fired. Coming from the man who basked in chants of Lock her up! at his campaign rallies, firing someone for mishandling the investigation into Hillary Clintons emails does no more than provoke helpless laughter, liberally mixed with tears. Politicos reporting offers a much more plausible explanation: Trump was frustrated by the investigation into his campaigns Russia connections and wants it to go away. So he fired the guy at the head of the agency thats conducting it.
In fact, Trump pretty much acknowledged as much in his NBC interview Thursday night.
This is not the behavior of an American president; it is the behavior of a tinpot autocrat who thinks that the government exists to serve him rather than the country. And its almost as troubling that Trump seems unaware that he is a tinpot autocrat; he is, he believes, the head of a state with a long (if perhaps somewhat checkered) democratic tradition.
This is also the behavior of an ineffective president, since the best way to ensure that this investigation grinds along to its inexorable conclusion is to summarily fire the man in charge of it. Comeys replacement will not dare to shut it down, for fear of looking like the presidents water-carrier. And if that replacement, incredibly, actually does try to interfere, he is likely to face open revolt from the FBIs rank and file, who are, unsurprisingly, already quite unhappy about what was done to Comey.
Had Trump put more effort into preparing himself for the job of president, he might have learned about an old adage, one dating to Watergate: Its not the crime, its the cover-up. The investigation into Russian connections has made for some bad news cycles for the president, but my expectation had been that eventually it would wind up with nothing very damaging perhaps tainting a few advisors who could be thrown off the back of the sled to feed the wolves running behind.
Now, however, Trump has made sure that the FBI will pursue this thing to the last lead, the press will keep it pinned to the front pages and a lot of astute voters will ask themselves why the president was so desperate to suppress it.
If all this werent sufficiently troubling, theres also the way the firing was carried out. Perhaps if he hadnt been so secretive about intending to fire Comey, Trumps advisers would have had time to explain that this was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad idea. According to Politicos reporting, at least one person did try to explain this: Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York. Trump, taken aback, ignored his sound advice. Shortly after the firing was announced, Schumer was in front of reporters doing exactly what any moderately politically savvy person would have predicted: suggesting a cover-up and calling for a special prosecutor.
Comey, meanwhile, apparently learned that hed been sacked from the television while visiting an FBI office out of town. This flagrant gesture of contempt and disrespect will ensure that the FBI is really thoroughly enraged as they settle down to investigating the presidents campaign.
In theory, of course, our law enforcement is splendidly unbiased, interested only in the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In reality, of course, it is run by human beings who cannot help but have human emotions when they are abused. Which is why we all know the foolishness of making cops gratuitously angry during a traffic stop. And why the president should have known better than to make open war on the FBI if not out of respect for Americas civic traditions, then out of simple self-interest.
This is an ugly moment in Americas political history. And yet I suspect it will end up being somewhat soothing for those who fear that Trump will mark the end of American democracy and the beginnings of an authoritarian regime. Not because the presidents actions are benign: like many other commentators, I see this move as betraying exactly the sort of authoritarian instincts, precisely the disrespect for American civic norms, of which his critics accuse him. But rather, because I doubt its going to work even if the Republican Party rolls over and proves subservient, even if they help him appoint a more pliant successor to run the FBI.
There are a lot of sources of political power in the American system, and those civic institutions will fiercely resist any attempt to remake them into hand-crafted tools of Dear Leaders whims.
I can certainly see futures in which America betrays its heritage and abandons its ideals. But carrying it out would likely require a stealth attack by someone of political genius and strategic cunning, not this ham-handed, thumb-fingered, thoroughly inept assault on an institution that was, until now, probably considerably more Trump-friendly than most of the federal bureaucracy. The brazen violation of our civic norms should worry everyone. But the stunning incompetence on parade should give us hope that our worries wont become reality.
Town-hall protocol
I would like to see my congressman, Bill Flores, face his constituents in the future. Thus far he has had town-hall meetings that were very carefully screened with tightly scripted questions and no give and take. Of course, many constituents are angry about President Trump, Congressman Flores vote on the health-care bill, his budget votes and his distinctly partisan votes rather than efforts that look out for the good of all his constituents.
I understand that the optics would have been bad at a town-hall meeting this past spring, which is probably why he resorted to doing a telephone town-hall meeting instead. At an in-person event, there will be lots of yelling and little dialogue. Im not in favor of such behavior. However, it seems to me that if he did advance planning with his opponents, together they could probably work out a framework or protocol for a face-to-face. This planning meeting would need his staff and leading Democratic officials who could come together to work out the rules of engagement as it were for example, no yelling or screaming constituents and letting Rep. Flores finish his comments and give his answers. It could allow for polite feedback from the people, then his rebuttal or agreement. Any violation of these guidelines would mean a peaceful removal from the peoples town hall.
In addition, participants would be given guidelines in advance of the town-hall meeting and maybe even sign a contract: Flores would let all questions come to him and the crowd would be quiet and respectful when he responded. Call me naive, but I feel Rep. Flores can be a real statesman here and maybe offer a model for other congressmen and their own town-hall meetings.
Fred A. Winslow, Waco
Selling souls
Sen. John Cornyn, have you sold your soul? Our country has been attacked by Russia. The very core of what America stands for is at risk and you attack the messenger who is informing you of what happened?
Former acting attorney general Sally Yates informed the president of the United States that National Security Adviser Michael Flynn was untruthful and dishonest and could be blackmailed by Russia. Your question to her during last weeks Senate subcommittee hearing was about why she refused to defend an executive order that was clearly unconstitutional and an attack on Muslims. You asked no questions on the danger she was revealing to protect our country. The president rescinded this executive order and wrote another because she was correct in her assessment. He then fired her.
The Republican Party, of which you are a member, championed a health-care bill that puts millions of Americans at risk of death and bankruptcy. The Republican Party considered this a great victory. You, sir, are a high-ranking member of this party. Again, I ask you: Have you sold your soul?
Bob Graham, Waco
American Honda Motors spokesmen told me their company was selling a new hatchback in the United States. I thanked them for the information and filed it somewhere in the back of my cluttered mind.
Hondas are among my favorite cars. But, lets face it, the little Civic, be it sedan, coupe or hatchback and it hasnt been hatchback in America for a while has never been a style leader. It always has been a wonderfully ordinary little car remarkable for its reliability, efficiency and safety. Except in 2008-2009, when Japanese supplier Takata smeared its safety reputation with fatally faulty air bags.
Honda has been fighting back ever since and doing a very good job of it, but not good enough for me to be excited by news of a new Civic hatchback.
Still, it helps to keep an open mind. It protects you from having yours blown, as mine almost was when the 2017 Honda Civic Sport Touring hatchback was delivered to my driveway.
It is a hatchback with attitude, certainly the most attractive Civic Ive ever seen. It wears a sporty front fascia, sculptured side panels and an uplifted rear that gives the compact, front-wheel-drive car an in-flight appearance.
At first, about the second day behind its wheel, I thought the new styling was too much, too bold a departure from the vanilla approach to reality that characterized predecessor Civics. I radically changed my mind by the end of the week.
Whoever thought of this new Civic hatchback design should get a promotion or a raise. Seriously. People in my generation, baby boomers who have seen it all, loved the excellently functional, simple-as-a-straight-line early Civics.
They were a welcome counter to the chrome-laden, gas-guzzling, almost-as-dysfunctional-as-a-politician cars rolling out of Detroit.
Note to the Trump administration: You might want to do a serious, academic study of the U.S. automobile industry. Youll find that American companies didnt start making their cars elsewhere solely in pursuit of cheaper foreign labor. Asian and European auto manufacturers forced them to start producing automobiles that Americans and almost everyone else preferred cars such as the little Civic. And, now, Honda has upped the ante again.
The 2017 Civic hatchback is offered in two trim levels, Sport and Sport Touring. They are both snazzy. But the Sport Touring has discernibly more attitude. It appeals to a younger generation folks who love functional simplicity but who also have a highly technical sense of style.
The Civic Sport Touring gives it to them.
It also gives them a turbocharged 1.5-liter, gasoline four-cylinder inline engine that delivers a respectable 174 horsepower and 162 pound-feet of torque.
It does more runs well on regular-grade gasoline at 31 miles per gallon in the city and 40 miles per gallon on the highway.
To me, the little Civics usually have been noisy cars, prone to battering by high winds and rumbling on rough roads. The 2017 model is substantially quieter, although not as quiet as one might expect given its aggressive wind-cheating styling.
Still, I like it.
By India Today Web Desk: Marathi film producer Atul B Tapkir (35) was found dead at a Pune hotel on Sunday morning.
Police had to break open the hotel room where they found Tapkir's body and have lodged a case of accidental death.
Tapkir's body has been sent for an autopsy. A post on Tapkir's Facebook page indicates he was disturbed over financial loss in filmmaking and a troubled family life.
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One of the last 'suicidal' messages posted on Tapkir's Facebook page on Saturday suggests he was depressed over the financial losses he suffered by producing Marathi film "Dhol Taashe".
In the lengthy post, he claimed that while his father and sisters backed him, his wife Priyanka allegedly harassed him.
TAPKIR'S POST
Tapkir said his wife threw him out of their home, and he was living out of the house since six months.
He was also upset as she alienated their children from him, apart from making allegations against him, defaming him in the neighbourhood and abusing him.
Tapkir's post -- written in Marathi -- mentioned that his wife got her "so-called" brothers to threaten and beat him up.
He shared how when some days ago, he called her and abused her, she abused him and his family in return and lodged a police complaint against them.
Tapkir has urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that "the police must listen to a man's side of the story too when a woman lodges a complaint".
He said his last wish was that since his wife cannot look after their children, his father should raise them.
As proof of the harassment he faced, Tapkir said he has saved in a pen drive, the incident when his wife's brother hurled abuses at him.
ALSO READ:
Popular Telugu TV actor Pradeep Kumar commits suicide
Vamsam actress Nandhini's husband Karthikeyan commits suicide
With inputs from IANS
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But then, keeping a straight face whilst engaged in committing a near-unforgivable tactical outrage is a long-term speciality of the current prime minister's, and this budget is a classic of the genre.
Maybe only a banker, like Malcolm Turnbull, can tax another banker to such a cartoonish degree and keep a straight face.
And it started running through my head with hysterical insistence as soon as I cracked open the 2017 budget speech and registered pupils dilating with incredulity that the Turnbull government was seriously proposing to slot the banking sector with a $6 billion tax.
There's a very funny song about redheads written by the Australian performer Tim Minchin that goes "Only a ginger can call another ginger 'Ginger'."
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten is decidedly becalmed after this latest budget. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen
It's not just the effrontery of a self-professed small-government titan taking a plug out of a free-market entity that would make Jeremy Corbyn blush, while merrily installing on banks' hiring and firing practices direct government controls with an unmistakeable Soviet whiff. Or the exuberant non-sequitur constituted by a government simultaneously insisting on one hand that giving banks a significant company tax cut will create jobs, and on the other that taxing them to kingdom come on their corporate bonds and Tier 2 capital instruments will work out just tickety-boo.
The most central outrage committed by this budget the most confounding tactical manoeuvre upon which its authors shamelessly embark is that it is based on agreement with its political foes.
It agrees that banks are essentially villains. It agrees that taxes need to rise to finance government spending. It agrees it is now foolish to imagine that any of the remaining propositions of the 2014 budget still staggering around in the national accounts like drunks refusing to leave a party will ever actually amount to anything. It agrees schools need more money. It agrees running up debt to build things that are productive is an OK thing to do. It agrees doctors should be paid more, and that the National Disability Insurance Scheme should be funded fully.
It is difficult to overstate what a colossal shock to the political system this change of tack is.
Amnesty International says its experts have verified images and footage from the Good Friday shooting on Manus Island that confirm bullets were fired directly into the immigration processing centre.
The human rights group says the digital verification, expected to be released on Monday, contradicts initial claims made by Australian immigration officials and Papua New Guinea police suggesting soldiers only fired bullets into the air.
Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has repeatedly stated Papua New Guinea soldiers opened fire on the centre because they were concerned about the welfare of a young boy who was allegedly led into the compound.
The Papua New Guinea government, meanwhile, says an investigation into the Good Friday shooting is ongoing.
When your guest list reads like the BRW Rich List and is collectively worth around $6 billion, give or take a few hundred million, the pressure is on any bride to shine.
But just after 4pm on a cool autumn afternoon, Nadi Hasandedic, managed to do just that as she arrived with her bridesmaids in a fleet of vintage Rolls Royce limousines outside the grand entry to Sydney University's Quadrangle.
The bride arrives: Nadi Hasandedic at Sydney University on Saturday. Credit:James Brickwood
Hasandedic married her fiance, millionaire luxury car importer Neville "Croaky" Crichton in front of 300 of their nearest and dearest, including billionaire property developer Lang Walker, who arrived with his wife Sue in their Bentley SUV along with Australia's richest truckie Lindsay Fox with his wife Paula.
Further swelling the ranks of the super rich were fellow billionaire vitamin mogul Marcus Blackmore and billionaire hamburger king Jack Cowin, while in their wake mere millionaires including John "Aussie" Symond arrived with his new bride, Amber, the former wife of Patrick Keating, son of former Prime Minister Paul Keating.
In many ways the red carpet is the modern day equivalent of the colosseum, as the bold and beautiful pout and pose in front of the lions behind their lenses in the battle for the biggest media splash.
But when American actress Chrissy Metz emerged on the long carpet snaking its way outside Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium for last week's MTV Awards, she managed to capture the collective media pit's attention in one fell swoop, but not for the reasons your average size-zero starlet would want.
Chrissy Metz has "hit back at fat shamers", revelling in her "Body Pride".
Metz stars in the drama series This Is Us, playing a morbidly obese woman struggling with her weight, a character the actor has previously stated she more than identifies with.
But it was Metz's red carpet gown which caused all the commotion, a tight, latex "baby doll" dress which stopped just above her knees.
A soon-to-be-released book, Cardinal: The Rise and Fall of George Pell, by ABC reporter Louise Milligan, contains detailed claims that he sexually abused two choirboys at St Patrick's Cathedral in Melbourne in the late 1990s.
Lawyers for Cardinal Pell last night strongly denied the allegations and said they were false, "unjustifiable, scandalous, deliberate and calculated to cause the most shocking damage imaginable to Cardinal Pell".
Cardinal George Pell flew from Rome to London as explosive new details of alleged child sex abuse were levelled against Australia's most senior Catholic.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The High Court overturned Cardinal George Pell's conviction for historic child sex offences in a judgment handed down April 7, 2020. In a unanimous decision all seven High Court judges found Victoria's Court of Appeal should not have upheld Pell's conviction It found the evidence could not support a guilty verdict.
The legal letter also claimed the publication of the book's allegations were a "deliberate attempt to influence the public opinion in a manner that would make it impossible for our client to receive a fair hearing in court should he be charged".
The alleged abuse is said to have occurred after the introduction of the Melbourne Response, the compensation scheme for victims of clerical sexual abuse that Cardinal Pell established in 1996 after breaking ranks with the rest of Australia's bishops who had been working on a national scheme called Towards Healing.
A separate statement from his Rome office on Saturday night, in response to a request for comment on the allegations, accused the book's publisher, Melbourne University Press, and media organisations including Fairfax Media of "interfering with the course of justice".
"Cardinal Pell has not been notified by the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions or Victoria Police of the status of their investigations, which have been under way since at least February 2016," the statement said.
"Cardinal Pell will not seek to interfere in the course of justice by responding to the allegations made by MUP and media outlets today, other than to restate that any allegations of child abuse made against him are completely false. He repeats his vehement and consistent denials of any and all such accusations, and stands by all the evidence he has given to the Royal Commission."
Washington, DC: US politicians are calling on President Donald Trump to turn over any tapes of conversations with fired FBI chief James Comey, potentially setting up a showdown with the White House as Democrats considered a boycott of the vote on Comey's replacement.
In a highly unusual move, Trump last week appeared to suggest on Twitter that he might have tapes of conversations with Comey and warned the former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation against talking to the media.
Trump and a White House spokesman declined to confirm or deny whether such tapes exist.
Trump claims he removed Comey because he was not doing a good job and that Comey had lost the support of FBI employees.
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) The IT ministry has reached out to key stakeholders like RBI, National Payments Corporation of India, NIC and UIDAI (Aadhaar) to advise them to protect their systems against Wanna Cry ransomware to ensure that the digital payments ecosystem in the country is protected.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also instructed cyber security unit CERT-In to gather information of Wanna Cry ransomware that has wrecked havoc across sectors like healthcare and telecommunications in more than 100 countries.
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Over the weekend, the ransomware hit systems in over 100 countries, including Russia and the UK, in one of the most widespread cyber attacks in history. It infected computers running on older versions of Microsoft operating systems like XP, locking access to files on the computer.
The cyber criminals have demanded a fee of about USD 300 in crypto-currencies like Bitcoin for unlocking the device.
Microsoft has introduced a security patch to tackle the situation, and consumers across the globe have been advised to download the solution at the earliest.
Noting that no reports have been formally received so far related to the ransomware attack, MeitY said a few systems of the Police Department in Andhra Pradesh were impacted and that the state government has been informed to follow the advisory by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).
"MeitY is keeping a close watch on the developments on the ransomware and is working in close coordination with all relevant agencies," it said in a statement.
The ministry has also reached out to the Department of Telecom (DoT) to alert Internet service providers (ISPs) to secure their networks as well as the Data Security Council of India (DSCI) and CDAC to ensure that users across the country, especially those in the private sector, are cautioned about the ransomware.
Besides, it has also requested Microsoft India to inform all its partners and customers to apply the relevant patches.
As per the advisory issued by CERT-In, the ransomware infects other computers on the same network and is also spreading through malicious attachments to e-mails. Security firms have suggested that users immediately disconnect the infected device from the local network to contain the spread of infection.
In Spain, major companies including telecommunications firm Telefonica have been infected. The most disruptive attacks were reported in the UK, where hospitals and clinics were forced to turn away patients after losing access to computers.
Reports suggest that over two lakh systems globally could have been infected by the malicious software.
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Experts fear the situation could further aggravate as a number of computers in India run on the older operating systems and have not been updated yet.
"The impact has been somewhat contained in India because of the weekend. However, one will have to watch the situation as people return to work tomorrow and access their computers," Kaspersky Lab Head for South Asia Region Altaf Halde told PTI.
A report by the security solutions firm claims that India is among the countries worst affected by the Wanna Cry outbreak, accounting for about five per cent of the attacks.
"This attack is perhaps the largest, most widespread and contiguous malware attack in history as the attackers have used a flaw in Microsoft software to infiltrate unguarded systems. It is important that users keep their systems updated and take a proactive approach to security rather than a reactive one," Pradipto Chakrabarty, Regional Director at CompTIA India said.
Saket Modi, CEO and co-founder of Lucideus said, ransomware, as a mode of attack, seems to be gaining traction as it now gets 4-5 requests from a week from enterprises across the country for providing support from such attacks. PTI SR MBI BAL
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On Thursday past (May 11,2017), the CEO of the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation was lamenting that people renting their homes through Airbnb should be regulated.
His concerns seem directed more to closing the home rental industry than regulating it because hotel occupancy is down. Either way, proposing closing them or regulating them, is not the purview of the Chamber of Commerce.
Besides, international groups like Airbnb provide as much safety through market regulation and oversight to make the renters accountable as the Ministry of Tourism does with regulating hotels here.
The suggestion that the Chamber can develop that into a more viable industry is another interesting suggestion.
Where do politicians get the idea they know whats best for an industry to develop? Regulations usually get in the way of developing industries. And the Chamber should be discouraging regulation not encouraging it.
The Chamber is supposed to be there to help business by seeking ways to make the ease of doing business a priority, not add to the clutter of government regulation, taxation and bureaucracy. If they want to add a registration type service for Airbnb accommodations maybe they have a role to play?
Microsoft President Brad Smith said governments of the world should treat the Wanna Cry ransomware attack as a wake-up call and criticised the hoarding of software vulnerabilities by intelligence agencies like the NSA.
By India Today Web Desk: Microsoft President Brad Smith slammed government "stockpiling" of software vulnerabilities in a blog post on the Wanna Cry ransomware attack that crippled tens of thousands of computer systems across the world.
"The governments of the world should treat this attack as a wake-up call", Smith wrote while also noting how "cybersecurity has become a shared responsibility between tech companies and customers."
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The Wanna Cry cyber attack, which used exploits first developed by the National Security Agency, United States's premier signals intelligence arm, affected Microsoft's Windows products.
Smith noted that the NSA exploit, which is called EternalBlue (the Microsoft president did not refer to the vulnerability by its name), was stolen and made public last month. Microsoft had released a patch for the EternalBlue exploit a month before it was made public, Smith said.
"While this (the patch) protected newer Windows systems and computers that had enabled Windows Update to apply this latest update, many computers remained unpatched globally. As a result, hospitals, businesses, governments, and computers at homes were affected," he added.
In the free-wheeling blog post that addresses the challenges of maintaining cybersecurity, Smith directly attack government agencies, saying, "this attack provides yet another example of why the stockpiling of vulnerabilities by governments is such a problem."
He named both the NSA and the Central Intelligence Agency, another US spy agency, and said, "Repeatedly, exploits in the hands of governments have leaked into the public domain and caused widespread damage."
"An equivalent scenario with conventional weapons would be the US military having some of its Tomahawk missiles stolen," Smith said, referring to how those behind the Wanna Cry attack were probably able to develop the ransomware using the NSA exploit EternalBlue.
The NSA has come under criticism following the Wanna Cry attack. Cyber security expert and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden too slammed the NSA. "Low-sophistication attackers are often unable to independently develop exploits," he said adding that the NSA's actions had allowed "low-skill criminals (to) launch government-scale attacks."
WANNA CRY: THE LATEST The Wanna Cry cyber attack seemed to have slowed over the weekend, especially after a techie accidentally discovered a kill switch to halt the malware's spread. A cybersecurity expert from Proofpoint Inc, however, told Associated Press that new variations of the ransomware were already in circulation and that millions of devices could potentially be vulnerable if they had not applied the required security patches. Europol, the European Union's law enforcement arm, said that more than 200,000 systems in 150 countries were affected, Reuters reported. This number is expected to go up with the start of business week in Asia today. Companies were largely shut on Friday night when Wanna Cry first struck, leading to fears that the true spread of the ransomware had not yet been seen. India was said to be among the countries worst affected in the attack. An initial analysis by anti-virus provider Kaspersky on Friday showed five per cent of all affected systems were in India. India officials said they had not received major reports of disruptions, but cautioned that true assessment of the ground impact would be clear only by Monday. Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) Director General Sanjay Bahl told news agency PTI that a list of do's and don'ts has been shared with all vital installations and networks, including banks, stock markets, airports, defence, power and public utilities. "If people have already taken action and applied the software patch (issued by Microsoft), they need not worry...If they haven't, they should apply it immediately," he said. The IT ministry also reached out to key stakeholders like RBI, National Payments Corporation of India, NIC and UIDAI (Aadhaar) to ensure digital payments in the country aren't hit. The ministry also asked CERT-In to maintain constant vigil. CERT-In has issued an alert on Wanna Cry, asking citizens and companies to upgrade to the latest Microsoft Windows patch level. Those affected by the Wanna Cry ransomware should not pay ransom and instead inform CERT-In, the advisory added. Meanwhile, reports came that computer systems belonging to the Maharashtra Police had been partially hit. "Only a small section of the computer-based data system, and not the entire system, of the Maharashtra police department has got affected. We have separated those PCs from the system and we are trying to fix it," an unnamed police officer told PTI. The police officer added that a few other institutions, where non-upgraded versions of the Windows operating system has been in use, have also been affected due to the ransomware. The officer however refrained from naming the institutions to "to avoid panic". Wanna Cry first struck on Friday, taking down computer systems at hospitals in the United Kingdom. Russia was the country worst affected, with computers at the nation's interior ministry getting targeted. Chinese media reported that the Wanna Cry ransomware attacked many university networks in China. Car manufacturers Renault and Nissan, German rail operator Deutsche Bahn, international shipper FedEx Corp and Spanish telecommunications company Telefonica were among other companies affected. Wanna Cry works by encrypting and locking up all data on a computer system. The malware then displays a message asking users to pay a ransom of up to $600 (around Rs 39,000) in Bitcoin in lieu of decrypting the data. This is believed to be by far the largest such ransomware attack in history.
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ALSO READ | Upgraded ransomware might hit you again tomorrow, warn cyber security experts
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ALSO READ | Ransomware cyber hack: Indian doctor in London warned days ago UK healthcare system would be hit
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ALSO WATCH | WannaCry scare: Cyber attack hits over 150 countries, cripples multi-national companies
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Tatum's 39 points help Celtics hold on to beat Grizzlies 109-106
By West Kentucky Star Staff May. 13, 2017 | 11:24 PM | HOPKINSVILLE, KY
A Hopkinsville man has been arrested in Oklahoma on a murder charge.
Hopkinsville police detectives sought a murder warrant for 23-year-old Sergio Del Angelo for his alleged involvement in the May 11 shooting death of 25-year-old Kristofer Armstrong, on Kenwood Drive in Hopkinsville.
Del Angelo was arrested on Saturday in Beckham County, Oklahoma. He is currently in the custody of the Beckham County Sheriffs Department.
According to police, Armstrong was on the front porch of a home along the 2700 block of Kenwood Drive just after 11 pm Thursday, when he was shot in the upper torso.
Police say Armstrong was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead a short time later.
By MSU Public Relations May. 14, 2017 | 03:42 PM | MURRAY, KY
Murray State University's Spring 2017 Commencement ceremony was celebrated on Saturday, May 13, in the CFSB Center on the Murray campus. During the commencement program, the University awarded an honorary doctorate degree to Mr. John A. Williams, Sr., recognized the achievements of the 2017 Outstanding Students and acknowledged the 2017 Distinguished Faculty.
A total of 1,629 pending degrees, inclusive of associate, baccalaureate, master/specialist and doctoral programs were conferred to May and August 2017 candidates as 28 states and 16 countries were represented.
The ceremony formally began with the Presentation of Colors by the Murray State University Army ROTC Color Guard. Murray State President Dr. Robert Davies presided over the ceremony with a message for graduates and a Residential College Investiture. He and Acting Provost Dr. Renae Duncan administered the Awarding of Degrees.
In addressing the graduates, Davies said, "You were taught skills that will assist you in your future careers. More importantly, you have been provided the gift of knowledge and wisdom that comes through constant effort and asking questions. Your skills will help you get your first job, but it is the gift of knowledge and wisdom that will afford you the opportunity to make a difference in the world and live a life that is fully examined, bountiful, memorable and extraordinary and make a lasting difference in the world."
Mr. John A. Williams, Sr. delivered the Commencement Address and received an honorary doctorate from the University. Williams is chairman of the Computer Services, Inc. Board of Directors. Williams graduated from the University of Kentucky in 1962, earning a Bachelor of Science with majors in accounting and economics.
Williams weaved together the following three words: education, opportunity and community, in challenging the Class of 2017 to continue their pursuit of excellence while making an impact in the world.
The Mace Bearer was Dr. John Dressler, Murray State's Distinguished Professor and a faculty member in the department of music through the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.
Outstanding Seniors Jaime Staengel and Jason Matthews led the candidates for degrees and also gave the valedictions. Staengel received a Bachelor of Science in economics and a Bachelor of Arts in German along with minors in mathematics and business administration. Matthews received a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Conservation Biology. They were both recipients of the Honors Medallion and graduated summa cum laude.
Faculty Marshals assisting with the ceremony were Professors Susana Bloomdahl, Traci Byrd, Heath Keller, Michael Kemp, Robert Lyons, Matt Shultz and Gill Welsch.
Faculty were led in by the recipients of The Regents Teaching Awards for Excellence: Mickey Miller, Rebecca Pender Baum, Andrew Black, Matthew Crider, Traci Byrd, Christopher Trzepacz and Michelle Santiago.
They were joined by Presidential Research Fellow William R. Jones, Distinguished Researcher L. Murphy Smith, University Distinguished Mentor Michael Flinn, University Emerging Scholars Vladyslav Krotov and Diana Nitiham-Tunney, Faculty Advisor of the Year Beverly Fort and the recipient of the Faculty Distinguished Service Award, F. Gilland Welsch.
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By The Associated Press
May. 13, 2017 | LOUISVILLE, KY
By The Associated Press May. 13, 2017 | 10:12 PM | LOUISVILLE, KY
Ten protesters have been arrested after blocking the entrance to a Louisville abortion clinic.
The Courier-Journal reports that Louisville Metro Police responded to a call Saturday morning about people loitering in front of the EMW Women's Surgical Center.
The protesters were arrested for trespassing after refusing to move away.
The Rev. Joseph Spurgeon of the Sovereign King Church in Sellersburg, Indiana, says the protest was held at the Louisville abortion clinic because it is the last one operating in Kentucky.
The state has sought to shut down the clinic for being out of compliance with laws related to its agreements with a local hospital and ambulance service. A federal judge last month ordered the clinic to remain open until a lawsuit aimed at preventing its closure is resolved.
RIBBON CUTTING THIS WEDNESDAY FOR SAMTEC AT BRCC
WILL TRAIN WORKERS FOR GF LINAMAR NOW UNDER CONSTRUCTION IN FERNCLIFF INDUSTRIAL PARK IN MILLS RIVER
WELL OVER 300 MANUFACTURING JOBS TO BE CREATED
MAY BEGIN OPERATION AS SOON AS THIS SUMMER
Blue Ridge Community College to Host Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for Southeastern Advanced Molding Technology Education Center (SAMTEC) on Wednesday, May 24
Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) will host a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the opening of its new Southeastern Advanced Molding Technology Education Center (SAMTEC) on Wednesday, May 24 at 9 a.m. The ribbon cutting ceremony is free and open to the public to attend. Carlos Vasto, general manager at GF Linamar LLC, Michael Edney, Chairman of Henderson County Commissioners, Dr. Molly Parkhill, president of BRCC, and WIll Buie, board chair of Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, will give remarks at the ceremony. Demonstrations of the SAMTEC equipment will be given after the program.
SAMTEC is located in the Advanced Technology Building, where it will use the expertise of instructors from several of BRCC advanced technology programs, including mechatronics, computer integrated machining, welding, and engineering technology. Two BRCC instructors traveled to Austria and Switzerland to receive training on equipment set-up, maintenance, and operation. SAMTEC will provide training to GF Linamar employees, as well as molding and die cast training for companies locally and across the nation. Long range plans include the development of a full associate degree program in Molding Technology.
We are pleased to announce the grand opening of our new SAMTEC facility, which will provide essential job training for hundreds of students, said Dr. Molly Parkhill, president of BRCC. This new, state-of-the-art facility would not have been possible without the generous support of Georg Fischer, Linamar, the Golden Leaf Foundation, the NCCCS Customized Training Program and Henderson County.
Fueled by a joint venture between Swiss Company, Georg Fischer (GF) and Canadian Company, Linamar, the SAMTEC job training initiative is specifically designed to meet the training needs of GF Linamars new high-pressure die cast facility. GF Linamars facility will specialize in high-pressure die casting to produce light-weight aluminum and magnesium parts for power train driveline and structural components. This venture will add 350 jobs to the region with an average annual salary estimated at $47,013.
Funding for the equipment and retrofit of the Advanced Technologies Building to accommodate the Center was provided by a $550,000 Economic Catalyst grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation and an $80,000 award from the North Carolina Community College System Customized Training Program to purchase equipment. For die cast training, GF Linamar and its equipment suppliers have donated the majority of the necessary equipment or provided equipment at a low cost, including a new die cast cell. County funds provided a retrofit of the space. The equipment in SAMTEC is valued at more than $2 million.
Currently, the southeast region of the United States is home to 25 die cast manufacturers and a wide variety of manufacturers using plastic molding processes. SAMTEC provides quality workforce training in high-pressure die cast of aluminum parts as well as training in the production of plastic molding processes. SAMTEC will also support the training needs of other area companies with plastic molding processes. These companies include Elkamet Inc., B.I.G. Adventures, Continental Automotive Systems, Meritor Inc., Raumedic and Lassonde Pappas.
Nara Lokesh launched innovative ideas to solve long pending problems in rural areas including drinking water problem by using various social media platforms and SMS alert systems.
By Ashish Pandey: A villager, Ramana, from Patapadu village of Kanigiri mandal in Prakasam district is overwhelmed with joy when the decades old drinking water problem in his village was solved in no time when he tweeted about the problem and pictures tagging Minister for Panchayat Raj Nara Lokesh.
Immediately after noticing the complaint, the minister directed the officials to solve water problem, and now the villagers are getting regular water supply.
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It is not a lone case of Ramana, thousands of villagers from across the state are tagging the young minister for help.
Minister for Panchayat Raj, Rural Development and Information Technology Nara Lokesh, who is also the son of Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu, launched innovative ideas to solve long pending problems in rural areas including drinking water problem by using various social media platforms and SMS alert systems.
As per his ministry, Lokesh received one thousand complaints so far on drinking water problems from villages through Twitter and Facebook, and so far 300 complaints have been solved, 400 complaints settlement is in progress, and for other 300 complaints necessary approvals have been sought from other departments.
The minister noticed 707 complaints on drinking water through print media and solved 453 cases, and work on another 254 cases are under progress. Eleven complaints received through electronic media and 9 complaints were solved.
Coming to call centres, 2576 complaints received and 1067 cases solved. Work has been started to solve 791 complaints. When the minister collected the views of people on drinking water supply through IVRS 77 per cent people expressed satisfaction and 23 per cent people complained of delay in solving the problem.
In addition to this, the ministry headed by Lokesh is also taking into consideration the reports on drinking water problem published in various newspapers and conducting review meeting with officials.
Also read:
Naidu's rain dance
Water level dips in major reservoirs
--- ENDS ---
By Press Trust of India: From Shirish B Pradhan
Kathmandu, May 14 (PTI) Millions of Nepalese today voted in the countrys first local-level polls in two decades as the Himalayan nation took a crucial step towards cementing democracy amid political turmoil.
Authorities recorded a 71 per cent voter turnout with sporadic election-related violence reported and one person killed in police firing in Dolakha district, 120 km east of Kathmandu.
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The Election Commission has postponed polling in three centres -- one each in Kavre, Kalikot and Dolakha districts.
Date for fresh voting will be announced shortly, officials said.
"First phase of local poll passes peacefully with estimated 71 per cent turnout," the Election Commission said in a statement.
The voting began at 7 AM in almost all the 18,438 polling centres and concluded at 5 PM.
Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhee Prasad Yadav thanked the voters for the overwhelming participation in the local- level elections.
He said voting was conducted in a free and fair manner.
"The first phase of local polls have concluded in a peaceful manner," Yadav said.
Ballot boxes from remote locations are being airlifted to the respective headquarters in some districts, he said.
Vote counting in Kathmandu and Lalitpur municipalities are expected to begin tonight while counting in other parts of the countries are likely to begin tomorrow morning.
Though the voting process was by-and-large peaceful, some instances of violence reported from a few polling stations.
The first phase of the local elections took place peacefully at 281 local units out of 283 in province 3, 4 and 6, said the EC.
Out of the 283 local bodies where first phase of elections were scheduled, voting was held in 281 bodies as candidates were elected unopposed in two units, it said.
Two rural municipalities, one each in Manang and Dolpa districts, unanimously elected their representatives without voting.
According to an EC spokesperson, authorities have registered a record 71 per cent voter turnout.
Altogether 4.9 million voters were eligible to exercise their franchise in the first phase of elections.
Nearly 50,000 candidates were vying for the position of mayor, deputy mayor, ward chairman and ward member in 281 municipalities.
Batuli Lamichhane, 115, was the oldest person to cast his vote. He voted at the polling centre at Matra village in Nuwakot district, 75 km west of Kathmandu, the EC said.
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Tulasi Kumari Khatri, 104, also cast her vote in Dupcheshwor village of the same district.
Nanda Bahadur Poudel, a 105-year-old citizen from Gorkha Municipality was the second oldest person to exercise his franchise.
The second round of polls in provinces 1, 2, 5 and 7 will be held on June 14.
The absence of elected representatives in the local bodies for more than 15 years obstructed development in the villages and towns across the country, including the capital city Kathmandu.
Local-level elections could not be held after 1997 largely as a result of the decade-long Maoist insurgency that claimed more than 16,000 lives in Nepal.
The elections should be held in every five years but due to the political instability, they were halted since May 1997.
Local bodies remained ignored during the long transitional period even after the signing of a peace deal between the government and the Maoists in November 2006.
Prime Minister Prachanda has appealed to the voters to use their sovereign voting rights by casting votes.
"I urge all the electors to participate in this historic local-level election and use their sovereign voting rights. In a democracy, people can exercise their sovereign rights through election," he said in a statement.
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"On the one hand, the local polls have stood as a linkage to direct Nepals peace process to a logical conclusion, while on the other, it can be looked upon as a milestone to end the unitary and centralised governing system and establish federal governance," Prachanda said.
This election will open door for meting out the rights and resources centralised at Singha Durbar (central government secretariat) to peoples doorstep, the prime minister said.
Nepal has been witnessing political instability.
Although major Madhesi group -- the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal -- has decided to boycott the first phase of polls, two other Madhesi parties -- Federal Socialist Party and Madhesi Peoples Forum Democratic -- are participating in the polls.
Some Madhes-centric parties have opposed the elections until the new Constitution is amended to accommodate their views: more representation in the Parliament and redrawing of provincial boundaries.
The Nepal government has tabled a new Constitution amendment bill in the Parliament to address the demands of the agitating Madhesis.
Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community. PTI ZH/SBP UZM CPS ASK CPS
--- ENDS ---
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/05/2017 (2005 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
If you want to know how dedicated employees of the Winnipeg Free Press are to bringing the newspaper to you in its printed and digital forms, look no further than an agreement reached between the company and the union representing its workers.
Employees represented by Unifor have agreed to take an eight per cent wage cut if the companys financial position changes and it cannot pay all of its bills. The company has agreed not to lay off anyone during the two-year deal.
Both are remarkable commitments. Its rare for a union to offer any possibility of a pay cut. Its almost unheard of these days for a news media company to commit to no layoffs.
DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Workers at the Winnipeg Free Press agreed to a deal that would see them take a wage cut if the company's financial position changes and it can't pay all of its bills.
Why did we do it?
We did it because Free Press ownership, management and Unifor recognized there had to be a better way in an industry beset by declining revenues and struggling to reinvent itself.
We share the same goal to preserve the role the paper has played since 1872 of informing Winnipeg and Manitoba about itself.
But too often, players in the newspaper industry are at odds instead of united. Owners respond to revenue drops by laying off employees. Staff attack their own employers, saying they are cutting the content that makes people read in the first place.
Last fall, management at the Free Press got together with representatives of Unifor to explore what could be done. We laid out all the financial information that we have, and what we see ahead choppy waters, to be sure.
To be clear, the Free Press has always operated in the black, and we continue to do so. We report on our results publicly each quarter. We have recorded net losses, though those are the result of writedowns in the value of the company, not operational losses.
We have been changing the business, moving to digital platforms and altering the printed paper as well. But it is hard to move fast enough. Digital revenues dont replace what has disappeared from print. And wed have a lot of angry readers if we suddenly stopped delivering a printed paper, which one major Canadian newspaper has already done.
Workers are concerned about their future. All the uncertainty is not good for morale.
In the end, we came up with a true made in Manitoba approach to helping the newspaper industry.
Employees have agreed to take a pay cut if the company, in a 12-month period, has not earned at least $800,000 more than needed to pay all its bills, including required debt payments, pension obligations and any other cash outlays.
The pay cut includes me, by the way, and all other managers and staff at our group of six Canstar community newspapers in Winnipeg. The reduction would not apply to anyone earning less than $15 an hour about $30,000 a year.
The company will issue no involuntary layoff notices during the agreement, which ends June 30, 2019. No dividends will be issued if staff take a pay cut. (None has been issued since 2015.)
Unifor will appoint a union representative to the companys board of directors. And there will be a permanent committee of union and company representatives to meet monthly to discuss ways to cope and improve the business, whatever comes our way.
I know of no other newspaper company in Canada that has taken this kind of approach. Its a brave step some might say foolish.
But weve done it because we need a united approach to ensuring the Winnipeg Free Press continues to serve Winnipeg and Manitoba as it has for 145 years.
bob.cox@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/05/2017 (2005 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
When Lori McFarland sits down with her family to celebrate Mothers Day this weekend, there is one person she knows wont be there. But the family will make sure there is a special place at the table for Amber.
Its a way for us to acknowledge her and let her know we are thinking about her not only her absence but also her presence, said McFarland, 58.
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Amber McFarland's family, sister Ashley (from left), mother Lori, father Scott, nephew Christian and sister Lisa. She was 24 when she went missing in October 2008.
The sadness is an underlying current in any happy occasion Lori McFarland on her missing daughter, Amber
Sunday marks the ninth Mothers Day the Portage la Prairie resident will spend without her daughter Amber McFarland, who went missing in 2008. As they always do on important dates and holidays, her family will set a place for her.
Mothers Day can be bittersweet, she said. While I am happy to spend the day with my two daughters and am proud of the women they have become, I remain deeply saddened by the loss of Amber, as would any mother who has lost a child.
To mothers, they are our children at any age. The sadness is an underlying current in any happy occasion.
Amber McFarlands family including her father, Scott, her identical twin sister, Ashley, her younger sister, Lisa, and her nephew, Christian have not seen or heard from her since October 2008. She was 24 when she went missing.
SUPPLIED 'Amber was beautiful inside and out. Amber was loving, and she was loved,' her mother, Lori McFarland, says.
Her mother was told in a phone call on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008 that she had not shown up for her morning shift at Marks Work Wearhouse in Portage la Prairie.
One day after that phone call, Lori McFarland received a second call saying her daughter had not showed up for work for a second straight day.
The second call we received the following morning, when they said that Amber again did not show up to open the store, was a turning point, she said. This is the moment that I knew something was terribly wrong.
Our lives have never been the same after receiving that phone call.
JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A woman enters the Cat & Fiddle Nite Club. Amber McFarland was at the Portage la Prairie bar the morning she went missing.
Amber McFarland was last seen by friends at the Cat & Fiddle Nite Club in the Midtown Motor Inn at 177 Saskatchewan Ave. W. in Portage la Prairie at around 1 a.m. on Oct. 18.
Her friends have said she was seen at the nightclub with her ex-boyfriend, Kelly Garrioch. Security footage shows her with Garrioch and another man, later identified as Graham Saxon, in the Midtowns beer vendor.
Garrioch, who was 38 at the time, later admitted he was with his ex-girlfriend early that morning despite a court order prohibiting him from being around her, stemming from an alleged assault in May 2008.
Garrioch has always said he had nothing to do with Amber McFarlands disappearance and doesnt know what ultimately happened to her that morning.
A Winnipeg Free Press article from June 2009 states when a friend and relative of Amber McFarlands called Garrioch after she went missing, he told them she had come to his Portage la Prairie home on Yellowquill Trail on the morning of Oct. 18, 2008.
He told them she later called an unknown person and left his home, the friend said.
Garrioch said he has not seen or heard from Amber since.
Saxon, the other man in the footage from the beer vendor, told the Free Press in 2009 that after the group left the hotel, he dropped McFarland off with Garrioch at Garriochs home.
Her vehicle was found the morning she went missing at the Canad Inns Destination Centre at 2401 Saskatchewan Ave. W., where she had left it the previous day before going out for the evening.
Garrioch did not respond to a request for comment for this article.
Amber McFarland was recorded by a security camera at the Midtown Motor Inn before she went missing.
Years after her disappearance, which RCMP confirmed was being investigated as a homicide in 2009, Lori McFarland and her family still search for answers about what really happened to her daughter that October morning.
We will always seek the truth, Lori said. We believe there are people that know details that could help us find justice for Amber. We implore those people to please come forward with information.
We want the investigation to continue. We want justice for Amber.
On Wednesday, Manitoba RCMP announced its historical case unit had arrested a woman in connection with the 2007 killing of another Portage la Prairie woman, 46-year-old grandmother Charlene Ward. The night before she was found slain, Ward had been at the Cat & Fiddle. On Thursday, RCMP said the 30-year-old woman arrested had been released without being charged.
Sgt. Dan Barnabe of the historical case unit said the investigation into Ambers disappearance is an open and active investigation.
Obviously, the evidence pointed us in that direction, and thats why we came out and said it was a homicide despite the fact the remains have never been recovered, Barnabe said.
JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Scott McFarland (left) and volunteers drain the Portage Spillway looking for clues in late October 2008.
Barnabe confirmed two searches took place at Garriochs former home in Portage la Prairie, the first happening in the fall of 2008.
Barnabe said the investigation led them back to the house for a second search in June 2009 after new owners had moved in.
Its just the way the investigation progressed, he said. Something piqued the interest of investigators at the time and required them to go back and do a second search.
In the 2009 search, officers from the forensics identification and major crimes units reportedly dug up parts of the property.
Ive done nothing, Garrioch told the Free Press at the time of the second search, adding his life had been horrid since his ex-girlfriends disappearance.
Barnabe confirmed Garrioch and Saxon were arrested in 2009 and brought in for questioning. Both were released without being charged. Saxon told the Free Press that fall he later passed a lie-detector test at RCMPs Manitoba headquarters in Winnipeg.
Barnabe said RCMP want anyone with information on the case to come forward.
This is still an active investigation, and we are making a plea for any information to be brought to us, Barnabe said.
Sometimes people know something but just think the cops must know about that, but (they) should never take for granted that just because they know something that we know it.
We will take any and all information that anyone has.
A tip line has been set up for the case, and anyone with information about Amber McFarlands disappearance is asked to call 204-984-6447 or Manitoba Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).
JOE BRYKSA / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Volunteers drain the Portage Spillway in October 2008 to search for clues.
Lori McFarland said unanswered questions and a need for answers often consume her thoughts.
Any alone time or quiet time, my mind drifts toward all the questions and scenarios and suspects, she said.
She said she has always believed she knows who is responsible for her daughters disappearance.
I do believe that the truth will come out someday. I just hope it is not after we are all passed on, she said.
We will not be satisfied until the person responsible for the murder of our daughter is securely behind bars.
A $20,000 reward is being offered to anyone who comes forward with information that leads to the discovery of Amber McFarlands remains or a prosecution and sentencing in the case.
Despite the pain, Lori McFarland said her family has tried to live as normal a life as possible, although doing so is not easy.
We all try to go about our work and aspects of daily living like everyone else, but we do have an underlying current of sadness, Lori said.
There are good days and bad days, but generally we put on our game face and head out for the day.
This is our normal family life now, going along in life masking the sadness and the anger at the injustice each and every day.
Lori McFarland said she has always tried to stay strong for her two daughters and said the loss has always been particularly hard on Ambers identical twin sister, Ashley.
In the early days, Ashley would become extremely upset if someone offered their condolences or sympathy for her loss of her sister because she could not resign herself to the fact that this was really final, she said.
Twins have a special bond, and Ashley has lost not only her sister, but also her best friend.
This Mothers Day, Lori McFarland will remember the woman Amber was and imagine the kind of woman she would have been today.
She loved fashion and style, and her dream job was to be an interior decorator, and she would have been awesome, Lori said. I wish she had the chance to go to school to follow her dream.
She has a huge family that loved her. She deserves to be laid to rest surrounded by the family that loved her.
Amber was beautiful inside and out. Amber was loving, and she was loved.
Dave Baxter is a freelance reporter, photographer and editor who writes about Manitoba crimes for the Sunday Special.
crimefilesmanitoba@gmail.com
Twitter:@davebbbaxter
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/05/2017 (2005 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
A pedestrian was taken to hospital after being hit by a motor vehicle in the 2100 block of Main Street this morning.
Police closed two northbound lanes of Main Street following the accident that occurred at 9:49 a.m. near Seaforth Avenue. Few details were available other than a pedestrian was transported to Health Sciences Centre.
Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/05/2017 (2005 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Unexplainable things happened in the Tacoma, Wash., house where infamous serial killer Ted Bundy grew up.
So many things, in fact, a contractor hired to remodel the home pencilled Bible scriptures on the walls and brought in two pastors to bless the house.
Im not one to believe a lot of this stuff, but this house made me a believer, said the contractor, Casey Clopton.
PETER HALEY / THE NEWS TRIBUNE via THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this April 20, 2017 photo, real estate broker James Pitts III walks up to the fully remodeled childhood home of serial murderer Ted Bundy in Tacoma, Wash. The little blue house was built in 1946, the same year Bundy was born in Vermont. The Bundy family moved into the home in 1955, records show.
A cry for help appeared on a window as crew members worked in the basement, heavy furniture wedged into a wall toppled over, and doors and cabinets seemed to open themselves, he said.
It all started in September, when David Truong bought the 1,400-square-foot home with plans to redo and flip it.
He didnt research its history, so he didnt know the local lore or who had lived there.
The little blue house was built in 1946, the same year Bundy was born in Vermont. The Bundy family moved into the home in 1955, records show.
Louise Bundy was no longer living there in 1989, when her 42-year-old son was executed in Florida after being convicted of killing two sorority sisters and a 12-year-old girl.
Investigators linked him to at least 30 slayings, though they believe there may have been dozens more. His killing spree started in 1974 in Washington and continued for years across 11 states.
Bundy was nine years old when his family moved into the four-bedroom, 11/2-bathroom house. Neighbours recall him having a bedroom on the ground floor, though at least one record indicates his room was at the foot of the stairs in the basement.
He lived there with his mother, stepfather and four siblings.
I dont ever remember seeing Ted, said Hope Murry, a neighbour who grew up a few houses down and later bought her childhood home.
She recalls playing with Bundys younger sisters and Louise Bundy babysitting her. Once, she went to their house but was told to stay out of Teds bedroom because he had the measles.
They were a really nice family, Murry said.
Bundy insisted he grew up in a wonderful home with two dedicated and loving parents.
Louise Bundy was a staunch defender of her eldest son and long insisted he was innocent. Her stance softened after he made several death-row confessions. In his final interview with a psychologist just before he was executed, Bundy said his family regularly attended church and believed his violence stemmed from an obsession with pornography that fuelled dark fantasies.
Some believe Bundy started killing when he was 14, and that Ann Marie Burr, an eight-year-old girl abducted from her North End home in August 1961, was his first victim.
Bundy denied it in a letter to the girls mother, written after he was imprisoned in Florida and named as a suspect in Ann Maries disappearance.
Louise Bundy said back then she was sure he didnt commit any crimes while living under her roof. DNA testing done in 2011 was unable to link Bundy to the missing girl.
He is, however, still listed as a suspect in the case because detectives could not clear him.
Despite Bundy being one of the most notorious serial killers, there is no evidence he committed any crimes in his childhood home. That doesnt stop some neighbours, and now the contractors, from believing theres something spooky about the house.
Clopton, the contractor, first visited the house after he was hired in October. He took along his 11-year-old daughter, who sometimes goes with him and takes dictated notes from her dad about the work that needs to be done.
My daughter started crying, Copton said. She said she felt weird. She didnt like it there.
She refused to be alone in the house and was so uncomfortable they quickly left.
Clopton returned the next week with a demolition crew. One crew member echoed the sentiment the house didnt feel right.
Then things started happening, Clopton said things he kept dismissing as pranks among the crew.
There was the time they re-entered the house which had been locked and every door, every cabinet drawer was open, he said.
Or the time the workers were cleaning up the flooded basement and spotted the words Help me written on the glass, Clopton said. A screwed-on screen protector would have made it difficult for someone outside to write it, he said.
The contractor said a heavy dresser inset in the upstairs hallway wall somehow pulled itself out and landed face-down on the floor while the crew was downstairs.
Workers said it takes at least one strong man to pull it out and there was no way it could have fallen on its own.
Periodically, throughout the course of the job, we had weird things keep happening, Clopton said.
Cellphones and other electronics occasionally would get unplugged and immediately die, he said, and the word Leave was found written in sheetrock dust on a bedroom floor with no footprints around it.
Clopton eventually chatted with some of the neighbours about the odd occurrences, asking if there had been a rash of neighbourhood break-ins.
Thats when he learned Bundy once lived in the house.
Clopton passed the information along to Truong and James Pitts III, the real estate broker. Pitts said he was shocked but excited by the discovery because he has an interest in true crime. It was really eerie but really neat, he said. We made sure to keep quiet initially because we werent sure how people would react to knowing a serial killer lived there.
Although a handful of potential buyers asked Pitts about Bundy once calling the house home, he said the people who recently bought the house did not.
Its unclear whether the new owners are aware. They could not be reached for comment.
After Clopton found out the houses connection to a serial killer, he decided it was time to seek help. So he called a Puyallup pastor and asked him to bless the house.
Two pastors came out and went from room to room, reading scriptures and saying blessings.
They encouraged the crew to continue playing Christian music while they worked. They also suggested writing Bible verses on the walls, which the workers did.
The pencilled writing can no longer be seen beneath the fresh paint, but Clopton said he hopes they will continue to offer protection.
Everything in that house fought us, and I was kind of weird about it, he said. But I go to church, and I have God with me.
The house was completely redone with new paint, a bright yellow front door and renovated floors and ceilings. But the history remains.
News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash.)
Bouncing houses, tractors, booths downtown Winona was filled with energy and enthusiasm on Saturday morning.
With temperatures reaching almost 80 degrees around noon, Touch-A-Truck offered engaging activities for kids all ages.
All of the trucks showcased something different, and kids had a chance to explore the vehicles while learning what they are used for every day. One truck provided colorful balloons for children to wrap around their wrists and others allowed them to explore the equipment while posing for photos with their families.
Community Engagement Coordinator Nicole Schossow said the downtown Winona Main Street program, Live Well and Winona Health have been hosting the event for a few years.
Last year, the cold weather prevented some families from joining the event, but this year Schossow said she expected thousands of people to walk downtown with their kids.
Winona Health and Live Well also worked together with Play Streets, an event to bring families out in the community, encourage them to bike or walk to reach the activities downtown and promote a healthy lifestyle.
Schossow said she hopes families will interact with local businesses and become aware of the activities they can join in Winona right before summer begins, and at the same time, she wants kids to get a lot of experience.
In addition to Winona Health, Ridgeway Community School, Bluff Country Co-op, Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, The Playground, the YMCA and others contributed to the event by providing the bouncing houses, the tractors and other activities.
By 11 a.m., groups of 10 kids had lined up by the bouncing houses, hoping to slide with their friends and have a good time.
Lily Scharmach tried the velcro wall a few times until she was able to stick for a few seconds.
Sticking to the wall was my favorite part, Scharmach said.
Elliott Lallaman slide on one of the bouncing houses and held hands with her friend from dance class Erminia Harvey.
I liked going fast, Harvey said.
While some kids chose to do some physical activity, others were curious to look inside the trucks in the parking lots.
A few kids were popping into the Lawrence Transportation Company truck and sat on the drivers seat, pushing the trucks horn several times with excitement. Community member Amy Engel said she had attended the event a couple times and had brought her two sons with for a fun experience.
My son really likes the trucks, Engel said.
One of the sponsors of the event, The Playground, provided paint and brushes at one booth and kids had a chance to paint their own vehicle on cardboard boxes, all of which were donated by local businesses.
The Playground Owner Laura Slavey said the idea of using cardboard boxes came from a collaboration with other members, who thought the boxes could easily remind kids of trucks.
Who doesnt like to play with boxes? Slavey said.
FOX LAKEA Dixieland Jazz Festival will be held in Fox Lake Friday through Sunday.
The Jazz Festival will honor Bunny Berigan who grew up in Fox Lake and is known as one of the most compelling trumpet players in history. Berigan brought unmistakable electricity to the various bands he played with including Tommy Dorsey, Paul Whiteman, and Benny Goodman. Hired as a sideman, Berigan performed on hundreds of commercial recordings including material for the Dorsey Brothers, as well as Bandleader Glenn Millers earliest recording date, playing on Solo Hop (1935).
Those who knew Berigan personally had much to say.
Joe Bushkin said, Look, if you could have seen him there onstage in a white suit, with his blond hair and penetrating gray eyes, holding that shiny gold trumpetwell, if that didnt knock you over when he started to play, aint nothing gonna knock you down.
Irving Goodman, brother of Benny Goodman, said: Like everyone else, I was crazy about Bunny. He was with Benny for only a short period, but whenever he was present it was another story. There havent been many guys who could electrify Benny, but Bunny was certainly one of them. As a leader of his own band he was great to work for. The whole band would do anything he wanted.
Berigan was born Nov. 2, 1908, in Hilbert, Wisconsin, and died on June 2, 1942, in New York City.
The festival bands will include:
Trumpeter Duke Heitger of New Orleans will play as a guest artist with all the bands. While not on the road, Heitger maintains a busy schedule in New Orleans, leading his own Steamboat Stompers.
Bob Schulz and his Mid-West All Stars. When not playing his cornet in Wisconsin, Schulz can be found playing at many Jazz festivals around the nation. Although he lives in California, he was born and raised in Wonewoc, and served as a High School Band teacher in Reeseville and Lake Mills.
The St. Louis Stompers Classic Jazz Band Led by Steve Lillley on cornet. From traditional jazz tunes to swing, the Stompers attack each with vigor and gusto.
Jacks Jubilee Band Playing Bunnys Music. Jack Trowbridge has put together 11 musicians, forming a little big band that will play tunes that Bunny played. The tunes will be Dixieland and Swing that Bunny recorded.
Kaye Berigan 5Tet. Kaye Berigan has been featured at all the Bunny Berigan Jazz Jubilees since 2011. Kaye is the nephew of Bunny, but he did not listen to Bunnys music as he grew up and became an accomplished artist on trumpet.
Matt Miller Trio. Miller comes to the stage featuring the music of Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra plus other Jazz standards. He was the winner of the Bunny Berigan Scholarship in 1988 and this year he is one of the judges of the scholarship being presented.
Dave Majcherzak will be featured for the Piano Special at 5 p.m. Dave is both a fantastic piano player and an arranger.
Event highlights are:
A free kickoff concert, 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at Mullins Drive In. In the event of rain, the concert will be moved to the American Legion Clubhouse.
There will be a Graveside Service led by the Rev. Al Townsend at the St. Marys/Annunciation Cemetery on Saturday at 10 a.m.
Mike Zirpolo, Author of Mr. Trumpet; the trials, tribulations, and triumph of BUNNY BERIGAN will conduct educational presentations about Berigan. He plans to give three totally different one-hour presentations. There will be two programs in Fox Lake Saturday and onein Beaver Dam Sunday at 9:14 a.m. at First Evangelical Lutheran Church. Each program will include music that has previously not been heard.
Chef In The Kitchen will be offered Saturday and Sunday. Anthony Madison of Milwaukee will prepare for the festival.
An Exhibit Hall doubling as the presentation hall will include paintings of Bunny Berigan. At 8 p.m. Saturday there will be a mixology workshop featuring Korbel Brandy.
Rippeys Triangle Jazz brings 4,000 CDs, books and DVDs to the Jazz Jubilee.
Phyllis Ger is returning to the Jubilee with hand-crafted jewelry. She has a studio in New York and her father, Morty Stuhlmaker played in Bunnys Band.
The Sunday morning church service will be held at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 311 W. Mackie, Beaver Dam. The St. Louis Stompers will be the featured at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services. The church invites the public.
The Bunny Berigan Jazz Jubilee scholarship will be presented at 1 p.m., Sunday.
Find more details and how to order tickets at bunnyberiganjazzjubilee.com. Tickets also may be ordered by emailing julieflemming@yahoo.com or by calling 920-928-6094. Tickets will also be available at the door.
By Press Trust of India: Kathmandu, May 14 (PTI) Voting began in Nepal today in its first local-level polls in two decades that are crucial for cementing democracy amid political turmoil in the country.
The first phase of local elections are peacefully taking place at 281 local units out of 283 in province 3, 4 and 6, said the office Election Commission.
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It said as the candidates have been elected unopposed in two local units, polls are taking place in remaining local units only.
Altogether 4.9 million voters are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of elections.
Nearly 50,000 candidates are vying for the position of mayor, deputy mayor, ward chairman and ward member in 281 local municipalities.
The second round of polls in provinces 1, 2, 5 and 7 will be held on May 14 and June 14 respectively.
The absence of elected representatives in the local bodies for more than 15 years obstructed development in the villages and towns across the country including the capital city Kathmandu.
Local-level elections could not be held after 1997 largely as a result of the decade-long Maoist insurgency that claimed more than 16,000 lives.
The elections should be held in every five years but due to political instability, they were halted since May 1997.
Local bodies remained ignored during the long transitional period even after the peace deal signed between the government and the Maoists in November 2006.
Prime Minister Prachanda yesterday appealed to the voters to use their sovereign voting rights by casting votes.
"I urge all the electors to participate in this historic local-level election and use their sovereign voting rights. In a democracy, people can exercise their sovereign rights through election," Prachanda said in a statement.
"On the one hand, the local polls have stood as a linkage to direct Nepals peace process to a logical conclusion, while on the other, it can be looked upon as a milestone to end the unitary and centralised governing system and establish federal governance," Prachanda said.
This election will open door for meting out the rights and resources centralised at Singha Durbar (central government secretariat) to peoples doorstep, the prime minister said.
Nepal has been witnessing political instability.
Although major Madhesi group -- the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal -- has decided to boycott the first phase of polls, two other Madhesi parties -- Federal Socialist Party and Madhesi Peoples Forum Democratic -- are participating in the polls.
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Some Madhes-centric parties have opposed the elections until the Constitution is amended to accommodate their views: more representation in parliament and redrawing of provincial boundaries.
The Nepal government has tabled a new Constitution amendment bill in the Parliament to address the demands of the agitating Madhesi parties.
Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community. PTI ZH
--- ENDS ---
The Columbus Fall River Relay for Life Committee is going platinum June 2, as the event celebrates 20 years of fighting for a brighter tomorrow during the annual walk through Firemans Park.
Community members of all ages are invited to join the fight from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Columbus Firemans Park Pavilion. Music, food, bingo, a bouncy house, carriage rides and more will be available. No registration is necessary to participate.
The evening will include a survivor ceremony at 6 p.m., a group walk at 8 p.m. and a luminaria ceremony at 9:30 p.m.
Proceeds from the event are donated to the American Cancer Society which uses the funds for cancer research, Hope Lodge, Road to Recovery, Look Good . . . Feel Better, Reach to Recovery and advocacy. Participants and teams also conduct fundraising efforts prior to the event.
For more than 65 years, the American Cancer Society has been finding answers that save lives from changes in lifestyle to new approaches in therapies to improving cancer patients quality of life, said Erica Borowski, American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Columbus Fall River representative. No single nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization in the U.S has invested more to find the causes for cancer.
Registration to attend the event is not necessary. If you would like to join an existing team or log on as an individual to fundraise prior to the event, please visit www.RelayForLife.org/columbusfallriverwi. To volunteer at the event, become a sponsor, or donate a silent auction item, call Erica at 608-662-7549.
By Press Trust of India: From Shirish B Pradhan
Kathmandu, May 14 (PTI) Nepalese were voting today in the first local-level polls in two decades, an election crucial for cementing democracy amid political turmoil in the country.
The first phase of local elections are peacefully taking place at 281 local units out of 283 in province 3, 4 and 6, said the office Election Commission.
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Out of 283 local bodies where first phase elections were scheduled, the elections are being held in 281 local bodies as candidates were elected unopposed in two local units, it said.
According to Election Commission spokesperson Surya Prasad Sharma, around 42 per cent of total registered voters in 34 districts have cast their votes by noon.
Altogether 4.9 million voters are eligible to cast their votes in the first phase of elections.
Nearly 50,000 candidates are vying for the position of mayor, deputy mayor, ward chairman and ward member in 281 local municipalities.
Batuli Lamichhane, 115, is the oldest person to cast his vote. He cast his vote at the polling centre at Matra village in Nuwakot district, 75 km west of Kathmandu, according to the Election Commission.
Tulasi Kumari Khatri, 104, also cast her vote in Dupcheshwor village of the same district.
Nanda Bahadur Poudel, a 105-year-old citizen from Gorkha Municipality was the second oldest person to cast his vote.
The second round of polls in provinces 1, 2, 5 and 7 will be held on May 14 and June 14 respectively.
The absence of elected representatives in the local bodies for more than 15 years obstructed development in the villages and towns across the country, including the capital city Kathmandu.
Local-level elections could not be held after 1997 largely as a result of the decade-long Maoist insurgency that claimed more than 16,000 lives.
The elections should be held in every five years but due to political instability, they were halted since May 1997.
Local bodies remained ignored during the long transitional period even after the peace deal signed between the government and the Maoists in November 2006.
Prime Minister Prachanda yesterday appealed to the voters to use their sovereign voting rights by casting votes.
"I urge all the electors to participate in this historic local-level election and use their sovereign voting rights. In a democracy, people can exercise their sovereign rights through election," Prachanda said in a statement.
advertisement
"On the one hand, the local polls have stood as a linkage to direct Nepals peace process to a logical conclusion, while on the other, it can be looked upon as a milestone to end the unitary and centralised governing system and establish federal governance," Prachanda said.
This election will open door for meting out the rights and resources centralised at Singha Durbar (central government secretariat) to peoples doorstep, the prime minister said.
Nepal has been witnessing political instability.
Although major Madhesi group -- the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal -- has decided to boycott the first phase of polls, two other Madhesi parties -- Federal Socialist Party and Madhesi Peoples Forum Democratic -- are participating in the polls.
Some Madhes-centric parties have opposed the elections until the Constitution is amended to accommodate their views: more representation in parliament and redrawing of provincial boundaries.
The Nepal government has tabled a new Constitution amendment bill in the Parliament to address the demands of the agitating Madhesi parties.
Madhesis, mostly of Indian-origin, launched a prolonged agitation between September 2015 and February last year against the implementation of the new Constitution which they felt marginalised the Terai community. PTI ZH/SBP UZM ZH
--- ENDS ---
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ESCO Technologies Inc. produces and supplies engineered products and systems for industrial and commercial markets worldwide. It operates through Aerospace & Defense, Utility Solutions Group, and RF Shielding and Test segments. The Aerospace & Defense segment designs and manufactures filtration products, including hydraulic filter elements and fluid control devices used in commercial aerospace applications; filter mechanisms used in micro-propulsion devices for satellites; and custom designed filters for manned aircraft and submarines. It also designs, develops, and manufactures elastomeric-based signature reduction solutions for U.S. naval vessels; and mission-critical bushings, pins, sleeves, and precision-tolerance machined components for landing gear, rotor heads, engine mounts, flight controls, and actuation systems for the aerospace and defense industries. The Utility Solutions Group segment provides diagnostic testing solutions that enable electric power grid operators to assess the integrity of high-voltage power delivery equipment; and decision support tools for the renewable energy industry, primarily wind and solar. The RF Shielding and Test segment designs and manufactures RF test and secure communication facilities, acoustic test enclosures, RF and magnetically shielded rooms, RF measurement systems, and broadcast and recording studios; and RF absorptive materials and filters, active compensation systems, antennas, antenna masts, turntables, electric and magnetic probes, RF test cells, proprietary measurement software, and other test accessories to perform various tests. It also provides services, such as calibration for antennas and field probes, chamber certification, field surveys, customer training, and various product tests. The company distributes its products through a network of distributors, sales representatives, direct sales teams, and in-house sales personnel. The company was incorporated in 1990 and is based in St. Louis, Missouri.
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By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) The Ministry of External Affairs has said that it has not received any request so far to extradite 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed and 1993 Mumbai bombings accused Dawood Ibrahim from the agencies probing them.
The ministry was responding to an RTI query seeking to know the action taken by the government to bring back fugitive gangster Ibrahim and Jamaat-ud-Dawah chief Saeed.
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"The ministry of external affairs has not received any request for extradition/deportation/return in respect of Hafiz Sayeed and Dawood Ibrahim from the investigating agency concerned in India," it said.
Ibrahim is the main accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case in Mumbai in which around 260 people were killed, and more than 700 suffered injuries. He fled the country post the bombings and is understood to be hiding in Pakistan at present.
Saeed, also the co-founder of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e- Taiba terror group, is accused of plotting the militant attack in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, in which 166 people were killed by a group of terrorists who had entered the city through a sea route.
In April, Home Minister Rajnath Singh had stated that there was no doubt that Dawood was still in Pakistan. During the last 10 years, India has sent several dossiers to Pakistan in this regard, saying Ibrahim is accused in the serial bomb blasts case.
In 2011, P Chidambaram, the then home minister in the UPA government had also stated that Ibrahim was based in Karachi. He had also said that India would continue to push its case to bring to justice the people who had planned the 2008 attack.
India has for long been advocating an extradition treaty between SAARC countries in order to ensure quick action against those involved in terrorist activities. PTI DR KIS BSA
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North Korea today tested a ballistic missile that officials in South Korea and Japan said reached an altitude higher than 2,000 km. US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un was "in a state of paranoia."
Here's a map that shows the range of the missile (Reuters Photo)
By Reuters: North Korea, defying calls to rein in its weapons programme, fired a ballistic missile that landed in the sea near Russia on Sunday, days after a new leader came to power in South Korea pledging to engage Pyongyang in dialogue.
The US military's Pacific Command said it was assessing the type of missile that was fired but it was "not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile". The US threat assessment has not changed from a national security standpoint, a US official said.
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Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada said the missile could be a new type. It flew for 30 minutes before dropping into the sea between North Korea's east coast and Japan. North Korea has consistently test-fired missiles in that direction.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the missile landed 97 km (60 miles) south of Russia's Vladivostok region.
US WILL 'CONTINUE TO TIGHTEN THE SCREWS'
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called the launch a message by Pyongyang to South Korea after the election of President Moon Jae-in, who took office on Wednesday.
"You first have to get into Kim Jong Un's head - which is, he's in a state of paranoia, he's incredibly concerned about anything and everything around him," Haley told ABC's "This Week" program, referring to North Korea's leader.
Haley added that the United States will "continue to tighten the screws," referring to sanctions and working with the international community to put pressure on Pyongyang.
The White House mentioned Russia in its earlier statement about the launch. "With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil - in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan - the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased," the White House said, referring to US President Donald Trump.
The launch served as a call for all nations to implement stronger sanctions against North Korea, it added.
The missile flew 700 km (430 miles) and reached an altitude of more than 2,000 km (1,245 miles), according to officials in South Korea and Japan, further and higher than an intermediate-range missile North Korea successfully tested in February from the same region of Kusong, northwest of its capital, Pyongyang.
RUSSIA'S PUTIN, CHINA'S XI 'EXPRESS MUTUAL CONCERNS'
An intercontinental ballistic missile is considered to have a range of more than 6,000 km (3,700 miles).
North Korea is widely believed to be developing an intercontinental missile tipped with a nuclear weapon that is capable of reaching the United States. Trump has vowed not to let that happen.
Experts said the altitude reached by the missile tested on Sunday meant it was launched at a high trajectory, which would limit the lateral distance it travelled. But if it was fired at a standard trajectory, it would have a range of at least 4,000 km (2,500 miles), experts said.
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Kim Dong-yub of Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul said he estimated a standard trajectory would give it a range of 6,000 km (3,700 miles).
"The launch may indeed represent a new missile with a long range," said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, referring to the estimated altitude of more than 2,000 km (1,240 miles). "It is definitely concerning."
Speaking in Beijing, Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, told reporters Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula, including the latest missile launch, and expressed "mutual concerns" about growing tensions.
Putin is in Beijing for a conference on a plan for a new Silk Road. Delegations from the United States, South Korea and North Korea are also there.
The launch, at 5:27 a.m. Seoul time (2027 GMT Saturday), came two weeks after North Korea fired a missile that disintegrated minutes into flight, marking its fourth consecutive failure since March.
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'CLEAR VIOLATION'
South Korea's new president Moon held his first National Security Council in response to the launch, which he called a "clear violation" of UN Security Council resolutions, his office said.
"The president said while South Korea remains open to the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, it is only possible when the North shows a change in attitude," Yoon Young-chan, Moon's press secretary, told a briefing.
Moon won Tuesday's election on a platform of a moderate approach to North Korea and has said he would be willing to go to Pyongyang under the right circumstances, arguing dialogue must be used in parallel with sanctions.
China, North Korea's sole main ally which nevertheless objects to its weapons programmes, called for restraint and for no one to exacerbate tensions.
"China opposes relevant launch activities by North Korea that are contrary to Security Council resolutions," China's foreign ministry said in a statement.
'GRAVE THREAT'
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said North Korea's missile launches were a "grave threat to our country and a clear violation of UN resolutions".
Ambassador Haley said the launch was not the way for North Korea to earn a meeting with Trump, who has said he would be "honoured" to meet Kim Jong Un under the right circumstances.
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Trump said in an interview with Reuters in April that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea was possible but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome. On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat said Pyongyang was open to dialogue with the Trump administration under the right conditions.
Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank in Washington, said among the responses expected from the Trump administration would be further pressure on all countries to fully implement UN Security Council sanctions resolutions against North Korea.
North Korean attempted but failed to test-launch ballistic missiles four times in the past two months. It has conducted various tests since the beginning of last year at an unprecedented pace. It also conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests last year.
ALSO READ | North Korea fires missile days after new South Korea leader pledges dialogue
ALSO READ | North Korea detains another American citizen amid rising tensions, reports state media
ALSO WATCH | Malaysian Police Confirm VX Nerve Agent Used to Kill Kim Jong-Nam
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Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. The company offers general purpose servers for multi-workload computing and workload-optimized servers; HPE ProLiant rack and tower servers; HPE BladeSystem and HPE Synergy; and solutions for secondary workloads and traditional tape, storage networking, and disk products, such as HPE Modular Storage Arrays and HPE XP. It also offers HPE Apollo and Cray products; and HPE Superdome Flex, HPE Nonstop, HPE Integrity, and HPE Edgeline products. In addition, the company provides HPE Aruba product portfolio that includes wired and wireless local area network hardware products, such as Wi-Fi access points, switches, routers, and sensors; HPE Aruba software and services comprising cloud-based management, network management, network access control, analytics and assurance, and location; and professional and support services, as well as as-a-service and consumption models for the intelligent edge portfolio of products. Further, it offers various leasing, financing, IT consumption, and utility programs and asset management services for customers to facilitate technology deployment models and the acquisition of complete IT solutions, including hardware, software, and services from Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others. Additionally, the company invests in communications and media solutions. It has a partnership with Striim, Inc. to offer high performance and mission-critical solutions with real-time analytics. It serves commercial and large enterprise groups, such as business and public sector enterprises; and through various partners comprising resellers, distribution partners, original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors, systems integrators, and advisory firms. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
Pyongang on Monday confirmed that it had indeed carried out a test missile launch on Sunday. The missile test, North Korea said, was aimed at testing the capacity to carry a large scale heavy nuclear warhead.
By Reuters: North Korea said on Monday it had successfully conducted a newly developed mid-to-long range missile test on Sunday, supervised by leader Kim Jong Un and aimed at verifying the capability to carry a "large scale heavy nuclear warhead."
Kim accused the United States of "browbeating" countries that "have no nukes" and warned Washington not to misjudge the reality that its mainland is in the North's "sighting range for strike," the North's official KCNA news agency reported.
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The North fired a ballistic missile that landed in the sea near Russia on Sunday in a launch that Washington called a message to South Korea, days after its new president took office pledging to engage Pyongyang in dialogue.
The missile was launched at the highest angle so as not to affect the security of neighbouring countries and flew 787 kilometres (490 miles) reaching an altitude of 2,111.5 kilometers (1,312 miles), KCNA said.
Experts said the altitude reached by the missile tested on Sunday meant it was launched at a high trajectory, which would limit the lateral distance it travelled. But if it was fired at a standard trajectory, it would have a range of at least 4,000 km (2,500 miles), experts said.
"The test-fire aimed at verifying the tactical and technological specifications of the newly developed ballistic rocket capable of carrying a large-size heavy nuclear warhead," KCNA said.
WARNING TO US
"If the US awkwardly attempts to provoke the DPRK, it will not escape from the biggest disaster in the history, Kim said, strongly warning the US should not to disregard or misjudge the reality that its mainland and Pacific operation region are in the DPRK's sighting range for strike and that it has all powerful means for retaliatory strike," KCNA said.
DPRK is short for North Korea's formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
North Korea is believed to be developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and reaching the mainland United States.
The US military's Pacific Command said the type of missile that was fired was "not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile".
UNSC TO MEET OVER NORTH KOREA
The United Nations Security Council is due to meet on Tuesday to discuss North Korea's latest missile launch, diplomats said on Sunday, which was requested by the United States and allies South Korea and Japan.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called the launch a message by Pyongyang to South Korea after the election of President Moon Jae-in, who took office on Wednesday.
"You first have to get into Kim Jong Un's head -- which is, he's in a state of paranoia, he's incredibly concerned about anything and everything around him," Haley told ABC's "This Week" program, referring to North Korea's leader.
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The report on the missile's flight was largely consistent with South Korean and Japanese assessments on Sunday that it flew 700 km (435 miles)and reached an altitude of more than 2,000 km (1,243 miles), which is further and higher than an intermediate-range missile tested in February from the same region, northwest of Pyongyang.
"North Korea's latest successful missile test represents a level of performance never before seen from a North Korean missile," Washington-based monitoring project, 38 North, said in an analysis issued on Sunday.
"It appears to have not only demonstrated an intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) that might enable them to reliably strike the US base at Guam, but more importantly, may represent a substantial advance to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)," it said.
ALSO READ | North Korea fires ballistic missile; Trump's UN envoy says Kim Jong Un in 'state of paranoia'
ALSO READ | Donald Trump says China pressuring North Korea on missile, nuclear weapons
ALSO WATCH | Malaysian Police Confirm VX Nerve Agent Used to Kill Kim Jong-Nam
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One Belt One Road project seems to be a survival plan for Chinese industries through which its leadership is aiming to stamp its geo-strategic authority on the globe. It is also the time for India to push its development agenda more aggressively and also beyond its national frontiers.
One Belt One Road summit: A para-military soldier at venue of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. (Photo: Reuters)
By Prabhash K Dutta: International observers may interpret India's decision to stay away from One Belt One Road summit as a step towards isolating itself from a global connectivity project.
India's concerns about the violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty were far more serious even though these might not have been the only region to boycott the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. Nearly state heads from 30 countries attended the meet today.
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Japan has also stayed away from the ambitious Chinese project aimed at reviving the ancient silk route - though the modern version is much more than the old one.
WHAT IS OBOR?
One Belt One Road is a bunch of transport projects building what could be seen as a ring road originating from the eastern part of China and ending on its coast.
It originates at Xi'an in northeastern China and passes through central Asia and west Asia to Rotterdam in the Netherlands via Moscow. This is purely a land route. The other half of the ring is largely maritime transport route passing through Venice, Athens in Italy and a host of African countries to end at Fuzhou on the eastern coast of China.
In the original plan, the maritime route would also pass through Colombo, Kolkata, Indonesia and Malaysia.
It is said to be a USD 1 trillion project. In the opening ceremony today in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping promised USD 124 for the One Belt One Road without giving a time frame. The One Belt, One Road project involves 68 countries.
The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is being flaunted as the flagship project of OBOR.
WHY CHINA IS BUILDING OBOR
Various reports suggest that Chinese economy is heading towards implosion under the changed economic realities of the world. China has overinvested in manufacturing sector over the past several years.
Chinese products are in surplus in many sectors particularly in steel, aluminum and cement. Its industries are suffering from overcapacity.
The Chinese economy is consistently slowing down for past few years. The global demand for Chinese products have shown decline in recent times. The domestic demands have also declined on account of weakening middle class.
China is facing a major crisis of job loss. A CNN report suggests that since beginning of 2016, about 12 lakh workers have been laid off in China. More job cuts are likely to happen in the country.
The project itself will give China the opportunity to send its workers throughout the world.
China's One Belt One Road project. (Representation courtsey:@GatewayHouseIND) China's One Belt One Road project. (Representation courtsey:@GatewayHouseIND)
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China is facing an impending economic crisis. This has been aggravated by recent emphasis by several governments to focus on domestic production. The Narendra Modi government announced its Make In India police in 2014.
Now, America First policy seems to be the guiding principle of Donald Trump administration in the US.
France, Brazil and many other countries are emphasising on strengthening local industries. The British exit from the European Union has further complicated the matters for China.
China needed a spurt to save its industries and find new markets for its surplus goods.
WHAT CHINA AIMS AT THROUGH OBOR
China is looking for a robust market for its industrial goods. The Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st Century Maritime Silk Road - unveiled in 2013 - will be built under One Belt One Road project covering areas inhabited by about 4.4 billion people.
This will bring the biggest market closer to Chinese industries. This will also give China geostrategic leverage over a wide stretch of the planet. If the project turns out to be successful, China will unseat the US as the biggest super-power of the world.
But, there are big challenges. Many countries included in the OBOR project have been prone to political instability and violence including terrorism.
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In Pakistan - which is China's all-weather friend - more than 13,000 soldiers are guarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor as it passes through terror hot-bed of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and restive tribal regions of Pakistan.
Many central Asian and African countries have high scale corruption and economic instability that threatens the very idea of the OBOR.
HOW SHOULD INDIA DO
India can take cue from Japan, which too has refused to join the project. Japan launched its own Belt and Road initiative as Partnership for Quality Infrastructure.
Japan's project covers Indian-Pacific Oceanic and Eurasian regions. Japan has already invested around USD 150 million on the project.
Indian can win over its neighbours including Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka, and excluding Pakistan with a regional Belt and Road project. It is easier for India to develop regional connectivity in South Asia.
India can also actively engage with Japan's Belt and Road initiative to drive more benefits.
And, the last but not the least, India must improve its domestic connectivity and provide conducive environment to its own industries so that Chinese challenge can be met.
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ALSO READ |
China formalises CPEC as OBOR 'flagship' while Xi says will 'respect sovereignty'
India skips China's Belt and Road Summit over CPEC 'sovereignty' concerns
ALSO WATCH |
India and China strategic dialogue begins in Beijing; foreign secretaries discuss bilateral issues
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The surprise firing of FBI Director James Comey, announced late Tuesday afternoon, is a sign of a deep and intensifying crisis of the Trump administration. Trumps firing of Comey smacks of desperation on the part of a White House under siege.
The firing sparked widespread condemnation by Democrats and some Republicans, along with demands for the appointment of a special prosecutor or independent commission to investigate charges of collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government during the 2016 election campaign.
Powerful sections of the US ruling elite are moving against the Trump White House, which is so steeped in corruption that any one of a series of scandals, not just the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections, could leave it politically crippled.
There were numerous media comparisons to the Saturday Night Massacre during the Watergate scandal of 197374, when the attorney general and deputy attorney general resigned rather than carry out orders from President Richard Nixon to dismiss special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox. That effort to torpedo an investigation failed: ten months later, Nixon was forced to resign as president.
Unlike Watergate, however, there is no democratic principle being asserted, even in a limited fashion, by the Democratic Party opponents of the Trump administration. This is a conflict within the US ruling elite and its military-intelligence apparatus, driven largely by differences over foreign policy.
No significant evidence has been produced in support of the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. The real purpose of the campaign of Russia-baiting is to push the Trump administration into a more confrontational foreign policy in Syria, Central Asia, North Africa and Eastern Europe, where US imperialism regards Moscow as its principal obstacle.
Trump has attempted to satisfy these concerns with last months missile strikes against Syria and a harsher rhetorical line towards Iran and Russia, but the divisions persist, as shown in the hearing Monday before a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee. (see: Senate hearing revives Democratic campaign over alleged Trump-Russia connections)
The circumstances surrounding Trumps decision to fire Comey remained murky Tuesday night, with the White House withholding further comment following the announcement of Comeys firing at 5:41 p.m. Press reports suggest that the decision had been in preparation for at least a week, and that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, who took office on April 26, had been commissioned to provide a rationale.
The New York Times reported on its website, Senior White House and Justice Department officials had been working on building a case against Mr. Comey since at least last week, according to administration officials. Attorney General Jeff Sessions had been charged with coming up with reasons to fire him, the officials said.
The argument for the firing elaborated in a three-page memorandum prepared by Rosenstein has no credibility. The memo focuses on Comeys decisions about the investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, condemning him not for the substance of the decision that there was no crime to prosecute, but for holding a press conference to announce that decision and proceeding to attack Clintons conduct as extremely careless. The memo also criticizes Comey for the October 28 letter in which he informed Congress that the FBI was reopening the Clinton investigation, only 11 days before Election Day.
Trumps expressed opinions are the direct opposite of the Rosenstein memorandum. Last July, he denounced Comeys decision not to prosecute Clinton, while lock her up became a standard chant at Trump rallies and at the Republican National Convention. Later, Trump hailed the October 28 letter as an action in which Comey showed guts.
Earlier this week, Trump tweeted that Comey had been the best thing that ever happened to Hillary Clinton, and that his decision on the email server prosecution was a free pass for many bad deeds.
There are further contradictions. Attorney General Jeff Sessions declared during his confirmation hearing that he would recuse himself from any actions relating to the case against Clinton, because of his own role in the Trump election campaign. Yet he has now countersigned the decision to fire Comey, supposedly because of the FBI directors actions in the Clinton investigation.
Sessions also said that he would recuse himself from decisions related to the ongoing investigation into possible collaboration between the Trump campaign and alleged Russian hacking of the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. The firing of Comey removes the head of the agency conducting that investigation.
It is absurd to suggest that Trump fired Comey for his transgressions against Hillary Clinton, particularly when he has attacked the FBI director for going easy on her. Moreover, all the events cited in the Rosenstein memo took place before the 2016 election, while Trump reiterated his support for Comey continuing in officehe was serving a fixed ten-year term until 2023as recently as February.
What has changed in the interim? On March 20, at a nationally televised House Intelligence Committee hearing, Comey confirmed for the first time that the FBI has opened an investigation into possible connections between the Trump campaign and alleged Russian interference in the 2016 elections.
Since then, a series of former campaign advisers and aides has been interrogated by the FBI, each undoubtedly pressured to save their own skins at the expense of those higher up, in a chain leading inexorably to Trump himself.
Most serious appears to be the attention given to Trumps former national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who has been publicly accused of failing to report significant income from individuals and businesses linked to Russia, and who was so close to Trump that he was actively considered as a possible running mate.
The extreme sensitivity in the White House to Comeys role in the Russia investigation was indicated in the second paragraph of the official letter from Trump to Comey informing him of his dismissal. While I greatly appreciate you informing me, on three separate occasions, that I am not under investigation, I nevertheless concur with the judgment of the Department of Justice that you are not able to effectively lead the bureau, Trump wrote.
The White House apparently informed only a handful of congressional leaders ahead of the firing, including Senators Lindsey Graham and Dianne Feinstein, the top Republican and Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee that oversees the FBI. Graham publicly endorsed the firing, while Feinstein did not oppose it.
Among other Democratic senators and congressmen, however, there was near-unanimous opposition.
Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois, speaking on the Senate floor, condemned the firing. Any attempt to stop or undermine this FBI investigation would raise grave constitutional issues, he said. We await clarification by the White House as soon as possible as to whether this investigation will continue and whether it will have a credible lead so that we know that itll have a just outcome.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer noted Trumps firing of acting attorney general Sally Yates, US Attorney Preet Bharara and now Comey, saying on Twitter, If we dont get a special prosecutor, every American will rightfully suspect that the decision to fire Comey was part of a cover-up.
Even more significant were the statements from two leading Republican senators. Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, which is conducting an investigation into the Russian hacking allegations, declared, I am troubled by the timing and reasoning of Jim Comeys termination. I have found Director Comey to be a public servant of the highest order.
Senator John McCain, former presidential candidate and chairman of the Armed Services Committee, reiterated his support for a special investigating committee. I have long called for a special congressional committee to investigate Russias interference in the 2016 election, he said in a statement. The presidents decision to remove the FBI director only confirms the need and the urgency of such a committee.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - It's that time of year where it's easy to spot grocery bags hanging from mailboxes and front doors.
Mail carriers in Tallahassee picked up a lot more than letters Saturday. They're working to "Stamp Out Hunger" with the help of America's Second Harvest of the Big Bend.
"We put out bags for customers on the route to put food in and we come around on the day before Mother's Day and we pick them up off the street," said local mail carrier Talbot Vanbrunt. "We take them back to our post office. Second Harvest, who is the food bank here in Tallahassee, collects all the food that we bring in and they distribute it through there food bank."
"It is of course to feed the hungry there is a huge crisis in the community with the economy and everything going on," said Cynthia Mundell, Dir. of Finance, Second Harvest of the Big Bend. "We feed the people in the community for every pound of food that we receive we can provide 1.2 meals."
"Of course delivering the mail were out here everyday and were apart of the communities that we deliver too but this one day it's just a little bit more that we do and the customers also do their contribute we couldn't do this without their contribution," said Vanbrunt.
"
Volunteers in fact these two individuals here, when you go to a mobile pantry for instance you'll see a line individuals showing up and they are very appreciative to have a meal that can fill the gap. A lot of the meals are not provided to just homeless. A lot are working individuals that just cant make ends meet this helps them fill that gap and help feed their family. It is absolutely wonderful it brings great joy to us to see everybody pitching in to help us fight hunger," said Mundell.
According to America's Second Harvest, just $100 can feed 400 children and seniors in need in the Big Bend.
If you missed Saturday's opportunity to give, it's never too late. Second Harvest of the Big Bend is always accepting donations at their Tallahassee location and online at fightinghunger.org.
By Press Trust of India: Mumbai, May 14 (PTI)Cash may have been the most-prevalent payment mode for educational institutions traditionally, but a push for digital economy post-demonetisation is making them change too and this has prompted three young professionals to start OnFees -- an online fee platform.
Having tasted big success in Mumbai region with 35 organisations including some chains of institutions,and over 70,000 students on board in a very short span ofjust about 3 months, OnFees is now looking to expand to other parts of the country and is in talks for the second round of funding.
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While the first round of funding came from HNIs, the startup is looking for funding from established private equity and venture capital firms in India and abroad, its Chief Marketing Officer Manisha Thakur told PTI.
30-year-old Manisha, an MBA in Marketing, is part of the trio that set up OnFees -- the other two being CEO Mayur Jain and Chief Technology Officer Viral Dedhiya.
32-year-old Mayur is CA by education and has worked with global giant PwC for abut six years, while 31-year-old Viral is an electronics engineer.
Speaking about their venture, Manisha said most of the institutes have always been collecting fees mostly in cash but the governments demonetisation move last November, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, made the cash collection very difficult.
"We saw that as an opportunity for starting an online fee platform likeOnFees.com. Besides, this also takes care of another pertinent problem faced by the educational institutes -- irregular and untimely fee collection," she said.
"We are making the entire process simpler and streamlined -- for payment of feels by the students or their parents as also for the institutions to receive the payments in a timely and hassle-free manner.
"We are providing features like regular communications and notifications and are linking the existing accounting solutions of the institutions with our platform to serve the institutes better. We are in a way encouraging people to go digital," she added.
MayurJain, CEO,said they are looking to expand to other parts of the country after August, and the areas to be tapped initially include Bangalore as also cities in states like Gujarat, MP and UP.
"Therefore, we have decided to go for the next round of funding," he added.
In the first round, OnFees raised Rs 2.5 crore of growth capital, giving it a valuation of Rs 10 crore.
?Mumbai is always a great market to test quality. Now that we have been successful inthe Mumbai and Maharashtra region, we are continuing to add more institutions to our platform and the numbers would increase substantially once we start going beyond Mumbai and therefore the valuation would also see a huge jump," Mayur said.
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Asked about what kind of valuations they would look at in the second round of funding, he said that we are in talks for the next round of funding and now that we have successfully overcome the teething issues, which any start-up goes through,we should be able to get a good valuation," he added.
Viral Dedhiya, CTO,said OnFees is also in talks with several banks for partnerships on fee payment gateways.
This will help the customers of these banks to access all the facilities that Onfees has on offer, which today the banks do not provide.
Some of the banks provide just the facility offees payment which is one way communication.
What OnFees does is that it keeps the students updated on all the communications from their respective institutions.
As a value add, OnFees has already tied up with HDFC Groups education loan venture Credila for education loan segment to facilitate funds to students.
The startup is targeting to bring on board more than 5,000 institutions and over 60 lakh students, Viral said.
Giving example of what kind of positive changes OnFees has brought in for the institutes on its platform, Manisha said Niramala Niketan College in Mumbai, before they had OnFees integrated, was accepting DD or cash for fee payments.
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"It was inconvenient for everyone because fee payment was always an extra time taking job amongst many priorities like attending lectures, preparing for exams or other academic events for students.
"The institute management started with OnFees to make it convenient for students and save their time, but in the process institutes also benefited by having digitised system at the back end.
Fee collection was so seamless this time that institute could collect 70%feeswithin 2 days, and all this at no cost to the institute" she said. PTI BJ BAL JMF
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By Press Trust of India: Jammu, May 14 (PTI) The Pakistan Army resorted to mortar shelling and firing for the second consecutive day today along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district, which has affected over 10,000 people and displaced over 1,100 border residents.
The Pakistan Army had yesterday pounded civilian areas and forward posts along the LoC in Nowshera area with mortars, killing two civilians and injuring three.
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Warning Pakistan of fierce retaliation to any mischief being engineered from its soil, Union minister Jitendra Singh said Indian Army is giving a befitting reply to Pakistani ceasefire violations along LoC.
"Pakistani Army has resorted to indiscriminate firing of small arms, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0645 hours along the Line of Control in Rajouri sector," a defence ministry spokesperson said today.
"The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively. The firing is presently on," he said.
Deputy Commissioner (Rajouri) Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said fresh ceasefire violation has been reported in chitibakri area of Chingus in Rajouri today.
"Heavy shelling started in Manjakote area of Rajouri at 0620 hours. More than seven villages have been affected," he said.
"Fresh ceasefire violation was reported at Manjakote and Chingus areas at 0620 hours today morning. Chhotibakri village in Doongi area received more than 30 shells near habitations however no loss of life or injury was reported," he said adding, three cattle were reported dead.
In Tarkudi area 14-15 shells were fired however no loss was reported. A team headed by Assistant Commissioner, Revenue Paramjeet Singh comprising a dozen officers from essential services visited and camped in various areas of Majakote.
"In Niaka-Panjgrain village of Manjakote 3-4 shells were dropped in cross-border shelling. More than 40 shells landed in various areas of Manjakote where 3 houses were damaged. A team of officers headed by Assistant Commissioner, Defence visited various affected areas of Doongi-Chingus," he added.
Fifty-one schools in Nowshera sector have been closed for an indefinite period while 36 in Manjakote and Doongi zones have been closed for three days.
"More than 2,694 families comprised of 10,042 persons have been affected in shelling which lead to 3 deaths, 6 injured, 65 livestock dead and damage to standing crops apart from nearly 45 partially and severely damaged houses in Pakistani shelling on May 11, 13 and 14," the DC said.
The district administration provided immediate relief of Rs 1 lakh each to the next of kin of the dead and financial assistance to the injured, he said.
Overall, of 64 villages along LoC in Rajouri, 23 are located in Nowshera sub-division where 8 villages are badly affected and remaining 15 villages sustained minor losses, while five villages in Doongi and nine villages in Manjakote have been affected, he added.
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The administration has so far shifted 1,114 people of 298 families in five different relief camps established in Nowshera in wake of cross-LOC shelling, he said.
"Eight villages of Nowshera have been badly affected by heavy shelling which include Khamba, Sarya, Bhawani, Kalsian, Manpur, Danaka, Khori and Ganya. More than 1,000 people have been shifted to camps in last 24 hours", he added.
The DC inspected all the camps and supervised relief and evacuation process in forward areas.
Cooked food, lighting, bedding, first aid, medical care, drinking water and sanitary facilities have been provided apart from opening of Anganwadi Centres and playways for children in relief camps.
DC said six teams of veterinary surgeons and paravets visited forward areas where more than 50 injured animals were treated. More than 12 animals were reported dead. He has also deputed inter-departmental teams for exact assessment of losses.
"Fourteen buses, seven mini-buses, 14 other vehicles were pressed into action for evacuation with forward areas evacuated through bulletproof bunkers," he said.
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DC said that the administration is prepared for making more relief camps functional as more than 25 buildings have been earmarked. He added that classwork of migrant students and local students will be resumed this week to ensure that education doesnt suffer.
"Risking their lives officials and police evacuated over 1,100 people from affected villages and shifted them to various camps established by administration where facilities of ration, cooking, drinking water, sanitation, first aid and proper accommodation have been provided," Choudhary said.
So far, three camps have been made operational and 28 others notified in wake of expected migration from affected villages, Choudhary said.
"Six ambulances have been pressed into action for shifting of injured and treatment. One mobile medical unit was stationed at Nowshera and another deputed to forward areas," he added.
Around 120 officers from various departments have been deployed to organise facilities at relief camps.
The government had last month said that Pakistani security forces had violated the ceasefire 268 times in the last one year. The ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into force in November, 2003.
Union minister Singh said "What Pakistan has been doing is known to everybody. They have held a hostile attitude not only at this time but for past 70 years. But difference now is, and people living on border are testimony to it, that the kind of retaliatory action which is being given by Indian side, was not seen for the decades together". PTI AB KUN
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In recent years, we have heard a lot of Iranian arrogance and Israeli concern in light of Irans ambition to become a regional power. Up until a while ago, the Islamic Republic seemed to be heading in the right direction. In the past two years, however, despite Irans huge investment and the achievements it boasted about, it has been losing fighters and influence. As much as one can talk about the future, Irans political horizon appears gloomy.
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The Iranians hopes were driven by the power void created in the Middle East. After the Soviet state disintegrated, Russia began keeping a low profile in the Middle East and there were no signs indicating that it planned to return. The United States, under the leadership of Barack Obama, turned its back on its Arab allies and signed a nuclear agreement with Iran, which eased the economic pressure that has been increasingly suffocating the country in recent years. And while world powers minded their own business, the Islamic State (ISIS) monster appeared, causing old enemies to team up against it. As a result, Iran and its allies turned into legitimate partners in the battle against a group of murderers exporting terrorism across the world.
Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Iran failed, and now its situation is deteriorating (Photo: EPA)
The world powers disappearance coincided with the growing chaos in two key countries of the Fertile CrescentIraq and Syria. After the Americans destroyed the old Saddam Hussein regime and left Iraq alone, the government gates were opened to the Iraqi Shiites and the Iranians trying to pull their strings. At the same time, the Arab unrest undermined Syrian President Bashar Assads regime, and the Iranians, which have traditionally helped the Alawite regime, entered that arena as well.
The chaos in Iraq and Syria, and the world powers absence, created a challenge for Iran: Would it be able to establish a new Middle Eastern order, which would serve its interests and reflect its ambitions and the evaluation of its power and its networks of influence?
The answer, in short, is no. Iran failed, and now its situation is deteriorating.
Putin and Trump. A Russian-American compromise in Syria will either reduce Assads power or destroy him, along with the power of his Iranian patrons (Photo: AP)
The first point of failure was apparent in Iraq. About two years ago, after Haider al-Abadi rose to power, he began working to restrain Irans influence and reinforce the presence of its enemythe US. One of the opposition leaders, Muqtada al-Sadr, who had used to do whatever Iran said, began speaking ill of Tehran too. These two Shiite politicians are refusing to serve Irans interests, and as a result of their growing power, the Iranian influence system seems to have suffered a serious blow.
Influential Shiite leader in Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr. Refusing to serve Irans interests
In Syria, the situation is even worse. About a year and a half ago, the Russians returned to the Middle East at Syria's invitation. Over time, it became clear to experts on Middle Eastern politics that the Russians were here to stay. Entering Syria was a critical step in Russian President Vladimir Putins broad plan to restore his countrys status as a world power. In order to establish its power in the Middle East, however, Russia must maintain good diplomatic relations with a variety of forces: Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel and others. Furthermore, it must maintain channels of dialogue and decide on areas of influence with the US. In other words, it must a compromise in Syria which will reduce Assads power or destroy him, along with the power of his Iranian patrons. The importance of creating the new order in Syria will likely become clear soon, once ISI is destroyed and we will be able to talk about the new political order in the Middle East.
Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Trumps political U-turn will narrow the Iranians leeway even more (Photo: Reuters)
Another complication in the Iranian expansion plan is Americas possible return to its old rolethe Arabs ally and a determined enemy of Iran. US President Donald Trumps political U-turn will narrow the Iranians leeway even more.
ISIS, which imposed chaos on the region in the past, is expected to grow weaker. Along with the world powers return to the Middle Easts power struggles, this brings us pretty close to the old politics of the Middle East. In this balance of powers, Iran has many enemiesincluding Shiitesand few partners. Moreover, the world powers will clip Irans wings without flinching. It seems, therefore, that if these trends continue, the years of expansion of Iranian influence in the Middle East are coming to an end.
SEOUL -- South Korea's national security chief, Kim Kwan-jin, spoke to U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster on Sunday following North Korea's latest missile test, South Korea's presidential office said.
They agreed to strengthen cooperation to denuclearise North Korea, it said.
Ultra-Orthodox extremists in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighborhood burnt effigies of Haredi IDF soldiers during Lag B'Omer celebratory bonfires on Saturday night as part of their protest against the Conscription Law.
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In addition to the effigies, agitators also burned Israeli flags in a renewed effort to demonstrate their opposition to the state.
The effigies and the flags are the latest example of an annual custom in which ultra-Orthodox communities burn contemporary "enemies" of the community. Past recipients of the dubious honor include Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and former Knesset member Yossi Sarid.
Extremists burn effigies of Haredi soldiers (: )
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This is not the first incident of violent behavior involving effigies of Haredi IDF soldiers. Several months ago, several dolls dressed as Haredi IDF soldiers were hanged throughout Mea Shearim.
Ultra-Orthodox "Jerusalem Faction" members burning the Israeli flag in protest of the Conscription Law
Police forces who came to remove the effigies were subject to stone throwing and verbal abuse by locals.
The group thought to be behind the majority of inciting incidentsincluding mass protests and disruptions of trafficis an extremist, ultra-Orthodox sect from Lithuania, referred to as the "Jerusalem Faction" and led by Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach.
In his opening remarks at the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decried the "reprehensible" burnings, but noted that the culprits represented a tiny minority fringe group.
"Last night, there was a reprehensible incident in Jerusalem. An extremist and truly marginal faction of ultra-orthodox society, a faction identified with Neturei Karta, burned effigies of IDF soldiers in uniform along with Israeli flags, in order to offend ultra-orthodox soldiers," Netanyahu said. "This was deplorable. IDF soldiers guard everyone, including the ultra-orthodox, including these people. I expect, request and demand that all public leaders condemn this despicable act and I also request that the police find those responsible."
In addition to Prime Minister Netanyahu, a host of public leaders spoke out harshly against the incident.
Minister of the Interior, Aryeh Deri, said the act was "indecent and outrageous," while calling on the police to "immediately arrest the perpetrators."
Haredi IDF effigies being set ablaze (Photo: Chaim Goldberg)
MK David Azulai, Minister of Religious Services, said, "Burning a doll dressed as a soldier is blasphemous, grave act that harms the public and soldiers. This is not the way of the Torah. I condemn these actions and call upon the Israel Police to bring justice to the irresponsible and outlandish minority who did this."
Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman joined the chorus as well, saying, "The burning of IDF soldier effigies is a shameful and severe event that requires resolute and uncompromising police action and a clear condemnation by the leaders of the ultra-Orthodox community."
Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid issued a response on his Facebook page, saying, "Is Israel still a country of law or have we abandoned this? Because it isn't a problem to find those responsible, there isn't a problem with arresting them and there isn't a problem in handing out indictments. This governmentwhich speaks out against peep made by a minor journalist in Australiacannot continue to stay silent in the face of such madness."
Lapid went on to write, "This isn't a struggle between the Haredim and the secularthe majority of Haredim are disgusted and shocked by these acts of insanity like all Israeli citizens. We need to investigate, arrest and punish."
(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg)
Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Bayit Yehudi) warned Saturday night that Israels failure to revise its policies regarding the peace process with the Palestinians could result in outside nations determining its fate.
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We cannot continue to pursue a bunker policy, said Bennett, whose party expounds a platform rejecting any notion of a two-state solution. Israel must initiate its own vision otherwise, as it appears once again, its fate will be decided by others.
The comments were made in reference to President Donald Trumps upcoming visit to Israel in May
Naftali Bennett and Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: EPA)
On Friday, Trumps National Security Advisor Herbert Raymond McMaster said during a press conference that the president intends to express his desire for dignity and self-determination for the Palestinians.
Bennett called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to renege on his 2009 Bar Illan speech during which he endorsed the concept of a two-state solution, ostensibly under pressure from the Obama administration.
The Bar Illan speech was from the Obama era. The speech and agreement to establish a Palestinian state brought boycotts on us, terror and a serious demographic threat and now is the time to announce its annulment, Bennett declared.
Two paths stand before us. We can continue the Bar Illan policy and establish a second Palestinian state, in addition to the one in Gaza, he continued. This messianic formula failed and led to bloodshed, political deterioration and to a demographic disaster. Alternatively, the State of Israel can outline its own vision for the future of the region: regional economic development based on initiative, preventing a second Palestinian state to the one in Gaza.
Bennett went on to reiterate his call for imposing Israeli sovereignty over Israeli-populated areas in the West Bank, as well as stabilizing the Gaza Strip, strengthening the State of Israels security, intelligence and economic capacity in the region.
The time has come to take the initiative. Our future is in our hands, he insisted.
The Likud party responded to Bennetts statements, accusing him of damaging the right-wing camp. Bennett's remarks are an example of self-flagellation this time from the right. The boycotts against Israel stem from a fundamental opposition to the Jewish state and not from anything else, the statement read.
Prime Minister Netanyahu is the one who has fought for acceptance of the Jewish state in the world as we hear from President Trump. Prime Minister Netanyahu is also leading the Nationality Bill.
One who sends Jewish students to prostrates themselves in mosques, who appoints a radical leftist woman to head civics studies (at the Education Ministry) and doesn't lift a finger to stop the incitement in east Jerusalem schools, should not preach us, the statement continued.
One who is unable to withstand leftist pressure he faces in the Education Ministry which he heads, should not preach to Prime Minister Netanyahu, who stands firm and determined against international pressure, more than any other prime minister in the last decades. Self-flagellating policies on the right never achieved a things apart from the overhaul of a right-wing government for a left-wing one.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Sunday in defiance of calls to rein in its weapons program, South Korean and US officials said just days after a new leader took office in the South, pledging to engage it in dialogue.
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The US Pacific Command said it was assessing the type of missile but it was "not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile." Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said the missile could be of a new type.
Photo: EPA
The missile flew 700km and reached an altitude of more than 2,000km, according to officials in South Korea and Japan, further and higher than an intermediate-range missile North Korea successfully tested in February from the same region of Kusong, northwest of its capital, Pyongyang.
North Korea is widely believed to be developing an intercontinental missile tipped with a nuclear weapon that is capable of reaching the United States. US President Donald Trump has vowed not to let that happen.
Experts said Sunday's test showed a considerably longer range than missiles North Korea had previously tested, meaning it had likely made improvements since its February test.
The reported altitude would indicate the missile was launched at a high trajectory.
David Wright, co-director of the UCS Global Security Program and a missile expert, said if the missile had been fired at a standard trajectory, it would have had a maximum range of about 4,500km.
North Korean ballistic missile launch ()
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Kim Dong-yub, Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, said he estimated a standard trajectory firing would give it a range of 6,000km, meaning it would be capable of reaching Hawaii.
An intercontinental ballistic missile is considered to have a range of more than 6,000km.
Japan said the missile flew for 30 minutes before dropping into the sea between North Korea's east coast and Japan. The North has consistently test-fired missiles in that direction.
"If that report ... is correct, then the launch may indeed represent a new missile with a long range," said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, referring the estimated altitude of more than 2,000 km.
"It is definitely concerning," McDowell said.
'Clear Violation'
In Washington, the White House said Trump "cannot imagine Russia is pleased" with the test as the missile landed closer to Russia than to Japan.
"With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan, the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased," it said.
Photo: AP
The launch served as a call for all nations to implement stronger sanctions against North Korea, it added.
The launch, at 5:27am Seoul time (2027 GMT Saturday), came two weeks after North Korea fired a missile that disintegrated minutes into flight, marking its fourth consecutive failure since March.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who took office on Wednesday, held his first National Security Council in response to the launch, which he called a "clear violation" of UN Security Council resolutions, his office said.
"The president said while South Korea remains open to the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, it is only possible when the North shows a change in attitude," Yoon Young-chan, Moon's press secretary, told a briefing.
Moon won Tuesday's election on a platform of a moderate approach to North Korea and has said he would be willing to go to Pyongyang under the right circumstances, arguing dialogue must be used in parallel with sanctions.
US carrier strike group in the Pacific (Photo: EPA)
China, the North's sole main ally which nevertheless objects to its weapons programs, called for restraint and for no one to exacerbate tension.
"Relevant Security Council resolutions have clear rules about North Korea using ballistic missile technology to carry out launches. China opposes relevant launch activities by North Korea that are contrary to Security Council resolutions," China's foreign ministry said in a statement. "All relevant parties should exercise restraint."
Delegations from the United States, South Korea and North Korea are in Beijing for a conference on a plan for a new Silk Road. Russia's President Vladimir Putin is also there.
President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida (Photo: Reuters)
The launch will also complicate Moon's efforts to mend ties with China that have been strained by a decision by South Korea's former government to deploy a US anti-missile defense system aimed at defending against North Korea.
Despite South Korean and US assurances that the deployment is defensive, China considers the system's powerful radar a threat to its security.
Moon told Chinese President Xi Jinping last week that while he understood China's concern, it would be difficult to resolve the issue unless North Korea stopped being provocative.
'Grave Threat'
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said North Korea's missile launches were a "grave threat to our country and a clear violation of UN resolutions."
North Korea on Feb. 12, launched the Pukguksong-2 missile, an upgraded, extended-range version of its submarine-launched ballistic missile, from the same site.
South Korean and US military officials said the February launch was a significant development as it successfully tested a solid-fuel engine from a mobile launcher. The missile flew about 500km with an altitude of 550km.
It represented a more significant threat because of the difficulty of tracking a mobile launcher and because of the ability to keep the missile fuelled, unlike liquid fuel rockets.
The North attempted but failed to test-launch ballistic missiles four times in the past two months but has conducted various tests since the beginning of last year at an unprecedented pace. It also conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests since then.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (Photo: AP)
Trump warned in an interview with Reuters in April that a "major, major conflict" with the North was possible, but said he would prefer a diplomatic outcome.
Trump has also said he would be "honored" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un under the right circumstances.
On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat said it was open to dialogue with the Trump administration under the right conditions.
The cyberattack, suspected to be by Pakistani and Chinese hackers, offered posting in Sri Lanka and coincided with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's two-day visit to the nation.
By Ajit Kumar Dubey: In a massive cyberattack, suspected Pakistani and Chinese hackers attempted to hack into the computers of Indian Army officers by trying to inject data stealing malware by luring them with offers of a foreign posting to Sri Lanka.
"The pinpointed attacks were launched on Friday by the hackers to middle-rung Indian Army officers by sending them an email purportedly sent from a government server and asking them to avail the offer of going for a posting to attend a prestigious course in a Sri Lankan military academy," Army sources told Mail Today.
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The sender of the mail was nicknamed ADGMT-16. The mail was made to look as if it had been sent by Indian Army's Directorate General of Military Training, which details officers and personnel for attending courses within and outside India along with the Military Secretary's branch, the sources said.
ARMY CYBER GROUP ISSUES ALERT
Soon after, the first few officers who received the malicious mail referred it to the Army Cyber Group, which issued an immediate alert to caution the officers against opening the mail.
The Army Cyber Group in its warning, said, "A malicious email from *karmicc16@nic.in* is being sent to Army personnel. The email contains a malicious file 'DEPUTATION_OF_ONE_ARM Y_OFFICER_TO_ATTEND_SRI_ LANKA. Xls'. On opening the malicious file, a data stealing malware gets installed in the computer. Please do not open the email," said.
Hackers often use links of dubious websites to inject malware in their victim's system. These malware are designed to disrupt or damage or gain unauthorised access to a computer, and may steal critical information.
Incidentally, the hackers tried to attack Indian Army officers with offers of Sri Lanka posting at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Colombo for a two-day visit.
ATTACKS BEING PROBED
Both the Army Cyber Group and the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-India) are trying to ascertain the source of the attacks. They suspect it to be the job of Chinese and Pakistani hackers as they have been using similar tactics in the past as well.
Sources said the first few officers who received the mail got suspicious as soon as they received it as the Army does not offer or announce postings of officers on private mailbox and communicates only on its intranet.
In the last couple of months, this is the second massive attack on the Indian Army officers in a bid to steal classified information from their personal emails which could be used in many ways including blackmailing the victims or using the stolen data for anti-Indian activities, sources said.
In April, the Army Cyber Group had uncovered a coordinated attempt to hack into the computers of its senior officers with decoy emails that purportedly contained links of "their sex videos". At least four officers of Lieutenant General-rank posted at South Block headquarters were the target of the malicious bid.
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The nationality of the hackers in the April attack has not yet been ascertained but the Army unit traced the server and the Internet Protocol address to Germany.
After a few incidents of virtual honey-trapping by Pakistani agents, the Army has been on an overdrive to educate its personnel to guard against such attacks. One example of this is evident in calling an official Army telephone number, which plays a recorded message about the need to be careful from foreign agents who have been trying to extract information by all means.
ALSO READ | India to set up new defence unit to fight cyber attacks
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ALSO READ | Cyber security team uncovers attempt to hack computers of top Army officers with sex videos
ALSO WATCH | End-to-end cyber security need of the hour: Cyber security experts
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The Rebbe of Boyan lit the first bonfire in Meron at 1:15am Sunday, marking the beginning of Lag B'Omer celebrations at the grave of Rabbi Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.
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Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, Religious Services Minister David Azoulay and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan all attended the lighting of the first bonfire.
During the two-day hillula (death anniversary) celebrations, 22 bonfires will be lit by the different Hasidic dynasties' rebbes in an order determined in advance. The last bonfire will be lit by the Toldos Aharon dynasty at 7pm on Sunday.
Rabbi Nachum Dov Brayer of the Boyan Hasidic dynasty lights the first bonfire in Meron (Photo courtesy of Eli Aviv)
Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to attend the hillula celebrations at the Galillee moshav, with some 15-20,000 having already arrived on Saturday night.
Due to big crowds expected, police closed roads around Meron, allowing access only to public transportation, security and rescue forces, and local residents. Some 5,000 police officers were sent to Meron to secure the events alongside large forces from the Fire & Rescue Authority and hundreds of doctors, paramedics, medics and other medical personnel from Magen David Adom and other groups.
MDA has treated 46 people in Meron since Saturday night, suffering from fainting, heart issues, chronic medical problems, exhaustion and light bruising. Fifteen of them were sent to the hospital for further treatment. United Hatzala has treated 141 people since Thursday, including injuries from falling, snake and scorpion bites, bruises, cuts, and respiratory issues.
Hillula celebrations in Meron ( - )
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Celebrations began Friday at noon with the traditional Torah procession from Safed to Meron, held for the 184th year.
Preparations for the Meron hillula did not run smoothly this year. The Chief Rabbinate announced the postponement of Lag B'Omer celebrations from Saturday to Sunday to avoid the desecration of Shabbat. Accordingly, the Education Ministry postponed the school vacation from Sunday to Monday.
However, the hillula itself was not postponed, as the ultra-Orthodox organizing it insisted on holding it in its original date. This left some 70,000 people with no way to get to the hillula as the 300 buses meant to ferry them to Meron were instead used to transport students to school on Sunday morning.
Three soldiers from the Caracal Battalion were left outside their base overnightwithout weaponson the Egyptian border on the orders of their commander.
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The incident began when the three soldiers in the mixed-gender battalion were suspected of drug use, before being detained by the Military Police Corps' Criminal Investigations Department (CID) for questioning and eventually sent back to their base.
Photo: Yoav Zitun
Upon arriving at their base around midnight, their company commander decided that the three soldiers should remain outside without their weapons, which had been taken from them.
At this point, ten other soldiers defiantly left the base against the orders of the company commander in order to support the three stranded outside the base. The standoff ended when the three consulted with their attorneys at the Military Advocate General, who ultimately got them on another nearby base for the night.
In a letter sent to the Military Advocate General, Brig. Gen. Sharon Afek, defense attorneys demanded that a criminal investigation be opened against the company commander and the battalion commander, claiming that the three soldiers were left in danger.
"This is a base on the Egyptian border, a few hundred meters from the fence, when the soldiers' arms were taken from them beforehand," the defense attorneys wrote. "The soldiers had to wait at the entrance to the base with all their personal equipment, in the desert, for a long time. We believe that the action of the commanders placed the soldiers in real mortal danger, which without proper intervention could have ended in disaster," they concluded.
"I'm just in shock. I don't understand how a commander dares leave three unarmed soldiers 400 meters from the border," said one of the three soldiers. "Every night there is something that happens. This is one of the hottest areas in the Middle East, the Sinai border, where ISIS is."
Ahmad Dawoud recalls the day 10 years ago when a Lebanese soldier asked to search his taxi. Then 17, the Palestinian didn't wait for the soldier to find the weapons hidden in the trunk.
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He jumped from the car and fled into the nearby Palestinian refugee camp, where the Lebanese army has no authority.
In this Thursday, May 4, 2017 photo, people walk underneath the banners of Fatah and the Palestinian flags inside the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. Palestinians in Lebanon suffer discrimination in nearly every aspect of daily life, feeding a desperation that is tearing their community apart. (Photo: AP)
But it was not long afterward that Dawoud, who once admired the radical groups that have sprouted in the camps in Lebanon, decided he was tired of running. That same year, in 2007, he surrendered to authorities and spent 14 hard months in jail.
Although he was released without a conviction, he couldn't erase the biggest strike against him: As a Palestinian in Lebanon, he is a stateless, second-class resident in the only country where he's ever lived.
On Monday, Palestinians mark 69 years since hundreds of thousands fled during the 1948 war that led to the creation of the State of Israel. Many settled in the neighboring West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
As refugees, various UN charters entitle them and their descendants to the right to work and a dignified living until they can return to the areas they or their relatives left, or if such a settlement is reached.
But Palestinians in Lebanon suffer discrimination in nearly every aspect of daily life, feeding a desperation that is tearing their community apart.
Many live in settlements officially recognized as refugee camps, but better described as concrete ghettos ringed by checkpoints and, in some cases, blast walls and barbed wire. The UN runs schools and subsidizes health care inside.
In this Friday, May 5, 2017 photo, a general view of the concrete wall surrounding the Ein el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon. (Photo: AP)
In Lebanon, there are 450,000 refugees registered in 12 camps, where Lebanese authorities have no jurisdiction inside.
"Our lot is less than zero," Dawoud said in a recent interview outside Ein el-Hilweh, the crowded camp in Sidon that is one of the most volatile.
On peaceful days, children play in the damp alleys and merchants park their carts of produce along the camp's main streets.
But the place feels hopelessly divided along factional and militant lines, and it frequently breaks down into fighting between Palestinian security forces and militants or gangs that capitalize on the general despair.
Last month, 10 people were killed in a flare-up that drove out thousands of the camp's estimated population of 75,000.
Palestinians are prohibited from working in most professions, from medicine to transportation. Because of restrictions on ownership, what little property they have is bought under Lebanese names, leaving them vulnerable to embezzlement and expropriation.
They pay into Lebanon's social security fund, but receive no benefits. Medical costs are crippling. And they have little hope for remediation from Lebanese courts.
In this Thursday, May 4, 2017 photo, a boy walks by graffiti of the Palestinian flags with Arabic reads: "The flag is four colors that shine on the face of the sun" in the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo: AP)
Doctors are prohibited from working in the Lebanese market, so they find work only in the camps or agree to work for Lebanese clinics off the books, and sign prescriptions under Lebanese doctors' names. That leaves them open to employer abuse, a condition normally associated with low-skill work.
"If a young boy gets in trouble because he is Palestinian, the prosecutor writes in his note to the judge, 'He is Palestinian,' meaning: 'Do what you wish to him. Be cruel to him. Forget about his rights,'" said Sheikh Mohammad Muwad, a Palestinian imam in Sidon.
The crush of war refugees from Syria has made it even harder for Palestinians here to find work. Nearly six in ten under the age of 25 are unemployed, according to the UN's Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, and two-thirds of all Palestinians here live below the poverty line.
UNRWA country director Claudio Cordone said they feel trapped in political limbo and see an "almost total lack of meaningful political prospects of a solution" to their original displacement from Palestine.
Lebanese politicians say that assimilating Palestinians into society would undermine their right to return. But Palestinians say they are not asking for assimilation or nationality, just civil rights.
"They starve us, so we go back to Palestine. They deprive us, so that we go back to Palestine. Well, go ahead, send us back to Palestine! Let us go to the border, and we will march back into Palestine, no matter how many martyrs we must give," Muwad said.
In this Friday, May 5, 2017 photo, Sheikh Mohammad Muwad speaks during an interview with the Associated Press inside the Hussein Mosque in the village of Dayait al-Arab near the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon. (Photo: AP)
For those in the camps, the line between hustling and criminality is often blurred. Unemployed and feeling abandoned by the authorities, many turn to gangs for work.
Adding to this is a widely shared disaffection with the Palestine Liberation Organization, which many Palestinians now see as having sold out their rights with the failed Oslo Accords of 1994.
This has helped fuel the rise of radical Islama shift in the Palestinian-populated territories that is reflected by Hamas' rising popularity.
Outside of the Palestinian territories, militant groups such as Fatah al-Islam are on the rise in the volatile and deprived Nahr al-Bared camp.
Growing up in Nahr al-Bared, a camp much like Ein el-Hilweh, Dawoud felt a strong affiliation for Fatah al-Islam, his gateway to radical extremism.
"They were the only ones who seemed honest," he said. "Of course, later I figured out they were just like everyone else, too."
In 2007, the Lebanese army razed most of Nahr al-Bared to crush Fatah al-Islam.
In this Thursday, May 4, 2017 photo, a teenager rides his scooter inside the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. (Photo: AP)
By that time, Dawoud already was in Ein el-Hilweh, and his arrest was the beginning of a slow falling out with the gangs that once sheltered him and treated him like a brother. After his stint in prison, they began to feel they couldn't trust him, and he was chased out of Ein el-Hilweh in 2013. Now, he can only enter the parts of the settlement firmly under PLO control.
With no job, no prospects and little wealth, Dawoud now runs errands for others in his white 1980s-era BMWall done under the table, of course. Palestinians cannot apply for the red license plates that identify taxis and other commercial vehicles.
"I don't even think about marrying and getting into those situations," he said, waving off starting a family at age 27. His ambition now is to apply for a visa to leave Lebanon. But first he needs a travel document, and for that he needs to be on good terms with the Lebanese authorities.
Not all Palestinians live in camps, but even the most privileged among them endure discrimination.
In this Thursday, May 4, 2017 photo, people walk inside the Bourj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon (Photo: AP)
At a panel on Palestinian labor rights at the American University of Beirut, Muhammad Hussein asked a Lebanese Labor Ministry official why he was denied work even in sectors that are formally open to Palestinian employment.
The 22-year-old graduate showed the official an email he received from a marketing firm in Dubai refusing his job application on the grounds that the Lebanese office had to give priority to Lebanese workers.
"The problem isn't finding vacancies," Hussein said. "It's getting the job."
Israel is the Jewish peoples nation state which sustains, although not perfectly, equality of rights for all its citizens. It is a Jewish state just like Armenia is Armenian and Croatia is Croatian. The enforcement of a Jewish state can be found in the 1917 Balfour Declaration, the 1920 Sam Remo Conferences resolution, the 1922 League of Nations resolution, the 1947 United Nations Partition Plan, the 1948 Proclamation of Independence, the right to self-determination, which is one of the international communitys basic rights, and basic laws which include Israels definition as a Jewish and democratic state. There is no need for additions, patches or new laws.
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My colleague, Yoaz Hendel, presented a series of excellent arguments justifying the Nationality Bill. Nevertheless, this is an unnecessary law. Yes, there are those who undermine and criticize Israels definition as a Jewish state. Will a nationality law convince them? After all, there is a broad agreementfrom Bayit Yehudi to Meretzabout Israels definition as a Jewish state.
But when controversial clauses are added, like on exclusive residential areas for Jews, it guarantees in advance that the law will only engender strife. Thats also unnecessary. The kibbutzim and the Arab communities never needed any law. Unnecessary legislation only strengthens the claims that a Jewish state is necessarily racist.
Will a nationality law convince those who undermine and criticize Israels definition as a Jewish state? (Archive photo: Reuters)
When it comes to such a fundamental basic law, a constitutional law, the most harmful thing that can be done is to take advantage of the coalition majority to pass it. The Right has complained, and rightfully so, that the High Courts acrobatic interpretation turned the first basic laws into a sacred constitution which changes government and legal order, although they were adopted by a simple majority without a broad agreement.
Thats exactly what the Right is doing nowunderhanded opportunism. Thats not the way to strengthen the national agreement on a Jewish state. Thats the way to harm it.
Breaking the Silences lie
Breaking the Silence Spokesman Dean Issacharoff recently shared a difficult incident from his military service: His company commander called him, ordered him to bind a young Palestinian with handcuffs, and hebeing the obedient soldier that he waswas forced to abuse the poor guy, beat him up, cause him to bleed and eventually faint: and all that in from of his fellow soldiers.
The company commander, Omri Seiner, denied the story. Perhaps it was a different company commander? Well, the units soldiers broke their silence in light of what they saw as a blood libel against them, and with the help of Amit Deri from Reservists on Duty, they posted a video on Facebook filled with evidence refuting the story.
Issacharoff himself offered the following response to my question: The events happened as they were described in the testimony. Those who deny the daily violence in the territories are the same people who claim that there is no occupation.
Breaking the Silence members. Creating the impression that the IDF is an army of brutal and sadistic soldiers (Photo: Amit Magal)
Following the response, I asked Deri if any of the units soldiers supported Issacharoff. On the contrary, Deri replied. Even more soldiers asked to add their testimony.
The organizations supporters burst into a series of claims that even if Issacharoff did exaggerate, and even if he did make the story up, it doesnt really matter, because there have been many other cases in which similar things did happen.
There is something in these claims. It would be foolish to claim that the tens of thousands of soldiers who served in the IDF never committed any abnormal acts. There have been unnecessary humiliations. There has been abuse too. Innocent people have been hurt. Breaking the silence likely has accurate testimonies. Among 10,000 soldiers, there has to be one who is a sadist or disturbed. And its very possible that one in 100 soldiers deviates from procedures.
The problem is that Breaking the Silence activists are creating the impression that this is Israels face and that this is the IDFs face: An army of brutal and sadistic soldiers. The main lie is in the generalization and exaggeration. The lie is in taking unusual events, and there are such events, blowing them out of proportions and then running to the UN to talk about plunder and telling foreign journalists that IDF soldiers use machine guns to fire at civilian populations as a routine practice.
A special way of advancing reconciliation
On Tuesday, I visited the city of Raanana for a lecture. On the stairs, I was greeted by an elderly woman, a Holocaust survivor, who told me she had come there to hand me one of the latest issues of German weekly Der Spiegel. It included an anti-Israel article by an Austrian writer, Eva Menasse, who shared her experiences from the territories following a tour sponsored by Breaking the Silence. How can people publish such horrible things? the woman asked, her voice trembling.
I had a hard time answering her, but I wasnt surprised. According to a poll conducted about three years ago, 48% of Germans believe that Israel is waging a war of annihilation against the Palestinians. A new poll, which was submitted to the Bundestag only two weeks ago, reveals that 40% of the Germans (compared to only 26% in 2014) hold anti-Semitic views because of Israels actions. And we have Breaking the silencewhich uncovers Israels actions, with German fundingto thank for that. There is no doubt that they have a special way of advancing a reconciliation and an end to the occupation. Hit the Jews, pay the abusers, add more and more anti-Semites, and thats the way to promote harmony between the nations.
OPPORTUNITIES AT SEA
The time has arrived for Israel to take steps designed to transform it into a strategic trading bridge between the East and the West.
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The Land of Israel had, in ancient times, played a strategic, overland role, in international trade, acting as a key Nabataean trading route.
As my 2016 research paper for the Haifa Research Center for Maritime Policy and Strategy lays out, modern-day Israel has yet to realize this same potential, and currently lacks a grand maritime strategy.
Creating a key trading bridge between East and West would require Israel to amplify its naval security capabilities, and its participation in regional naval efforts. These steps would, in turn, promote a grand naval strategy.
Photo: AFP
To the east, China's economy has made great strides forward over the past decade. China is a major producer and consumer and, as a result, trade between it and the West has grown significantly.
Israel is already highly dependent on the sea, through which the vast majority of its national trade occurs. Globally, the vast majority of all trade is sea-based.
Currently, sea traffic between East and West passes through the Suez Canal, bypassing the need to navigate around Africa, and saving vast expenses.
Yet despite Egypt's recent work to make the waterway deeper and broader, and the addition of lanes enabling increased traffic, Suez still faces constraints.
Due to its geographical location, Israel has the ability to initiate an economic maneuver that would create a new 'bridge,' with global opportunities.
This 'bridge' would also enable India, a vast, developing economy, to send exports to the West via Israel.
Photo: AFP
So far, all of Israel's port and rail infrastructure has been designed for internal use, and not to transfer or distribute international goods.
The time is ripe for Eilat to be turned into an international Red Sea shipping hub, and to be linked by a high speed rail link to the Mediterranean ports of Ashdod and Haifa.
Ships arriving from the east with cargo for distribution to destinations all over Europe and the US could unload their goods at Eilat, and return eastwards for more journeys, saving valuable time.
Such international distribution hubs exist in ports such as Singapore, and Greece.
China is already heavily involved in building Israel's new ports in Haifa and Ashdod, and Beijing is always seeking opportunities for increased access to European markets. It also has a controlling stake in Greece's Piraeus port, which China turned into a main European distribution center.
Israel has a real opportunity to integrate itself into this alignment.
SECURITY
Such a development undoubtedly requires enhanced defense capabilities, to ensure that trade remains uninterrupted. This means Israel would have to expand its high-level naval defense capabilities, to secure and monitor all international shipping traffic and sea vessels in the area, and possibly, beyond.
Criminals, pirates, and terrorists threaten shipping. ISIS in Sinai can impact the whole of Eilat. And Hezbollah and Hamas pose varying degrees of threats to maritime traffic through ballistic projectiles and surface-to-sea cruise missiles.
Egypt has had to deal with security threats to Suez too - there have been past, unsuccessful attempts by terrorist organizations to attack the Canal.
Photo: AFP
Should Israel become a strategic trading bridge, it would have to become a bigger partner in maritime regional security. This means making the sea arena more difficult for terrorists to operate in. Israel Navy ships will require the ability to deal with land-to-sea and sea-to-sea missile attacks on ships and shore-based targets, in order to safeguard maritime lines of communications and trading routes that would pass through Israel's waters. Israel would also have to ensure it can command and control a wider maritime arena than its current operational areas.
Hezbollah has evolved from a terror organization to semi-state entity, due to its links to Iran, and is in possession of advanced state-level weaponry. It likely possesses the supersonic Yakhont missile, which can be fired from the Lebanese coastline at targets at sea, or at Israeli ports. Hezbollah poses a significant threat to shipping and ports in the area. The Israel Navy already has defenses in place against such threats, so it can build on this model of defenses when it comes time to expanding operations.
THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE AS A GATEWAY
Israel's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is currently home to natural gas drilling rigs that the Israel Navy is tasked with securing.
The EEZ could become a gateway, through which larger numbers of ships pass, requiring naval defense, control, and response capabilities.
Cargo ships arriving at Israel's 'southern gate' - Eilat - would pass by Saudi and Egyptian shorelines, and be near Jordan too. All of these countries have a shared interest in the free flow of sea shipping.
Photo: AFP
This common interest means that the conversion of Israel into a bridge could foster enhanced regional cooperation with the pragmatic Sunni states.
To enable such a vision, Israel would have to actively prevent adversaries and terrorists from infiltrating regions that can threaten shipping, and to minimize the freedom of movement of hostile elements as much as possible.
A secure, international distribution hub would greatly increase economic profit for Israel, and endow Israel with a new regional influence through cooperation with its neighbors in the maritime arena.
Jordan's Aqaba port could be a part of this program, since there is a limit to how many ships can dock at Eilat. Trains could take cargo from both Eilat and Aqaba to Ashdod and Haifa, and cooperation with Jordan would substantially increase as a result. Ports in Saudi Arabia could, in theory, be involved as well.
This is not expected to pose a source of competition to Egypt's Suez Canal. There is enough traffic for more than one sea highway linking East and West.
FROM ANCIENT TRENDS TO MODERN OPPORTUNITIES
Israel's lacks of a grand maritime strategy is partly because Jewish history has not had a significant sea-based cultural component. This is true for the history of the Diaspora, and also for the ancient era of Jewish sovereignty in Israel. The Hebrews always received assistance from other sea-based cultures, such as the Phoenicians, who were based in modern-day Lebanon.
These historical-cultural influences continue to impact decision-making in Israel today. David Ben Gurion, our first prime minister, was one of the few who saw the sea as a strategic asset, and since his time, few have reached the same recognition.
Photo: AFP
Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz has, in modern times, recognized the great potential benefits to Israel's geo-political regional standing that stems from a good sea strategy.
The increasingly crowded Israeli landmass means that Jerusalem should no longer delay setting down a strategy for expanded maritime use. This includes moving national infrastructure, such as power stations and future airports, out to sea, on artificial islands a kilometer or two off the coastline. This can be accomplished through a strategic investment.
Ultimately, if these steps are taken, Israel could become a maritime start-up nation.
Edited by Yaakov Lappin
Co-Edited by Benjamin Anthony
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed on Sunday the cyber attack that struck around the world Friday, confirming that no damage had been caused to Israel's critical infrastructure.
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"Several years ago we established a defense network against cyber attacks. We also had the foresight to establish the National Cyber Defense Authority based on the understanding that we yet face a new threat," Netanyahu said during the cabinet's weekly meeting.
"I can only request one thing from Israel's citizens and Israel's companiesfollow the directives of the National Cyber Defense Authority."
Screen shot of the ransom virus (Photo: EPA)
Oded Vanunu of Check Point Software Technologies and Dr. Tal Pavel of the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo explained in an interview with Ynet that a software update that was available in March could have prevented the weekend cyber attack.
According to Vanunu, the attack was a "ransom attack," which contained another elementa cyber weapon developed by the American NSA, which Microsoft had already fixed last March.
However, "once the ransom program runs, it begins to spread on the Web, just like an epidemic. This could have been avoided by software that was already released in March."
Dr. Pavel added that hackers had already leaked some of the 23 tools the NSA uses last August. "Suddenly, tools used at the state level are in everyone's hands, such as a group of hackers apparently acting for money only."
The Defense Ministry announced Sunday the winning bid in the tender for the rebuilding of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) Museum in Hatzerim, located in Southern Israel.
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The Ministry of Defense's Engineering and Construction Department, in cooperation with the IAF, announced that they chose the bid submitted by Schwartz Besnosoff Architects to renovate the old museum, which has been using the same facilities since its opening in 1985.
The New IAF museum (Credit: courtesy of the Defense Ministry)
According to the new plan, the museum will be turned into a roofed and air-conditioned facility spreading across more than 17 thousand square meters, which will be divided into several buildings presenting more than 80 aircrafts that served the IAF throughout its history.
In addition, the new museum will have interactive facilities allowing visitors to experience flight via simulators, and even use and install parts of the aircraft like IAF mechanics. In addition, visitors will be able to witness a battlefield through the eyes of Special Forces soldiers in the Israeli Air Defense Command, and through the eyes of drone operators.
(Credit: courtesy of the Defense Ministry)
According to the decision by the ministry and the IAF, the new museum will offer a plethora of visitation packages, which would make recurring visitations always fresh and interesting, offering new experiences on each visit.
(Credit: courtesy of the Defense Ministry)
66 architecture firms submitted bids for the tender, and each of the bids was examined by a team of 9 judges; civilians and army personnel, among them former mayor of Be'er Sheva and founder of the museum, Brig. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Turner.
Maj. Elisha, an architect and the project manager on behalf of the IAF's construction division said "we were really excited to learn that this contest will result in a new museum."
The IAF Museum today; Using the same facilities for more than 30 years (Photo: Roee Idan)
The contenders were asked to submit a plan for a museum that could stand among the best in the world, present the IAF's history and values, be used as a platform to promote scientific and technological education and serve as a display window for Israel's security industry.
"We gave priority to preserving the historical structures that exist in the museum today, display the IAF and all its parts and showcase the personnel that are the source of its strength," Elisha added. "The winning bid was the one that best met our criteria and was authorized by the head of the branch."
(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
US President Donald Trump is assessing whether moving the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would help or hurt prospects for clinching an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, revealing Trump's criteria for a decision that could reverberate throughout the volatile Middle East.
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Since taking office, Trump has backed away from his campaign pledge to move the embassy in a gesture to Israel, instead saying he's still studying the issue. But Tillerson linked Trump's deliberations directly to his aspirations for brokering Mideast peace.
US President Donald Trump (Photo: AP)
"The president is being very careful to understand how such a decision would impact the peace process," Tillerson said in an interview broadcast Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. He said Trump's decision would be informed by feedback from all sides, including "whether Israel views it as helpful to a peace initiative or perhaps a distraction."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office responded to Tillerson's remarks: Israel's position has been often expressed to the American administration and to the world.
Not only will the transfer of the embassy not harm the peace process, but quite the opposite. It will advance it by correcting a historic injustice and by smashing the Palestinian fantasy that Jerusalem is not the capital of Israel.
Earlier, Education Minister and Bayit Yehudi leader Naftali Bennett called on the prime minister to "make it clear that we expect the US administration to transfer the embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty."
Netanyahu's Likud party responded: "We congratulate Bennett on the fact that he is careful to memorize the prime minister's press releases and quote them as if they are his own demands."
Trump's decision is being closely watched as the president prepares to depart Friday on his first foreign trip. After stopping in Saudi Arabia, Trump will visit both Israel and the Palestinian territories, in a nod to his nascent bid to strike the Israeli-Palestinian deal that has eluded his predecessors.
US presidents of both parties have repeatedly waived a US law requiring the embassy be moved to Jerusalem. The most recent waiversigned by former President Barack Obamaexpires on June 1. Trump is expected to sign a six-month renewal of the waiver before it expires, as he continues deliberating.
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (Photo: AP)
In another sign the White House is proceeding cautiously, Trump's ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, plans to work out of the current embassy in Tel Aviv rather than out of the US Consulate in Jerusalem, as some had urged him to do. Friedman, who owns an apartment in Jerusalem, is expected to live in the US ambassador's official residence in the Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya.
Palestinians argue moving the embassy would prejudge one of the most sensitive issues in the conflict, undermining America's status as an effective mediator. There have been some signs that the Israeli government, while publicly supportive of moving the embassy, has quietly raised concerns that doing so could enflame the political and security situation
In the interview, Tillerson downplayed suggestions that the US needed to deal decisively with Russia's interference in the US election before it could pursue better relations with Moscow. Though Tillerson said he'd seen the intelligence implicating Russia and believed there was no question Russia meddled, he said it was just one of a "broad range of important issues that have to be addressed in the US-Russia relationship."
He said the notion of a "reset" with Russiawhich both Obama and President George W. Bush pursuedwas misguided.
"You cannot erase the past. You cannot start with a clean state," Tillerson said "We're starting with the slate we have, and all the problems we have are in that slate."
Jordan's foreign minister insisted that his country's position opposing terrorism was "clear to everyone" on Sunday. The preceding day, Israel's prime minister critized the kingdom's response to the killing of a Jordanian citizen by an Israeli police officer he was stabbing.
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Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi made his response at a press conference in Amman with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shukri and Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee.
LR: Sameh Shukri, Ayman Safadi, Saeb Erekat
Jordan is and was a voice of reason and peace. Our positions against violence and terrorism are clear to everyone, Safadi said, adding that King Abdullah II is invested in establishing security, peace and freedom for the Palestinians.
Safadi then spoke on behalf of all three, saying, "The leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Palestine, through recent separate meetings with US President Donald Trump , were impressed by US commitment to resolving the conflict and achieve peace in the Middle East."
Addressing Trump, Safadi said that they stressed that east Jerusalem should be the capital of the Palestinian people, while west Jerusalem should be the capital of Israel, though he warned that matters involving Jerusalem should always be heavily and carefully considered and involve both sides.
US President Donald Trump (Photo: AFP)
On Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails , the Jordanian, Egyptian and Palestinian officials called on Israel to "meet the fair humanitarian demands of Palestinian prisoners as per relevant international laws and conventions."
The diplomatic spat between Israel and Jordan erupted yesterday in the wake of a stabbing attack in Jerusalem, in which a Jordanian man on a tourist visa, Mohammad Abdullah Salim al-Kasji, stabbed an Israeli police officer, who managed to shoot Kasji dead.
Footage of the attack (Credit: Israel Police)
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Amman in response called the incident a terrible crime, and demanded details about the incident from the Israeli government.
Later that day, Netanyahus office released a statement calling the Jordanian reaction outrageous, and said Amman appeared to be backing terrorism.
Education Minister Naftali Bennett wrote in his Twitter account that he "calls upon the prime minister to make it clear that we expect the US administration to move the American embassy to Jerusalem and recognize the united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty."
Earlier, US Secretary of Defense Rex Tillerson said US President Donald Trump was considering whether the transfer of the embassy would help or harm the peace process.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas landed in New Delhi Sunday night as he arrived for a four-day visit to India. Abbas will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday.
By Press Trust of India: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived here today on a four-day visit during which he will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on key bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Middle East peace process.
"Welcoming an important guest. Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, President of the State of Palestine arrives in Delhi," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay tweeted.
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Ahead of Abbas's visit, India reiterated its "political support" to the Palestinian cause and had said it continued to assist developmental projects there.
The visit will provide an opportunity for reviewing the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the Middle East peace process, and regional and international issues, external affairs ministry said.
Several MoUs on cooperation in various areas are also expected to be signed during the visit, the ministry added.
A delegation-level discussion between President Abbas and Prime Minister Modi will be held on May 16.
"India and Palestine enjoy historically close and friendly ties. Apart from the political support to the Palestinian cause, India continues to support developmental projects in Palestine by extending technical and financial assistance," the ministry had said in a release yesterday.
MODI TO VISIT ISRAEL
The statement assumes significance given that there have been commentaries on the increasing proximity between the Modi government and Israel which may have a bearing on New Delhi's relations with Palestine.
In July, Modi will travel to Israel, the first Indian prime minister to do so.
During his trip to India, Abbas will visit C-DAC (the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) in Noida tomorrow to forge cooperation between Palestine-India Techno Park, being built by India in Palestine, and the Indian IT industry.
ASLO READ | Netanyahu to Narendra Modi: People of Israel waiting for your historic visit
ALSO READ | Ahead of Mahmoud Abbas's visit, India reiterates 'political support' to Palestinian cause
ALSO WATCH | India set to sign armed combat drones deal with Israel
--- ENDS ---
The mostly ultra-Orthodox residents of Modiin Illit in the West Bank have recently been dealing with seemingly biblical plague of mosquitoes due to an effluent of sewage from Ramallah to the settlement.
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Members of the Association of Cities for the Environment of Samaria, who have visited the Modiin Stream over the last few days, have noticed accumulated sewage puddles near Modiin Illit. The wastewater flows about 30 kilometers from the Palestinian city towards the cities of Modiin and Modiin Illit and is eventually drained into the Ayalon River.
Sewage flowing near Modi'in Illit (Photo: Association of Cities for the Environment of Samaria)
Yitzhak Meir, the director general of the association, documented the polluted ponds. He explained: As a result of population growth and massive construction in Ramallah, the absorption capacity of the land has been damaged, so throughout the river the soil doesnt absorb the sewage, which reaches the central region. If this continues, it may soon reach the Ayalon area.
These are pools of sewage that attract mosquitoes, and the proximity of these ponds to childrens places of residence is critical, said Meir. Mosquitoes of all kinds can bite children and spread disease.
The mayor of Modiin Illit, Yaakov Gutterman, commented: Because there is a large concentration of mosquitoes in various places in the city, I immediately called the environmental representatives in the Civil Administration who came to check and discovered the problem.
The Civil Administration commented: The administration is currently working towards establishing a sewage treatment plant in Beitunia, which will provide a solution and facilitate the flow of effluents in the stream. The facility plan has been approved by the planning committees. They added that building permits have yet to be issued.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection commented: In light of the importance of the issue and its effects on many residents, our ministry is currently formulating a national plan for the prevention and reduction of cross-border hazards and pollution.
(Translated and edited by J. Herzog)
By Press Trust of India: Lucknow, May 14 (PTI) Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today reviewed preparations for the main function to mark International Yoga Day on June 21 to be attended by the prime minister here.
Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries, nearly 55,000 people are expected to participate in the Yoga Day event at Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan in the state capital.
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A spokesperson of the UP government said Singh met Adityanath to discuss and review the preparations. Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik was also present.
The AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) Ministry is the nodal agency for Yoga Day celebrations.
Praising the presentation made for the event, the home minister exuded confidence that the International Yoga Day celebrations will be successful.
Adityanath said LED screens would be installed at different parks in the city so that visitors could also take part in the celebrations simultaneously.
He issued directions to hold a 28-day workshop for the participants prior to June 21.
The Union AYUSH Ministry had proposed Lucknow as the venue for the main function for International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrations this year.
Earlier, the government was considering Bhopal, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Ranchi and Bengaluru as possible venues for the main event.
The ministry is also planning to organise a major yoga event in at least one city in each district across the country.
The ministry zeroed in on Lucknow as the possible venue at a review meeting on the preparations for IDY which is observed on June 21.
The official website of the ministry on its webpage pertaining to IDY also requests the people visiting the page to make the following pledge -- "I pledge to make yoga an integral part of my daily life." So far, 30.14 lakh visitors have taken the pledge.
The first IDY celebration was organised at Rajpath in New Delhi on June 21, 2015 in which representatives of 191 countries had participated. Last year, the main function took place in Chandigarh.
The United Nations General Assembly, heeding to a call by Modi, had made a declaration in December 2014 to observe June 21 as IDY.
On March 29, Adityanath, while addressing a three-day UP Yoga Mahotsava in Lucknow, had said that surya namaskar was similar to namaz (prayers) offered by Muslims and those opposing the yogic exercise wanted to divide the society on religious lines.
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Adityanath, who had in the past lashed out at a section of Muslims for terming the practice of surya namaskar as "un-Islamic", said the sun salutation was a beautiful example of religious harmony.
"The namaz offered by Muslims resembles different postures and asanas of surya namaskar including pranayama (breathing exercise). What a beautiful example of harmony (between two religions). But some bhogis who do not believe in yoga, indulged in dividing the society on lines of caste, creed, religion and region among others," he said.
"Before 2014 (when the BJP came to power at the Centre), even talking about yoga was considered communal. But things changed after Modi took steps to make yoga popular across the world," he had said.
Lauding the prime minister for making yoga a global phenomenon, Adityanath had said, "PM Modi deserves all the credit for the global recognition which yoga has got."
"The number of countries which participated in the International Yoga Day celebrations in 2015 was 175, which went up to 192 in the subsequent year," he said.
The University Grants Commission has directed all universities to organise training programmes on common yoga protocol. It has urged vice-chancellors to personally supervise efforts in their institutions and affiliated colleges to make the plan a success.
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Apart from ensuring mass yoga performances on campuses, the universities have been asked to conduct discourses, lectures and talks by eminent yoga experts.
The main programme would be the mass yoga demonstration from 7.00 am to 8.00 am, which will adhere to common yoga protocol (CYP). Other events would include yoga fests, seminars, workshops, musical and cultural programmes. PTI NAV SMI SMN
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Seoul: President Donald Trump called for tougher sanctions against North Korea after it test-fired a ballistic missile Sunday in an apparent attempt to test the South`s new liberal president and the US.
"Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea," the White House said in a brief statement.
The missile flew more than 700 kilometres (435 miles) before landing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).
It impacted "so close to Russian soil ... the president cannot imagine that Russia is pleased", the White House said, adding that North Korea "has been a flagrant menace for far too long".
Russia`s defence ministry later said the missile landed about 500 km from its border and posed no threat.
Trump`s national security adviser, HR McMaster, had phone conversations with his counterparts in Japan and South Korea to discuss the situation.
China, which has been under growing US pressure to help rein in the nuclear-armed North, called for restraint.
"All relevant parties should exercise restraint and refrain from further aggravating tensions in the region," the foreign ministry said.
Multiple sets of UN and US sanctions against North Korea have done little to deter it from pursuing its nuclear and missile ambitions.
Before the missile test, the US Treasury said it was considering "every tool in our arsenal" to cut off sources of international financing for illegal activities in the North.
Trump has threatened military action but recently appeared to have softened his stance, saying he would be "honoured" to meet leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions.
New South Korean President Moon Jae-In, who was inaugurated on Wednesday, has also been conciliatory. But he slammed the missile test as a "reckless provocation" after holding an emergency meeting with national security advisers.
Moon said Seoul strongly condemned this "grave challenge to the peace and security of the Korean peninsula and the international community", according to his spokesman Yoon Young-Chan.Moon, unlike his conservative predecessors, advocates reconciliation with Pyongyang but warned Sunday that dialogue would be possible "only if the North changes its attitude".
Moon had said in his inauguration speech that he was willing to visit Pyongyang "in the right circumstances" to ease tensions.
The North itself would be willing to hold talks with the US if the conditions are right, according to Choe Son-Hui, a senior official at the North`s foreign ministry, on Saturday.
"The North is apparently trying to test Moon and see how his North Korea policy as well as policy coordination between the South and the US will take shape," said Yang Moo-Jin, professor at the University of North Korea Studies in Seoul.
The launch was also aimed at "maximising the North`s political leverage" ahead of possible negotiations with the US, as Pyongyang and Washington both recently signalled they were open to talks, he added.
"The North wants to show before negotiations that their precious, powerful weapon is not something they would give up so easily," Yang said.
The missile test is likely to embarrass Beijing, which was hosting an international summit Sunday to promote its ambitious global trade infrastructure project.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping discussed the Korean situation on the sidelines of the meeting and "both parties expressed their concern over the escalation of tensions", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The European Union, in a statement in Brussels, called the test-launch a "threat to international peace and security".
But China, the isolated North`s sole major ally and economic lifeline, has been reluctant to upset the status quo in Pyongyang and risk an influx of refugees from its neighbour.The latest test was the North`s first launch since a controversial US missile defence system deployed in the South became operational on May 2. It follows a failed April 29 ballistic missile test by Pyongyang.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed the latest launch as "totally unacceptable" and a "grave threat" to Tokyo.
The North has staged two atomic tests and dozens of missile launches since the start of last year in its quest to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the US mainland.
The US Pacific Command said Sunday`s launch did not appear to be an ICBM.
Yang said however it showed "fast progress" in Pyongyang`s missile capability.
The missile was fired from a site near the northwestern city of Kusong. A previous test at the same site in February sent a missile 500 kilometres, far less than Sunday`s launch.
Kathmandu: The first phase of the historic local-level elections in Nepal has begun. The polls are Nepal's first since the country adopted a new Constitution in September 2015.
Elections could not be held after 1997 due to the decade-long Maoist insurgency that has claimed more than 16,000 lives till now.
In the first round of elections for local bodies, around 50,000 contenders are vying for the 13,556 positions, the Anadolu Agency reports.
A vast majority of 15 million Nepalis who are eligible to vote will cast their ballot in 6,642 polling stations across the country, said Surya Prasad Sharma, an Election Commission spokesman.
As many as 46,000 civil servants have been deployed at the polling stations that will be guarded by about 75,000 security forces including over 20,000 temporary police recruit, according to the Election Commission.
The second round of elections is scheduled for mid-June.
However, doubts over the commencement of the second phase of the polls still dominate discussions in the political and public space.
The opposition is demanding that the second phase of polls be preponed, as the date for announcing the budget is prior to the date of the second phase and might influence voters.
Meanwhile, the political parties in Nepal reportedly reached an agreement to move ahead on the Constitution amendment process in Parliament on May 18.
New Delhi: Pakistan's Federal Review Board has rubbished the Nawaz Sharif-led government's assertion that the Mumbai attack mastermind, Hafiz Saeed has been detained due to international pressure.
The three-member law board, which took up the matter on Saturday, has also asked the government to give in writing the reasons for Saeed's house arrest, Pak daily The Nation reported.
Interior Ministry's spcl secretary Ahmad Raza, Addl Attorney General Naseer Bhutta and Asst Advocate General Sattar Sahil represented the government.
The JuD chief was also produced before the board.
The interior ministry submitted that Hafiz Saeed has been detained due to security risks and international pressure.
A law officer said Saeed motivated people for Jihad and terrorism.
However, the board said that international pressure cannot be a ground for his detention and Saeed must be tried in accordance with Pakistani laws.
Saeed and his five aides had challenged their extended detention on April 30.
Islamabad: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has written a letter to the United Nations Secretary General highlighting alleged Indian attempts to bring demographic changes to Jammu and Kashmir, a Foreign Office statement said on Saturday.
"The letter specifically points out the issuance of permanent residence certificates to non-residents, allotment of land to retired Indian army personnel, issuance of land to non-Kashmiris, the establishment of separate townships for Kashmiri pandits and settlement of west Pakistan refugees in held Kashmir," the statement said.
"These efforts are being made to try to convert the Muslim majority in Jammu and Kashmir into a minority to preempt the results of the (proposed) UN administered plebiscite," said the statement.
Aziz has stressed that the non-implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions is leading to a grave human tragedy in the Valley, added the statement.
"It is only by the implementation of the UN Security Council resolutions that we will be able to end the immense sufferings of millions of Kashmiris in Jammu and Kashmir and bring peace and stability to South Asia," the report quoted the letter.
Patna: Aiming to put an end to atrocities against the Dalit community in Dhansoi in Buxar district, former chief minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav demanded immediate action against the perpetrators who have subjected dalits to severe mistreatment.
The RJD supremo summoned the District Magistrate (DM), Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and Superintendent of Police (SP) to conduct an investigation in the village itself and punish those responsible for the brutal attack.
"The natives of Dhansoi's Chattarpur village came to me seeking help after a group of people burnt their house and misbehaved with the women. I have asked the SP, DIG and Collector to visit the place and arrest those responsible for this. This kind of atrocity will be not be tolerated by the government," he told ANI here.
Amidst an ongoing tussle over the Dalit land being illegally seized, a group of men burnt down a Dalit's house and allegedly misbehaved with the natives.
According to a victim, the community has been facing atrocities for the past three months over the matter. In spite of all legal documents being provided by the government authorities against capturing the land, the miscreants continued to ill-treat the dalits.
"We tried to complain to the police, but no action was taken. We have now come to Lalu Yadav seeking justice for our community," a victim said.
Ranchi: A senior Maoist commander involved in the killing of a former minister and beheading a police official surrendered to police here in Jharkhand on Sunday.
Kundan Pahan, who was a synonym for terror in three districts of the state, gave himself up in the presence of Additional Director General of Police R.K. Mallik and CRPF Inspector General Anand Latkar among others.
Kundan carried a reward of Rs 15 lakh on his head, Ranchi Senior Superintendent of Police Kuldeep Dwivedi told reporters.
He was involved in the killing of former Minister and then legislator Ramesh Singh Munda in 2008, the beheading of police Inspector Francis Induwar and in the loot of Rs 5 crore from an ICICI cash van.
A total of 128 cases were lodged against him in the state, said Dwivedi.
Kundan was notorious in Ranchi, Khuti and Seraikela-Kharswa districts. Ranchi and Jamshedpur districts were under his operational control.
On his orders, Special Branch Inspector Induwar was abducted from Khuti. He was then beheaded, triggering terror.
Kundan joined the Maoists in 1999 at age 16. He became a member of the Regional Committee in the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist in 2006. In 2012, he became Secretary of the Committee.
Speaking on the occasion, police officer Mallik said Maoists have an opportunity to surrender in 2017. "Otherwise they will face consequences in 2018."
Jharkhand Police has launched a new programme under which Maoists are encouraged to surrender. Till now, 107 Maoists have surrendered.
Early this month, another top Maoist commander, Nakul Yadav, also carrying Rs 15 lakh reward on his head, surrendered.
Speaking to reporters, Kundan said: "I take responsibility for all the incidents in which I was directly or indirectly involved. I admit I committed mistakes and will try to reform myself."
His two elder brothers were also Maoists. One surrendered and the second was arrested.
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday attended the Essel Groups 90 years celebrations as the chief guest. The President congratulated Essel group on completion of its 90 years and on the launch of new initiatives such as WION-World is One News, Sarthi and DSC Foundation. He appreciated the spirit of the celebrations i.e. Young at 90'.
Here are the highlights of the speech:
- One should always remain young and look at issues with fresh new perspectives.
- Unlike 90 years ago, the situation in the world is very different today. Information Technology and communication has brought about major changes.
- Technology always has a disruptive impact but if society is ready to accept challenges, it can utilize it well. Thanks to our ingenuity and ability we have absorbed and advanced technology.
- Media has a far-reaching impact and influence on people. Today indeed the world is one. While facts and news remain one, views may be different.
- It is important to maintain objectivity and truthfulness in news. Media must take note of the positive things taking place in day to day life.
- In the next ten years, the Essel Group would be organizing its centenary celebrations. And it should remain young even at 100, remain young forever.
New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi government to conduct sound mapping in the Connaught Place area.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar asked the city government to examine the sound levels in the area and take steps like fixation of barriers for curbing the noise pollution.
"The said mapping shall be done when demonstrations are going on and when the demonstration are not being held in that area. They shall also identify alternative sites to the present one for holding of demonstrations to prevent noise pollution and traffic congestion, resulting in air pollution," the bench said.
The green panel said the Supreme Court and the High Courts have passed orders from time to time for relocation of the venue to some other place but nothing has been done.
The NGT was hearing a plea filed by Varun Seth and others alleging that processions and agitations held by social groups, political parties, NGOs at the Jantar Mantar Road were a major source of noise pollution in the area.
The plea had said regular protests "violate their right to live in a peaceful and healthy environment, right to silence, right to sleep and right to life with dignity."
They had also claimed that despite the law being in place disallowing noise to cross 40 decibels, they have to bear the sound from loudspeakers which sometimes go up to as high as 300 decibels.
(With Agency inputs)
Germany: Baloch Republican Party (BRP) member from Germany, Ashraf Sherjan has advised countries joining China's the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, to first consider the situation in Balochistan before taking any step further.
"I would request all other countries to consider the situation of Balochistan before joining the OBOR project," Sherjan said.
Asserting that the OBOR initiative is almost linked with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Sherjan said the people and leaders of Balochistan have already rejected the CPEC project.
He further said that the CPEC is not in the interest of people of Balochistan but only for people of Punjab province and Pakistan.
"We the people of Balochistan have even rejected Pakistan and China. So, we request to the countries that are joining this OBOR initiative, we want to inform them before they take any step forward for OBOR that please considered the situation in Balochistan and see what is happening in Balochistan. Just to make China happy due to the CPEC, Pakistan is already killing the people of Balochistan," he said.
Sherjan added that a slow motion of Balochistan genocide is going on just because of the CPEC.
"But in between interest of China and in interest of Pakistan and for the people of Balochistan, there is no benefit and no interest in this project," he said.
He asserted that Baloch leaders in exile have been protesting against the CPEC and they will continue to do so against Pakistan and China.
"So, I and the Baloch nation request to countries which are joining the OBOR that they will be on the losing side. So better don't waste your time, don't waste your energy and don't waste your money on the OBOR," he said.
Sherjan also appreciated India for skipping the OBOR summit in Beijing beginning today.
Baloch people and activists have been consistently protesting against the CPEC, alleging that Pakistan is only concerned about exploiting the resources of Balochistan for Beijing and its advantage.
Considered to be a part of China's One Belt, One Road initiative, the USD 51 billion CPEC will cover significant parts of Balochistan, Sindh and the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK)
By Press Trust of India: (Eds: Rectifying typos in the intro)
Ahmedabad, May 14 (PTI) In the face of ransomware virus threat to its information technology network, the Gujarat government has begun equipping its computer system with anti- virus software and upgrading the Microsoft operating system.
Computers linked to the Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN), one of countrys largest IP-based IT infrastructure connecting taluka-level government offices to the state capital with around 45,000 computers, are being monitored closely, said Science and Technology Department Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi.
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The government is also taking various preventive measures to avert the threat of ransomware virus, he added.
"By default we have anti-virus softwares in most of the computers, but there are also computers which do not have the anti-virus or upgraded Microsoft operating system. We are installing anti-virus and upgrading Microsoft operating system in these computers following ransomware virus threat," Dwivedi said.
Without elaborating, he said the government has since yesterday taken up precautionary measures in the wake of the threat.
Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), the countrys nodal agency to combat hacking, phishing and fortifying the security-related defences of the Indian Internet domain, has alerted Internet users against damaging activities of a strong and globally active ransomware virus- ?Wannacry? that critically infects work stations and locks them remotely.
The virus encrypts files on the infected Windows systems and spreads by using a vulnerability in implementations of server message block (SMB) in Windows systems, it said. PTI KA NRB RAX RAX
--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: Taking suo motu cognisance of a brutal gang-rape in Haryana - reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case in Delhi, the National Commission for Women has sought a fair and speedy trial in the case, its Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam said on Sunday.
"We have written to officials concerned to ensure a speedy and fair inquiry. We have also sent a team to inquire into the matter," Kumaramangalam told IANS.
In a savage crime reminiscent of the 2012 Nirbhaya gang-rape case in Delhi, a young woman from Haryana's Sonepat district was abducted, gang-raped and brutally murdered.
The woman, aged around 23, went missing on May 9. Her body was found on the outskirts of Rohtak town, 70 km from the national capital, early on Friday.
Reminiscent of the December 16, 2012 Delhi gang rape, the rapists had inserted a sharp-edged weapon in her private parts. Police also said that sedatives were found in her stomach.
Her head and face were smashed with a blunt object and later crushed under the wheels of a vehicle. Two men, including her neighbour Sumit who was stalking her, were arrested.
Stray dogs had eaten the victim's face and lower portion of her body which was spotted by a passerby in a secluded area of the city in Haryana on May 11.
The incident comes days after the Supreme Court upheld the death sentence awarded to four convicts in the December 16, 2012, Nirbhaya gang-rape case.
Rohtak: The post-mortem report of the Rohtak girl who was gang-raped by seven men and then murdered has confirmed that the victim was subjected to severe torture and rape by the accused.
According to the ANI reports, the post-mortem report has indicted that victim's esophagus has been missing and gnawing effects were seen over the chest.
"The esophagus is missing from the body and gnawing effects is seen over the chest of the victim in Rohtak gangrape and murder case. The face, tongue, eyes, ears have been totally distorted. The victim's face is not at all identifiable," the report said.
It further stated that the cause of the death is believed to be the head injury.
"There have been blunt force injuries and multiple wounds on skull and scalp," it added.
The Haryana Police had yesterday released the sketch of the main suspect in the case. The brutality of the case has sparked comparison with the Nirbhaya case.
At least two suspects were arrested by the city police in connection with the brutal gang-rape-murder case.
On Thursday, mutilated body of a 23-year-old woman with her face and lower portion eaten by dogs was found in the urban estate area of Rohtak.
The woman, a divorcee, was allegedly kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9 by seven men and taken to a deserted location in Rohtak where she was subjected to gang-raped and brutal torture.
Sharp-edged objects were found inserted into the private parts of the victim. Her head had been smashed. A vehicle had been run over her by the perpetrators of the crime apparently to hide her identity.
Dr. SK Dhatterwal, head of the department of forensic medicine at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (PGIMS) in Rohtak who conducted the post-mortem examination, said the 'findings suggest that it was a brutal rape and murder'.
"The bones of the woman's skull were shattered into pieces. The assailants would have used a heavy, blunt weapon to do that. In the stomach, there were findings suggesting congestion which indicates she may have been given some sedatives. That will be confirmed by chemical examination of the viscera samples," said Dr. Dhatterwal.
"The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated and tortured after the gang rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people. Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated.
The forensic team also found some drugs in viscera samples taken from the victim's body.
When her body was found in an empty plot in Rohtak, the police first tried to ascertain the identity of the victim. Their search led them to the missing complaint lodged in the neighboring district of Sonepat.
The victim's parents told police that one of the accused, Sumit, had been harassing the woman for past one year. They told the police that prime accused was their neighbour, who had visited their home only a few days ago.
The deceased had turned down his proposal for marriage following which Sumit threatened her with 'befitting reply with dire consequences'.
Sonipat: Condemning the brutal shocker emerging from Rohtak, where a girl was gangraped and her mutilated body was discovered, Haryana Women and Child Development Minister Kavita Jain demanded that dedicated, separate courts should be set up in the country for speedy trial of cases involving sexual assaults on women.
Talking to media, Jain said, "In order to deal with crime against girls, women, there should be dedicated courts, and trials should be conducted on the line of fast-track courts. So that the culprits should not lose fear of punishment and think twice before committing such crime."
The Harayana Minister who visited the family members assured them of strict action will be taken against the culprits.
Meanwhile, Haryana Inspector general of police (IG) nspector general of police informed that two accused have been arrested in connection with the case.
"We cannot tell the investigation details. Two accused has been arrested till now. The investigation is underway," said IG.
A case has been registered under the Indian Penal code (IPC) 376, 365, 302 against the accused.
On May 9th, a woman was brutally gang-raped and murdered, wherein later her mutilated body was found in an empty plot in Haryana's Rohtak.
The incident occurred on May 9 and came to light when the victim's body was found in city's IMT area.
The victim had allegedly refused a marriage proposal, following which the accused reached her home a week later with his friends.
A heated argument broke out which resulted in the woman slapping him.
In revenge, the accused along with his friends allegedly raped and murdered her.
The family of the victim said that on May 9, at least five to six youth abducted her from the gate of a private company.
After that the accused took her to a deserted place and gang-raped her.
The victim's mother said that the accused have been pressurizing the woman for marriage for the past one year.
The forensic reports suggested that the victim was mutilated with sharp-edged weapons.
Later, the accused tried to run her over to hide her identity.
"The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated after the gang rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people.
Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated.
The victim was living with her mother and brother and used to work in a private medicine company.
The woman's parents had filed a missing complaint, based on which the police tracked her parents down.
The parents were called to Rohtak to identify her body.
The distraught parents have claimed that this ghastly attack was carried out by the girl's neighbour and have demanded capital punishment for the rapists.
Shimla: Three tourists from Tamil Nadu were killed and 14 others injured on Sunday when a Tempo Traveller they were travelling in fell into a gorge in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur district, police said.
The tourists, all members of an extended family, were travelling to Manali tourist resort from New Delhi when the vehicle skidded off the road in the Swarghat area, some 120 km from here, on the Chandigarh-Manali route.
Survivors told police that the driver probably lost control while negotiating a turn.
While Jagrati and Jai Raman died on the spot, N. Kumar succumbed to his injuries while being taken to hospital, police said.
The injured were admitted to a hospital in Bilaspur town.
Jammu: The Pakistan Army on Sunday initiated indiscriminate firing along the Line of Control in Chiti Bakri area of Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian Army is strongly retaliating to the unprovoked firing from the Pakistan side, an official told media.
Speaking to IANS, Defence Ministry spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Manish Mehta said, "Pakistan Army initiated indiscriminate firing and shelling on our positions on the LoC in the Rajouri sector. They are using small arms, automatics, and mortars."
"Our forces are effectively retaliating. The firing is presently ongoing," Mehta added.
Islamabad violated ceasefire post 6:45 am today and has targeted more than seven villages along the border.
At least two civilians including a minor girl were killed and nine people including four soldiers were injured as Pakistan pounded 35 villages and Indian posts with mortars along the LoC in Rajouri district yesterday.
Two hundred houses have been damaged, mostly partially, in shelling from across the LoC, said Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Nowshera, Harbans Lal Sharma. Livestock in large numbers is also reportedly killed and injured in the shelling.
Nearly 1,100 people including women and children were rescued and brought to relief camps set up by the administration at Nowshera last night.
In an another development, as many as 51 schools of the Nowshera region and 36 of Manjakote and Doongi zones have been closed for an indefinite period.
Delhi: Essel Group celebrated 90 years of its existence Sunday and launched new initiatives WION (World is One News), Saarthi, an initiative of becoming a bridge between the government and masses, and the DSC foundation.
A host of dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee graced the mega event at Indira Gandhi stadium.
The event was marked as - 'Young at 90' and the hashtag - #YoungAt90 - was the top trend on Twitter.
Following are some of the reactions on social media on the momentous occasion.
Joined @EsselGroup_s 90 years celebrations. Congratulated the group for their various achievements in the world of business. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 14, 2017
Congrats to sh @subhashchandra for 90 successful yrs of @EsselGroup_ ! May the grp serve the nation for many more years to come! #youngat90 Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) May 14, 2017
@subhashchandra my greetings on Essel GRP turning #YoungAt90 gratitude for kind invitation today. An honor to attend celebration at IG stdm Deepa Malik (@DeepaAthlete) May 14, 2017
New Delhi: A Hizbul Mujahideen militant trying to enter India from Nepal was arrested from a border crossing point in Uttar Pradesh earlier this week, the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) said on Sunday.
Nasser Ahmed, 34, a resident of Dolgam village in Jammu and Kashmir, was trying to sneak in India as Kashmiri carpet and Kashmiri vendor when personnel of the SSB`s 1st Battalion arrested him, SSB Spokesperson Deepak Singh told IANS.
He said that Ahmed reached Kathmandu in Nepal on May 10 from Pakistan`s Faislabad via Sharjah, along with his accomplice Mohammed Shafi, a resident of Butpura village in Jammu and Kashmir.
"From Kathmandu, they separated and Ahmed reached India-Nepal border. Our security personnel arrested him when he failed to show them supporting documents of his identity while crossing the border.
"Subsequently, on a search, a Pakistani passport and identity card having address of Lala Musa village in Punjab (Pakistan) were recovered from his possession," the SSB official said.
According to the official, Ahmed is an active militant and was residing in Pakistan since September 2003.
"He is involved in many violent crimes against civilians and security forces. He was sent to India by his handler for a specific mission. Initially he was trained by militants operating in Banihal and adjoining areas of Jammu and Kashmir and was active in terror activities since 2002," the official said.
Ahmed subsequently went to Pakistan in 2003 with a group of 23 persons and joined the Hizbul Mujahideen.
Between November 2003 and January 2004, Ahmed received arms training at a place called Atak in Pakistan from the group`s members as well as personnel of the ISI and Pakistan Army with the aim of fighting with Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir, he said.
Ahmed informed interrogators that he used to preach Quran to Hizbul cadres during his stay at various camps.
New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said the Southwest monsoon has advanced into parts of southeast Bay of Bengal, Nicobar Islands, south Andaman Sea and parts of north Andaman Sea.
The weather department has advised the fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Nicobar Islands during May14-15 and along and off Andaman Islands during May15-17.
Earlier, the MeT department has predicted normal southwest monsoon for this year.
"This year we are expecting normal distribution and quantity of rainfall across the country with 96 percent of the long period average with a model error of plus or minus five percent," D. S. Pai, Head of Climate Prediction, IMD, told ANI.
He further said that the IMD would forecast the monsoon arrival around mid of the next month.
K. J. Ramesh, chief of the MeT department said that the combination of a weak El Nino and positive Indian Ocean Dipole is expected to give a positive monsoon for India this year.
Ramesh also said that the rainfall this year would be favourable for the farmers.
The IMD has said there is 38 percent of a rain being near normal.
The IMD said that they expected 96 percent rainfall in the oncoming monsoon season with a margin of five percent.
Delhi: The prestigious Essel Group celebrated its 90th anniversary on Sunday with a mega event held at Indira Gandhi Stadium.
The Group's journey started in 1926 in Sadalpur, a small village close to Hisar when Essel Group's Chairman Dr Subhash Chandra's family set up a grain market in a place called Mandi Adampur.
The function was graced by many dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee.
On the occasion, two social initiatives were launched by the PM. These include Sarthi a peoples empowerment programme on subjects such as education, health and employment and the DSC Foundation with a corpus of Rs. 5000 crore, to empower people in need.
Speaking at the event, PM Modi described the programmes as an illustration of Indian traditions and said that India has had a tradition where successive generations take family values forward.
He also recalled his earlier meetings with Shri Nandkishore Goenka and said that the family has always been open to new ideas, and has taken every challenge as an opportunity, to create a presence in a range of initiatives from soil to satellite.
Following are the top quotes by PM Modi:
- Today's occasion is obviously connected with the Essel Group but it is also connected with values associated with our land.
- We in our country attach immense importance to family values. The family is a very strong institution.
- I have known the family of Dr Subhash Chandra for years. Their business group is active in so many sectors.
- 'Waste to wealth' is a belief that is gaining momentum. Lot of social entrepreneurship is being devoted towards this.
- Saarthi and DSC Foundation have been inaugurated today. These initiatives reflect values their family believes in.
- While 'Saarthi' presents a good blend of rights and duties, the DSC Foundation will help build a large number of job creators.
- Dr Chandra ji spoke about Ekal Vidyalayas. The manner in which his family has supported these schools is commendable.
The post-mortem report in the Rohtak gangrape and murder case stated that there were gnawing marks over chest of the victim and her wind-pipe was missing. Haryana government and Red Cross Society have announced financial assistance of Rs 10.5 lakh to the victim's family.
By India Today Web Desk: Gorier details have emerged from the Rohtak grangrape incident in the post-mortem report. The victim was brutally raped and tortured.
The National Commission for Women has taken a suo motu cognizance of the incident and sought death penalty for all the accused.
Her body was mutilated and attempts were made to disfigure her completely to prevent identification of the victim.
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Meanwhile, Haryana government and Red Cross Society has announced financial assistance to the bereaved family.
Rohtak gangrape victim's kin will get financial assistance of Rs 10.5 lakh. State welfare department will provide Rs 8.5 lakh while Red Cross Society announced support of Rs 2 lakh.
ROHTAK GANGRAPE AND MURDER: POST-MORTEM REPORT
Now the post-mortem report says, according to news agency ANI, that wind pipe of the victim was missing and there were gnawing marks over chest of the victim.
"Post-mortem report states that the cause of death is head injury. Blunt force injuries and multiple wounds (were) found on skull and scalp. Post -mortem further states that Oesophagus was missing and gnawing effects were seen over chest of the victim in Rohtak gangrape and murder case," read ANI's tweets.
The post-mortem report of victim in Rohtak gangrape and murder case states that face, tongue, eyes and ears of the victim were totally distorted. He face was not identifiable, when police recovered her body from an isolated plot in Rohtak on May 11.
NCW DEMANDS DEATH FOR RAPISTS, KILLERS
National Commission for Women Chairperson Lalitha Kumaramangalam has taken a suo motu notice in Rohtak gangrape and murder case. The NCW has sought capital punishment for all those involved in Rohtak gangrape and murder case.
NCW member Rekha Sharma said that there was "need to be more swift and sensitive enough to handle these cases." She also said that the NCW will "monitor" the progress in the case till the end.
Meanwhile, the Haryana police have registered a case under under IPC 365, 302,376 A,D, 34 and 328 against the two accused arrested in connection with the gangrape and murder.
Haryana's Additional DGP Akil Ahmad said, "An SIT (special investigation team) has been formed by police... Maximum possible penalty will be awarded to the accused. We will appeal for fast-tracking this case."
The victim was kidnapped from Sonipat on May 9. She was "brutally raped, tortured and murdered, her mutilated body was found in Rohtak" two days later, Akil Ahmad said.
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Haryana horror: Woman abducted, gangraped and killed in Rohtak
--- ENDS ---
Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will tomorrow unveil a roadmap for steps to be taken for the conservation of the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh.Narendra Modi will tomorrow unveil a roadmap for steps to be taken for the conservation of the Narmada river in Madhya Pradesh.
The event at Amarkantak, the place in Anooppur district where the river originates, will mark the conclusion of 'Namami Devi Narmade Sewa Yatra'. The Narmada river conservation awareness campaign was launched in December last year.
"I am delighted to join the programme to mark the conclusion of the Narmada Seva Yatra in Amarkantak, Madhya Pradesh, tomorrow afternoon.
"Narmada Seva Yatra is an excellent mass movement to protect the Narmada & conveys a larger message of saving the environment as well," Modi said in a series of tweets.
He said he will launch the 'Narmada Seva Mission' which will have a major impact on Madhya Pradeshs ecology.
"The prime minister will release a roadmap for the conservation of Narmada, the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, at Amarkantak," Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said today.
"The roadmap has been prepared after wide-ranging consultations with various stakeholders, including environmentalists, river conservation experts and people directly associated with the Narmada," he said.
The yatra, which started on December 11, 2016 from Amarkantak, will conclude tomorrow after covering a distance of 3,344 km and passing through over 1,100 villages and towns.
A number of prominent personalties, including Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, BJP president Amit Shah, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Uma Bharti, Anil Madhav Dave, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and well-known water conservationist Rajendra Singh, among others, took part in the yatra in its different stages.
Modi will arrive at Amarkantak, around 450 km from Bhopal, in the afternoon. He will also take part in 'Narmada Pujan' and address a gathering, an official associated with the yatra said.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the prime minister's visit, he said.
Narmada flows 1,312 km before draining through the Gulf of Khambhat into the Arabian Sea.
Narmada, also known as Rewa, is one of only three major rivers in the country that flows from east to west. The other two are Tapti and Mahi.
Srinagar: At least two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists were gunned down in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara region in an encounter on Sunday.
According to media reports, the gunfight occurred in Warpora forest area of Handwara tehsil in Kupwara.
The security forces have launched a massive search operation in the area following the encounter.
"Following specific information about the presence of militants in Warpora forest area of Handwara tehsil, security forces launched an operation but were fired upon by the hiding militants, triggering the gunfight.
"Two militants of LeT outfit have been killed in this operation," IANS reported, adding that searches were still going on in the area to track any more militants
In another incident, a Hizbul terrorist was nabbed by the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) jawans while trying to sneak into India from Nepal.
A Pakistani passport was also recovered from his possession.
The terrorist is identified as 34-year old Naseer Ahmed aka Sadiq, media reports said.
He was reportedly involved in several terror activities in Banihal area of Jammu and Kashmir.
"He is involved in many violent crimes against civilians and security forces. He was sent to India by his handler for a specific mission.
"Initially he was trained by militants operating in Banihal and adjoining areas of Jammu and Kashmir and was active in terror activities since 2002," an official said.
The Army has launched a massive cordon-and-search operation in Jammu and Kashmir this week following a spurt of terror attacks on the security forces.
The move comes amid heightened vigil along the Line of Control (LOC) as counter-measure for repeated ceasefire violation by Pakistani forces.
Bhopal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will unveil an ambitious roadmap for conservation of the Narmada river, which flows 1,312 km from east to west before draining into the Gulf of Khambhat in the Arabian Sea.
Narmada, also known as Rewa, is one of major rivers in the country.
PM Modi will announce the plan during an event at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh's Anooppur district.
The event coincides with the conclusion of Namami Devi Narmade Sewa Yatra.
The conservation campaign was first launched in December last year.
"The prime minister will release the roadmap for the conservation of Narmada, the lifeline of Madhya Pradesh, at Amarkantak," PTI quoted Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan as saying.
"The roadmap has been prepared after a wide-ranging consultation with various stakeholders, including environmentalists, river conservation experts and people directly associated with Narmada," he said.
The Namami Devi Narmade Sewa Yatra, which was started on December 11, 2016 from Amarkantak, will conclude on Monday after covering a distance of 3,344 km and passing through over 1,100 villages/towns.
A number of prominent personalties, including Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, BJP president Amit Shah, Union ministers Rajnath Singh, Uma Bharti and Anil Madhav Dave, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and well-known water conservationist Rajendra Singh, among others, had taken part in the yatra during different phases.
Modi will arrive at Amarkantak, around 450km from here, in the afternoon.
He will also take part in 'Narmada Pujan' and address a gathering, an official associated with the yatra said.
Elaborate security arrangements have been made for the prime minister's visit, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Overseas investors have so far pumped in over Rs 5,000 crore in the country's debt market this month, helped by stable outlook for the rupee.
However, in view of higher stock valuations amid surging markets, foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) invested only Rs 290 crore in equities during this period.
"FPI flows into Indian equities are muted as the market has run up in the past four months and valuations are no longer cheap. Having said this, we are seeing some flows coming back to equity market for past 2-3 days," Sharekhan Head Advisory Hemang Jani said.
"The differential spread between 10-year bond yields in the US and India is still around 4.5-5 per cent, this, coupled with stable outlook for the Indian currency bodes well for FPI flows into debt market," Jani added.
According to latest depository data, FPIs invested a net Rs 5,318 crore (USD 825 million) in debt markets during May 2 -12.
This comes following a net inflow of over Rs 51,679 crore in the last three months (February-April) on several factors, including expectations that BJP's victory in recently held assembly polls will accelerate the pace of reforms.
Prior to that, such investors had pulled out over Rs 2,300 crore from debt markets in January.
With the latest inflow, total investment in debt markets has crossed over Rs 54,000 crore this year.
Mumbai: Manoj Bajpayee was being touted as one of the contenders for the National Award this year for his acclaimed performance in "Aligarh", but the actor says losing out to Akshay Kumar did not disappoint him.
The 48-year-old actor insists that he does not yearn for recognition.
Bajpayee received lot of acclaim for his portrayal of a gay professor in the Hansal Mehta-directed film "Aligarh".
This year's National Award for best actor went to Akshay for "Rustom".
Bajpayee has won two National Awards- best actor in supporting role for "Satya" and special jury award for "Pinjar".
"For me, it has always been easy to move on from disappointments in life. I am used to it. I don't base my life and career on any award in this country. Awards shouldn't be defining you as a person or as an actor," Bajpayee told PTI.
"The support that I got from the people was quite overwhelming. At the same time, I would like to congratulate all the winners. Let them celebrate. I will get my chances definitely in the future," he adds.
Bajpayee's latest film "Sarkar 3" marks his reunion with director Ram Gopal Varma after almost 14 years.
The actor shot to fame with Varma's 1998 cult hit "Satya" and later worked with him in "Road", but soon parted ways with the filmmaker over creative differences.
"My equation with him (Varma) is still of a newcomer. I still maintain that. I don't ask for a script (hard-copy), just listen to the script and trust him as I have always been doing. No questions asked, no ifs and buts. It's all about what he wants from me in terms of performance," he says.
In "Sarkar 3", Bajpayee plays a local politician who is against the involvement of goons in politics.
The actor says contrary to rumours, his character in the film is not based on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal but his look is definitely inspired by him.
"It's just the look. We wanted to have the look of Kejriwal and that's about it. The character is completely different, he is a fiery young politician whose stance is completely opposite to that of Sarkar," says Bajpayee.
Ahmedabad: In face of ransomware virus threat to its information technology network, the Gujarat government has begun equipping its state computer system with anti-virus softwares and upgrading its Microsoft operating systems.
Computers linked to the Gujarat State Wide Area Network (GSWAN), one of country's largest IP-based IT infrastructure connecting taluka-level government offices to the state capital with around 45,000 computers, are being monitored closely, said Science and Technology Department Secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi.
The government is also taking various preventive measures to avert the threat of ransomware virus, he added.
"By default we have anti-virus softwares in most of the computers, but there are also computers which do not have the anti-virus or upgraded Microsoft operating system. We are installing anti-virus and upgrading Microsoft operating system in these computers following ransomware virus threat," Dwivedi said.
Without elaborating, he said the government has since yesterday taken up precautionary measures in the wake of the threat.
Computer Emergency Response Team of India (CERT-In), the country's nodal agency to combat hacking, phishing and fortifying the security-related defences of the Indian Internet domain, has alerted Internet users against damaging activities of a strong and globally active ransomware virus- Wannacry that critically infects work stations and locks them remotely.
The virus encrypts files on the infected Windows systems and spreads by using a vulnerability in implementations of server message block (SMB) in Windows systems, it said.
Allahabad (Uttar Pradesh): In yet another case of corporal punishment, a Class XII student of St. Joseph's School, Allahabad became the victim of brutality of the worst kind.
Serven Terence (14), lost vision in his right eye allegedly because he was caned by the vice-principle for standing in the morning assembly with his school bag on.
Initially the student was being treated in Allahabad, but now is in Lucknow.
The family of the victim registered the First Information Report (FIR) in the regard on last Friday against the accused in the Civil Lines police station in the city.
On May 9, Terence went to school and stood in the morning assembly with his bag on, spotting which vice-principal Leslie Cotino started canning him with a baton and amid the act the baton struck his right eye which started bleeding.
He was rushed to the hospital in Allahabad, from where he was sent to Lucknow where it was informed that Terence has lost vision in his right eye.
Serven, who is the lone child of his parents, will undergo surgery in a month.
Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched into the matter.
Lucknow: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday reviewed preparations for the main function to mark International Yoga Day on June 21 to be attended by the prime minister here.
Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries, nearly 55,000 people are expected to participate in the Yoga Day event at Ramabai Ambedkar Maidan in the state capital.
A spokesperson of the UP government said Singh met Adityanath to discuss and review the preparations. Union AYUSH Minister Shripad Yesso Naik was also present.
The AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homoeopathy) Ministry is the nodal agency for Yoga Day celebrations.
Praising the presentation made for the event, the home minister exuded confidence that the International Yoga Day celebrations will be successful.
Adityanath said LED screens would be installed at different parks in the city so that visitors could also take part in the celebrations simultaneously.
He issued directions to hold a 28-day workshop for the participants prior to June 21.
The Union AYUSH Ministry had proposed Lucknow as the venue for the main function for International Day of Yoga (IDY) celebrations this year.
Earlier, the government was considering Bhopal, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Ranchi and Bengaluru as possible venues for the main event.
The ministry is also planning to organise a major yoga event in at least one city in each district across the country.
The ministry zeroed in on Lucknow as the possible venue at a review meeting on the preparations for IDY which is observed on June 21.
The official website of the ministry on its webpage pertaining to IDY also requests the people visiting the page to make the following pledge -- "I pledge to make yoga an integral part of my daily life." So far, 30.14 lakh visitors have taken the pledge.
The first IDY celebration was organised at Rajpath in New Delhi on June 21, 2015 in which representatives of 191 countries had participated. Last year, the main function took place in Chandigarh.
The United Nations General Assembly, heeding to a call by Modi, had made a declaration in December 2014 to observe June 21 as IDY.
On March 29, Adityanath, while addressing a three-day UP Yoga Mahotsava in Lucknow, had said that 'surya namaskar' was similar to namaz (prayers) offered by Muslims and those opposing the yogic exercise wanted to divide the society on religious lines.
Adityanath, who had in the past lashed out at a section of Muslims for terming the practice of 'surya namaskar' as "un-Islamic", said the sun salutation was a beautiful example of religious harmony.
"The namaz offered by Muslims resembles different postures and asanas of surya namaskar including pranayama (breathing exercise). What a beautiful example of harmony (between two religions). But some 'bhogis' who do not believe in yoga, indulged in dividing the society on lines of caste, creed, religion and region among others," he said.
"Before 2014 (when the BJP came to power at the Centre), even talking about yoga was considered communal. But things changed after Modi took steps to make yoga popular across the world," he had said.
Lauding the prime minister for making yoga a global phenomenon, Adityanath had said, "PM Modi deserves all the credit for the global recognition which yoga has got."
"The number of countries which participated in the International Yoga Day celebrations in 2015 was 175, which went up to 192 in the subsequent year," he said.
The University Grants Commission has directed all universities to organise training programmes on common yoga protocol. It has urged vice-chancellors to personally supervise efforts in their institutions and affiliated colleges to make the plan a success.
Apart from ensuring mass yoga performances on campuses, the universities have been asked to conduct discourses, lectures and talks by eminent yoga experts.
The main programme would be the mass yoga demonstration from 7.00 am to 8.00 am, which will adhere to common yoga protocol (CYP). Other events would include yoga fests, seminars, workshops, musical and cultural programmes.
Kolkata: Alleging widespread violence and booth-capturing by Trinamool Congress workers, all major opposition parties in West Bengal demanded countermanding of elections to seven municipal bodies being held on Sunday.
Representatives of Left parties and the Congress resorted to a road blockade and sit-in-demonstration in front of the State Election Commission office here claiming that it had failed to conduct free and fair polls.
"We want the elections to be countermanded as the ruling party has unleashed terror at all the places where elections are being held," CPI(M) state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra told reporters here.
Claiming that the elections have been turned into a farce, he said, "Miscreants owing allegiance to the TMC have been terrorising everyone with guns, bombs and other weapons. Voters, candidates, their agents, police and journalists -- no one has been spared."
Mishra claimed that three CPI(M) supporters were injured in firing by miscreants at Pujali in South 24-Parganas district, one of the towns where polls are being held.
West Bengal Congress president Adhir Chowdhury demanded countermanding of the elections alleging booth capturing by TMC supporters.
Chowdhury said that he has instructed all 10 party candidates in Domkal not to take interest in the election as it has become a farce because of booth capturing and violence by the TMC's goons.
He alleged that Congress agents were driven out of polling booths at Domkal town in Murshidabad district by TMC activists.
BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha also demanded that the elections be countermanded and fresh polls be declared by the State Election Commission.
"The commission should cancel today's elections and fresh polls be held with central forces in charge of security," Sinha, the former state BJP chief said.
Representatives of the Congress and the Left Front went to the commission's office in the afternoon to register their grievances.
Claiming that the commission's top officials refused to meet them, leaders and supporters of the Left parties and the Congress resorted to a road blockade and sit-in demonstration in front of the office in Kolkata.
"The commission had assured us that steps will be taken to ensure free and fair polls, but it has failed miserably," Mishra said.
Of the seven municipal bodies where the elections are being held, four are in Darjeeling hills.
The Bimal Gurung-led Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) is the main opponent of the TMC in Darjeeling, Mirik, Kalimpong and Kurseong, where the ruling party has campaigned extensively with several senior ministers participating actively.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who frequently visits Darjeeling, has taken a keen interest in the municipal polls in the hills, which has for long seen dominance of hill parties -- the Subash Ghising-led Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF) followed by Gurung's GJM.
Raiganj in North-Dinajpur district, Domkal in Murshidabad and Pujali in South 24-Parganas in the plains are having a three-way contest with the Left-Congress combine, the BJP and the TMC being in contention.
By Press Trust of India: Amritsar, May 14 (PTI) Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal conducted a special meeting here today on the development of Guru Ki Nagri.
The meeting took place at Municipal Corporation office where Lok Sabha MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla and some other MLAs were also present.
During the course of meeting, the issue of completing pending development projects pertaining to Amritsar and initiating new ones was deliberated upon. Sidhu and Manpreet focused on the beautification of the place.
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Divulging the details, Manpreet said the Punjab government would not allow any dearth of funds to hamper the all round development of the holy city and the government would formulate a special policy to ensure that this objective is met.
He further said that a third party audit is being conducted of the amount spent in the name of development works in the past 10 years by the previous SAD-BJP Government.
He also said that the perpetrators of financial irregularities during the previous regime would not be spared.
Elaborating his plans to improve upon the financial condition of the state, Manpreet said that the implementation of the GST (Goods & Services Tax) would result in more income to the state from the central taxes than earlier. He also disclosed that the Union Government has guaranteed the 14 per cent tax share under the GST to the states for next 5 years.
He said that the austerity measures of the State government have resulted in cutting down expenditures to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore.
On the occasion, Sidhu, while lashing out at the previous SAD-BJP regime, said that the erstwhile Badal Government had started BRTS project in Amritsar without any proper planning.
Terming it as a political stunt of the Badals, he said the project had many flaws, due to which it couldnt succeed.
He said that out of this Rs 600 crore project, the amount to the tune of Rs 400 crore has been spent but in a haphazard manner which led to its failure.
He elaborated that this project would now be run on PPP mode.
The minister also said that 60 buses would also be included in the project.
Batting for a clean and green city, Sidhu said the state government would plant 10 lakh saplings in the present season to ensure this objective for which the Lok Sabha MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla has announced a grant worth Rs 50 lakh from his MPLAD fund.
He further said that under a new and novel policy, every house owner would pledge to plant 2 saplings while getting his/her house map approval and would also make arrangements for conserving the rain water in it.
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A committee under the stewardship of Deputy Commissioner has been formed to ensure its implementation.
The minister also said that the state government would start solid waste management projects to solve the problem of garbage in the urban centers of the state.
He said that efforts are on to start these projects in Amritsar, Bathinda and Jalandhar.
The state government would provide land ranging from 100 to 200 acres for these projects so as to permanently solve the problem of garbage within next 50 years. He also said that new special machines have been contracted to clean the sewerage systems in the cities.
Commenting further, the minister said that a new advertisement policy is being framed by the state government as per which the collection of Rs 200 crore as revenue has been targeted which would be spent on the developmental purposes.
Coming to the transport policy, Sidhu said that the state government is going in for a new policy to finish off the transport mafia in the state which would be aimed at the strengthening of public transport, thereby breaking the monopoly of big transport companies.
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He also said that under the newly envisioned policy, mini bus operators would be encouraged and taxes would be lowered.
He said that the main aim of the new policy is to provide maximum transport facilities to the people.
The minister assured that the Congress government would toil hard day in and day out for the prosperity of Punjab and fulfil each promise that has been made to the people.
He said that all the pending projects concerning Amritsar would be completed in the next 6 months. PTI cor VJ ARK
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Beijing: China called for restraint after North Korea's latest missile test on Sunday, warning against ramping up tensions in the region.
"China opposes the DPRK`s violation of the (UN) Security Council`s resolutions... and all relevant parties should exercise restraint," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Beijing: China and the Philippines will start bilateral consultations on the disputed South China Sea this week, the Philippine ambassador to Beijing said, as Manila looks to ease tensions with Asia`s top economic power.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is visiting Beijing this weekend to attend a summit on China`s new Silk Road plan, has opted to court China for its business and investment and avoid rows over sovereignty that dogged his predecessors.
Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Santa Romana told reporters late on Saturday that the consultations between the two countries would take place in a Chinese city, but declined to name it.
He added that the dispute between the two countries "cannot be resolved overnight."
China has not publicly announced any such talks.
Duterte has been accused by critics of taking a defeatist position on China and on defending Philippine sovereignty. He considers his approach is pragmatic and says challenging China risks triggering a war.
Santa Romana said Duterte`s attendance at the China summit should not be seen as the Philippines abandoning or "giving up" its claim of sovereignty in the South China Sea.
The previous Philippine government in 2013 filed a case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to set the record straight on maritime boundaries. The tribunal did that last year, and invalidated China`s claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea.
Duterte has put the ruling on the back burner and said he will revisit it later in his term.
Santa Romana defended Duterte`s position, saying Manila was "proceeding from our own interests".
China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.
Duterte visited China last October for an ice-breaking trip after bilateral relations soured over the South China Sea under the previous Philippine administration of Benigno Aquino.
The detente has seen China commit to three infrastructure projects and pledge to donate two bridges, said the ambassador, without giving an investment figure.
China has also eased import curbs on Philippine bananas, he said.
"If you go around Beijing right now and you go to the market, you will see ... Philippine bananas. The Chinese are eating Philippine bananas again and Philippine pineapples," Santa Romana said.
"They have promised to buy over $1 billion worth of tropical fruits from the Philippines and they are interested to buy more."
Seoul: North Korea on Sunday launched a ballistic missile which flew around 700 km into the East Sea, the South Korean Joints Chief of Staff (JCS) said.
This is the first provocative move from North Korea since South Korea appointed Moon Jae-in as the country's new President on Wednesday.
"North Korea fired an unidentified missile at around 5.27 a.m. today (Sunday) from an area in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan province," Yonhap News Agency quoted the JCS as saying in a statement.
In response, President Moon has strongly condemned North Korea for the launch, describing it as a grave threat to regional security and a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
He also called on Pyongyang to reverse its course of provocations for the resumption of dialogue while warning that his administration would deal resolutely in order to ensure it would not "miscalculate" the situation.
"Even if dialogue is possible, (we) should show (to North Korea) that it's possible only in case of North Korea changing its attitude," Moon said, presiding over a session of the National Security Council.
The US Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, also announced that it detected and tracked the launch of the missile, which landed in the East Sea.
"The type of missile is being assessed, and the flight was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile," it said.
"The US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security."
The Japanese government said the North's missile flew for half an hour.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed Pyongyang for again violating the UN Security Council resolutions.
District of Columbia: US President Donald Trump is calling for tougher sanctions on North Korea following its latest ballistic missile test.
"Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea," the White House said in a statement.
Baghdad: At least 13 Islamic State militants were killed in airstrikes by Iraqi jets targeting a meeting of the IS leaders and other IS posts in Iraq`s western province of Anbar, said the Iraqi military on Saturday.
According to intelligence reports, the jet fighters conducted the airstrikes on Friday on an IS hideout where some IS leaders believed they were holding a meeting in the town of al-Qaim near the border with Syria, said Iraq`s Joint Operations Command (JOC) in a statement, Xinhua reported.
The IS leaders were discussing plans for terrorist attacks against civilian targets during the coming holy month of Ramadan, late in this month, as wells as assassinating judges and attacks on the towns of Haditha and Rutba and the international highway between Baghdad and neighboring Jordan, according to the statement.
The airstrikes killed 13 IS militants and wounded others at the meeting place, in addition to bombing eight other IS posts that included weapon warehouses and a car bomb-making site, along with killing and wounding a number of IS militants at the scenes, it said.
On May 9, the jet fighters carried out 15 airstrikes against IS posts near the Syrian border areas, leaving a total of 100 IS militants killed.
In late April, the JOC said that Iraqi F-16s and Sukhoi warplanes attacked IS hideouts within and nearby the town of al-Qaim, some 330 km in western of Baghdad, killing 46 IS militants.
The airstrikes came as the Iraqi security forces backed by anti-IS international coalition are carrying out a major offensive to drive out the IS militants from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul in northern Iraq.
North Rhine-Westphalia: One in five German voters are heading to the polls in a key state election Sunday, with Chancellor Angela Merkel`s party hoping to deal a crushing blow to her main rival four months before national elections.
About 13.1 million eligible voters in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) are casting ballots to elect a new regional parliament for the sprawling industrial region, which has a large migrant population and has been a Social Democratic Party (SPD) stronghold for decades.
But surveys ahead of the vote showed the centre-left party running neck-and-neck with Merkel`s Christian Democratic Union, with some even placing the CDU ahead.
The opinion polls were the latest indication that initial enthusiasm for the new SPD leader, Martin Schulz, could be fizzling out.
The SPD had been ailing nationwide but saw a surge in support in February when Schulz took over. But that enthusiasm failed to translate into votes in the last two state elections, when the CDU won comfortably.
An election in Germany`s biggest state is always significant, but this year`s NRW vote carries higher stakes, being the last regional vote before national polls and having a direct impact on whether the SPD can close the gap nationwide with the CDU.
After casting his vote in his hometown of Wuerselen, Schulz acknowledged Sunday that the race would be close, with 30 percent of voters deciding their pick at the last minute.
"That makes it thrilling to the last second. I hope of course that we will be ahead in the evening," he said.
Separately, the CDU`s candidate Armin Laschet, who cast his vote in Aachen, said: "There is a real chance that we can win. Now it`s time for the voters to decide."
Turnout appeared to be brisk at 33.6 percent as of midday, compared to 29.5 percent at the same time in 2012.
The SPD is banking its hopes on incumbent state premier Hannelore Kraft, 55, who secured 39.1 percent in a 2012 vote, while the CDU clinched just over 26 percent.
"If Kraft succeeds, then the chances of the SPD`s bid to take back the chancellery grow. If she loses, it would mean that the Schulz train has slammed against a wall," the weekly Spiegel magazine said.
Political analyst Oskar Niedermayer also noted the state`s significance to the SPD, telling AFP that "a defeat there would be a disastrous symbol" for the party.
Schulz, who held more than 30 rallies in the state, hopes that his push for "social justice" will resonate in NRW, which has lagged behind western Germany economically.
He argues that many people are struggling in temporary or low-paid jobs even though the country as a whole is growing richer.
But Merkel has also been pounding the streets in the state of 18 million people, including 4.2 million of migrant origin.
In the town of Haltern am See on Wednesday, she took aim at Schulz`s arguments, saying the CDU offers "justice in the sense of jobs, strong budgets, funds for local communities".
She also urged voters to look at her government`s economic record, noting that with 7.5 percent unemployment, the state fares worse than the national rate of 5.8 percent.Mindful that local issues can tip the balance, Merkel has blamed the incumbents for persistent traffic jams that "are longer than from here to the moon".
The CDU has also accused the state`s SPD-Green governing coalition of security failures.
State interior minister Ralf Jaeger has faced criticism for failing to detain Anis Amri, the Tunisian asylum seeker suspected in the deadly Berlin Christmas market rampage last year.
Amri had lived in the state and was deemed a threat by intelligence officials, but Jaeger argued that there was insufficient evidence to lock him up.
On Jaeger`s watch, Cologne also became the scene of mass sexual assaults by groups of mostly North African men on New Year`s Eve of 2015-2016, inflaming the debate over the 890,000 asylum seekers Germany welcomed in 2015.
The populist AfD (Alternative for Germany), which has railed against the migration influx, hopes to win its first seats in North Rhine-Westphalia, which would see it represented in 13 of 16 state parliaments.
Paris: France on Sunday condemned the latest ballistic missile test carried out by North Korea, warning that the Asian country was a "serious threat" to global security and should immediately abide by its international commitments.
"France calls on North Korea to conform immediately with its international obligations and proceed to the dismantlement of its nuclear and ballistic programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible way," Foreign ministry spokesman Romain Nadal said in a statement.
The statement was the first by the ministry since Emmanuel Macron was sworn-in as president. French diplomats have said North Korea is an area where he may seek to work closely with United States President Donald Trump.
Ankara: At least 23 people were killed and 11 other seriously injured after a bus carrying women and children plunged off a cliff near the Turkish resort of Marmaris.
It's reported that the bus crashed through a barrier and fell 15 metres (50 feet) on to a lower road, landing on a car with three occupants, reports the state-run Anadolu news agency.
The accident occurred on Saturday near the Sakar pass.Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, currently on a visit to China, said he was "extremely pained" by the tragedy and has asked "local authorities to take measures to ensure that such tragedies do not recur."
Washington: United States President Donald Trump "cannot imagine Russia is pleased" with North Korea`s latest missile test on Sunday, as it landed closer to Russia than to Japan, the White House said in a statement.
"With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased," the White House said in its statement.
The launch served as a call for all nations to implement stronger sanctions against reclusive North Korea, the White House added.
By Press Trust of India: medicines: Togadia
Allahabad, May 14 (PTI) Senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia today urged the Centre to enforce strict standardisation of medicines and check exorbitant pricing by pharmaceutical companies saying without such measures "generic drug policy will remain a play with words".
"There must be strict standardisation of medicines so that no manufacturer is able to push sub-standard products into the market. Poor patients will not purchase cheaper drugs unless they have the confidence that the medicine will be effective", Togadia told reporters here.
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Also, there must be a check on "exorbitant pricing by pharmaceutical companies." There can be no justification for so much disparity in the prices of the same medicine, sold under different brand names, he said.
Besides, availability of generic drugs must be ensured at all shops, not just a few select stores. Unless these measures are undertaken, "the generic drug policy will remain a play with words", he said.
The VHP international working president was here to attend a function of the India Health Line (IHL) initiative, which was launched by him at Hyderabad in 2013 and through which he aims at "making a huge difference to the health care scenario in the country where people spend Rs 14 lakh crore every year for treatment of diseases, many of those easily curable or preventable".
He also urged the government to scrap the Clinical Establishment Act "brought in by the previous regime, but in force even now" saying "it is based on the European model which, in effect, throttles small, private nursing homes while benefiting big corporate hospitals and depriving the middle class of affordable treatment options".
The firebrand VHP leader, who declined to speak on contentious issues, said "having been a cancer surgeon myself, I feel strongly that many illnesses can be kept at bay by ridding people of their addiction to alcohol and tobacco."
"We have developed our own system, which has been approved by the FDA, wherein we use a blend of psychotherapy, Ayurveda and Allopathy to help the people kick their habits".
"Through IHL, we have involved millions of trained volunteers, called health ambassadors, who provide their services at our free health check-up camps. We have a mega blood donor group whose members can be accessed through our special mobile app," Togadia said.
Thousands of specialist doctors have also been taking time off their busy schedule to attend to patients "who seek help through our call centres", he added. PTI NAC RCJ
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YEREVAN,MAY 14,ARMENPRESS. Armenian PM Karen Karapetyan cast his ballot in the Yerevan City Council election in the 4/53 polling station,accompanied by his wife.
In an interview with reporters after voting, the PM said he wants to see Yerevan with a modern and flexible administration system, aimed at the implementation of Yerevan citizens requirements.
Asked if the incumbent mayor Taron Margaryan, who is running for another term in office under the ruling partys list, is the mayor whom hed like to see in office, the PM answered yes.
Asked if there was a better candidate other than the incumbent mayor, the PM said no.
Speaking about the transportation issue in the city, the PM said: Ive seen the transportation condition and I find its very bad and an inconvinient way for peoples transportation, I am convinced that Taron Margaryan has expressed his vision in this regard. There are numerous issues. We have limited capabilities, finances, all issues are solved in order.
YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Russian missile defense systems tracked the latest North Korean missile test, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that it landed some 500 kilometers from Russia and hadnt posed a threat, RT reports.
Russias ballistic missile launch early warning system (SPRN) detected the launch form North Korea at about 08:30 GMT on Saturday, the ministry said.
The ballistic target had been tracked in flight by the SPRN for 23 minutes before it fell into the central part of the Sea of Japan, some 500 km from the territory of Russia, the ministry statement said.
It added the missiles trajectory had been away from Russia at a considerable distance from its border.
The missile launch didnt pose any threat to the Russian Federation. Russian early warning radar and air defense forces are on regular duty now, the ministry said.
Earlier, the White House condemned the launch in a statement, saying that US President Donald Trump cannot imagine that Russia is pleased, considering that the rocket landed closer to Russia than to Japan.
YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Twenty-one cannon blasts have boomed out across Paris in a formal salute for the new leader, BBC reports.
Rather than rolling artillery through the streets, the cannons are at Les Invalides, home to the army museum and the tomb of Napoleon.
As his successor gave his speech on the future of France, Francois Hollande sent a series of (presumably pre-prepared) reflective tweets.
"I am bound to you as you are bound to me, by our common history," the ex-president tweeted. "Without you, I would have never had the chance to rule France."
He said leading France was a "heavy responsibility" and - reflecting Macron's speech - said the nation should be an example to others.
He said he was proud of his achievements - keeping Greece in Europe, the climate change deal, and dealing with testing times for France.
"I leave a country in a much better state than I found it," he said.
In recent months, President Hollande's approval ratings hit a record low.
In his speech, Macron said he would restore France's global standing.
"France is only strong if it's prosperous. France is only a model for the world if it is exemplary," he said.
"We will have given back to the French a taste for the future - and pride in what they are.
"The whole world will pay attention to what France says - because we will, together, go beyond our fears and anxieties.
YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Nikol Pashinyan, the opposition MP who is running for office in the Yerevan City Council election, heading the proportional list of Yelk bloc, cast his ballot in the 8/32 polling station in the citys Shengavit district.
The lawmaker was accompanies by his wife and children.
We voted with the hope of overcoming disappointment.
We will fight with our entire strength to achieve change in Armenia, he said.
Speaking about election bribes, the mentioned that there is a widespread problem of election bribe distribution.
We hope our citizens will overcome the election bribe despair. Eventually, the people are the judge and the people must choose what kind of a judge they are. We wont let any vote given to us to be lost, he said.
YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. The task group of the Prosecutor Generals Office is studying the footage of the incident which happened between police officers and opposition MP, mayoral candidate Zaruhi Postanjyan in one of the campaign HQs in Yerevans Avan district, Sevak Hovhannisyan, an official from the Prosecutor Generals Office told a press conference.
The task group has viewed the footage online. A citizen has given a report on the incident in Nor Norks police department. We will be able to speak about a legal assessment only after validating the footage. Its too early to make any judgments in the legal level. When materials will be prepared and facts will be acquired, then it will be possible to give legal assessments, he said.
Asked whether or not police officers have the right to use force against a Member of Parliament and mayoral candidate, Hovhannisyan said: I havent seen the use of force in the footage. The actions of the police were lawful. What happened there regarding removing a person from the HQ who did have the right to be there, was lawful in terms of criminal judicial legislation.
A reporter said its not about removing Postanjyan from the HQ, but rather attempting to detain her, and Hovhannsiyan responded by clarifying that the MP hasnt been detained, which is clearly seen in the footage.
If youve watched the footage till the end, then you must have seen that the candidate isnt being detained, he said.
YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Police were notified from the St. Gregory the Illuminator medical center late May 13 that a couple from Yerevan was admitted with stabbing wounds, the investigative committee told ARMENPRESS.
Criminal proceedings were launched by the investigative committee.
It turned out that the couple was stabbed by their son during an altercation.
Law enforcement officers were immediately dispatched to the apartment of the family.
According to preliminary information, the son stabbed his parents in the evening of May 13 during an altercation on household issues.
The son jumped out of the window of the 6th floor apartment afterwards, in an attempt to commit suicide. The stabber, however, survived the fall.
The mother is in a critical condition, whereas the father and son are out of danger. The son was treated for a fractured leg.
Police are currently probing the incident.
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Voter turnout of Yerevan City Council elections was 34.52% by 17:00, CEC Secretary Armen Smbatyan told the reporters at the Central Electoral Commission. By 17:00, 290 thousand and 737 voters had cast their vote which is the 34.52% of the total eligible citizens, Armenpress reports Smbatyan saying.
He also provided details on the voter turnout according to the administrative districts.
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Yerevan City Council elections are over. By 20:00 all the 474 polling stations are closed and the counting of votes has started. Armenpress reports starting from 24:00 the Central Electoral Commission of Armenia will start to promulgate the preliminary results of the voting according to the polling stations.
On March 15 at 20:00 the CEC will summarize the preliminary results of Yerevan City Council elections.
3 political forces participate in the election the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), Yerkir Tsirani Party, Yelk bloc. Acting Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan is RPAs candidate for mayor, ZaruhiPostanjyan is the candidate of YerkirTsirani Party and NikolPashinyan is the candidate of Yelk bloc.
32 local and 3 international news outlets have been accredited at the CEC Armenia for covering Yerevan Council elections. The 3 international news outlets are Arevelk, T24 daily, and KavkazskiyUzel.
Among local news outlets RFE/RL's Armenian Service is the one that has accredited most reporters it has 40 representatives. Public TV of Armenia has accredited 35 reporters,Shant TV has accredited 23 reporters, Armrus.info -37, and Armtimes daily 24 representatives. Overall, 436 media representatives have been accredited for covering Yerevan Council elections.
17 local organizations have been accredited to observe the elections. Overall, 5138 observers will observe the elections. International observer missions have not shown great interest in observing Yerevan Council elections. Only one international observer organization has been accredited to observe the elections - Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe.
YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Voter turnout of Yerevan City Council elections was 40.99% by 20:00, CEC President Tigran Mukuchyan told the reporters.
According to the preliminary results 345 thousand and 226 citizens out of the 842 thousand and 147 eligible citizens cast their vote by 20:00, Armenpress reports Mukuchyan saying.
He also provided details on the voter turnout according to the administrative districts.
In a new avatar as an anti-corruption crusader, former BSF soldier Tej Bahadur Yadav today got the support of retired service personnel and family members of fallen jawans for a new campaign, which he said was apolitical.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Terminated a month ago from service after he put up Facebook post complaining about the poor quality of food served to soldiers on the border, former BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav now has a new avatar: anti-corruption crusader.
Tej Bahadur today vowed to fight all forms of corruption in the country at a gathering on Sunday at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
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He got the support of retired service personnel, family members of martyrs - like the mother of beheaded soldier Hemraj - and human rights activist Irom Sharmila, among others, for a new initiative: Pratinidhi Parivar campaign.
The former soldier claimed the movement was apolitical.
"I don't support any political party. We are not doing any kind of politics. Even if in the future I feel that if this is becoming political, I will disassociate myself from Pratinidhi Parivar," Tej Bahadur told India Today.
"Tej Bahadur's video may be seem as an act of indiscipline but (he) did not deserve to be dismissed altogether for his expose," Hemraj's mother said.
Irom Sharmila, who fought against AFSPA in Manipur, said she was lending support to the movement to prevent exploitation of soldiers.
DON'T REGRET FILMING VIDEO, SAYS BAHADUR
The dismissed constable has appealed to both the BSF DG and Home Minister to withdraw his dismissal orders, appealing that his video should be seen as an expose on the corrupt.
He said he didn't regret shooting the video, but was a whistle-blower turning against a corrupt system. "Unfortunately, the officers whose cover I had blown have been rewarded, while I have been dismissed from service."
Tej Bahadur claimed injustice had been meted out to him by the BSF.
"I made an expose. At least 70 per cent of the personnel benefited after my Facebook post went viral. But then, during the process of enquiry, my phone was taken away. And the BSF tried to malign me saying that I had Pakistani friends on FB, how can that be?," he told India Today.
The soldier, who sought voluntary retirement in January, said "the morale of the soldiers at LoC was getting affected, and that the government should give (a) free hand to security forces, so that if one soldier is beheaded, the Indian Army should teach Pakistan a lesson by beheading a Colonel or General.
ALSO READ | EXCLUSIVE: 80 per cent officers in BSF are corrupt, says Tej Bahadur Yadav
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ALSO READ | Sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav to India Today: I was asked to apply for retirement, court martial was pre-meditated
ALSO WATCH | Suspended BSF jawan Tej Bahadur to India Today: Suspected they would kill me but media saved my life
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YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. The body of mandatory serviceman, junior-sergeant Arshak Arshakyan was discovered on May 14, at about 15:15 in the military position of N regiment with gunshot injuries. As Armenpress was informed from the press service of the Investigative Committee of Armenia investigation is underway to find out the death circumstances.
Extra information will be provided on the results of the investigation.
The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?
Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.
Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
Startup entrepreneurs who sell to major businesses at a profit should be celebrated, not shunned
"Just like the sour beer community, Eblen Charities is still of paramount importance to us. With that in mind, we will evolve the Funkatorium Invitational and host a reimagined festival to raise money for Eblen's cause [Sept. 16]."
Good for Wicked Weed The Asheville-based brewer has sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev, which, like its counterparts, is gulping down craft brewers in an apparent effort to offset waning sales for Budweiser and other mass-produced adjunct beers.Beer geeks aren't pleased.This week Wicked Weed said it will cancel its July Funkatorium Invitational after almost 50 brewers, who were to take part in the event, backed out.The event has helped Eblen Charities, a nonprofit, provide families with, for example, medical and emergency assistance.Wicked Weed writes on its website.Beer drinkers - and many brewers - are upset about the perceived "sell out," and many talk as if they have a stake in the company or a say in the brewers' decision.They don't, but Wicked Weed's owners did. And they decided to sell.The idea that entrepreneurs toil and sweat and scrimp and save to build a business to achieve only limited profits and marginal growth is as naive as it is selfish and unfair.Wicked Weed makes fantastic beer, which, considering InBev's purchase of the brewer, should be obvious. If, in fact, Wicked Weed had failed to build its brand and churned out mundane beer there would be no such interest from corporations with deep pockets and a willingness to pursue new strategies to compete.So, why not capitalize on that interest? Why not take advantage of a free market that rewards entrepreneurship and innovation? What began as a family operation about five years ago could well gain a national and even international following.That's all good.Will the product suffer? There's always that possibility, but who knows?Further, Wicked Weed jumped at the chance to distinguish itself in a bloated market.The country had 92 breweries in 1990, according to the Brewers Association . Today, there are more than 5,000, including more than 200 in North Carolina alone, the ninth most in the nation. Asheville itself has around 30, and Raleigh will soon have that many.The immense challenges of standing out in that crowd, building a brand, and gaining and keeping loyal customers can't be discounted.Craft beer aficionados will continue to eschew Wicked Weed, and that's their prerogative, just as it was the brewers' prerogative to sell to InBev. There are plenty of choices in beer.But don't view the brewers, who have contributed much to their community and the state, as bad people or "sell outs" or greedy profiteers. See them as smart business people who have done and will likely continue to do big things.Regardless, who knows what happens next? The brewers may take the money from the purchase and apply it toward another venture. Maybe they'll make an even more innovative and funky line of beers, because the InBev sale will allow them to do that.Many people drinking craft beer today aren't old enough to remember a time when craft beer didn't exist. Instead of whining and complaining about Wicked Weed, they would do well to take in the infinite choices available. Taste, compare, buy, and drink up.Then grow up. Or, order a Coors Light.
House bill treating fewer teens charged with crimes as adults could reach House vote next week; Senate version included in that body's budget
RALEIGH A legislative effort to "raise the age" for some juvenile offenders has instead raised concerns about costs.Most lawmakers agree that, in most cases, 16- and 17-year-0lds should not be criminalized as adults, but the impact on taxpayers of leaving those kids in the juvenile system has become a sticking point.Legislators pored over the cost estimates for House Bill 280 , the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Act, during a May 11 meeting of the House Appropriations Committee. Under the legislation, teens younger than 18 charged with nonviolent crimes would qualify as juveniles. It would take effect Dec. 1, 2019.The Senate budget included a raise-the-age provision but no funding for the program. It set the start date at Dec. 1, 2020. The Senate was debating the 2017-19 budget as this article went to press.H.B. 280 would cost $44.3 million in annual recurring expenses beginning in 2020, said Mark White, a fiscal research staffer at the General Assembly.Rep. Chuck McGrady, R-Henderson, said costs are a recurring concern.North Carolina is the only state yet to reform its juvenile age limit. Last month, New York raised its juvenile age limit to 18.The General Assembly in recent years has enacted several criminal justice reforms that have wound up reducing taxpayer costs and helped some low-level offenders get out of the prison system and become productive members of the community.McGrady, who chairs the House Appropriations Committee, told legislators to view this bill as another investment.he said.The Senate's budget proposal, released earlier this week, included a stripped-down version of "raise the age."Under that proposal, 16-and-17-year-olds with misdemeanors only would be placed in the juvenile system.Most of the money in H.B. 280 would go to the Division of Juvenile Justice, White said.Unlike adult courts, the juvenile system provides court counselors to assist kids and families. Juvenile cases also require the judge to spend more time working with the offenders.The provisions can get expensive, White said.But the legislature's fiscal analysis overstated some of the numbers involving costs, said William Lassiter, deputy commissioner of juvenile justice at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.H.B. 280's fiscal note designates need for a 96-bed Youth Development Center estimated to cost the state an additional $10.8 million.There aren't enough sentenced kids to fill that space, Lassiter said, adding that he could do with another 60 beds, then add more later if needed.he said.North Carolina's juvenile justice system has saved the state more than $40 million in recurring funds since 2008. System reforms and dropping delinquency rates have allowed for the savings.The state should reinvest that money in the system, Lassiter said.H.B. 280 passed the committee by voice vote. It may be taken up by the full House next week.
Teacher Mobility Report Debunked? Hardly
The report did not address all categories of turnover included in the "State of the Teaching Profession in North Carolina," the state's teacher attrition report.
North Carolina is a net importer of people and teachers are simply along for the ride.
Empirical studies alone cannot capture the various personal and professional reasons why teachers decide to leave or relocate to North Carolina. And no two teachers will base their decisions on identical criteria because no two individuals have the same experiences, values, preferences, and goals. If they did, teacher recruitment and retention would be a cinch.
As such, lawmakers have the formidable task of creating and maintaining conditions that make teaching and living in North Carolina as broadly appealing as possible. That is why the N.C. General Assembly should initiate a multi-year effort to lower tax and regulatory burdens and implement recruitment and retention strategies, including the following...
"Teaching forces are simply keeping up with population growth," said Domina, who said he doesn't think folks' decisions to move to North Carolina has much to do with how attractive it is to teach here-instead there are greater economic forces at play, like the relatively low cost of real estate and the fact that the economy has been getting stronger with each year since the Great Recession, making it easier for families to secure jobs and move.
This week, those on the Left have offered various critiques of my awesome new Spotlight report, North Carolina: A Destination for Teachers . They took issue with two aspects of the report. I will address both.That is true. The only category that I included in my report were those teachers who left North Carolina to teach in another state. That is because the report is about interstate or cross-state mobility of teachers. How do you know? The first section is titled "Cross-State Mobility of Teachers." Those who left the profession to pursue other employment opportunities are no longer teachers. Thus, I excluded them. Teachers who remained in North Carolina to teach at another school have not crossed state lines. I excluded them, as well.That is also why I did not address declining teacher education enrollment among UNC System institutions. Obviously, they are not in the teacher job market and have not pursued opportunities in another state.That is also true. My report includes a table titled,which lists the occupational and personal factors that draw teachers into the state, including factors that are beyond their control, such as the occupation of a partner or spouse. Additionally, in the report recommendations, I write,In other words, I am well aware of the broader forces at play.InI think Republicans have done a good job. Curiously, Dr. Thad Domina, an education policy researcher and associate professor at UNC Chapel-Hill, agrees. Lindsay Wagner of the A.J. Fletcher Foundation writes Are low-cost real estate and a strong economy making it easier for families to secure jobs in North Carolina? It sounds like North Carolina is doing well under the leadership of Republicans at the local and state levels. Indeed, counties and municipalities ensure that real estate prices remain low by holding the line on property taxes and minimizing regulatory barriers to real estate development and growth. Likewise, lower taxes and fewer regulations on individuals and businesses have played a key role in strengthening the state economy since the Great Recession.But it is important to note that, regardless of how or why they came to North Carolina, teachers from other states still choose to teach in the North Carolina public school system. Because of our strong economy, out-of-state teachers may pursue any number of other jobs and occupations after they arrive in the state, particularly if they believed that North Carolina public schools were irreparably crippled by an "almost decade-long conservative war on public schools," as one NC Policy Watch staffer claims I am somewhat puzzled that my liberal friends have paid so much attention to my little report. Doing so simply drives traffic to the John Locke Foundation website. Critics have asked reasonable questions about the report, but I do not believe any of those disagreements undermine my argument or the data and research used to defend it.
Two Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists have been gunned down in Waripora area of Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara.
The two terrorists who were killed by security forces in Handwara.
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu, Shuja-ul-Haq : Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists, suspected to be behind the April 26 attack on an Army camp in Kupwara, have been gunned down in a fierce gun battle in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara.
The terrorists were killed in an encounter with the security forces in Waripora area of Handwara on Sunday. The terrorists are yet to be identified and said to be from Pakistan.
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Three security personnel, including a Captain, were killed in the attack on an Army camp in Pangzam area of Kupwara on April 26.
Security personnel have started search operations.
POLICE's VERSION
North Kashmir DIG Nitish Kumar
Talking to India Today, North Kashmir DIG Nitish Kumar said, "A joint operation conducted by Jammu and Kashmir Police and 21 Rashtriya Rifles was launched after receiving specific information about the presence of terrorists in Waripora village of Handwara. The two terrorists are suspected to be behind the Kupwara fidayeen attack".
Sources said the militants were cornered in an orchard, just meters away from the populated area in Waripora. They opened fire on the security forces and were killed in retaliatory firing. A huge cache of weapons has been seized.
Arms confiscated.
According to sources, the snow has melted and infiltration from across the border has become easier. While South Kashmir is the hotbed of terror mostly, there have been several attempts of infiltration by Pakistan-backed terrorists in North Kashmir too.
DIG Kumar said that the security forces were on the vigil and security grid had been tightened to prevent the recurrence of such attacks.
3 INFILTRATION BIDS IN ONE WEEK IN NORTH KASHMIR
In the past one week, there have been three attempts of infiltration in North Kashmir. After one such successful attempt, a Fidayeen alert has been sounded in North Kashmir's Baramulla and Srinagar.
The Army recently foiled a major infiltration bid in Rampur and Baramulla where 6-7 terrorists tried to cross over into the Indian territory but were pushed back across the LoC.
Radio sets, night vision devices, clothes, ration and Pakistan-based medicines were recovered.
Also read | Why Hizbul Mujahideen is rattled after murder of Army officer Ummer Fayaz
Also read | 2 killed as Pakistan violates ceasefire in Nowshera, Army patrol fired upon in Pulwama
Also read | Hafiz Saeed spreading terrorism in name of jihad, says Pakistan
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Watch the video here: Jammu and Kashmir: 2 Lashkar militants behind Kupwara attack gunned down in Handwara
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Homeowners rebuilding after May flood could get zoning break from city
Some of the communities across central and eastern Ontario among the hardest hit by spring flooding are now eligible for disaster relief funds, the province announced Friday.
Many of the municipalities in Renfrew County, portions of Ottawa alongside the Ottawa River, and townships in Minden Hills have been approved for Disaster Recovery Assistance for Ontarians, the provincial arm of the program.
Heavy rains and already high water levels in the Great Lakes contributed to flooding in both Ontario and Quebec in the past weeks, prompting the federal government to send in 1,200 military personnel to the affected areas, including Montreal.
Other communities have declared states of emergency, including several along the shoreline of Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County in order to qualify for the funding.
Ontario's ministries of municipal affairs and community safety acknowledged that Prince Edward County had been affected by the flooding, noting that the province is still assessing the effect of the flooding and whether other areas will qualify for disaster relief assistance.
By Steve Holland WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is close to completing a series of arms deals for Saudi Arabia totaling more than $100 billion, a senior White House official said on Friday, a week ahead of President Donald Trump's planned visit to Riyadh. The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the arms package could end up surpassing more than $300 billion over a decade to help Saudi Arabia boost its defensive capabilities while still maintaining U.S. ally Israel's qualitative military edge over its neighbors. "We are in the final stages of a series of deals," the official said. The package is being developed to coincide with Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia. Trump leaves for the kingdom on May 19, the first stop on his maiden international trip. Reuters reported last week that Washington was pushing through contracts for tens of billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, some new, others already in the pipeline, ahead of Trump's visit. The United States has been the main supplier for most Saudi military needs, from F-15 fighter jets to command and control systems worth tens of billions of dollars in recent years. Trump has vowed to stimulate the U.S. economy by boosting manufacturing jobs. The package includes American arms and maintenance, ships, air missile defense and maritime security, the official said. "We'll see a very substantial commitment ... In many ways it is intended to build capabilities for the threats they face." The official added: "It's good for the American economy but it will also be good in terms of building a capability that is appropriate for the challenges of the region. Israel would still maintain an edge." While in Riyadh, the official said Trump would attend three major events: A series of meeting with Saudi officials, a separate session with leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and a lunch with Arab and Muslim leaders, 56 of whom have been invited, to discuss combating extremism and cracking down on illicit financing. Trump will discuss how to counter the threat from Islamic State militants, the war in Yemen and threats of ballistic missiles and maritime shipping in the Red Sea, the official said. U.S. Navy commanders have accused Iran of jeopardizing international navigation by "harassing" warships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Gulf Arab states are optimistic about Trump whom they see as a hawkish leader opposed to their adversary Iran. A major part of the agenda with Gulf leaders will be the Syrian civil war amid calls for "de-escalation zones" in Syria to provide a safe haven for Syrian refugees. Besides Saudi Arabia, Trump's first foreign trip will also include visits to Israel, the Vatican, Brussels for a NATO summit and Sicily for a Group of Seven summit. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Tom Brown)
An Uttar Pradesh district has almost wiped off Maoism with the help of a constructive programme that involves community outreach and skill development.
The programme includes skill development of youth and women. Besides schoolkids are also given bags and stationery items to encourage them to go to schools.
By Rajat Rai: While the Union government is busy formulating a possible solution for the Maoist-hit Sukma, the district administration of UP's Chandauli district bordering Bihar has found a rather suave and constructive way.
Community policing, skill development, facilities in schools are the new tools of the district administration to counter Maoism that has been nearly wiped off from the district.
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"It (corrective programme) was launched about one-and-a-half years ago by then DM Surendra Vikram and SP Amit Verma and we are carrying forward the legacy," superintendent of police, Chandauli, Deepika Tiwari told Mail Today.
The programme includes skill development of youth and women, she added.
YOUTH HAPPY
"We (youth) are very happy as now we are getting jobs. I am now a trained electrician and earn enough for my family," said Sanjiv, a youth whose father was involved in Maoist activities.
"I am now a trained plumber... Our village Naogarh was once affected with Maoist activities but now I am a proud citizen of my mohalla," said Rishabh.
"Humaare upar Naxal ka thappa laga tha jo ab mit gaya hai... Ab hum apni rozi roti izzat se kamaa rahe hain (The Maoist tag we had on us is no more. We are now earning a livelihood with respect)," said Mukesh, another youth.
The community policing has also helped the youth.
"The district administration roped in some sewing experts and now we are into our own tailoring business. We are now earning to our capacities," said Shushila, a homemaker.
Besides this, the police are also visiting the government schools on a regular basis. "We are providing the kids with school bags and stationery in a bid to encourage them to come to school. We are also planning to provide pick-anddrop facility to kids so that more and more children come to schools," said Tiwari.
Chandauli district was the most Maoist-affected district in the recent past due to its proximity with Bihar. Maoists had an easy escape gateway from Bihar as they used to cross borders after committing any crime. However, for the past 1.5 -two years, the activities have been literally put on hold by the police and the administration as it is also the hometown (Bhabhaura village) of home minister Rajnath Singh.
Chandauli had witnessed some dreaded Maoist attacks. In November 2004, 15 policemen including PAC jawans were killed when their van was blown up while passing over a culvert in Naugarh police station area.
ALSO READ | Naxal attack on CRPF jawans in Sukma: All you need to know
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ALSO READ | Naxalism killed 12000 people in 20 years, says Rajnath Singh as he invokes 9/11, launches SAMADHAN doctrine
ALSO WATCH | Life in the Red: When India Today visited Naxal hotbed in Chhattisgarh
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Trader Joe's 2
Customers love Trader Joe's because of its relatively low prices.
During a recent trip to a Trader Joe's location in New York City, the cheapest available ground beef cost $4.99 a pound, compared with $9.99 at a New York Whole Foods location, which was selling only organic. The lowest price for a liter of extra-virgin olive oil was $6.99 at Trader Joe's, compared with $9.99 for the same size at Whole Foods.
Consumers view Trader Joe's as high quality but inexpensive. How can Trader Joe's afford to keep its prices so low?
The biggest reason is that Trader Joe's sells private-label products instead of well-known brands.
Eighty percent of the products carried by Trader Joe's are in-house. While that means customers can't get those products anywhere else, it also means the grocer buys those goods directly from suppliers, cutting out the middlemen in a supply chain that can drive up costs.
The creativity of the in-house products is also important. Some of the most popular products include Chili-Lime Chicken Burgers, Cookie Butter (a cookie-flavored nut butter), and corn-and-chili salsa.
spinach and kale dip trader joe's
While Whole Foods has private-label products, they tend to be more basic. The company also sells a wider variety of organic and healthy brands. As Walmart and other grocers begin to stock these products, consumers have less of an incentive to visit Whole Foods.
Much like its parent company, Aldi, Trader Joe's also uses a no-frills design.
Aldi uses boxes instead of shelves when possible, according to frugalbites.com. This frees up workers from having to stock shelves constantly. Once a product runs out, the workers simply replace it with a box.
Another way Trader Joe's cuts costs and passes the savings on to customers is by spending less on marketing, instead depending on word of mouth to attract customers.
Stores also use natural and energy-efficient lighting to cut down on utility costs.
Story continues
Related:
NOW WATCH: 14 things you didn't know about Whole Foods
More From Business Insider
Premise 1) AN airline named "Consolidate airline" ordered - 20 TX MODEL JETS from another aircraft maker called "Manto"
Premise 2) But "Consolidated airline" cancelled more expensive- 20 Z SERIES JETS from Manto. (in net effect Manto lost the expensive order and got a less expensive order)
Conclusion) Less order for Manto Aircrafts airliner means Manto will have fire employee
So Now we have to weaken the conclusion by showing that MANTO will not fire employee . The option that shows that Manto will not fire employees will be correct
Keep it for later
Wrong:- So employees cannot make Model TX . But now Manto have to produce model TX because order of model Z is cancelled. And these employees cannot make Model TX. Imagine even if Manto fires these employees, it will strengthen the conclusion and not weaken it. We have to show manto will not fire employee. This option suggests Manto will fire employee. Hence Wrong
Wrong:- So what, Do they tell us that series Z needed more maintenance than TX model. May be TX model requires a lot of maintainance, may be not. What is the Amount of money that MANTO receives by maintenance . None of these is mentioned in question stem.
Wrong:- So MANTO is a good company and rehire workers in the future. But Do we know for sure that Manto will receive subsequent new orders and will be able to rehire the fired workers. We can't say for sure .. so this option is wrong. Also the question is about firing the workers in current time. What happens in future is irrelevant.
Wrong:- A large number of planes of "CONSOLIDATED AIRLINES" will start to need maintenance. OK !! so what ! How does it affects MANTO. At worst this options make us assume that maintenance work will be done by other company and not Manto and thus Manto will not gain anything. At best this options tells us that Since CONSOLIDATED AIRLINE is already buying 20 TX model jet , it might not need to maintain its old aircrafts.
RIGHT :- Since now Manto does not have to make MODeL Z. It will not heavily use subcontractors from outside. Since it will not heavily use subcontractors from outside, it will not have to pay them lot of money. Since it will not pay outside people, that lot of money will be saved, since lot of mmoney will be saved,that money might be used to pay salaries of employees. Hence Monty will not fire employees. A is correct.
Posting an answer without an explanation is "GOD COMPLEX". The world doesn't need any more gods. Please explain you answers properly .
FINAL GOODBYE :- 17th SEPTEMBER 2016. .. 16 March 2017 - I am back but for all purposes please consider me semi-retired. Signature Read More
The correct answer AExplanation :-First find the premise and conclusion :-A shortage of orders for Manto Aircraft's airliners has led analysts to predict that the manufacturer will have to lay workers ,the new order that consolidated airlines has just made for 20 of Manto's model TX jets does not provide a reason for the analysts to revise their predictions ,because simultaneously with its new order , consolidated canceled its existing order for an equal number of Manto's larger, more expensive model Z jetsWhich of the following ,if true, most seriously weakens the argument?A. Manto relies more heavily on outside subcontractors to provide the labor to manufacture the Model Z than it does the Model TXB. The Manto employees who currently work to manufacture the model Z are Not proficient at manufacturing the model TXC. Manto includes all required maintenance work for the first five years in the price of each jet it sells .D. Manto has had to lay off workers several times within the past ten years but has typically rehired many of the workers when it subsequently received new orders.E. A large number of the airliners in "consolidated fleet" are at the beginning of their expected service life.BAMM.. we are done and we don't have a clear answer except A.. SO by the process of elimination we found out that A id the answer.NOW LETS SEE HOW OPTION A CAN BE THE CORRECT ANSWERA. Manto relies more heavily on outside subcontractors to provide the labor to manufacture the Model Z than it does the Model TX_________________
simar121993 wrote:
I've just started my preparation for GMAT and using basic verbal guides as my starting point. I;ve already given diagnostic test and I know my weak areas.
So should I directly complete the guide (Manhattan Guides) first and then use my book for practice? or should I use practice questions along with the guides?
Why I am asking this question is because after completing two -three chapters from the guides I feel that I need more practice to get a good grip of the concepts that I just learned (as there are only 10 questions and that too not in the official format). But again if I pick for practice I dont know whether that question will be from that topic or not. Please help.
I know my weak areas.
So should I directly complete the guide (Manhattan Guides) first and then use my book for practice?
Hiit is good that you knew your weak area, give more time to themFirst learn a concept, then practice questions related to that concept for both Quant and verbal, after practice Take quizzes of that concept related questionare superb for quizzesBut again if I pick for practice I dont know whether that question will be from that topic or not. Please help.Questions Tags are available at as well as on the forum use tags to know the concept test in questionReview your quizzes find out your mistakes and make an to trace them laterAfter completing all concept and handsome practice, take some CATs (6-8)Review your progress know your mistakes and practice them againGood Luck
By Press Trust of India: New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) Voting began on a slow note today in the by-poll to Maujpur ward of East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC).
Scorching heat and a holiday kept voters indoors with just 7 per cent votes cast till 10 AM, said a senior officer of Delhi State Election Commission.
The voting started at 8 AM and will continue till 5.30 PM.
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Elections in Maujpur and Sarai Pipal Thala wards were postponed due to death of candidates there. Voting for rest of the 270 of the 272 wards in three municipal corporations was held on April 23 and results were announced on April 26.
In Maujpur ward, Samajwadi Party candidate Naseema died resulting in the bypoll. Her daughter Shaheen is in the fray from the party.
The ward is currently held by BJP. The main contenders in the election include Suman Sharma (BJP), Rekha Sharma (Congress) and Reshma (AAP).
The bypoll in Sarai Pipal Thala ward in North Delhi Municipal Corporation(NDMC) will be held on May 21. The election from the ward was rescheduled due to death of Samajwadi Party candidate Dinesh Singh whose son Himanshu has now been fielded by the party. PTI VIT DV
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Thousands enjoyed three spectacular live shows at Kyivs International Exhibition Centre this week, with an expected 200 million viewers tuning in on television, Joinfo.com reports with reference to Eurovision.tv.
On YouTube, the Grand Final was watched by some 4 million people, breaking records.
It was the second time Ukraine hosted the contest, the first time was in 2005, also in Kyiv.
What an evening it has been!! 26 terrific acts sang their hearts out on stage, competing for the ultimate prize; the title of winner of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. However, in the end there could be just one winner and that was Portugals Salvador Sobral.
Many fans at the venue were brought to tears as Salvador was joined on stage by his sister Luisa, who also wrote and composed Amar Pelos Dois, when performing the reprise of their winning song. Luisa covered for her brother during many of the rehearsals, as Salvador himself could not be present in Kyiv for the full two weeks due to health issues.
Portugal was followed by Bulgarias Kristian Kostov, who won the second Semi-Final. Moldova came third with 374 points, at quite a distance from the winner and the runner-up. Last years host Sweden finished 5th, closely behind Belgium, which came 4th.
Spain came last with 5 points, followed closely by Germany with only 6 points. Host country Ukraine came third-last with 36 points.
Italy, which was widely tipped as potential winner by press, fans and bookmakers, eventually finished 6th.
On 3-5 October 2017 Kyiv is going to host the Space and Future Forum to network international experts and youth, many of whom will also participate at the first CosmoHack in the world. Joinfo provides media coverage of the Forum, and some of its topics were already discussed ...
China is extending its Belt and Road Initiative to include Afghanistan.
The development plan refers to the historic Silk Road between China and the West. It aims to link more than 60 countries from Asia to Europe, through land and maritime trade routes.
Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the plan in 2013.
The extension plan would involve extending the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, known as CPEC, to neighboring Afghanistan. The CPEC is a program within the larger Belt and Road Initiative.
China is now preparing for the first Belt and Road Forum, a meeting of countries involved in the development project. The two-day event begins Sunday in Beijing. More than 25 heads of state will attend the meeting.
The Unites States also is sending a delegation to the meeting. It will be led by Matthew Pottinger, an adviser to President Donald Trump and a National Security Council official for East Asia.
China welcomed the move, which was first planned when Trump met with Xi last month in Florida.
China expanding its Belt and Road project
The decision to include Afghanistan has caused some observers to question whether China is trying to expand its influence in this area of Asia.
Ahmad Bilal Khalil is a researcher with the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies in Kabul, Afghanistan. He recently spoke with VOA about Chinas development plans.
He said that the aim is to create a road linking Pakistans Peshawar to the Afghan capital of Kabul and to Kunduz, and then deeper into Central Asia.
Khalil said having projects in Afghanistan will help China with its $50 billion project in Pakistan. He says the effort will bring more Pakistani and Chinese economic interests into Afghanistan.
"If there is insecurity in Afghanistan, (it) can also affect CPEC and One Belt, One Road, Khalil said. One Belt, One Road is another name for the Belt and Road Initiative.
David Kelly is with China Policy, a consulting company based in Beijing. He said that China hopes its investments in Afghanistan will reduce tensions there.
However, he said that reducing the religious and ethnic conflict in the country has been, in his words, something that the Americans and before them the Soviets were unable to do.
China has invested in the copper mines of Afghanistan. It wants to improve access to the countrys mineral resources.
M.K. Bhadrakumar is an author and an Indian diplomat. He said that extending the Belt and Road project to Afghanistan will help China in those efforts.
"One trillion dollars worth of mineral resources are available in Afghanistan, he said.
Some observers note that China also may aim to be involved in Afghanistans building industry in the future.
But Chinas main goal, some experts say, is to improve regional security through development and economic cooperation.
That is a difficult task. Recent clashes on the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan killed more than 50 people in two days.
Ahmad Bilal Khalil said, There is also a huge possibility that terrorism and extremism will also be exported to central Asia.
Researchers at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute noted in a recent report that the Belt initiative can do little to improve relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. But, they wrote, there may be prospects for this over the medium to long term.
David Kelly with China Policy said China believes it can reduce religious extremism through offering economic benefits.
However, this policy has been proven wrong in the past, he said.
Saibal Dasgupta reported this story for VOA News. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor.
____________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
maritime adj. having to do with sea travel
route n. a way to get from one place to another
regional adj. having to do with a large area within a country or including several countries
prospect n. the possibility that something will happen
In this Thursday, May 11, 2017 photo Susan Grenon, left, chats with her son Pauly, right, as their pet German Shepherd "Ginger," center, looks on in an entryway to their home, in Smithfield, R.I. Guenon makes sure her son is lathered with sunscreen before he leaves for school in the morning, but the red-headed 10-year-old can't bring a bottle to reapply it without a doctor's note. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
Susan Grenon makes sure her son is lathered with sunscreen before he leaves for school in the morning, but the fair-skinned 10-year-old can't bring a bottle to reapply it without a doctor's note.
Many school systems categorize sunscreen as an over-the-counter medication requiring special paperwork, but several states have been pushing to loosen restrictions to make it easier for kids to protect themselves from skin cancer.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, a Democrat, signed a bill into law this month allowing students to use sunscreen at school without notes from a doctor and parent. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, a Republican, enacted a similar measure late last month, following Utah in March. Oregon, Texas and New York have also freed students to use sunscreen in recent years. California did it back in 2002.
Backed by the personal care products industry, such proposals also have wide and bipartisan support from health experts and state lawmakers. Legislation is moving forward this spring in Rhode Island and Louisiana. In Florida, it's waiting for the governor's signature. The main opposition has come from school nurses voicing caution about children bringing in lotions that can cause allergic reactions.
Grenon, who lives in Smithfield, Rhode Island, said her concerns for her son grew after a doctor excised two basal cell carcinomas from her face in February, and another one three years ago. Grenon said she is paying the price for never using sunscreen while growing up as a military kid in sunny climates such as Hawaii and Nevada.
"We burn within 10 to 15 minutes," she said of her family. "We're fair-skinned and redheads."
It's not just a Sun Belt problem. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has shown that some of the nation's highest rates of melanomathe deadliest form of skin cancerare in northern regions, such as New England, the Pacific Northwest and Minnesota.
In this Thursday, May 11, 2017 photo Susan Grenon, left, plays with her son Pauly, right, in the backyard of their home, in Smithfield, R.I. Guenon makes sure her son is lathered with sunscreen before he leaves for school in the morning, but the red-headed 10-year-old can't bring a bottle to reapply it without a doctor's note. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
If he could apply it himself at school, "he probably wouldn't come home with sunburn," Grenon said of her son. "He's got a burn on the back of his neck on the collar line."
Democratic state Rep. David Bennett, who sponsored the Rhode Island bill, said making it so hard for children to apply sunscreen on themselves at school "sends kids a conflicting message about the very real danger of unprotected sun exposure."
He said part of the problem is that schools are following the lead of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates sunscreen as a medication. Rhode Island's proposal would exempt sunscreen from state rules banning students from using over-the-counter drugs at public schools without special permission.
There was little debate on Bennett's bill in the Rhode Island House of Representatives, which voted unanimously to pass it Tuesday and moved it on to the state Senate. But a statewide association of school nurses is raising objections.
Deborah Svitil, a school nurse in the city of Cranston who helps lead the group, said there's a danger of students bringing in sunscreen and sharing it with other students who are allergic to the fragrances and other substances found inside.
Svitil said sunscreen is important but she doesn't see what's so hard about a signed note faxed to her office. She also questioned how important it is for kids to put on sunscreen at school, especially if their parents already applied some at home.
"In most cases, they do not have extended exposure times," Svitil said. "They're outside for recess, weather-dependent, but that would usually be maybe for 20 minutes or so."
Rhode Island last year enacted a law requiring elementary schools to give children at least 20 minutes of recess each day.
2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
(HealthDay)In a research letter published online April 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine, Philadelphia doctors write that they have cleared hepatitis C infections in 10 patients who received kidneys from deceased donors who had the virus.
In 2016, researchers at Penn Medicine began investigating the effectiveness of transplants from donors with hepatitis C. The kidneys were given to patients between 40 and 65 years old who had waited for at least a year and a half. Patients and their families underwent a thorough vetting process, to make sure they understood the risks involved.
After receiving the donor kidneys, all 10 patients tested positive for hepatitis C. All were treated with a 12-week antiviral therapy of elbasvir/grazoprevir. Early data from the study revealed this treatment effectively cleared hepatitis C from all of the patients.
"Our pilot data demonstrate the ability to cure the contracted virus following transplantation in this patient population," study co-leader, David Goldberg, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, said in a university news release. "If future studies are successful, this may be a viable option for patients who may otherwise never see a transplant."
Copyright 2017 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Manufacturing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) devices and gadgets on the continent will help to bring down the costs of digitising Africa, says Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister Dr Siyabonga Cwele.
Minister Cwele was speaking at the Smart Africa Alliance board meeting in Kigali, Rwanda, as part of his engagements at the Transform Africa Summit.
The Smart Africa Alliance will help African countries to digitise the continent and use ICTs to quickly catch up and be competitive with developed nations. The South Africa Government has decided that we should join the Smart Africa Alliance to contribute in the growth and integration of the continent, said Minister Cwele in a statement on Friday.
Another factor that he identified as key in the digitising the continent is the building of basic and high end ICT skills to give Africans confidence in using ICT and also developing applications that solve African problems.
The summit launched the Smart Cities master plan which is a blueprint for the development of smart cities on the continent.
The Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services said the summit views cities as engines of economic growth and the masterplan seeks to maximise this potential by using ICTs to improve the development and management of transport systems, energy efficiency, water, sanitation, the environment, and the provision of online services to support government and business services.
Minister Cweles attendance of the board meeting follows Cabinets approval that South Africa joins the Smart Africa Alliance, which is a collaboration between African governments to develop relevant solutions and share resources to address the development challenges facing the continent.
The Alliance places ICTs at the centre of meeting the developmental goals of Agenda 2063.
The board meeting is the highest decision making platform of the Alliance
South Africa will champion localisation and skills development for digital Africa in the Smart Africa Alliance.
This is aimed at driving industrialisation through national infrastructure plans, stimulating demand for locally produced electronics and boosting the capacity, as well as growth of local and indigenous Small, Medium and Micro-Enterprises (SMMEs).
Other objectives included building relevant and resilient infrastructure to foster innovation, as well as promoting private-public partnerships for ICT innovation throughout the continent.
SA News
Now read: ANC wants Molefe out of Eskom
In West Bengal, local body polls are being held for seven municipal bodies today.
By Manogya Loiwal : The municipal elections in West Bengal turned violent in the plains today. Local body polls in the state are being held for seven municipal bodies, including four in Darjeeling hills.
The seats going to the polls are Darjeeling Kaliompong, Mirik and Kurseong in the hills and Domkol, Raygong and Poojani.
In the plains, bombs were hurled at a polling booth in ward number 16 of Murshidabad district even as voting is underway following violence in Bhatshala, Mamudpur and Titikipara areas of the district. There were incidents of ciolence reported from areas of Mamudpur and Dakhin Nagar.
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Some areas also reported of incidents of voter cards being snatched away from people of ward number 5 of the Domkal municipality, as a result of which they decided to boycott the voting process. The voters have been complaining about not being given a fair chance to vote.
PARTY WORKERS THREATENED
There has been chaos in ward number 98 since early morning as well. Reportedly, alliance party worker Munsar Sheikh was shot and is seriously injured.
The CPI(M) agents have also complained of being threatened of being thrown out of the booths. CCTV footage captured some criminals with weapons around the booths.
CPI(M) leader Anisur Rahman also complained of being troubled since morning. Trinamool Congress leader Soumik Hussain has in turn complained against the Congress and the CPI (M) of teaming up against him.
Criminals have been brought in from different places to threaten the voters, claimed Congress leader and MP Adhir Chaudhury.
The police have been on guard with arms in front of the wards from the beginning of the voting process but seem to be failing to ensure smooth conduct of elections.
Also Read:
West Bengal civic body elections: Bombs hurled at polling booth in South 24 Parganas
Also Watch:
West Bengal Municipalities go to poll today, all eyes on BJP, TMC
--- ENDS ---
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Kiev believes it is too early to talk about withdrawal of Russian troops from Kherson
Raisi: Relations between Tehran and Moscow have a bright future
Taliban virtue representative kills minor for refusing to marry
Meeting held at Ministry of Defense
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ATMs closed at night in Germany because of increasing number of break-ins
Moldova to request 450 million from EU amid fears of stopping Russian gas supplies
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In this May 12, 2017 photo, a display panel with an error can be seen at the main railway station in Chemnitz, Germany. Germany's national railway says that it was among the organizations affected by the global cyberattack but there was no impact on train services. Deutsche Bahn said early Saturday that departure and arrival display screens at its stations were hit Friday night by the attack. (P. Goezelt/dpa via AP)
An unprecedented "ransomware" cyberattack that has already hit tens of thousands of victims in 150 countries could wreak even more havoc Monday as people return to their desks and power up their computers at the start of the work week.
Officials and experts on Sunday urged organizations and companies to update their operating systems immediately to ensure they aren't vulnerable to a second, more powerful version of the malicious software. The cyberattack paralyzed computers that run Britain's hospital network, Germany's national railway and scores of other companies and government agencies worldwide.
The attack, already believed to be the biggest online extortion scheme ever recorded, is an "escalating threat" after hitting 200,000 victims across the world since Friday, according to the head of Europol, Europe's policing agency.
"The numbers are still going up," he said. "We've seen that the slowdown of the infection rate over Friday night, after a temporary fix around it, has now been overcome by a second variation the criminals have released."
His concerns were echoed by James Clapper, former director of national intelligence under President Barack Obama. In an interview on ABC's "This Week," Clapper said the worry was "this ransomware attack will be even larger" as people return to their desks after the weekend.
People walk past a Megafon mobile phones shop in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 13, 2017. A top Russian mobile operator said Friday it had come under cyberattacks that appeared similar to those that have crippled some U.K. hospitals. Pyotr Lidov, a spokesman for Megafon, said Friday's attacks froze computers in company's offices across Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
The 200,000 victims included more than 100,000 organizations, Europol spokesman Jan Op Gen Oorth told The Associated Press. He said it was too early to say who was behind the onslaught and what their motivation was, aside from the obvious demand for money. So far, he said, not many people have paid the ransom demanded by the malware.
The attack held users hostage by freezing their computers, encrypting their data and demanding money through online bitcoin payment$300 at first, rising to $600 before it destroys files hours later.
The effects were felt across the globe, with Britain's National Health Service, Russia's Interior Ministry and companies including Spain's Telefonica, FedEx Corp. in the U.S. and French carmaker Renault all reporting disruptions.
Chinese media reported Sunday that students at several universities were hit, blocking access to their thesis papers and dissertation presentations.
An exterior view shows the main entrance of St Bartholomew's Hospital, in London, one of the hospitals whose computer systems were affected by a cyberattack, Friday, May 12, 2017. A large cyberattack crippled computer systems at hospitals across England on Friday, with appointments canceled, phone lines down and patients turned away. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Had it not been for a young British cybersecurity researcher's accidental discovery of a so-called "kill switch," the malicious software likely would have spread much farther and faster.
The 22-year-old researcher known as "MalwareTech," who wanted to remain anonymous, said he spotted a hidden web address in the "WannaCry" code and made it official by registering its domain name. That move, which cost just $10.69, redirected the attacks to the server of Kryptos Logic, the security company where he works. The server operates as a "sinkhole" to collect information about malwareand in Friday's case kept the malware from escaping.
While that quick thinking may have slowed the outbreak, MalwareTech said he was now looking into a possible second wave of attacks.
"It's quite an easy change to make, to bypass the way we stopped it," he told the AP.
A security guard stands outside the Telefonica headquarters in Madrid, Spain, Friday, May 12, 2017. The Spanish government said several companies including Telefonica had been targeted in ransomware cyberattack that affected the Windows operating system of employees' computers. (AP Photo/Paul White)
Darien Huss, a 28-year-old research engineer who helped MalwareTech, agreed the threat was far from over.
"We could potentially see copycats mimic the delivery or exploit method they used," he said.
Both joined security officials in urging organizations to protect themselves by installing security fixes right away, running antivirus software and backing up data elsewhere.
"Just patch their systems as soon as possible," MalwareTech said. "It won't be too late as long as they're not infected. It should just be a case of making sure installing updates is enabled, installing the updates, and reboot."
A screenshot of the warning screen from a purported ransomware attack, as captured by a computer user in Taiwan, is seen on laptop in Beijing, Saturday, May 13, 2017. Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyberextortion attack Friday that locked up computers and held users' files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
The ransomware appeared to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows that was purportedly identified by the U.S. National Security Agency for its own intelligence-gathering purposes. The NSA tools were stolen by hackers and dumped on the internet.
Experts say this vulnerability has been understood among experts for months, yet too many groups failed to take it seriously. Microsoft had "patched," or fixed it, in updates of recent versions of Windows since March, but many users did not apply the software fix.
Worse, the malware was able to create so much chaos because it was designed to self-replicate like a virus, spreading quickly once inside university, business and government networks.
Microsoft was quick to change its policy, announcing free security patches to fix this vulnerability in the older Windows systems still used by millions of individuals and smaller businesses. Before Friday's attack, Microsoft had made fixes for older systems, such as 2001's Windows XP, available only to those who paid extra for extended technical support.
People outside a Megafon mobile phone shop in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, May 13, 2017. A top Russian mobile operator said Friday it had come under cyberattacks that appeared similar to those that have crippled some U.K. hospitals. Pyotr Lidov, a spokesman for Megafon, said Friday's attacks froze computers in company's offices across Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
"The problem is the larger organizations are still running on old, no longer supported operating systems," said Lawrence Abrams, a New York-based blogger who runs BleepingComputer.com. "So they no longer get the security updates they should be."
Short of paying, options for those already infected are usually limited to recovering data files from a backup, if available, or living without them.
British cybersecurity expert Graham Cluley doesn't want to blame the NSA for the attack.
"There are other criminals who've launched this attack, and they are ultimately responsible for this," he said. "But there's clearly some culpability on the part of the U.S. intelligence services. Because they could have done something ages ago to get this problem fixed, and they didn't do it."
This April 12, 2016 file photo shows the Microsoft logo in Issy-les-Moulineaux, outside Paris, France. The cyberextortion attack hitting dozens of countries was a "perfect storm" of sorts. It combined a known and highly dangerous security hole in Microsoft Windows, tardy users who didn't apply Microsoft's March software fix, and a software design that allowed the malware to spread quickly once inside university, business and government networks. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)
He said most people "are living an online life," and these agencies have a duty to protect their countries' citizens in that realm as well.
"Obviously, they want those tools in order to spy on people of interest, on other countries, to conduct surveillance," Cluley said. "It's a handy thing to have, but it's a dangerous thing to have. Because they can be used against you. And that's what's happening right now."
People inside a Megafon mobile phones shop in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, May 13, 2017. A top Russian mobile operator said Friday it had come under cyberattacks that appeared similar to those that have crippled some U.K. hospitals. Pyotr Lidov, a spokesman for Megafon, said Friday's attacks froze computers in company's offices across Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
A view of the logo of a Megafon mobile phone shop, in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, May 13, 2017. A top Russian mobile operator said Friday it had come under cyberattacks that appeared similar to those that have crippled some U.K. hospitals. Pyotr Lidov, a spokesman for Megafon, said Friday's attacks froze computers in company's offices across Russia. (AP Photo/Ivan Sekretarev)
People are reflected in a glass sign of a Telefonica building in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, May 13, 2017. The Spanish government said several companies including Telefonica had been targeted in ransomware cyberattack that affected the Windows operating system of employees' computers. A cybersecurity expert Ori Eisen of Trusona says the biggest cyberextortion attack in history is going to be dwarfed by the next big ransomware attack that could be done to crucial infrastructure, like nuclear power plants, dams or railway systems. (AP Photo/Paul White)
2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
The TMC and the BJP will be facing off for the first time in local body elections as seven West Bengal municipalities vote in new representatives today.
By Manogya Loiwal : Seven West Bengal municipalities, mostly in the north, are voting for new representatives in local body polls today.
Bombs were hurled at a polling booth in South 24 Parganas's Pujali even as voting is underway.
The municipalities include Kurseong, Darjeeling and Mirik, in Darjeeling district; Kalimpong in the newly announced Kalimpong district; Pujali in South 24 Parganas district; Raigunj in North Dinajpur district; and Domkal municipality in Murshidabad district.
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Apart from Besides South 24 Parganas, TMC does not have a stronghold in any of the local bodies that are going to the polls.
In North Bengal, until now Trinamool has won only with the local factional support from parties including the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
Darjeeling has a BJP MP SS Ahluwalia, a junior minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet, while Murshidabad is a Congress bastion with Adhir Ranjan Choudhary curently the district's MP.
BJP national chief Amit Shah's recent visit to north West Bengal had highlighted the importance the party was giving to the municipal elections in the state.
TMC chief and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had made six election-related visits to north Bengal.
The West Bengal muncipalty election marks the first time the BJP and Trinamool Congress will face off in local body polls. Notbaly, the BJP excelled in the previous Assembly bypolls in the state.
Other parties in the fray include Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), Jana Andolan Party (JAP), and Communist Party of India Marxist (CPIM).
Counting of the votes will take place on May 17.
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More than 2,200 civilians and rebels evacuated an opposition district in Damascus on Sunday, state media said, bringing the government closer to cementing its control over the Syrian capital. The evacuations from the Qabun district in northeast Damascus follow similar departures from the Barzeh and Tishrin neighbourhoods earlier this week. "The first phase of the agreement in the Qabun district has been completed with the evacuation of 2,289 people, including 1,058 armed men," Damascus governor Beshr Assaban was quoted as saying by the official SANA news agency. He said the aim of the evacuation was to "end the presence of armed forces in the neighbourhood". An AFP correspondent inside Qabun saw around a dozen white buses carrying out residents and fighters, after a deal for the neighbourhood was announced late Saturday following heavy fighting. At the edge of the district, two women embraced and wept as they faced the prospect of parting ways. Suad, 22, was leaving behind her friend Mona, also 22, to follow her family to Idlib province, a rebel-held area in northwest Syria. "I didn't want to leave, but I have to stay with my family, and they prefer to go to Idlib after my uncle left with the group from Barzeh," said Suad. "I never thought one day I'd be in this position," she added, sobbing heavily. "I can't describe how I feel." Those evacuating carried small bags with them as they boarded the buses, while others who had decided to stay registered their names at a military post. - Rubble and tunnels - The evacuation deal came on Saturday night after government forces advanced inside the neighbourhood. "The Syrian army yesterday managed to encircle dozens of armed elements inside Qabun neighbourhood, forcing them to surrender and hand over their weapons," a source from the pro-regime National Defence Forces militia told AFP. The signs of the recent fighting, as well as years of prior bombardment and clashes, were visible all around with rubble from partly and completely destroyed buildings strewn across the roads. Tanks sent up clouds of dust as they manoeuvred over mounds of debris, and dirt and black smoke rose from fires still burning in the neighbourhood. "A few days ago we couldn't be here. The road was too dangerous," said one soldier. Others showed off a tunnel they had discovered, one of many that rebels used to connect besieged neighbourhoods. "This tunnel is ten metres (more than 30 feet) deep, and connects Qabun with the town of Arbin" in rebel-held Eastern Ghouta, one soldier said. "It was used by militants to smuggle weapons and food." He said another tunnel had been discovered between the Barzeh and Qabun neighbourhoods and destroyed on Saturday. "It was the width of two cars." - Evacuation deals - A lieutenant, who declined to give his name, said the capture of Qabun had been months in the making. "This battle lasted for 15 days but we have been planning it for six months," he said. "We would not have been able to succeed without controlling the network of tunnels. We found more than 10 tunnels so far, and there are still more." The deals for Qabun, Barzeh and Tishrin neighbourhoods follow a pattern of agreements under which the rebels agree to surrender in exchange for safe passage to opposition-held territory elsewhere. The government says the deals are the best way to end the six-year war, but the opposition says it is forced into the agreements by regime bombardment and siege. Two groups of evacuees left Barzeh neighbourhood this week, with one leaving from Tishrin. All three headed to Idlib province. Damascus has been insulated from some of the worst violence of Syria's war, which has killed more than 320,000 people since it began with anti-government protests in March 2011. But the government has made securing control of the last remaining rebel districts in the capital a key priority.
By Francois Murphy VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria is heading for a snap parliamentary election after the centre-left chancellor said on Sunday the ruling coalition had been shattered by his ambitious young foreign minister, who is poised to take over the main conservative party. An election will give the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) a good chance of entering national government less than a year after its candidate lost a presidential run-off. The FPO is leading in opinion polls and the two centrist parties that have dominated post-war politics in Austria are now at daggers drawn. But surveys suggest the conservative People's Party (OVP) would leap from third to first place, and support for the FPO and Kern's Social Democrats would fall, if Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz took over as OVP leader, as he is expected to do. Forming a government usually requires at least two parties. "There will definitely ... be an election, I assume in the coming autumn," Kern said in an interview with ORF TV. He had resisted the idea of a snap election, calling for the coalition to keep working until its term ends in more than a year's time. Kurz, 30, is a star of Austrian politics who is widely seen as his party's best hope of reviving its fortunes. The current OVP leader, Reinhold Mitterlehner, announced on Wednesday that he was stepping down, partly because of his inability to stop in-fighting among his ministers. Kurz said on Friday that he wanted a snap election but that he would only accept the OVP's top job if it came with sweeping powers on issues including staffing. The OVP leadership was due to meet on Sunday at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) to pick Mitterlehner's successor. "The OVP ended the coalition on Friday," Kern said, referring to Kurz's speech. Calling a snap election requires a majority in parliament. The FPO supports the idea -- it and the OVP are three seats short of a majority. "I have difficulty picturing a scenario in which we could put together a stable minority government. It would possibly have a numerical majority but probably not a political majority," said Kern, who took over as chancellor and head of the Social Democrats (SPO) a year ago. DIVIDED PARTIES Kern accused the OVP and Kurz of failing to honour the commitment they made in January to a package of measures that was aimed at breathing new life into the coalition and eroding support for the FPO, but which failed to put an end to squabbling that has marred the centrist coalition. That package included a series of law-and-order measures such as a ban on Muslim face-covering veils in public places. Kurz has made a tough line on immigration one of his hallmarks, to the point that the FPO has accused him of stealing its ideas. "It was the case from the first day onwards that there was a group within the OVP that wanted to work with us constructively ... and then there were some who were less interested in this government succeeding. They have now prevailed within the OVP," Kern said. Although his party has been moving towards lifting a self-imposed ban on national coalitions with the FPO, Kern would not be drawn on whether it might go into government with the far right, as it already has in one of Austria's nine provinces. "A working relationship with the Freedom Party would be a novelty for the SPO and we will therefore now discuss that internally in a sensitive way," Kern said, alluding to a deep split within the party on the issue. (Reporting by Francois Murphy; Editing by Catherine Evans)
By Benjamin Kang Lim BEIJING (Reuters) - China and the Philippines will start bilateral consultations on the disputed South China Sea this week, the Philippine ambassador to Beijing said, as Manila looks to ease tensions with Asia's top economic power. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is visiting Beijing this weekend to attend a summit on China's new Silk Road plan, has opted to court China for its business and investment and avoid rows over sovereignty that dogged his predecessors. Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Santa Romana told reporters late on Saturday that the consultations between the two countries would take place in a Chinese city, but declined to name it. He added that the dispute between the two countries "cannot be resolved overnight." China has not publicly announced any such talks. Duterte has been accused by critics of taking a defeatist position on China and on defending Philippine sovereignty. He considers his approach is pragmatic and says challenging China risks triggering a war. Santa Romana said Duterte's attendance at the China summit should not be seen as the Philippines abandoning or "giving up" its claim of sovereignty in the South China Sea. The previous Philippine government in 2013 filed a case with the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague to set the record straight on maritime boundaries. The tribunal did that last year, and invalidated China's claim to sovereignty over most of the South China Sea. Duterte has put the ruling on the back burner and said he will revisit it later in his term. Santa Romana defended Duterte's position, saying Manila was "proceeding from our own interests". China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims. Duterte visited China last October for an ice-breaking trip after bilateral relations soured over the South China Sea under the previous Philippine administration of Benigno Aquino. The detente has seen China commit to three infrastructure projects and pledge to donate two bridges, said the ambassador, without giving an investment figure. China has also eased import curbs on Philippine bananas, he said. "If you go around Beijing right now and you go to the market, you will see ... Philippine bananas. The Chinese are eating Philippine bananas again and Philippine pineapples," Santa Romana said. "They have promised to buy over $1 billion worth of tropical fruits from the Philippines and they are interested to buy more." (Reporting by Benjamin Kang Lim; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Randy Fabi)
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Alexis Kohler on Sunday as secretary general of the Elysee palace, the most powerful role among presidential staff, while career diplomat Philippe Etienne was named as his top foreign policy advisor. Kohler, a 44-year old graduate of France's elite ENA administrative school, was Macron's chief of staff when the incoming president was economy minister and has worked for the Treasury. He will be Macron's right-hand man, the top official in the Elysee administration and a key political advisor who is typically the main contact point for ministries, parties, unions and business leaders and plays an important role in crafting policies. Etienne, a 61-year old former ambassador well known both in Brussels and Berlin, was appointed to be the incoming president's diplomatic advisor, Macron's staff said. Also an ENA graduate, his nomination was immediately saluted in the EU capital. "This is very good news. Philippe is an authority on EU affairs and a promoter of Franco-German friendship," Martin Selmayr, the head of cabinet for European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, said on Twitter. The news was also welcomed among French diplomats. "He is extremely well aware of EU affairs," one senior diplomatic source said, calling him a skilled negotiator. The appointments were announced as Macron readied for his inauguration as president on Sunday at a ceremony in the Elysee palace. Macron will name a prime minister on Monday and the new government will be announced on Tuesday, a source said. (Reporting by Michel Rose and Jean-Baptiste Vey; Additional reporting by John Irish; Writing by Ingrid Melander)
Faced with one of the worst levels of crime in the world, Honduras is looking to lower the age of criminal responsibility to under 18. The review, announced by President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Monday, is because of the high proportion of crimes carried out by minors. "Nearly 40 percent of high-impact crimes have minors involved," Hernandez told a news conference. "This is alarming." Currently in Honduras, only persons aged over 18 can be charged with a felony. Those younger risk only "infractions," or misdemeanors, with punishment served in juvenile detention centers rather than prisons. The government review will call on a panel of lawyers and sociologists to see whether minors should be treated the same as adults for serious crimes, as happens in other countries. The panel will also examine whether existing detention centers should be reformed to create some better suited to rehabilitation and social reinsertion. The president did not suggest an age at which a minor could be considered responsible as an adult for a crime. Honduras is one of the countries with the worst crime rates in the world. It has around 60 murders per 100,000 inhabitants, far higher than the global average of 8.9 given by the World Health Organization.
Over the weekend, LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort celebrated the launch of LEGO Star Wars Days with a bunch of special activities, including a massive Imperial March featuring over 100 Star Wars characters.
Click to view slideshow.
Despite the rain, the characters showed up in full force to support the event:
A special Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia LEGO piece was also unveiled at the launch on Saturday to commemorate the late actress who passed away in 2016.
If you miss the launch over the weekend, you can still experience the special LEGO Star Wars Day activities at LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort. The celebration will run over the course of 34 days across 5 weekends (28 Apr to 31 May) with a variety of exciting and entertaining Star Wars daily activities for the whole family.
The star of the show lies at LEGO Star Wars Miniland, the only indoor LEGO Star Wars Miniland in Asia, where guests can experience a special live storytelling of great scenes from the epic space saga exclusively for the month of May.
Those who wish to be one with the Force can do so at the Jedi Academy, where they can train to become a Jedi.
Click to view slideshow.
To bring the Star Wars experience to life even further, Stormtroopers and Star Wars characters can be found roaming around the park and will stop for photo opportunities. The trickiest character to spot will be the elusive LEGO Darth Vader, so be sure to be on a lookout for him.
Building on last years successful LEGO Star Wars Day, LEGOLAND is once again embarking on a journey to bring LEGO Star Wars to life for all Star Wars fans, young and old alike. This year, we are kicking it up a notch and ensuring that it will be filled with building activities that will inspire and encourage learning through play. Our guests will be in for a treat as they will be able to participate in various building activities such as Star Wars World, R2-D2 Challenge, Speed Building, Star Wars model build, and create your own Star Wars set, said Kurt Stocks, General Manager at LEGOLAND Resort Malaysia.
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Click to view slideshow.
The younger guests will also receive a LEGOLAND Star Wars Passport, which can be used to collect stamps from activities such as R2-D2 build, Star Wars World, Trivia Hunt, Jedi Academy, and Speed building competition. Upon collection of all stamps, guests can stand a chance to be rewarded with a special commemorative brick awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to remind them of their fun and exciting adventures at LEGOLAND.
Exclusive LEGO Star Wars Merchandise Discounts
LEGOLAND Malaysia is offering exclusive deals on the newly launched LEGO Star Wars Classic merchandise.
Only available at LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort and during LEGO Star Wars Days, guests spending RM300 and above on LEGO Star Wars Play sets will get their hands on the coveted LEGO R2-D2.
Alternatively, for purchases of RM100 and above for LEGO Star Wars Play sets, guests can redeem the exclusive LEGO U-Wing Fighter.
From May 4 to 15, LEGOLAND Malaysia will be handing out RM10 cash vouchers at its main entrance which gives guests RM10 off for any LEGO Star Wars Play sets with a minimum spend of RM90.
Last but not least, guests who purchase the ultimate LEGO Star Wars Death Star at LEGOLAND Malaysias retail shop will get a free LEGO Star Wars Kylo Ren Command Shuttle worth RM599.90. These offers are valid while stocks last.
LEGO Star Wars Days runs till the end of May. More details on the various activities available for guests are as below:
Star Wars Miniland Live
Enjoy an interactive walkthrough at Star Wars Miniland with the Jedis who will regale guests with the story of the episodes displayed.
Jedi Academy
Always wanted to be a Jedi warrior? This is your chance! Let our Master Jedi train you in the ways of the Jedi.
Spot the Stormtrooper
Be on the lookout for the Stormtrooper minifigure on the crews vest. Find him and you can redeem a prize at the admission counter
Star Wars Trivia Hunt
Prove how much of a fan you are by solving the quiz. Visit the Miniland and lookout for clues on the posters and descriptions.
Photo opportunities with the coolest Star Wars characters
Spot LEGO Darth Vader and take a photo with him. Also, be on the lookout for the Stormtroopers and Jedis. In addition, the meet and greet with the awesome Star Wars characters including Jedi, Stormtroopers and Princess Leia that started on the 1st of May, will continue for the subsequent weekends (20 to 21 May and 27 to 28 May) where guests can also have their photos taken.
The post LEGO Star Wars Days 2017 at LEGOLAND Malaysia Resort appeared first on Alvinology.
By Ange Aboa ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Loyalist soldiers were advancing towards Ivory Coast's second-biggest city, Bouake, on Sunday, raising the prospect of clashes with renegade troops who have staged a three-day nationwide mutiny over bonus payments, a witness and a military officer said. At least five protesters were shot and wounded in Bouake earlier in the day when the renegade soldiers used gunfire to break up a march against their mutiny, as popular opposition to the revolt gathered momentum. So far the government has shied away from confronting the mutineers with force. But a large military convoy arrived in the town of Tiebissou, about 60 km (40 miles) south of Bouake, on Sunday afternoon, the witness said. A soldier with the convoy, contacted by Reuters, said it was stopping only for a short time before continuing to Bouake. The uprising by the soldiers, most of them ex-rebel fighters who fought to bring President Alassane Ouattara to power, began in Bouake on Friday before quickly spreading to other cities and towns, mirroring an uprising by the same group in January. "We know that the Special Forces, Republican Guard and gendarmes are arriving here, but we're waiting for them," said Sergeant Seydou Kone, a spokesman for the mutiny. After allowing traffic to circulate earlier in the day, the mutineers again closed off Bouake, which sits on the main axis between the commercial capital Abidjan - one of the region's largest ports - and landlocked neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso. Ivory Coast has emerged as one of the world's fastest growing economies following a decade-long political crisis ended by a 2011 civil war. But deep divisions persist, particularly in a military assembled from former rebel and loyalist combatants. POPULATION RISES UP The 8,400 mutineers received 5 million CFA francs ($8,371) each in order to end the January revolt. But the government has struggled to pay remaining bonuses of 7 million CFA francs, with a budget hit by the collapse in the price of cocoa, Ivory Coast's main export. On Thursday, following a meeting with authorities in Abidjan, a spokesman for the group said they would drop demands for the remaining money. But that decision was rejected by some of the soldiers. "We just want our money. We'll stay here until the president pays our money," Kone said. The defence minister has vowed not to negotiate with the renegade troops, however, and public anger at the mutineers is growing. The soldiers used gunfire to break up a march against the mutiny in Bouake's city centre on Sunday morning. "The population rose up, but the mutineers quickly dispersed the march with shots," said Bouake resident Simon Guede. "Everything is closed." A witness saw five people who had been taken to the city's main hospital with bullet wounds following the aborted march. Other protesters, who had been beaten, were also being treated. Another protest was also broken up by the mutineers in the northern city of Korhogo on Sunday, participants said, though there were no immediate reports of casualties there. Similar rallies and marches were held in the western cocoa hub of Daloa and in Abidjan on Saturday. Three people were shot and wounded by the mutineers on Saturday. ($1 = 597.3000 CFA francs) (Additional reporting and writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
From the 2003 US invasion of Iraq to Washington's latest decision to arm Kurdish groups in Syria, relations between Turkey and the US have been tested repeatedly. The two NATO allies often have conflicting goals in the Middle East, and Ankara is now cultivating closer ties with Moscow and Tehran. These are the key sticking points. - IS or Kurds? - In September 2011, six months after peaceful protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad were harshly repressed, Ankara cut the Syrian regime loose and began to back selected opposition groups. In 2013, NATO deployed Patriot missile defence batteries in southern Turkey to protect it against possible Syrian attacks. But Syria and Russia, a key ally, accused Turkey of allowing arms and oil trafficking to flourish with jihadist elements in Syria and Iraq, both of which share borders with Turkey. In August 2015, Turkey joined a US-led coalition fighting the IS, after being hit by a deadly suicide attack near the border in July. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a "war on terrorism" aimed at the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as much, if not more so, than the IS. In August 2016, Turkey launched operation Euphrates Shield in northern Syria, targeting IS fighters but also Kurdish Peoples' Protection Units (YPG). Ankara says the YPG is linked to PKK separatists inside Turkey, who have waged an insurgency since 1984 that has killed more than 40,000 people. But Washington backs the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), of which the YPG makes up roughly half, and which has been effective in fighting the IS group. In April 2017, Turkish warplanes struck a YPG headquarters in Syria and also a pro-Kurdish militia force in Iraq. On May 9, Washington said it will authorise the arming of the YPG, a decision Turkey called "unacceptable". - Gulen - On the night of July 15-16, 2016, an attempted coup by members of the Turkish army, aimed at toppling Erdogan, left almost 250 people dead. Erdogan blamed the coup on Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen, who lives in the US state of Pennsylvania. The Turkish leader has pressed the US to extradite the cleric, to no avail. Turkey has carried out widespread purges of the civil service to get rid of Gulen supporters. - Armenia - In April 2017, US President Donald Trump termed the massacre of Armenians in 1915 "one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century." He did not qualify it as genocide however, though that did not prevent Turkey from sharply criticising what it called "misinformation" and "false definitions." Obama had said during his 2008 campaign that he would recognise the massacres as genocide, but he never used the term once he had won election. - Human rights - In April 2016, Obama criticised a "troubling" path that Erdogan might be putting Turkey on with respect to freedom of the press, a day after the two leaders met in Washington. The Turkish authorities are accused of being authoritarian and of repressing the media and opposition members. - Iraq - In 2003, relations deteriorated between Turkey and the US when Ankara refused to allow its territory to be used during the US invasion of neighbouring Iraq. Turkish officials did however allow US aircraft to fly over the country during the subsequent fighting, and helped with supply operations and US troop rotations.
2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #19
Posted on 14 May 2017 by John Hartz
Story of the Week... El Nino/La Nina Update... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Graphic of the Week... SkS in the News... Photo of the Week... SkS Spotlights... Video of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...
Story of the Week...
Did Global Warming Really 'Pause' During the 2000s?
Flames whip from the Morgan fire near Clayton, California, in September 2013, right as the hiatus was ending. Photo: Noah Berger / Reuters
It is the first year of the new Republican presidents term. He has taken over a healthy economy from his Democratic predecessor, and, with it, the freedom to branch out beyond the typical Reaganism. He has also inherited a slew of environmental policies, many of which combat global warming.
Most important among these is a fledgling UN treaty, a global agreement to restrict greenhouse-gas emissions. It was never ratified by the Senate, so the new presidentwhose Cabinet members have deep ties to the oil and gas industrymust decide whether to stay in the agreement or abandon it.
Global warming does not obsess most Americans, but it frightens the scientists who study it. Just before the new president took office, an unprecedented and monstrous El Nino, the largest ever recorded, set a new annual global temperature recordthe hottest year ever measured, as the newspapers put it. Ocean temperatures surged around the world, bleaching the Great Barrier Reef and inducing a mass coral die-off . Great cracks are even appearing in ancient Antarctic ice shelves. Climate change seems to be already under way.
Did Global Warming Really Pause During the 2000s? by Robinson Meyer, The Atlantic, May 12, 2017
El Nino/La Nina Update
Introducing El Tio and La Tia, the climate cycles that could mean were about to get a lot hotter
An El Nino sees warmer water in the eastern Pacific and hot, drier, conditions in Australia. Source:News Corp Australia
EL NINO, and its sister La Nina, have long been one of the key drivers of Australias weather.
But environmental scientists now suspect they could be little more than the climactic equivalents of cheeky kids at the family barbecue. Instead, a kindly aunty and cranky uncle could have a far more wide reaching effect on our climate.
With El Nino being the Spanish for the boy and La Nina the girl scientists have named these overarching systems El Tio meaning, the uncle, and La Tia the aunt.
And if the boy and the uncle join forces, things may be about to get hairy. At the very least, you may want to slap on some more sunscreen
Dr Benjamin Henley, a climate scientist at the University of Melbourne, told news.com.au a prolonged La Tia may have lulled us into a false sense of security that global warming had slowed when the reality is climate change could be on the verge of accelerating.
Introducing El Tio and La Tia, the climate cycles that could mean were about to get a lot hotter by Benedict Brook, news.com.au, May 13, 2017
Toon of the Week...
Quote of the Week...
Harri Maki-Reinikka, the Finnish ambassador for northern policies, called for the Paris treaty to be respected.
We hope there will be no deals over the heads of others these are very global issues. Arctic conditions are changing. If the temperatures are two degrees higher globally that can be four degrees higher, or even six degrees in the Arctic, he said.
What is even more worrying is that ice and snow are melting faster than we estimated, and that will change the composition of the waters and even the sea level might be rising. If we have two countries, Russia and the US, not sharing the view that climate change is happening or is manmade or how much it is manmade, it is very difficult to proceed.
Maki-Reinikka said a month ago Putin said climate change is not man made but recent reports of bubbles of methane gas forming in Siberia, potentially putting more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, could mean a vicious circle of climate change and global warming will be faster, and the Paris climate change agreements will need to be stronger.
Finland voices concern over US and Russian climate change doubters by Patrick Wintour, Arctic, Guardian, May 11, 2017
Graphic of the Week...
Happy(?) Birthday Temperature Spiral by Andrea Thompson, Climate Cnetral, May 11, 2017
SkS in the News...
The just published peer-reviewed paper, Neutralizing misinformation through inoculation: Exposing misleading argumentation techniques reduces their influence by J Cook, S Lewandowsky & U Ecker (PLoS ONE) has garnered considerable attention. Here's just a sampling...
Photo of the Week...
Artist Lorenzo Quinn just finished the installation of a monumental sculpture for the 2017 Venice Biennale. Titled Support, the piece depicts a pair of gigantic hands rising from the water to support the sides of the Ca Sagredo Hotel, a visual statement of the impact of climate change and rising sea levels on the historic city. Quinn is known for his work with the human bodyspecifically handsthat he incorporates into everything from large-scale sculptures down to jewelry designs. Quinn is represented by Halcyon Gallery, and you can see more installation photos and videos of Support on Instagram. (viaThis Isnt Happiness
Support: Monumental Hands Rise from the Water in Venice to Highlight Climate Change by Christopher Jobson, Colossal, May 12, 2017
SkS Spotlights...
Launched in 2010, Colossal is a Webby-nominated blog that explores art and other aspects of visual culture. Colossal won the Utne Media Award for Arts Coverage in 2013. Each week youll find 15-25 posts on photography, design, animation, painting, installation art, architecture, drawing, and street art. Colossal is also a great place to learn about the intersection of art and science as well as the beauty of the natural world. There are frequently posts about things far out in left field, but generally Colossal is a reminder that in the digital age there are still countless people making incredible work with their bare hands.
Video of the Week...
Coming Soon on SkS...
Evidence Squared versus National Review (John Cook)
(John Cook) NY Times' Stephens has blinders to the climate elephant in the room (Dana)
(Dana) SkS Analogy 04 - Ocean Time Lag (Evan)
(Evan) Guest Post (John Abraham)
(John Abraham) Explainer: Dealing with the loss and damage caused by climate change (Carbon Brief0
(Carbon Brief0 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #20 (John Hartz)
(John Hartz) 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Waming Digest #20 (John Hartz)
Poster of the Week...
Climate Feedback Reviews...
Climate Feedback asked its network of scientists to review the article, Analysis of Another Arctic ice panic over as world temperatures plummet by Christopher Booker, The Telegram, May 6, 2017
Seven scientists analyzed the article and estimated its overall scientific credibility to be very low.
A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Cherry-picking, Flawed reasoning, Inaccurate , Misleading.
Click here to access the entire review.
SkS Week in Review...
97 Hours of Consensus...
Eric Wolff's bio page
Quote derived with permission from author from:
"We do know that in the last century, CO2 has risen to levels well above anything experienced in the last 800,000 years and we know why CO2 causes warming. It's basic physics that's been known for more than a century. It's pretty straightforward. If you put more CO2 and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, it will get warmer - there is no way around that one."
High resolution JPEG (1024 pixels wide)
In 2016, Facebook opened up its Facebook Messenger app to third-party chatbots. Businesses are being encouraged to make chatbots work well with Messenger to serve 1.79 billion monthly active users on Facebook, one billion of whom are active on Messenger. The mass-market potential of chatbots is that its technology will simply understand and do as the human asks, reports Gartner.
Research cited by VentureBeat says 86 percent of millennials have a positive view of chatbots. And according to ChatbotsMagazine.com, chatbots in 2017 are like the web 20 years ago: Everyone has a burning instinct that they need to be there, but no ones sure what to do or how to do it right.
Frank Salas, also known as The Talented Mr. Salas is a public speaker and serial entrepreneur with a focus in real estate who knows a good deal about both chatbots and virtual assistants.
His primary marketing method is social media and has been for almost a decade. Livestreaming included, Salas uses video to inform businesses about cool online processes, to give clear walkthroughs, to stay a valued member of social media communities, and much more. His expertise in outsourcing helps entrepreneurs work on their business not in it.
But it is for his knowledge of chatbots and virtual assistants that Small Business Trends approached him.
Always traveling and location-independent, Salas is never in one place for too long. Originally from Texas, he loves cigars and the Dallas Cowboys. Long trips are where he fits in most of his writing. His passion for growth hacking keeps him up at night with creative ideas.
Outsourcing Trends in 2017: Virtual Assistants and Chatbots
Small Business Trends first spoke with Salas via Facebook in late 2016 and reconnected this month to get some uncommon insights about chatbots and virtual assistants.
* * * * *
Small Business Trends: The ability to save time using chatbots on Facebook Messenger seems to be a hot trend now. What do businesses need to know?
Frank Salas: Many businesses dont realize that chatbots can build up a list just like emails! You can segment them to provide super targeted messages. If you set up your chatbots properly, you can get a 96 percent open rate and 100 percent action rate. You can send videos, forms, PDFs, worksheets anything directly through Facebook Messenger. No sign-up needed. When we make videos and people get on our list, people dont want emails. They want help and answers now.
Facebook chatbots now allow us as businesses to put out great content and simply say Message my Facebook page. And then a magic Facebook chatbot pops up and guides that person to the appropriate channel.
To be clear, this is the flow: Make content > Put out content > Tell people to message your Facebook Page > People message your Facebook page > Your chatbot sends them to the appropriate funnel. For sales, your Facebook chatbot ideally leads someone to a sales page or to use something like Calendly to book a sales call with them. Social media marketing agencies can sell these to their clients as an upsell.
Chatbots automate the visitor experience as much as possible to where you, the business owner, gets the most amount of information and context on what the visitor is looking for.
Small Business Trends: The other trend which isnt new but hotter than ever is virtual assistants. The demand for VAs is high, but theres a lot of basic advice out there. Being an expert in the space, can you shock us with some advice thats rarely given?
Frank Salas: Ive hired, interviewed and trained thousands of virtual assistants since 2008. As youve heard me say before, anything you do with a phone or a keyboard can and should be outsourced.
Some tips I share my passwords with VAs safely using a free password vault. To make sure theyre working, you can do what I do I monitor screens with a screenshot monitor every 2-3 minutes to track their activity level as well as which apps they use. If theres no activity for a specified amount of time, theyre automatically clocked out. Many businesses dont even know that this is an option.
If you need a personal executive assistant who handles your calendar, helps you with projects and emails, etc., you might want to hire someone monthly, either part-time or full-time. Heres a very brief price breakdown. A full-time VA can cost $400-800. Part time, around $200-300. Thats per month. I know all about rates for VAs. Im a VA matchmaker. Most of the VAs I work with are from the Philippines. I recently opened up in Colombia. I work with India, Thailand, and a few other Latin American countries.
Here are some other things you can have a VA do: Price research anything, edit podcasts, book transportation, make graphics, set up and confirm your appointments, rescheduling of appointments, and more. I have a free worksheet available for download which helps you identify what to outsource. There are $10 per hour tasks, $100 per hour tasks, and yes, even $10,000 per hour tasks. If a task doesnt make you money it should be outsourced. Even if you love it your duty to your business is to bring in more business. If you need info on flawless project management using VAs including how to run projects directly from your phone or youre unsure about whether to work with an agency to manage your staff, contact me. I know this space inside and out and Im here to help.
Small Business Trends: How should people contact you?
Frank Salas: As I tell people at the end of my livestreams, go on my Facebook page and message me there. My chatbot then appears on Facebook Messenger, guiding the visitor according to his or her needs.
This is part of the Small Business Trends Livestreamed Livelihoods interview series featuring sessions with today's movers and shakers in the livestreaming world.
By Press Trust of India: By Pallava Bagla
New Delhi, May 14 (PTI) It may come as a surprise but electronic voting is not the prevailing choice among the worlds democracies, though most forward-looking nations are aspiring to go electronic for casting ballot.
Today, only about a two dozen nations have adopted electronic voting.
Yet, on this landscape, India is undoubtedly a world leader. In 2014, more than half-a-billion people cast their vote through electronic voting machines, a world record.
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A whopping 1.4 million individual electronic voting machines were used in 930,000 polling stations spread across the country in the 2014 parliamentary poll.
Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi had announced that all future elections will be held using a verifiable paper trail.
"The commission will ensure 100 per cent coverage of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) in all future parliamentary and state assembly elections. VVPATs slips of a percentage of EVMs to be determined by ECI will be counted," he had said.
This should go a long way in allaying fears that tampering is taking place.
Today, electronic voting machines (EVMs) are under an intense scanner.
At least 24 countries have dabbled with some form of electronic voting or the other. There were, at the last count, about 120 democracies in the world.
These include tiny countries like Estonia to the oldest democracy -- the United States of America. But India stands out as being the largest democracy of the world that has one hundred per cent electronic voting.
There are countries like Germany that adopted electronic voting and were then forced to go back to a paper balloting system.
The countries that have introduced some form or the other electronic voting includes Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, The Netherlands, Norway, Philippines, Romania, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, the UK, Scotland and Venezuela.
Still small but diverse in nature.
The US may be a 241-year-old democracy but it still does not have a uniform system of voting. Many states use ballot papers while some use electronic voting.
Recall the chaos in 2000 when vice president Al Gore lost his presidential challenge to George W Bush, thanks to what was called the hanging chads as the US had used paper ballots.
Today, Americans are facing a different challenge when allegations are raised suggesting that President Donald Trumps election was influenced by an unknown Russian hand largely through some kind of cyber hacking done to influence the voters while there are still no suggestions of any direct tampering of the electoral process.
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Many of the electronic voting machines used in America are all networked and connected to the Internet. While the Internet gives people ease to vote from their homes but like all networked devices they are prone to sophisticated attacks which can result in large scale unnoticed rigging.
This is one flaw which makes many countries shun electronic voting machines. Very few can even think of implementing non-networked stand-alone large scale calculator like device based solutions, except for some creative geeks in the worlds largest democracy.
Germany introduced electronic voting in 2005 and it used privately-made machines imported from a company in The Netherlands to conduct its elections but many infirmities were revealed off these machines and in 2009 a Federal Constitutional Bench held electronic voting machines as unconstitutional.
Experts say it is really the lack of an enabling law which made the judiciary in Germany strike down the use of electronic voting.
In India, the Parliament passed an enabling law in 1988 which made use of EVMs constitutionally valid.
The tiny European country of Estonia with a population of just 1.3 million became the first country in the world in 2005 to have mandatory electronic voting using the Internet.
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Reports suggest that in 2007, Estonia conducted the worlds first national Internet-based election. Voting was available for three days and a total 30,275 citizens used Internet voting and it went of peacefully.
Among the larger countries, Brazil and Venezuela have used electronic voting systems on a large scale.
Brazil, the worlds fifth largest country with a population of about 207 million, started using electronic voting in 1996.
Since the turn of the century, all elections in Brazil have taken place using electronic voting machines of which it owns some four lakh and results of Brazilian elections are usually available within hours of the balloting closes.
Venezuela introduced electronic voting in 1998 and in 2004 to make the system more reliable and robust it started a voter verifiable paper trail.
But doubts were raised in the minds of people when it was revealed that the machines were made in accompany where the winning candidate had a large stake.
In addition, Venezuela became the first country to use touch screens to register votes and duplication of votes was avoided by taking thumb prints of the voters.
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But some suggested taking the thumb prints compromised the secret ballot as voters could be traced back. This should act as deterrent to anyone who holds even remote thoughts of linking Indian voting system with the Aadhar cards, even though undoubtedly it offers a tantalising solution to rid some electoral malpractices.
The EVM in India is called a direct recording device where the voter has to visit a designated centre to cast their votes. The machine itself consists of a control unit and a balloting unit connected using a long cable.
Several layers of seals ensure that the machines are not tampered with in any manner. There is a double randomisation process which makes it impossible for any person to know which machine will be used in what constituency, this is done to safeguard that machines are not pre-programed to cast ballots in favour of a particular candidate.
Even the final placement of the list of the candidates on the balloting unit is not known till the last day of withdrawal of the nomination before the election, so tampering with machines is virtually an impossible task. The candidate names are placed in an alphabetical order giving it even more variability.
The EC is also promising to hold a challenge to offer opportunity to political parties to "demonstrate that EVMs used in the recently-concluded assembly elections were tampered or that EVMs can be tampered even under the laid down technical and administrative safeguards".
The Aam Aadmi Party that has been carrying out a high- decibel campaign suggesting EVMs can be tampered it seems is already planning not to expose itself in the challenge as it is squabbling with the EC literally over semantics and wants the challenge called a hackathon, with its leader Arvind Kejriwal saying "sad that EC has backed out of hackathon".
In common parlance, there is really no difference. Only that hackathon is a word that came into existence after the Internet was born and usually associated with networked events.
In Indias case, the EC points out the EVMs are stand- alone devices that do not talk to each other through any means including via the Internet.
It is this unique standalone nature of the machines which give them the necessary invincibility and make them as tamper proof as any machine can really be.
In a judgement, the Karnataka High Court called the EVM a "national pride" and acknowledged the Indian election system as a "global gold standard". PTI COR ZMN BSA
--- ENDS ---
Toronto 11 May 2017 Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) hosted a panel discussion during the Convention of the Canadian Labour Congress. The panelists discussed their experiences working with Watch video
Toronto 11 May 2017
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) hosted a panel discussion during the Convention of the Canadian Labour Congress. The panelists discussed their experiences working with various solidarity coalitions and the need for a national solidarity network that can bridge the divide between labour and social movements. How can a solidarity coalition be used to build support for struggles for social, environmental and economic justice?
Moderated by Mike Palecek National President, Canadian Union of Postal Workers. Presentations by:
Suzanne MacNeil : President, Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council, Solidarity Halifax
: President, Halifax-Dartmouth & District Labour Council, Solidarity Halifax Bilan Arte : Leap Manifesto
: Leap Manifesto Patti Dalton : President, London & District Labour Council, London Common Front
: President, London & District Labour Council, London Common Front Paul Finch: Secretary-Treasurer, BC Government and Service Employees Union, Operation Solidarity
This forum follows two calls by CUPW for the formation of a national Solidarity Coalition:
Batman v. Superman Zod corpse
Warner Bros
LAND O'LAKES, Fla. (AP) A scientific facility where researchers can study how corpses decompose will open next week in the Tampa Bay area with the burial of four donated bodies.
Colloquially known as a "body farm," the five-acre patch of land north of Tampa is the seventh in the nation and the first in Florida's subtropical environment. The oldest and most famous body farm in the U.S. is at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
Officials in Florida hope their farm, to be used at first by detectives and forensic anthropologists at the nearby University of South Florida, will draw scientists from other countries and grow to be the largest in the world.
"Our forensic crime scene investigators will get premium training as a result of this," said former Pasco County Sheriff Bob White. "This will enhance our training tenfold."
Dr. Erin Kimmerle, a forensic anthropologist at USF, predicts that by studying how bodies react in Florida's sweltering humidity, more evidence will be preserved and breakthroughs made in real-life-cases. The research also would benefit other countries with subtropical and tropical climates, she said.
Bodies are obtained by donation. The first four will be buried next week, and in January, Kimmerle and other researchers will hold a course for detectives on exhumation. Later, other bodies will be exposed to water and buried during different seasons to determine how different factors affect decomposition and evidence. After the bodies are studied, the skeletons will be cleaned and preserved and made available for future research.
"The legacy of the donations, it is forever," said Kimmerle.
About 30 people have already filled out paperwork to donate their bodies to the farm when they die. Kimmerle said if someone who wants to donate dies within 200 miles of the facility, researchers will pick up the body at no cost. Anyone beyond that range would have to pay for their body to be transported to the facility.
Story continues
While the center is currently a field and grove of trees near the Pasco County Jail, officials eventually hope to build an indoor-outdoor training center that would include classrooms, a morgue, a training facility and evidence storage.
The Florida Legislature tucked $4.3 million for the facility in this year's state budget, but it's unclear whether Gov. Rick Scott will approve the budget. Kimmerle and Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said they'll also raise outside money for the project.
For now, researchers are concentrating on the science. The field is named after one of the people who will be buried next week.
Adam Kennedy, a 46-year-old principal at a local elementary school, died in a car wreck in January. His widow Abigail Kennedy said her husband always wanted to donate his body to science. On Friday, she spoke to a crowd at the forensics field.
"There's so much bittersweet in all of this. Adam wanted to continue teaching after his death," she said. "It would be my last gift to education, he'd say. This couldn't be more perfect."
___
Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush
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PRAGUE (Reuters) - Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said he would tell coalition partners on Monday morning whether he would accept a proposed replacement for the finance minister whose disputed dismissal has shaken the government only five months before elections. Sobotka has demanded the dismissal of Finance Minister Andrej Babis, a billionaire businessman, over allegations he may have dodged taxes and influenced content at a newspaper he owned. Babis has denied any wrongdoing. Babis proposed his deputy Alena Schillerova to replace him, but Sobotka's Social Democrats have objected, arguing that she could hinder the investigation into Babis' business conduct. "Tomorrow morning, before the government session, there will be a coalition meeting. I will tell (Babis' party) ANO my stance regarding their nomination for the finance ministry," Sobotka said on his official Twitter account. The government session starts at 0800 GMT on Monday. Sobotka's party trails ANO by over 10 percentage points in opinion polls ahead of national elections due in October. Czech President Milos Zeman told reporters during his current visit to China that he would accept Schillerova. Under the Czech constitution it is the president who appoints and dismisses ministers upon a proposal by the prime minister. Zeman's office has received the request to dismiss Babis on May 5, but the president said he saw obstacles that prevent him from acting on the proposal. Schillerova worked in the finance ministry's tax department for many years and has been Babis's deputy since 2016. (Reporting by Robert Muller; Editing by Keith Weir)
France 24 Videos
Is democracy really on the ballot, as Joe Biden claims? The whole world is watching the US midterm elections: the first since Russias invasion of Ukraine fuelled soaring inflation and the first federal elections since Trump supporters stormed the Capitol. We ask about the issues that have pollsters predicting a win for opposition Republicans and what to make of anticipated record turnout in many races. With the former Republican president hinting he will use the result as a springboard to formally announce his bid for re-election in 2024, we ask about the consequences of a no-holds-barred campaign with no limit on spending or vitriol. What does the election mean for democracy in America?More broadly, what does it mean for the rest of the world at a time of war in Europe and stepped-up tensions with China? With leaders from around the globe meeting in Egypt to try to agree on a common plan to address the planets climate emergency, what does the rest of humanity make of the bitter divisions raging inside its biggest superpower?Produced by Alessandro Xenos, Juliette Laurain and Guillaume Gougeon. Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:US midterm elections put abortion on the ballotUS midterms: Biden warns of attacks on democracy, Trump hints he'll announce bid next weekUS midterms: Five of the key Senate races to watch
By Ange Aboa and Joe Bavier ABIDJAN (Reuters) - Troops were advancing towards Ivory Coast's second largest city on Sunday, part of an operation the head of the army said was launched "to re-establish order" on the third day of a mutiny by soldiers across the country over bonus payments. At least five people were shot and wounded in the city, Bouake, earlier in the day when soldiers broke up a march against the mutiny. One of three protesters shot and wounded by the mutineers on Saturday has died of his wounds. Popular opposition to the revolt is gathering momentum. "These acts of an extreme seriousness are contrary to the mission of protection assigned to the armed forces. As a result, a military operation is under way to re-establish order," Military Chief of Staff General Sekou Toure said in a statement. The government had until Sunday shied away from confronting the mutineers with force. But a large military convoy arrived in the town of Tiebissou, about 60 km (40 miles) south of Bouake, on Sunday afternoon, a witness said. A soldier with the convoy, contacted by Reuters, said it was stopping only for a short time before continuing to Bouake. A spokesman for the mutiny, Sergeant Seydou Kone, said: "We met with the soldiers in Tiebissou and they asked us to lay down our arms and surrender. We refused and we demand our money first ... We're waiting for them." The uprising by the soldiers, most of them ex-rebel fighters who fought to bring President Alassane Ouattara to power, began in Bouake on Friday before quickly spreading to other cities and towns, mirroring a revolt by the same group in January. After allowing traffic to circulate earlier in the day, the mutineers again closed off Bouake, which is on the main axis between the commercial capital Abidjan - one of the region's largest ports - and landlocked neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso. Ivory Coast has emerged as one of the world's fastest growing economies following a decade-long political crisis ended by a 2011 civil war. But deep divisions persist, particularly in a military assembled from former rebel and loyalist combatants. THE PEOPLE RISE UP The 8,400 mutineers received 5 million CFA francs ($8,400) each in order to end the January revolt. But the government has struggled to pay remaining bonuses of 7 million CFA francs, with a budget hit by the collapse in the price of cocoa, Ivory Coast's main export. On Thursday, following a meeting with authorities in Abidjan, a spokesman for the group said they would drop demands for the remaining money. But that decision was rejected by some of the soldiers. "We just want our money. We'll stay here until the president pays our money," Kone said. The defence minister has vowed not to negotiate with the renegade troops, however, and public anger at the mutineers is growing. The soldiers used gunfire to break up a march against the mutiny in Bouake's city centre on Sunday morning. "The population rose up, but the mutineers quickly dispersed the march with shots," said Bouake resident Simon Guede. "Everything is closed." A witness saw five people who had been taken to the city's main hospital with bullet wounds following the aborted march. Other protesters, who had been beaten, were also being treated. Another protest was also broken up by the mutineers in the northern city of Korhogo on Sunday, participants said, though there were no immediate reports of casualties there. Similar rallies and marches were held in the western cocoa hub of Daloa and in Abidjan on Saturday. (Additional reporting by Loucoumane Coulibaly; Editing by Louise Ireland)
BEIJING (Reuters) - Nepal is in talks with China to build a cross-border rail link that may cost up to $8 billion (6.2 billion pounds), and funding could be expected after Nepal formally signed up to Beijing's Belt and Road initiative, a Nepali finance ministry official said on Sunday. Yug Raj Pandey, an under secretary at Nepal's Ministry of Finance, told Reuters the proposed 550 kilometre-long railway would connect China's western Tibet region to Nepal's capital of Kathmandu and will carry goods and passengers. The Himalayan nation officially signed an agreement two days ago to be part of President Xi Jinping's ambitious plan to build a new Silk Road, he said on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. "Now we are a member of (the initiative) we can get some specific project assistance from China's government. We expect it for the railway," he said. "Once we connect by railway then we can increase our trade and invite more tourists to Nepal." Pandey said the two countries had been in discussions for the past five months about the project, which could cost $7-8 billion and take up to eight years to complete. He said Nepal planned to start preparing a detailed project report for the railway, and that they had yet to decide how much funding they will seek from China. The railway will travel over 400 kilometres in China to the Nepal border, and then about another 150 kilometres from the Nepali border to Kathmandu, he said. "Our first priority is railway, and second will be hydropower projects and cross-border transmission lines between Nepal and China," he said. China last year agreed to consider building a railway into Nepal and to start a feasibility study for a free trade agreement with impoverished, landlocked Nepal, which has been trying to lessen its dependence on its other big neighbour India. Pandey declined to comment about India's opposition to parts of the Belt and Road initiative, in particular an economic corridor China is building in Pakistan. China has touted what it formally calls the Belt and Road initiative as a new way to boost global development since Xi unveiled the plan in 2013, aiming to expand links between Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond underpinned by billions of dollars in infrastructure investment. (Reporting by Brenda Goh; Editing by Randy Fabi)
By Suleiman Al-Khalidi AMMAN (Reuters) - More than 2,000 rebels and their family members have left the devastated district of Qaboun on the edge of the Syrian capital Damascus after more than two months of aerial strikes and artillery shelling, state media said on Sunday. The rebels had agreed overnight to a secret evacuation deal after being cornered in a small pocket of Qaboun, which lies on the northeastern edge of Damascus. The area has been largely reduced to rubble after being struck by hundreds of aerial strikes and missiles over a period of about 80 days. The Syrian army had resumed its intensive bombardment of the district on Wednesday after a one-day ultimatum it gave the rebels mainly drawn from the area to surrender and agree to evacuate to rebel-held areas in northern Syria. "The regime has threatened to destroy what is left of Qaboun and will not accept anything but a military solution," Abdullah al Qabouni from the local council of the district told Reuters. Hundreds of rebels and their families were evacuated this week from the adjacent Barzeh district after rebels there decided to lay down their arms and leave to rebel-held Idlib province.. Syrian state media said 2,289 people had left the district to rebel-held Idlib province on Sunday, half of whom were fighters. Rebels put the total figure at more than 1,500 people. At least three people were killed when a shooting took place at a bus among a convoy of more than 30 buses ferrying the evacuees northwards out of Damascus, a rebel source said. Most of the residents of the once-bustling area, which had sheltered thousands of displaced people from other parts of Syria in the course of the conflict, fled in the last two months as the bombing escalated. REBELS UNDER PRESSURE The loss of Qaboun following Barzeh is another blow to rebels as they battle to keep a foothold in the capital and face government troops who are supported by Russian air power and Iranian-backed militias. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has promoted the use of evacuation deals, along with what his government calls "reconciliation" accords, for rebel-held areas that surrender to the government as a way of reducing bloodshed. But the United Nations has criticised both the use of siege tactics which precede such deals and the evacuations themselves as amounting to forcible displacement. The Sunni Muslim rebels accuse the government of seeking to evict Sunni inhabitants in these areas in demographic changes they say would eventually pave the way for Iranian-backed Shi'ites who back Assad's rule to take over their homes, a claim the authorities deny. Army advances were made possible after tunnels between Qaboun and Barzeh were cut and the army isolated the areas from the rest of the main rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta. The tightening of the siege in Qaboun and Barzeh, where tens of thousands of people lived, forced the hands of rebels to eventually agree to deals worked out elsewhere that force them to pull back to northern Syria. "They besieged us and even medicines for children or any supplies were no longer left ... and people died of hunger," said Ahmad Khatib, who was among those who left on Friday. Rebels say bloody internecine infighting this month has also weakened their resolve. Fighters in Qaboun and Barzeh said they were not sent reinforcements from powerful rebel groups in the Eastern Ghouta district. The densely populated rural Eastern Ghouta district of farms and towns has been besieged since 2013. It remains the only major rebel bastion near Damascus and the fall of Qaboun and Barzeh have removed a main line of defence that protected it, rebels say. (Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi; Editing by Dan Grebler and Gareth Jones)
A Kurdish female fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) gestures as she carries her weapon near al-Hawl area where fighting between Islamic State fighters and fighters from Democratic Forces of Syria are taking place in south-eastern city of Hasaka, Syria November 10, 2015. REUTERS/Rodi Said
Thomson Reuters
US-backed forces got ISIS fighters to surrender a Syrian town near Raqqa, and, surprisingly, it's not the first time.
The Syrian Arab Coalition and Syrian Democratic Forces "completed the liberation of the Tabqah Dam, as well as the city of Tabqah and its nearby airfield," on Wednesday, according to a US Central Command statement.
The US-backed forces put pressure on ISIS from each flank, cleared the final neighborhoods of the city, and isolated Tabqah Dam.
The SAC and SDF then forced the remaining 70 ISIS fighters to dismantle all IEDs around the strategically located dam and surrender their heavy weapons.
They also agreed to ISIS' withdrawal to protect civilians and preserve the Tabqah dam, which thousands of Syrians rely on for water, agriculture, and electricity.
But "once the ISIS fighters withdrew from the town, [coalition forces] struck them with air strikes," Marine Maj. Adrian Rankne-Galloway, a spokesman for Central Command, told Business Insider. "We feel these actions were within the law of armed conflict."
Tabqa Dam
Screenshot via Google Maps
Rankne-Galloway could not say how many ISIS fighters were killed in those strikes, but according to another Central Command press statement, "two strikes engaged two ISIS tactical units and destroyed two fighting positions" on Wednesday.
This is also not the first such capitulation by ISIS fighters. "Partner forces have negotiated limited withdrawals or surrenders like this before," Rankne-Galloway said. ISIS fighters agreed to withdraw from the Syrian city of Manbij last summer after battling the SDF for three months.
After Tabqah was liberated on Thursday, children and YPG fighters a Kurdish force that is part of the SDF could be seen dancing in the streets.
Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/862427998557007872
Wherever #SDF fighters dance & celebrate, that place has been liberated from terrorists. Here, they dance in the streets of #Tabqah today. pic.twitter.com/sR6rA7SGeX Tweet Embed:
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The children of #Tabqah are laughing as they are liberated, they can now play on the streets freely, without the darkness of #Daesh gangs. pic.twitter.com/5NssZ9Rn4d
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The liberation of Tabqah, which began on March 22, isolates ISIS' self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa on three sides, but Ranke-Galloway would not speculate about how long it would take to fully isolate the ISIS stronghold.
SDF commander Rojda Felat, however, told AFP in Tabqah that "the attack on Raqqa will take place in the beginning of the summer," most likely June.
The White House also announced this week that the US would begin supplying the YPG with heavier weapons. This move has angered Turkey, which views the YPG as a terrorist organization.
The weapons, which will be delivered to the YPG soon, include small arms, ammunition, machine guns, armored vehicles, and bulldozers.
NOW WATCH: Kurds uncovered an overwhelming network of ISIS tunnels in Iraq
See Also:
DOHA (Reuters) - Western diplomats shunned the opening ceremony of a conference in Qatar on Sunday attended by Sudan's president, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who came to power in Sudan in a 1989 Islamist and military-backed coup, has continued to travel abroad since the ICC charged him with genocide and crimes against humanity in 2008. But his appearance on a list of speakers at a humanitarian conference in Doha on Sunday attended by the deputy head of the United Nations prompted the U.S., Canadian and Australian ambassadors to boycott the event, according to two Western diplomats in Doha. Spokespeople for the three embassies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Three European diplomats who attended the event said they walked out before Bashir addressed the Doha Forum attended by the Gulf state's emir and U.N. Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. "The Sudanese president is wanted by the ICC so it would not be appropriate to be present for his remarks," said one of the diplomats. A UN official in Doha declined to comment on Bashir's attendance but said that the U.N. had attended the conference for over a decade in a "spirit of cooperation". Qatar, which has brokered peace agreements in Sudan, is not a signatory to the Rome Statute that established the ICC, a court that has no means of enforcing its arrest warrant on its own and relies instead on states to do so. Bashir denies the charges against him. Many African and Arab states, along with Sudan's key ally China, have called for the warrant to be suspended. In March U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al Hussein said Jordan had broken its treaty obligations by hosting Bashir.. Sudan is seen as having drawn closer to Sunni Muslim Gulf states since it sent hundreds of Sudanese soldiers to Yemen in 2015 to bolster the mostly Gulf Arab alliance fighting the Iran-allied Houthi movement. (Reporting by Tom Finn; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
DUBAI (Reuters) - Officials in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, controlled by the armed Houthi movement, declared a state of emergency on Sunday after an outbreak of cholera, which has killed dozens of people. Yemen's health ministry called on humanitarian organisations and other aid donors to help it deal with the epidemic and avert an "unprecedented disaster". The health system, severely degraded by more than two years of war that also displaced millions, cannot cope, the state news agency, Saba, said. Yemen is reeling from conflict between Houthi rebels, aligned with Iran, and a Western-backed, Saudi-led coalition. More than 10,000 people have been killed, mostly by almost-daily air strikes, since the fighting began. Only a few medical facilities are still functioning and two-thirds of the population are without access to safe drinking water, the United Nations has said. A epidemic late last year faded but outbreaks of cholera are becoming more frequent. The diarrhoea disease has killed 51 people since April 27, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday, and 2,752 people are suspected cases. Fifty eight more cases have been confirmed. Sanaa has been worst hit by the outbreaks, followed by the surround province of Amanat al-Semah, WHO data has shown. Cases have also been reported in other major cities including Hodeidah, Taiz and Aden. WHO said that 7.6 million people live in areas at high risk of cholera transmission. Some 17 million of Yemen's 26 million people lack sufficient food and at least three million malnourished children are in "grave peril", the U.N. has said. (Reporting by Ali Abdelatti Writing by Aziz El Yaakoubi; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Cash Game Festival Heads to Gibraltar May 17-21
May 14 2017 Jason Glatzer
After successful stops this year at Aspers Casino Westfield Stratford City in London in February, Perla Casino on the border of Italy in Slovenia in March, and Olympic Park Casino in the Estonian capital of Tallinn in April, the Cash Game Festival is about to head to Gibraltar at Sunborn Casino for the first time in its festival history May 17-21.
As is always the case, the festival will feature five days and more than 120 hours of nonstop poker along with many events off the felt for players to enjoy.
Each day during the Cash Game Festival Gibraltar, there will be two televised feature tables hosted by Cash Game Festival commentator Brandon Allen and guest co-hosts. Those with the hospitality package will also be able to enjoy a variety of activities planned including welcome drinks, a sporting activity, a world-class dinner, a VIP party and a city tour.
The difference between the Cash Game Festival and tournament festivals is that players can enjoy all of the activities; there are no time clocks as far as when players need to be at the tables. Of course, if players are at a table that is too good to leave, they can still opt to skip any activities and see the sites and sounds of Gibraltar and nearby Spain when they wish to take a break from the poker action.
Those interested in appearing at the feature table, reserving a spot at any cash game table or purchasing the hospitality package should visit the Cash Game Festival website.
The poker room at Sunborn Casino is one of the biggest in Europe and is expected to attract many recreational and professional players. While most of the tables will likely be no-limit hold'em and pot-limit Omaha, any game requested will be catered to by the festival's organizers and casino's staff.
Past festivals have included super dealer's choice where any game goes, open-face Chinese Poker, Sviten Special (also known as Drawmaha) and variations of super stud high-low which have included wild cards. There have even been games played where players put cards on their heads and can only see their opponents' cards and not their own.
Thanks to the great action both on and off the felts, many that have attended previous Cash Game Festivals feel like family with other players looking forward to seeing them again. It is expected that the family will grow even more in Gibraltar.
Sometimes this leads to some crazy prop bets, including one during the Cash Game Festival Bulgaria where the loser of best-of-three heads-up matches will be spending a month in a village in Poland.
Whether or not there will be other prop bets during Gibraltar is yet to be seen, however, there has been some chatter between some of the Cash Game Festival regulars that something might pop up during the festival.
Sunborn Casino provides a great and luxurious environment for poker players with a big poker room. The casino manager, Georg Tsnoulis, shared his excitement about the upcoming event with PokerNews.
"We at Sunborn Casino are truly excited to be one the destinations of the Cash Game Festival," said Tsnoulis. "With less than three weeks to go, there is a vibrant atmosphere among poker players in Costa Del Sol and they look forward to fill up the tables. Our luxurious ballroom offers a truly unique setting, with unmatchable comfort and feeling!
"Sunborn Casino introduced international poker tournaments last year for the first time ever in the history of Gibraltar. Now it's time for the next step, the CGF. We are sure it will be a resounding success."
In case you missed it, here is a look at some of the great action both on and off the felt during the three Cash Game Festivals this year.
Head to the Cash Game Festival website for more information about the stop in Gibraltar and to register for televised feature tables and side tables.
Sharelines Any poker variant can be played at the Cash Game Festival Gibraltar.
BEIJING When the sister of President Donald Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner promoted investment in her familys new skyscraper from a Beijing hotel ballroom stage earlier this month, she was pitching a controversial American visa program thats proven irresistible to tens of thousands of Chinese.
More than 100,000 Chinese have poured at least $24 billion in the last decade into golden visa programs across the world that offer residence in exchange for investment, an Associated Press analysis has found. Nowhere is Chinese demand greater than in the United States, which has taken in at least $7.7 billion and issued more than 40,000 visas to Chinese investors and their families in the past decade, the AP found.
The Chinese investors flocking to these programs are people like Jenny Liu, a doctoral student in the coastal city of Nanjing, who sold her apartment two years ago and moved in with her parents. She used the money from the sale to invest $500,000 in a hotel project in the United States. If the project creates enough jobs in two years, shell get a prized green card and a pathway for a less stressful education for her 9-year-old son.
My son has a lot of homework to do every day, but I dont think he has learned a lot from school, Liu said. I hope he can actually pick up some useful knowledge or skills rather than only learn how to pass tests.
The flood of investors reflects how Chinas rise has catapulted tens of millions of families into the middle class. But at the same time, it shows how these families are increasingly becoming restless as cities remain choked by smog, home prices multiply and schools impose ever-greater pressure on children. They also feel insecure about being able to protect their property and savings.
Their money goes toward government bonds, businesses, mountain ski resorts, new schools and real estate projects, including a Trump-branded tower in New Jersey built by the Kushner Companies, once run by Jared Kushner, now a White House senior adviser. But the industry is murky, loosely regulated and sometimes fraud-ridden in the U.S., federal regulators have linked the EB-5 visa program to fraud cases involving more than $1 billion in investment in the last four years.
Despite criticism from Congress, Trump signed a spending bill that included a renewal of the program through September, although federal authorities have proposed more than doubling the minimum investment. Just one day later, Kushners sister, Nicole Meyer, was in Beijing courting Chinese for a new project funded by EB-5. Thats raised complaints about conflicts of interest and new calls to revise or even end the program.
It is a growing industry and we do need more oversight, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, an expert on the program and a professor at Cornell Law School. EB-5, when it is done properly, can and does benefit the economy.
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THE LURE OF A GOLDEN VISA
The number of Chinese using investment migration programs worldwide tripled between 2010 and 2015, the AP found among the countries in its survey. In the last decade, Chinese have taken 75 percent of the investor visas issued by the United States, 70 percent for Portugal and 85 percent for Australia. China also remains the top recipient of investor visas in Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Spain, Hungary and Malta.
To be sure, those migrating make up only a small fraction of the around 18 million households that could be considered upper-middle-class or wealthier in China, but they echo the laments of many better-educated, urban Chinese.
Middle-class investors choosing to leave shows that their confidence in their future, their dreams and the regime in China is fading, said Zhang Lifan, an independent political scholar in Beijing.
Chinas golden visa investors are part of a wave characterized not by poverty, persecution or war, but by people with steady jobs and homes who are pursuing happiness thats eluded them in their homeland.
After decades of economic mismanagement and political upheaval, the ruling Communist Party reversed some of its most destructive policies and unleashed a four-decade-long economic boom in the 1970s. That growth lifted 500 million people out of poverty and vaulted generations of Chinese from peasantry into relatively well-paying manufacturing or service jobs. More than 3 million households in China now have an income of more than $34,000 a year, according to the consultancy McKinsey & Company.
Key to their spending power is Chinas real estate boom. Real estate prices in Chinas largest cities have more than tripled in the last decade, with prices in Beijing rising by an average of 25 percent a year during that time. Since late 2015 alone, Beijings home prices have jumped 63 percent, making a 1,300 square-foot (120 square-meter) apartment worth more than $1 million.
A family that gained ownership of an ordinary apartment more than a decade ago can now sell it for the price of a golden visa. And as their dissatisfaction with Chinas problems grows, more families are choosing to do so.
Like Liu, many of about a dozen investors or prospective investors interviewed by the AP say they dont want their children to struggle in Chinas rigid and intensely competitive education system, which emphasizes rote learning and can stifle creativity.
Cherry Deng, the mother of a 10-year-old boy in Sichuan province, invested in a port construction project in North Carolina through the U.S. EB-5 program. Deng, who used funds from her car dealership business, said she wants her son to learn from the American emphasis on self-reliance. Deng said she sees Chinese parents supporting their children even after theyve graduated from college securing for them homes, jobs and, sometimes, even spouses.
I dont want to take care of my children forever, Deng said. I want them to learn how to live independently and to create wealth on their own.
Urban Chinese have also been disgusted by scandals ranging from tainted baby formula to toxic running tracks, and alarmed that even the most prosperous cities are not safe from deadly factory explosions and other man-made disasters.
Despite her success running an online clothing business in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, Peng Jie isnt confident in her future in China. She sees the prices of property and schools rising and the value of the yuan falling, and fears that success could be taken away.
In China, we have family and friends, and daily life is convenient, Peng said. But, she added, someone in the middle class can become poor in one second.
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WOOING CHINESE INVESTORS
China is central to the success of almost every major investment migration program in the world, so many countries are going out of their way to court Chinese investors.
Ads for investment programs pop up on Chinese cellphones and websites, full of promise and intrigue. In crowded hotel ballrooms, foreign officials with pamphlets and flashy presentations tout the same message: Start a new life in a country with better education, clean air and a stable future.
Agents selling U.S. projects to Chinese take great pains to prove their expertise on the states, the EB-5 program and perceived ties to American leaders. Some marketing materials include photos of Chinese posing with former President Barack Obama.
Now, theyre competing directly against the current presidents relatives.
Meyer, Kushners sister, appeared this month at events in Beijing and Shanghai to promote One Journal Square, a New Jersey tower project planned by the Kushner family that would be partially funded through EB-5 investment. The presentation included a photo of Trump and vague promises that the project had government support and was founded by celebrity developers. The company later apologized for any implication that her brother was supporting the project, and Meyer pulled out of a presentation to Chinese investors scheduled for this past weekend.
Trumps name already appears on another New Jersey residential tower, Trump Bay Street, built with the help of EB-5 funding. And one month before the November election, an ad appeared on a Chinese website catering to foreigners seeking a white American to join our team for a new project: A 200 million dollar hotel developed by The Trump Organization in Austin. A brochure posted online described Trump as the king of real estate and included a photo of him giving a speech.
White House press secretary Sean Spicer this month said Kushner would follow government policies on potential conflicts of interest, and that Trump and Congress would review all the various visa programs and whether or not they are serving the purpose that they were intended to.
The AP obtained data from officials in 13 countries on how many Chinese have used their investor programs since 2007. To estimate money spent, the AP multiplied the numbers of Chinese investors in each country by the minimum investment required, making the figures an undercount.
The market leader is the United States EB-5 program, which gives green cards to anyone who invests $500,000 in a business that creates or saves at least 10 jobs. Several others market themselves as cheaper or quicker alternatives.
Portugal has drawn at least $1.7 billion over four years from Chinese investors willing to buy property to support its faltering real estate market. Spain and Greece offer similar programs. Chinese have bought the most visas in all three countries.
Five Caribbean nations offer passports for as little as $100,000. Chinese are the top buyers in Antigua and Barbuda, according to government statistics.
Australia goes the more expensive route, requiring an investment of 5 million Australian dollars (nearly $3.7 million). Despite a price nearly eight times as high as the EB-5 program, Australia is estimated to have attracted more than $6 billion in Chinese investment in just four years.
But problems in the industry worldwide are rife.
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FRAUGHT WITH RISK
The U.S.s EB-5 program has been heavily criticized by government watchdogs and targeted by lawmakers of both parties in Congress, who say it promotes fraud and helps developers building megaprojects more than struggling communities. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat who has introduced legislation to end the program, has called EB-5 a Ponzi scheme. Her Republican counterpart, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, has said EB-5 poses significant national security risks and may be facilitating terrorist travel, economic espionage, money laundering and investment fraud.
Federal investigators said in April they found that at least three Chinese investors who obtained green cards through the program were fugitives wanted by Beijing. And the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened more than a dozen civil cases since 2013 alleging fraud in projects involving around 2,000 investors and more than $1 billion in funds.
Defenders of the EB-5 program say it creates jobs and provides vital funding for projects across the United States, from massive developments in New York to hotels, restaurants and small businesses in the Midwest and on the West Coast.
Thats the program working as it should, and more often than not, it is working as it should, said Matthew Galati, a Philadelphia-based attorney who helps Chinese investors migrate to the U.S.
Canadas program drew an estimated $2.4 billion through Chinese investors over the past decade, but the national government ended it in 2014, saying that it significantly undervalued Canadian residency and created little economic benefit. The province of Quebec has kept in place its separate program, which has drawn at least $1.9 billion from Chinese investment.
And a former Portuguese interior minister and other senior government officials have been on trial since February for corruption, influence-peddling and misconduct in handling golden visa applications of investors linked to three Chinese businessmen. Hungary suspended its program selling visas for government bonds earlier this year after opposition parties and watchdogs accused it of corruption.
Ironically, calls to end investment migration programs often end up as marketing tools for the hundreds of agents selling them in China. One agent made note of proposals to change the EB-5 program by saying, Do not hesitate, and act quickly!
Du Juan attended a seminar in Beijing held by an investment group pitching ski resorts and other projects. She knows the potential danger of investing through the U.S. program, but shes willing to bear the risk as long as she can get her 10-year-old daughter enrolled soon in an American school.
I dont worry about the $500,000, but I worry about the loss of time, Du said. I am afraid that well be unable to get the visa when we need it.
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SLOWING THE FLOW
There are signs that China is trying to slow down the migration. These investors are among the category of people China hopes will buy its domestically made rice cookers, electric cars and energy-saving light bulbs to fuel a new chapter of consumer-led growth. Research by McKinsey shows that the upper-middle class already accounts for a fifth of Chinas private consumption in cities.
Articles critical of investment visa programs have appeared in Chinas state media, often highlighting fraud cases or stories of Chinese who faced trouble after going abroad. China has also tightened controls on how much money individuals and companies can move out of the country as part of broader efforts to stop the currency from further weakening.
Banks are expected to enforce more strictly the yearly limit of $50,000 that individuals are allowed to take out of the country, and will be required to report any transfers above $10,000. Still, Chinese have typically worked around such controls by slowly moving money or using friends and family members to help them amass an overseas account.
If China, which doesnt recognize dual nationality, cant keep entrepreneurs and middle-class families from leaving, it risks endangering its economic future. That includes people like Joey, a 30-year-old Beijing resident who works for a major Chinese state-owned conglomerate. He shared his story on the condition that his last name not be used because he hadnt told his employer of his plans.
Joey and his fiancee have a two-bedroom apartment and plan to get married and have a child in China. Despite their seemingly bright future, they want to raise that child elsewhere. His friends and relatives helped him move enough money offshore to invest in the American EB-5 program.
Joey says hes seen parents and children struggling to breathe outside in Chinas smoggy air, and signs that Chinas economy is headed for deeper trouble.
In China, you have to plan ahead, Joey said. You cannot just leave today, whenever you want. You never know what happens next.
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Associated Press researchers Liu Zheng and Yu Bing in Beijing and Fu Ting in Shanghai, and reporters Pablo Gorondi in Budapest, Hungary, and Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, and data journalist Larry Fenn in New York contributed to this report.
I spend many hours at various county clerks offices and court facilities researching public records. I have witnessed on a daily basis some of the struggles associated with accessing our own public data. As New Mexico moves forward in digitizing records and building databases to house such information, now, more than ever, the public needs to be involved in how, when and at what expense it can efficiently access and maintain what is classified as public record.
On Feb. 20 the New Mexico Supreme Court passed order No. 17-8500-001. The order limits online access to court records to attorneys, their staff, governmental justice partners, and the press through the Judiciarys new Secured Odyssey Public Access (SOPA) website.
Currently, the public does not have access to this system. And yet, it is taxpayer money that is paying for it.
The Administrative Office of the Courts has stated that the public will eventually have the access to and convenience of the system, but when that will happen is unclear.
AOC has stated the reason the public is being kept out of SOPA is because of the sensitive information found in some of the court records, to include personal identifiers classified as Social Security numbers and dates of birth.
Government offices claim they are taking the necessary steps to ensure all such information is redacted but until then the public will continue to have limited access to information.
This puts the public at a disadvantage to those specialty groups who currently do have the access without the need to wait on the redactions.
Having access isnt enough, however; the data needs to be meaningful, searchable and on demand. Otherwise, its like having access to the Internet without a search engine.
Storing public records in searchable .pdf files for one would be a big improvement, as would providing the ability to run a variety of queries for personal and independent research.
As taxpayer money is being spent on the development and management of these databases, public input should be a part of that process.
Independent advisory boards need to be formed, made up of business owners, researchers, students and any other interested public member to help ensure that the end product is a useful and cost-effective one.
Imagine having access to a copy of a marriage license, online, 24-7, or the ability to view a deed or a redacted court record online without having to visit the county clerk or court facilities to do so. Its our data, and the public should be guiding the government as to how we want it managed. As a former intelligence analyst, I am very well aware of the need of protecting sensitive information as well as the dangers associated with holding on to it too tightly. The longer it takes, and the more difficult the process, to access public records just ends up costing us all in the long run.
We all have busy lives, but as citizens we have our part in democracy. Without public involvement, the quality and level of access to public records is being determined for us rather than by us. Contact your state representative for guidance and to provide your own input. Ask your neighborhood associations to help keep you informed on the matter. Write to the local newspapers and other media outlets with your comments and concerns. Share your own experiences and ideas on the topic, because public opinion should still matter.
Many years ago as an undergraduate majoring in theater, I had the good fortune to see Laurie Metcalf and Austin Pendleton in a production of Educating Rita, Willy Russells version of the Pygmalion myth, which you may know better from the musical My Fair Lady. Now, 30 years later, I was able to see it again.
West End Productions Albuquerques newest theater company is currently reviving Russells comedy, which was originally a hit on the West End of London in 1980, and shortly after made into a movie.
A young working-class woman from Liverpool, determined to better herself, undergoes tutorials with a boozy failed poet and literature professor. By the end of the play, she is a new woman, quoting Blake by heart and enunciating in the refined diction of the upper classes.
The play suggests Rita might have been more authentic before her education, and while Frank initially scolds her for lacking objective analysis in her papers, by the end he misses her unique, if decidedly unacademic, style. (Asked how she would stage the notoriously difficult Peer Gynt, she hands in a paper of one sentence: Do it on the radio.)
Russell himself knows the humane value of a liberal arts education, and I dont think he means to denigrate the very education that did so much for him. Ultimately, the play is more about the transformation that Rita induces in Frank than the one he facilitates for her. He is smitten with the bubbly hairdresser who so unexpectedly walks into his office, and to see her grow and change is discomfiting for him. She is authentic and unique at the start of the play, certainly, but her education in the humanities only enhances her lively personality; above all, she becomes independent.
Because I was out of town during the plays opening weekend, I saw the preview performance the night before opening with a small audience of about a dozen people.
Unfortunately, the excellent cast including Jessica Osbourne as Rita and Frederick Ponzlov as Frank was not quite ready to open the night I saw the play. The actors frequently had trouble getting the words out (especially Ponzlov), as if they were not totally memorized, which dampened the effect. In fact, just such a problem spoiled the climactic scene. When an actor stumbles on a line, particularly in a key moment, the rhythm and effect are sacrificed. Fortunately, these actors are quite talented and they will hit the mark.
Casey Mrazs set design would have been excellent, except for one salient miscalculation. Frank is a professor of English literature, constantly quoting Charles Dickens, E.M. Forester, D.H. Lawrence and other titans of English lit, yet the two bookcases were stacked with contemporary popular books like David Ickes The Biggest Secret and Leon Uris Armageddon. This was completely out of character and distracting. I couldnt read many of the titles, but you really can judge a book by its cover, and these were not classics.
Otherwise, the set captures perfectly the office of a university English professor in the years before the digital revolution, from the old typewriter on the table to the Botticelli print flanked by two old bookshelves, which were perfect except for the books within.
Educating Rita is playing through May 21 at the VSA North Fourth Art Center, 4904 Fourth NW. Go to westendproductions.org or call 410-8524 for reservations.
Eleni Bastea enjoys talking about architecture.
In fact, her next lecture will be The Unbearable Heaviness of Antiquity: Museum Architecture in Modern Greece.
The event is part of the Albuquerque International Associations monthly lectures.
Im going to discuss some of the very recent museums, she says. And the Acropolis Museum in Athens. It gets many, many visitors each year. Its an interesting modern building.
Although Bastea will focus on the architecture, she will also discuss the politics behind displaying the antiquities.
There are many in Greece, she says. But other antiquities are in other countries. I can see the reason for having some of the cultural heritage in other museums. I also can understand why Greek politicians want to see the antiquities returned.
Bastea says that in the illustrated lecture, she will take viewers on a visit to some of the countrys best museums, ranging from large and famous, like the Acropolis Museum, to lesser-known ones, such as the Museum of Byzantine Culture in Thessaloniki and the Palace of the Grand Master on the island of Rhodes.
She will delve into the buildings that house these museums and consider how the exhibit designs bring the past to life.
At the same time, we will reflect on how we, as visitors, influence and are influenced by these presentations and interpretations of historical epochs, she says. At the end of our journey, we will come to understand better how the past, venerable though it is, always depends on todays context for its interpretation.
Bastea travels abroad at least once a year and visits museums.
Many of the museums she visits are suggested by friends.
I will go visit Germany and France, and the recommendations come in, she says. Its very interesting to see what these countries are doing within museums. There are also a lot of archaeological sites that arent in the big cities, and I take a short day trip. Its fun to just visit and learn something new.
If you go
WHAT: The Unbearable Heaviness of Antiquity: Museum Architecture in Modern Greeceby Dr. Eleni Bastea
WHEN: 3-5 p.m. today
WHERE: Albuquerque Museum of Art, 2000 Mountain NW
HOW MUCH: $15 AIA Members, $20/non-members; Free, students (under 30) with I.D. Special price for Moms $10
WASHINGTON Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke tangled with protesters, weaved through media hives and trotted on horseback across a Utah moonscape this week in pursuit of President Donald Trumps executive order targeting national monuments.
Its a directive that may prove legally tenuous but is nonetheless creating rich political theater for the White House.
Trump struggled during the campaign in deeply Republican Utah, particularly with its politically potent landowner rights movement. But now the Queens-born president is polishing his bona fides with that crowd by dispatching a rugged Cabinet secretary on a quest that is rankling environmentalists and Native American tribes.
Over four days ending Wednesday, Zinke is surveying two hotly contested monuments: the 1.35-million-acre Bears Ears, which President Barack Obama established at the behest of tribes and conservationists in the final weeks of his administration, and the 1.9-million-acre Grand Staircase Escalante, which has riled developers and energy companies since President Bill Clinton created it in 1996.
In the hardscrabble communities nearby, these monuments are often derided as a betrayal that deprives them of potential jobs from energy extraction and other uses. Utah Sen. Orrin G. Hatch invoked the word again recently on the Senate floor while railing against the Bears Ears designation.
The administrations campaign against monuments was launched in Utah by design. The state is a hotbed of resistance to federal control of land. It has even passed a law calling on the federal government to cede control of most of its vast holdings to the state.
They are trying to work with a favorable audience, said Rep. Raul M. Grijalva of Arizona, the ranking Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee. Once they leave the confines of Utah and start looking at all those other monuments, the politics dramatically changes.
Attorneys general in New Mexico and Washington state warned Zinke in recent days that he had no authority to diminish their monuments, and California would not hesitate to engage in a fight should Zinke move on lands within its borders.
Even in Utah, polls show the public is divided on whether the Bears Ears designation should be rescinded. But the states political leadership is largely united, and Zinke is getting his fill of attaboys on this trip.
We now have an opportunity to discuss and deliberate like we didnt even have during the Bush administration, said Ken Ivory, a Utah legislator who is leading a multistate federal land push that would go much further than Trumps executive order. Ivorys crusade, which has a number of allies in Congress, seeks to export nationally the Utah approach of pushing the federal government to transfer its land to state control.
Its a sensitive political issue for Trump and Zinke, who are aligned with a large coalition of hunters, anglers and outdoor outfitters anxious about what states would do with the federal land. Both men consider themselves outdoorsmen and have made assurances that the administration will not relinquish federal control of the millions of acres at issue. But Ivory is nonetheless encouraged by the move against the monuments. This will continue the discussion, he said.
The protected lands Zinke came to survey are at the core of Trumps order for a review of all monuments created since 1996 that are larger than 100,000 acres, which is expected to end with Zinke suggesting that both areas either get stripped of the monument designation altogether or be downsized substantially. Zinke is in a race to review those and 19 other monuments, including six in California, before producing two lists of suggested eliminations and rollbacks. He will present the first list in mid-June.
There is ample evidence the exercise could go sideways, as some of Trumps other executive orders have. Trumps ban on visitors from six predominantly Muslim nations and his bid to punish so-called sanctuary cities are both unraveling in court. The executive order Trump vowed would force builders of the Keystone XL oil pipeline to use American steel actually wont.
The review of these monuments is predicated on the idea that the president has this authority that he doesnt have, said Kate Kelly, who was an adviser to former Interior Secretary Sally Jewell. There is no legal basis for it.
The last time a president moved to get rid of a monument on his own authority was in 1938, when Franklin D. Roosevelt sought to jettison the Castle Pinckney National Monument in South Carolina. His attorney general looked into options at the time and reported back that FDR couldnt do that. It would take an act of Congress, which ultimately authorized the federal government to offload the property in the 1950s. The presidents authority to undo monument designations, environmentalists argue, has only shrunk since FDRs administration, after Congress passed laws solidifying the federal protection.
(EDITORS: BEGIN OPTIONAL TRIM)
Attorneys affiliated with some of the conservative think tanks influential in guiding Trumps agenda argue that FDRs administration got it all wrong. They say that not only does the president have explicit authority to scotch monuments, but that many of the monuments created under the century-old Antiquities Act were done so illegally. The act, their argument goes, was never intended to preserve sprawling land masses the size of Delaware.
By this line of reasoning, even Teddy Roosevelt was out of bounds when he designated the Grand Canyon a national monument. (It has since become a national park, and thus untouchable by Trumps executive order).
I think the president is in a strong position, said Todd Gaziano, an attorney at the Sacramento-based Pacific Legal Foundation, a conservative advocacy group.
(END OPTIONAL TRIM)
While no president has ever successfully eliminated national monuments, several have changed their shapes, and even shrunk them. John F. Kennedy substantially redrew the boundaries of the Bandelier National Monument in New Mexico, shaving off nearly 4,000 acres and adding 3,000, saying the borders of what needed to be preserved had evolved. When Olympic National Park in Washington was still a monument, it was reduced in size multiple times to enable timber harvesting, including in 1915 when logs were needed to build Navy ships for World War I.
But there was a big difference between those changes and the ones Trump may be on the verge of trying to make now: The earlier presidential moves to redraw monument boundaries were not contested. The courts have yet to weigh in on whether the president can take such action when stakeholders such as American Indian tribes, environmental groups and lawmakers vehemently object.
Those groups have made clear that they wont let Trump lift protections off a single acre of monument land without a bitter court fight.
Justin Pidot, a former deputy solicitor general at the Interior Department who now teaches law at the University of Denver, said if he were working for this administration, he would be warning Zinke that the legal arguments are shaky. But, Pidot allowed, that may not be an overriding concern in this case.
A lot of things this administration does, it does for political theater, he said. They can say they have done them, and then they get to rail against the courts for stopping them.
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It could be easier now to sue employees of New Mexico tribes after a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that took a rare swipe at tribal sovereign immunity from lawsuits.
A recent ruling addressed how employees of Native American tribes can be sued for damage caused by the employee while doing a tribal job, specifically if the employee is covered by the tribes insurance.
The employee in the case, a limo driver for the Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut, attempted to argue that, because he was on duty and covered by the tribes insurance when he crashed, he was covered by the tribes sovereign immunity.
The concept of sovereign immunity has long held that, because Native American tribes are basically independent nations, they cant be sued unless they agree to be sued. States and the federal government have sovereign immunity, too.
But the justices ruled, in a majority and two concurring opinions, that insurance coverage doesnt extend immunity to an individual employee, especially for incidents off the reservation.
That means the tribal employee can be sued in Connecticut state court.
Extending immunity to the driver would have given him protection beyond what common-law sovereign immunity principles would recognize for either state or federal employees, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in the majority opinion, joined by Justices John Roberts, Anthony Kennedy, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito and Elena Kagan.
New Mexico Native American law expert Richard Hughes expects the ruling, which he called significant, to open the door for lawsuits against tribal employees.
Its the first case I can think of in which the court has rejected a claim of sovereign immunity on behalf of a tribal employee or entity, Hughes said. We can expect now that suits like this will become more common.
Justice Clarence Thomas agreed with the ruling, but for different reasons.
I remain of the view that tribal immunity does not extend to suits arising out of a tribes commercial activities conducted beyond its territory, he said.
The Connecticut Supreme Court originally dismissed the case, saying the tribes immunity did include the employees and any suit against the tribes gaming entity belonged in tribal court not state court where this lawsuit had been filed.
New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas, along with some New Mexico and Native American tribes and several state attorneys general, agreed with giving the tribal employee immunity.
Kenneth Stalter, general counsel for the AGs Office, said in an email that the federal Supreme Courts ruling, while not what they were hoping for, is narrow and we will work to make sure that it does not interfere with the strong relationships that exist between New Mexicos diverse municipalities and tribal entities.
The Better Business Bureau provides an interesting way to view the myriad hoaxes, cons and attempted swindles happening wherever you live.
The organization calls it Scam Tracker, and a link can be found at the top right corner of the regional BBB webpage, bbb.org/new-mexico-southwest-colorado/. If you click on the embedded map, youll get a list of reports for that area, including type of scam, details of the incident and amount of money lost. Theres also a spot for reporting scams.
A review of all reports submitted to Scam Tracker nationwide last year showed something surprising: People became less susceptible to fraud the older they got. The analysis found that 37 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds reporting a scam had lost money, compared to 12 percent of those 65 and older.
However, those in the older group who did get conned lost more money per incident a median loss of $390 compared to the amount lost by the younger group $200.
Investment scams were the most common type reported to the BBB by men, while online purchases were the most common for women.
Thank you, President Trump.
An Albuquerque resident reported losing $3,500 to a scheme that offered an ATM card with access to $35.5 million, according to Scam Tracker. The person first, though, had to pay for the certificate for the card to leave the country, according to the report.
Such a deal and it was supposedly pre-approved by the president himself, who allowed the card to be released, the scammer said.
This is a clear case of the If its too good to be true warning when it comes to scams.
Rest assured that no one is going to offer you an unsolicited ATM card with $35.5 million. Especially the president of the United States.
People around the country have been reporting calls that appear to come from a Department of Homeland Security hotline, the agency says.
The callers claim to be from U.S. Immigration and demand details or verification of personal information. Sometimes, theyll tell you that youve been a victim of identity theft.
The calls appear to be coming from 1-800-323-8603, which is the hotline for Homeland Securitys inspector general. The agency says it does not make outgoing calls from that line, which is used to receive reports of internal fraud or mismanagement.
Homeland Security advises not answering the phone if a call comes from that number, and says to report the incident at the hotline number.
Heres a Paypal scam thats come to town recently.
A local reader made a purchase on Ebay using Paypal. Immediately afterward, she got an email that claimed to be from Paypal, telling her she needed to update her account. The emailers wanted her credit card and Social Security numbers to do the job. Fortunately, she caught on to the ploy and did not become a victim of identity theft.
Paypal says it doesnt send out emails asking for this kind of personal information. Nor do its emails contain attachments or ask you to download or install any software.
Ellen Marks is assistant business editor at the Albuquerque Journal. Contact her at emarks@abqjournal.com or 505-823-3842 if you are aware of what sounds like a scam. To report a scam to law enforcement, contact the New Mexico Consumer Protection Division toll-free at 1-844-255-9210a.
WASHINGTON American democracy is under assault on separate fronts from President Donald Trump and Russia, the former U.S. intelligence chief warned Sunday, expressing dismay over the abrupt firing of FBI director James Comey amid a probe into Moscows meddling in U.S. elections and possible ties with the Trump campaign.
As Trump works to fast-track Comeys successor, lawmakers from both parties urged him to steer clear of any politicians for the job and say he must clean up the mess that he mostly created.
I think, in many ways, our institutions are under assault, both externally and thats the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system, said James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence. I think as well our institutions are under assault internally.
When he was asked, Internally, from the president? Clapper said, Exactly.
Clapper spoke following Trumps sudden firing of Comey last week, which drew sharp criticism because it came amid the FBIs investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election. Clapper said Americas founding fathers had created three co-equal branches of government with checks and balances, but with Trump as president, that was now eroding.
The White House had no immediate comment. No White House aide appeared on the Sunday news shows, leaving Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to defend Trump. The president is the CEO of the country. He can hire and fire whoever he wants, she said.
Lawmakers from both parties reprimanded Trumps actions, which included shifting explanations from the White House for Comeys dismissal and an ominous tweet by Trump that warned Comey against leaks to the press because he may have tapes of their conversations. The lawmakers called for a new FBI director without any political background and said Trump would need to hand over to Congress any taped conversations with Comey, if they exist.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said selecting an FBI agent to lead the agency would allow the nation to reset. He dismissed as less desirable at least two of the 14 candidates under consideration by Trump, former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, explaining that these are not normal circumstances.
Rogers, an ex-FBI agent and former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has drawn the backing of the FBI Agents Association. Cornyn is the No. 2 Republican in the Senate.
Its now time to pick somebody who comes from within the ranks, or has such a reputation that has no political background at all that can go into the job on Day 1, said Graham, R-S.C.
The president has a chance to clean up the mess he mostly created, he said, adding, I have no evidence that the president colluded with the Russians at all but we dont know all the evidence yet.
Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, continued to argue that the president should consider Merrick Garland the federal judge nominated to the Supreme Court last year by President Barack Obama. Lee said he was absolutely serious about it.
A former top aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell, Josh Holmes, said McConnell is interested in the suggestion. I think the Senate majority leader thinks thats a fantastic idea, Holmes said. Garland never got a hearing due to Republican obstruction, and the high court vacancy was filled last month by Neil Gorsuch.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the new FBI director should be someone not of partisan background with great experience and courage. Declining comment on a Garland nomination, Schumer left open the possibility that Democrats might withdraw support for a new FBI director unless the Justice Department names a special prosecutor. Under Senate rules, Republicans could still confirm an FBI director with 51 votes. Republicans hold 52 seats in the chamber to Democrats 48.
Calling Trumps remarks about possible taped conversations outrageous, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said his panel or another committee would absolutely subpoena the tapes.
We have got to make sure that these tapes, if they exist, dont mysteriously disappear, Warner said, adding that he hopes to have Comey testify in a public hearing before his committee.
Less than a week after Trump fired Comey, the administration has interviewed at least eight candidates to be FBI director, and Trump has said a decision could come before he leaves Friday on his first overseas trip as president.
Trump abruptly fired Comey on Tuesday and later said Comey was a showboat and grandstander who was not doing a good job. Trump said in an interview with NBC that the Russia investigation factored into his decision to fire Comey.
The FBI director serves a 10-year term but can be replaced by the president.
So far 14 people have emerged as candidates. Eight met at the Justice Department on Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein:
Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.
Adam Lee, special agent in charge of the FBIs office in Richmond, Virginia.
Andrew McCabe, the acting FBI director.
Michael J. Garcia, a former prosecutor and associate judge on New Yorks highest court.
Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, a Bush appointee who struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administrations health care law in 2010.
Frances Townsend, a former Bush homeland security and counterterrorism adviser.
Rogers. The FBI Agents Association says it believes his diverse background makes him the best choice.
Clapper and Schumer made their comments on CNNs State of the Union; Graham spoke on NBCs Meet the Press; Haley and Warner appeared on ABCs This Week and Warner also spoke on Fox News Sunday along with Lee and Holmes.
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Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey, Sadie Gurman and Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
LONDON Employees booting up computers at work Monday could see red as they discover theyre victims of a global ransomware cyberattack that has created chaos in 150 countries and could wreak even greater havoc as more malicious variations appear.
As a loose global network of cybersecurity experts fought the ransomware hackers, officials and experts on Sunday urged organizations and companies to update older Microsoft operating systems immediately to ensure they arent vulnerable to a more powerful version of the software or to future versions that cant be stopped.
The initial attack, known as WannaCry, paralyzed computers that run Britains hospital network, Germanys national railway and scores of other companies and government agencies worldwide in what was believed to be the biggest online extortion scheme so far.
Microsoft blamed the U.S. government for stockpiling software code that was used by unknown hackers to launch the attacks. The hackers exploited software code from the National Security Agency that leaked online.
The companys top lawyer said the government should report weaknesses they discover to software companies rather than seek to exploit them.
An equivalent scenario with conventional weapons would be the U.S. military having some of its Tomahawk missiles stolen, attorney Brad Smith wrote on Microsofts blog.
New variants of the rapidly replicating worm were discovered Sunday and one did not include the so-called kill switch that allowed researchers to interrupt its spread Friday by diverting it to a dead end on the internet.
Ryan Kalember, senior vice president at Proofpoint Inc. which helped stop its spread, said the version without a kill switch was able to spread but was benign because it contained a flaw that wouldnt allow it to take over a computer and demand ransom to unlock files. However, he said its only a matter of time before a malevolent version exists.
I still expect another to pop up and be fully operational, Kalember said. We havent fully dodged this bullet at all until were patched against the vulnerability itself.
The attack held users hostage by freezing their computers, popping up a red screen with the words, Oops, your files have been encrypted! and demanding money through online bitcoin payment $300 at first, rising to $600 before it destroys files hours later.
The ransomware attack was particularly malicious, because if just one person in an organization clicked on an infected attachment or bad link, all the computers in a network would be infected, said Vikram Thakur, technical director of Symantec Security Response.
Thats what makes this more troubling than ransomware was a week ago, Thakur said.
It hit 200,000 victims across the world since Friday and is seen as an escalating threat, said Rob Wainwright, the head of Europol, Europes policing agency.
The numbers are still going up, Wainwright said. Weve seen that the slowdown of the infection rate over Friday night, after a temporary fix around it, has now been overcome by a second variation the criminals have released.
The effects were felt around the globe, disrupting computers that run factories, banks, government agencies and transport systems in nations as diverse as Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, Spain, India and the U.S. Britains National Health Service was hit hard, while Russias Interior Ministry and companies including Spains Telefonica, FedEx Corp. in the U.S. and French carmaker Renault all reported disruptions.
Chinese media reported that more than 29,000 institutions in the country had been hit, with universities and other educational entities the hardest hit, along with railway services and retailers. Japanese broadcaster NTV reported 600 companies in that country had been hit, and automaker Nissan and the Hitachi conglomerate said they were addressing the problem at their units that were affected.
The full extent of the attack wont become fully clear until people return to their workplaces Monday, for the first time after the attacks. Many may click infected email attachments or bad links and spread the virus further.
Its this constant battle, said Ryan OLeary, vice president of WhiteHat Securitys threat research center. The bad guys are always one step ahead.
The White House held emergency meetings Friday and Saturday to assess the global cyber threat, a White House official said Sunday. No details were disclosed. The official was not authorized to discuss the private meetings by name and requested anonymity.
It was too early to say who was behind the onslaught, which struck 100,000 organizations, and what their motivation was, aside from the obvious demand for money. So far, not many people have paid the ransom demanded by the malware, Europol spokesman Jan Op Gen Oorth told The Associated Press.
Researchers who helped prevent the spread of the malware and cybersecurity firms worked around the clock during the weekend to monitor the situation and install a software patch to block the worm from infecting computers in corporations across the U.S., Europe and Asia.
Right now, just about every IT department has been working all weekend rolling this out, said Dan Wire, spokesman at Fireeye Security.
Businesses, government agencies and other organizations were urged to quickly implement a patch released by Microsoft Corp. The ransomware exploits older versions of Microsofts operating system software, such as Windows XP.
Installing the patch is one way to secure computers against the virus. The other is to disable a type of software that connects computers to printers and faxes, which the virus exploits, OLeary added.
Microsoft distributed a patch two months ago that could have forestalled much of the attack, but in many organizations it was likely lost among the blizzard of updates and patches that large corporations and governments strain to manage.
Its one of those things, in a perfect world, if people were up to date on the patches, this wouldnt be a problem, OLeary said. But there are so many things to patch. The patch lists can be ginormous. It can be tough to tell which patch is important, until it is too late.
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Rugaber reported from Washington. AP writers Brian Melley in Los Angeles, Catherine Lucey in Washington, Allen G. Breed in Raleigh, North Carolina, and AP Technology Writer Anick Jesdanun in New York contributed to this report.
His 1992 Ford Ranger struck three parked vehicles and knocked down a large sign before stopping into a building on the property. Police arrived on the scene to find Christian James Powell behaving in a belligerent manner with witnesses, and he attempting to flee the scene.Officers tasered him, and proceeded to take him into custody. It is thought that alcohol was a contributing factor in the crash. His passenger was injured, and was found unconscious at the time when emergency services arrived at the scene of the accident The 23-year-old driver also had two dogs in the back of the cabin, which were also injured. One of the canines was thrown through the rear window, while the other sustained other injuries.Fortunately, the two pets will make it, and so will his passenger, who probably was unconscious even before the wreck.The Oregon man was placed in the Douglas County Jail with a bail of $125,000, The News Review reports. His arrest warrant includes numerous charges, which start with a suspicion of driving under the influence, along with five misdemeanor counts, one felony, third-degree assault, reckless driving, and several others.Police officers took into account the fact that he endangered two animals, risked the life of his passenger, and was also driving uninsured. The accident goes to show what kind of risks are involved when driving after consuming even the slightest bit of alcohol.If Mr. Powells test results reveal alcohol in his blood stream, he will probably have to join an alcohol addiction center to learn to control himself and stay sober. He will not be able to go to meetings until he faces the legal problems that he has added to his life and criminal record.Maybe accidents like these will change some peoples mind and viewpoint about driving after consuming substances that are known to impair a persons judgment and reflexes.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said: If we want the grandeur and sovereignty of the Islamic republic to be preserved and it remains immune (to the harms), all should participate in the elections. The only way to confront the animosity of the enemy is the presence of people at the sceneIf a dereliction is made and some pave the way for peoples disappointment, the country will definitely suffer.
Its strange that the worlds leading state-sponsor of terrorism is concerned about security threats when logically their terrorist activity causes security threats throughout the world.
Of course, the thing that really worries the Regime is not the security threat posed by other countries interfering with their democratic process. They are scared of a repeat of the 2009 Green uprising in which the disputed election results caused protests in the streets across Iran.
Who ever heard of a legitimate government being worried that they would be deposed by their own people? Surely thats something that only dictators and despots fear, right?
Well according to the Iranian Resistance, that it exactly what the Regime fears. It knows that it is running on borrowed time and that sooner or later the Regime will be overthrown.
Mohammad Mohaddess, Chair of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Foreign Affairs Committee said in a recent online conference, The choices for Khamenei are between the worse and the worse of the worse. This is the reality that Khamenei has to deal with. This is a totally new situation and new prospects and brings the regime closer to its downfall.
So the Iranian Regime has deployed 300,000 police officers across the country, according to police chief Hossein Ashtari, with further security personnel from 16 different security agencies, including the Revolutionary Guards (a terror group), the paramilitary Basij, and the Intelligence Ministry.
Shahriar Kia, a policy analyst wrote on the Daily Caller: And this is a country where its regime claims to be the safest state in the world without a single bombing, at a time when the region and many countries across the globe are struggling to rein in terrorist groups.
He pointed to evidence from Amnesty International which showed that the Regime is no stranger to illegal tactics if it protects the ruling elite.
Execution
Annually, 55% of global executions are carried out in Iran (if we exclude Chinas numbers).
The incumbent President Hassan Rouhani has presided over 3,000 executions in just the past 4 years.
Imprisonment
In just one year, nearly 500,000 people were locked up (that 0.6% of the entire population of Iran).
Iran will imprison people for any criticism of the Regime, its Supreme Leader or its founder (even if that criticism is written in an unpublished fictional story)
Its no secret that President Donald Trump is a big fan of coal, but he surprised the Navy with his preference for steam as the power to fling planes from aircraft carriers. In an interview with Time magazine, Trump was quoted as saying that he would not approve equipping new Ford-class carriers with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System that debuted on the Gerald R. Ford. And I saidand now they want to buy more aircraft carriers. I said, what system are you going to be Sir, were staying with digital. I said, no youre not. [Youre] going to goddamned steam, the digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and its no good.
It would appear the comments of a crew member who showed Trump the catapult soured Trump on the electromagnetic system when the president asked how the system was working. Sir, not good. Not good. Doesnt have the power. You know the steam is just brutal. You see that sucker going and steams going all over the place and theres planes thrown in the air. The relative gentleness of the electromagnetic catapult was actually a key selling point in the award of the contracts for the Ford and follow-on John F. Kennedy. Although it certainly relies on a battery of computers to progressively accelerate aircraft down the deck, the digital system being criticized by Trump and the unnamed, but suddenly famous, crew member is a lot easier on aircraft. It also requires fewer people to operate it and self-diagnoses its glitches. The steam catapults used on Nimitz-class carriers are no longer made and redesigning the Kennedy to take a steam system, even if it was available, would probably be cost prohibitive.
Anytime you get a group of flight instructors together, the topic of weather will enter the conversation in some form. It may range from how crummy it always seems to be when a CFI has nothing but primary students on the schedule to how miserable it is to preheat a Cessna 152 in the winter and still have time for a lesson, to shooting approaches to minimums in IMC with instrument students. Almost invariably it will work around to whether it was a good idea to train primary students and new private pilots in marginal VFR weather, that is, in any combination of strong winds, low ceilings and reduced visibility. After all, a significant proportion of general aviation accidents still involve attempting to fly VFR into deteriorating weather. In their candid moments, instructors want to know why pilots keep insisting on killing themselves in this fashion. Is there something wrong with our training? Is it simple bloody mindedness as the British would say, on the part of pilots, who know what crummy weather can do to them but insist on pressing on and smacking into hillsides and towers?
Real-World Marginal VFR
Over the years, Ive listened to a lot of the CFI weather conversations to see what I could learn about the subject. I was interested to observe that most instructors and pilots were in favor of taking primary students out and showing them what marginal weather looked like. The overall feeling was that a pilot who is shown how nasty and scary marginal weather is will be so awed by it that he or she will make the decision to stay on the ground when such weather is forecast or divert and land when it is encountered. That pretty much reflected my overall opinion on the subject. I made a point of taking students flying in strong winds so that they could see how difficult it could be to handle the airplane. I wanted them to get a feel for how the difficulty of landing in a crosswind increased almost exponentially as the velocity of a direct crosswind increased. I wanted my students to see what light and moderate turbulence really were, what it was like to have to fight it and how to avoid it. I attempted to show that moderate turbulence is very unpleasant, tires a pilot fast, adversely affects in-flight decision-making and makes it tough to handle the airplane when landing.
I also tried to take students up when the visibility was three to five miles, so that they could see what marginal VFR was and demonstrate that they did not even handle the airplane as well as they did on days with better visibility. Then Id try to make a brief flight in the pattern on a day with only two or three miles visibility, getting a special VFR clearance if needed, to show just how fast they covered the territory they could see at any given moment and how diverting their attention to look inside the cockpit could rapidly be fatal. I also tried to take them aloft when the ceiling was below 3000 feet to show the problems inherent with low ceilings, the inability to pick out landmarks and the proliferation of tall towers. I tried to mix this all in with a discussion of why scud running is something that simply is no longer viable in the majority of the United States because of the number of towers.
I found that I did what most instructors do.
NASAs Research
Then I got to know Barbara Burian, Ph.D., an employee of NASA and a pilot, who has been looking at this very issue for many years and has published a number of papers relevant to it. Her research has been fascinating and has included major projects getting pilots at EAAs AirVenture to test their skills and knowledge as well as running pilot surveys here on AVweb. She a deliberate approach to weather training to see what both CFIs and newly-stamped private pilots say about it. As one would expect, there are differences in what CFIs say they taught and what new private pilots say they were taught. She has done the statistical grinding of the data and found that students dont always realize what is being taught when they are learning something (they dont attach the same title to some lessons that CFIs do), but thats no big deal. What rocked her back on her heels and got my undivided attention was what she learned about the unintended consequences of flying student pilots in marginal VFR weather and how pilots self-assess their ability to evaluate weather versus how well they do when given real-world examples to analyze that ability.
Dr Burian, a pilot, asked CFIs whether they took their students into marginal weather (high winds, turbulence, low ceilings, limited visibilities, actual IFR) during primary training, and why. Most all said they did so and, in general, said it was to let them see how crummy the weather was so that they would stay out of it in the future; in general, to promote good weather decision-making; the old scared-straight approach. She then queried students about their training; however, she added a brilliant twist that led to answers that told me we instructors might be going about this in the wrong fashion. She asked new private pilots to rate how marginal weather training affected their level of confidence and comfort (two very separate ratings) about flying in such weather, or worse, sometime in the future. She found that 21.7 percent said that, as a result of having been exposed to marginal weather conditions in training, they would both feel more confident in flying in such conditions on their own and more comfortable in doing so. That means nearly a quarter of the students who we are trying to show that this deadly weather, the sort that is not the stuff in which they should be flying, are coming out of the lesson perfectly willing to fly in such weather and probably willing to make decisions to go when they should not.
A Head Slapper
I spoke with Dr. Burian and then looked at the results and went off by myself for a little while. The head slap followed shortly thereafter. Good grief. Of course we have pilots crunching into the sides of hills in fog and rain and snow and we have pilots snagging towers in haze and pilots generally flying into terrain because we arent teaching how to make decisions. Dr. Burians results are perfectly consistent with the accident stats because a healthy proportion of pilots who do the VFR-into-IMC splat each year (oftentimes a majority) have instrument ratings. (Keep in mind the data doesnt say if the pilots were instrument-current or if they were flying airplanes that were instrument-legal or if they had access to instrument charts.)
What we have is a situation where a good percentage of pilots who know what dog-meat weather is like (low ceilings and poor visibility), still motor into it anyway, and crash. That is entirely consistent with other marginal-weather accidents, those involving strong winds and loss of control on landing. Those usually arent fatal, but they keep happening to pilots who have certainly been around the block enough times to know what a strong crosswind is like and, if queried, claim to have a pretty good feel for what sort of crosswind he or she can handle in a particular type of airplane.
Its consistent. Pilots who have some degree of experience and training in marginal weather continue to get accurate forecasts for marginal VFR weather or actual IMC and then elect to try to fly VFR into it, or they make the decision to try to continue a flight when they do not know what the weather is ahead, relying on blind optimism.
Dont Try This At Home?
Nature is a hanging judge. Pilots who make the decision to go, or continue, in weather that exceeds their personal ability to fly an airplane by visual references, do not get probation or any sort of another chance. They die. And they take people with them. I think we flight instructors have the right idea about teaching pilots about marginal VFR weather by showing them just how awful it is, but I think we may be up against the dont try this at home syndrome. Weve got to come up with a better way to teach students how to evaluate the weather information available to them (Dr. Burians studies found that VFR-only pilots are particularly bad at this weather evaluation) and teach the go/no-go weather decision for VFR flight. I think we have to integrate weather evaluation and go/no-go wx decisions into every part of our training process so that students become so accustomed to it that it is a basic part of their subconscious.
I fully recognize that the VFR weather decision is also heavily weighted geographically. East of the Rockies, what is considered marginal VFR is probably anything when the visibility is at or less than about three to five miles visibility and the ceiling is at or less than 3,000 feet. Those numbers are not hard and fast, but they are a place to start. In the western high plains and Rockies, marginal VFR is different. There, anything less than 10 miles visibility is suspect because it is rare. When it does happen, it usually means the vis is going to go way down, so a pilot has to be wary of any sort of obstruction to visibility. That trips up a lot of flatland pilots in the mountains. Ceiling is also a challenging concept because it is measured above ground level and ground level varies so greatly.
I had a long talk with a very experienced military and civilian pilot and instructor, Terri Watson, now retired from flight instructing and living in Honolulu. Formerly based in the mountains of Lander, Wyoming, she said she taught her students that if there is any indication of a ceiling in the reports or the forecasts, that by itself may trigger a marginal VFR warning. What may be a 5000-foot ceiling at a lower airport may also be less than a 1000-foot ceiling at the pass that must be crossed to get to that airport. As an interesting counterpoint to her experience with teaching students weather judgment, she is very reluctant to put numbers on any pilots personal weather minimums.
Now What?
So, what do we do? I did a lot of listening to pilots and instructors who know about this sort of thing. One of the results Dr. Burian received in her survey was that 68.1 percent of the private pilots said that after their introduction to marginal weather they felt more confident that they could handle it on their own should they see it again, but that they were not comfortable doing so. Thats definitely positive. Pilots who have internalized a situation and can say that it would make them uncomfortable in the future are probably less likely to depart into such weather. The fact that they have seen something like it and have obtained some degree of confidence in the process also tends to mean that should they get into marginal weather because of a mistake on their part, or a bad forecast, they are more likely to survive the encounter. So, overall, it looks as if we are on the right track; exposing pilots to marginal weather is good for the majority of pilots (assuming we can believe their responses). Thats step one.
The next step is to actively put weather interpretation and decision-making into every lesson, including the first one. The instructor and student should go through the process of obtaining the current weather and forecast, discuss the process and then make a decision as to whether to fly. If its CAVU, thats easy. If its marginal, discuss what is going to be experienced.
Horizons and Limited Visibility
For years, instructors have noticed that a student who is used to flying in good visibility, with a clearly defined horizon, does noticeably worse on lessons where visibility is limited or the horizon is difficult to locate. I believe instructors should point that out to students. All pilots fly more accurately on days when the visibility is better. It may seem a little thing, but it is tremendously important when the visibility is bad and a pilot is trying to navigate with very limited outside references and landmarks. It becomes much more difficult and takes much more concentration to simply fly the airplane. Terri Watson pointed out that virtually all pilots use landmarks that are a significant distance away from the airplane when they fly VFR, whether it is to navigate or simply fly around the local area. When the visibility drops, rendering a number of those frequently used landmarks invisible, the ability to accurately control and navigate the airplane is diminished. Again, that just adds to the problems a pilot has when the weather starts to go south.
On the days when the CFI and student make the decision to fly and the weather is marginal, a wonderful opportunity is presented to let the student have difficulty and then bring that difficulty to a conscious level through discussion. The student knows things arent going as well as usual (students are many things, but they are not stupid) but he or she doesnt know why. He or she is simply conscious that the lesson isnt going as well as the last one and its frustrating. The instructor sees that sort of thing all the time, so its up to him or her to point out that a major part of the reason the student is having more trouble flying the airplane and isnt doing as well is because he or she just cant see as much.
On days when the weather causes a cancellation, the CFI and student should take the time to discuss it and do a little mental imaging as to what it would be like to try and fly in that weather. The CFI can ask some directed questions such as how long it would take the airplane to cover the ground the pilot can see when the pilot looks down at the map or otherwise into the cockpit. They can look over the sectional chart and see which towers will be sticking up into the clouds. They can discuss simple things such as the landmarks the student normally uses to enter the downwind and the fact that they might not be visible.
The cancellation should be viewed as a part of flying. Despite advertising, it isnt possible to fly every day of the year. Based on the CFIs evaluation of the student it may be wise to point out that canceling a flight is not a reflection on the pilots machismo or ability. It is a reflection that the pilot has developed an elevated level of judgment and is therefore to be respected.
Maybe So, Maybe Not
There will be days when the weather is marginal and the go/no-go decision is not clear-cut. The CFI and student can discuss what to do, look at all available weather and trends and then make the decision to conduct a flight in the pattern as a learning experience. The goals will be letting the student internalize just what that reported weather looks like from the cockpit, observe that many of her or his usual landmarks in the pattern are not visible (with a comment from the CFI to the effect of just think how it would be if we strayed from the area we know well, right around the airport) and add some other comments about the difficulties in controlling the airplane to let the student internalize a discomfort with flying in such weather. The instructor can then terminate the flight after a few takeoffs and landings so that there is some level of confidence built should the student inadvertently get into such a mess in the future.
A distressingly high proportion of the respondents (27.5 percent) to Dr. Burians survey said that they had experiences where instructors went ahead with lessons in bad weather not to teach about the weather but because the instructors simply wanted to complete a flight or some training that day (frankly, Ive seen it done by instructors who needed the money). That one scares me because I do not think CFIs always recognize just how powerful they are as role models. In those circumstances they have just given a positive reinforcement of a form of get-home-itis to their students. Personally, I dont think that is at all appropriate.
On the days that a flight is made in marginal conditions, I believe that the overall purpose of the flight probably should be observation and decision-making. It gives the chance for the CFI to demonstrate and discuss the concept of ongoing decision-making regarding weather. He or she can show that the process isnt over upon launching the flight, it involves continual evaluation of the conditions by observing and comparing them to the forecast to determine whether the flight may even continue or if its time to stop at the nearest airport or, indeed, land in a suitable field. It involves getting cockpit weather (and the danger of the head-down time reading it in marginal wx) and/or making calls to Flight Watch for weather updates because that is what the pilot does in the real world.
Finally, I believe, it involves a healthy discussion of simply being honest with oneself. Aviation does not long tolerate any pilot who will lie to him or herself about anything regarding flight. A pilot who has experienced two-mile visibility and was aware of how difficult and dangerous it was cannot later tell himself that it will be okay to go this time, because it really wasnt that bad. There is no probation for the pilot who does not take the steps to learn what the weather really is or launches with the optimistic it cant be that bad. There is no second chance.
I have to defer to Terri Watson again because she described so very well what she tries to do with students: The entire process is conscious decision-making. There may not be a rule regarding what you as a pilot are about to do, but that does not mean you can blow it off. Anything to do with marginal weather means the pilot has to understand deep inside that she or he is entering a statistically significant realm where he or she is likely to wreck an airplane and kill or injure people. It is up to the CFIs to inculcate the concept of conscious decision-making and intellectual honesty in pilots when they look at the weather decision. I fully agree and feel that the process has to be repeated until it is second nature in all pilots, whether or not they have instrument ratings.
Rick Durden is a CFII, holds an 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 & 2.
Voters in Yerevan went to the polls on Sunday to elect a new municipal council that will appoint the Armenian capitals mayor.
The ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and its top candidate, incumbent Mayor Taron Markarian, expected to retain control of the municipal administrations as a result of the elections held on a party-list basis.
The HHK was challenged by only two political groups: the opposition Yelk alliance and Yerkir Tsirani party. Yelk finished third in Armenias recent parliamentary elections won by the HHK. Several other opposition forces that fared poorly in the April 2 vote and chose not to join the Yerevan mayoral race.
Under the countrys Electoral Code, parties and blocs have to win at least 6 percent and 8 percent of the vote respectively in order to gain seats in the Yerevan council, if municipal polls are contested by more than three political groups. This means that the HHK, Yelk and Yerkir Tsirani will be represented in the new council regardless of their performance.
Both opposition contenders attacked Markarian throughout the election campaign, accusing him of corruption and mismanagement.
The 38-year-old mayor, in office since 2011, defended his track record during his campaign meetings. He insisted he has largely delivered on his campaign promises given four years ago.
We are satisfied with our election campaign and you will see its results a few hours later, Markarian told reporters after casting a ballot at a polling station in Yerevan.
Markarian defended his decision to avoid a live televised debate with Yelks mayoral candidate, Nikol Pashinian. The latter has repeatedly challenged the mayor to agree to such a debate.
President Serzh Sarkisian, who is the HHKs top leader, voted at another polling station. He said Yerevan will get better if Markarian is reelected.
Pashinian, meanwhile, accused the ruling party of again buying many votes. Its clear to me that without vote bribes HHK would stand no chance of winning any election, he charged after casting a ballot.
The 41-year-old former journalist, widely regarded as Markarians main challenger, said that hundreds of thousands of Armenians are willing to sell their votes. We have to take into account the existence of such people, he noted grimly.
Pashinian and other Yelk leaders demanded on Friday that the HHK be disqualified from the mayoral race because of what they presented as evidence of vote buying. It included online media footage of apparent distribution of vote bribes at an HHK campaign office in the citys Malatia-Sebastia district. Yelk also publicized purported documents detailing vote buying by another HHK office.
The ruling party denied the allegations. The Central Election Commission, for its part, refused on Saturday to seek a court ruling disqualifying the HHK. It only agreed to ask prosecutors to investigate the Yelk allegations.
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian downplayed the alleged vote buying. Such cases are reported during all elections, but are we sure that those were vote bribes? he told the press during Sundays voting. Law-enforcement bodies are now looking into that. Lets wait and see what they say.
The HHK was already accused of buying votes during the parliamentary elections. Opposition groups say that the illegal practice was instrumental in the ruling partys landslide election victory.
An RFE/RL correspondent on Sunday again saw voters in the citys old Kond neighborhood visiting a local HHK office before heading to a nearby polling station. Many of them had cash in their hands.
A group of men inside the office hastily left it when the reporter, Sisak Gabrielian, went in and tried to talk to them. One of those men held a stack of 5,000-dram notes ($10).
Sonia Yeghian, an HHK municipal election candidate apparently running the office, denied that they were handing out cash to impoverished voters. She claimed that the visitors are party activists.
Gabrielian was assaulted by government loyalists when he witnessed similar scenes in and outside the same office on April 2.
Meanwhile, the Armenian police said they have received nine reports of irregularities by noon. Those included alleged instances of multiple voting and obstruction of the work of an opposition election proxy, read a police statement. All those cases are being verified, it said.
Yerkir Tsirani alleged more such violations. The opposition partys mayoral candidate, Zaruhi Postanjian, cried foul as she voted early in the morning. She said her political team is in a combative mood and determined to counter electoral fraud.
Police in Yerevan on Sunday forcibly removed Zaruhi Postanjian, an opposition mayoral candidate, from a campaign office of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) which she accused of bribing voters.
Postanjian, who was accompanied by her teenage daughter, entered the office located in the citys northern Avan district during voting in municipal elections. She tried to get hold of what she described as lists of local resident who were paid by the HHK to vote for Yerevans incumbent Mayor Taron Markarian.
HHK activists working there rejected the demands during an ensuing altercation. They and Postanjian accused each other of violent conduct when they continued to bitterly argue in front of journalists.
Nobody has the right to enter our office without permission, shouted a middle-aged man managing the office.
The head of the HHK chapter in Avan, who also arrived at the scene, likewise argued that under Armenian law citizens not affiliated with a particular party are not free to enter its premises. He denied buying votes, while admitting that HHK offices in the district keep lists of our voters.
Evidence of election fraud is kept in those drawers, Postanjian told policer officers called up by the HHK activists. She demanded that they confiscate and examine the documents in her presence.
A police colonel said he will do that after all unauthorized persons leave the office. A furious Postanjian refused to leave it before being dragged away by other officers. They seemed intent on detaining her but changed their mind at the last minute.
Postanjians daughter, Lilit Drampian, was apparently driven away from the scene. The police insisted afterwards that she was not detained, however. Drampian suffered a concussion and was taken to a hospital, according to her mother.
Postanjian, who is one of the two opposition candidates running for the post of Yerevan mayor, defended her actions and condemned the police at a news conference held later in the day. She argued that vote buying is illegal in Armenia.
In a written statement, the Armenian police said the use of force was justified because Postanjian defied the law-enforcement officers orders. The statement also said that she broke into the HHK office and tried to search it in breach of Armenias laws.
Still, a separate statement by the Office of the Prosecutor-General said that the police will investigate Postanjians allegations. It also said that it will assign another law-enforcement body, the Special Investigative Service, to deal with the Avan incident.
Tigran Mukuchian, the pro-government chairman of Armenias Central Election Commission (CEC), denounced Postanjians actions. It is unacceptable when someone enters a campaign office and tries to paralyze its work, he told reporters.
Postanjians Yerkir Tsirani party and the Yelk alliance, the other opposition contender in Yerevans mayoral race, have repeatedly accused the CEC of turning a blind eye to systematic vote buying by the HHK. Yelk went as far as to demand on Friday that President Serzh Sarkisians party be disqualified from the race. The CEC rejected the demand.
The push started last month, is being orchestrated mainly by accounts belonging to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a France-based opposition group considered one of Irans most powerful opposition movements. Posts opposing the boycott have now reached over 300,000.
Three candidates lead Irans May 19th elections President Hassan Rouhani, Ehbrahim Raisi and Tehran Mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
Raisi is one of the four Sharia judges who oversaw the executions of tens of thousands of political prisoners in 1988. Qalibaf previously commanded Irans Revolutionary Guards Corps.
#Shamelections, #MyVoteRegimeChange, and other anti-election hashtags are gaining momentum on Twitter, as are slogans like, Boycott the faked election, and those that say, there is no difference between Rouhani and Raisi, The two candidates are portrayed as two sides of the same coin. What election?! Its a puppet show run by [religious leader Ayatollah] Khamenei to create the illusion of a democracy, a person purporting to be an exiled Iranian living in Europe tweeted.
Many attacked Rouhani saying he has been directly involved in all of Iran regimes crimes and has overseen the arrest, torture, and executions of hundreds of people over his four-year presidency.
The majority of the tweets seem to have originated outside of Iran, from countries including France, Germany and Albania, where the NCRI has a significant presence.
Chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Forces Committee, Senator John McCain, met with NCRI officials in Albania last month, praising them for their sacrifice for freedom in Iran, according to reports.
Videos were uploaded by NCRI users, which allegedly show Iranians in public places in Tehran and Arak holding signs against elections, or against Rouhani, or Raisi. It is said that these actions were coordinated by Mujahedeen e-Khalq (MEK), the military wing of the NCRI.
An Iranian official said that Iranians can vote in the elections at 279 polling stations in 103 different countries, which is good news for the 5-6 million Iranians living abroad.
Rouhani is expected to be re-elected according to Reuters, because of his wide support among urban populations and women who would welcome relaxed restrictions on social behavior.
However, Irans opposition claims, the opposite, arguing that little has changed during Rouhanis presidency.
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Church decline could be ending, new report suggests
The rapid decline in churchgoers may be slowing thanks to a rise in patriotism and pride in Christianity, a new report is suggesting.
The study also indicates the rapid growth of non-religious people, described as 'the story of British religious history over the past half-century or so', may be stalling.
Analysis of the British Social Attitudes survey and the European Social Survey by academic Stephen Bullivant, professor of theology and the sociology of religion at St Mary's University, Twickenham, suggests the rise of other religions may have contributed to a slowing of secularisation.
'People see Christianity as an expression of Englishness. There has been more rhetoric around Britain being a Christian nation.
'People are looking for ways to connect with others. I suspect a larger proportion of people who do say they are Anglican tend to be patriotic,' he said according to the Telegraph.
Although the proportion of non-religious people make up the largest group with 48.6 per cent of the population, analysis suggests this may have peaked in 2009 when it reached 50.6 per cent, declining in more recent years.
Over the same period the number of Church of England worshippers rose from a low of 16.3 per cent and has risen to 17.1 per cent.
'The proportion of self-describing Anglicans in Britain has more than halved, from 40 per cent in 1983, down to 17 per cent in 2015,' the report notes.
'That said, the past three years are worth highlighting. If talk of even a modest Anglican revival would be premature, one certainly can speak of a newfound stability.'
He added: 'After decades of bad news, this is certainly welcome for the Church of England.
'If I was in the Anglican Church I would be celebrating this.'
However the 'conversion rates' will continue to cause concern for church leaders with non-Christian religions having a significantly higher retention levels.
Overall for every Christian convert from a non-religious upbringing, there are 26 raised as Christians who now they are not believers.
Among other faiths the retention is much higher with 14 per cent of Jews, 10 per cent of Muslims and Sikhs and 6 per cent of Hindus.
Does science confirm what the Bible teaches about creation in Genesis?
The uniformity, the consistency, the stability, and the harmony of the universe declares that there is a Creator. The misconception that faith and intellect must remain separate has planted seeds of doubt in the minds of many.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Science teaches that time, space, and matter must occur simultaneously Genesis confirms it.
The fine tuning of the universe is impossible without a Creator from the perfect distance of the sun from the earth at 93-million miles, to the atmospheres perfect balance, we see that only a Designer could design such a complex structure to produce and sustain life.
Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford, made the following statement: "The fact that life evolved out of literally nothing, some 10 billion years after the universe evolved literally out of nothing is a fact so staggering that I would be mad to attempt words to do it justice."
Yet that's exactly what we do when we try to explain away God. The Bible says that the age of the earth is not billions of years. Adding billions of years is not the magic wand that unlocks the key to evolution.
Antony Flew (1923-2010) was once the world's most famous atheist. But in 2004 he shocked the world he left atheism: "The integrated complexity of life itself which is far more complex than the physical Universe can only be explained in terms of an Intelligent Source."
He went on to say that Christianity is the most persuasive argument. In short, there must be a Creator.
Evolution is not a fact; it's a theory. Charles Darwin, the main proponent for evolution, basically said, "I think this is what happened," when he wrote, On The Origin of Species. Even though there is no fossil support, DNA confirmation, or any physical evidence anywhere, it is taught in our school system as fact and creation is viewed as a myth. How ironic a theory without evidence is taught as fact, and an explanation of creation (backed by science) is taught as a myth.
It actually takes more "faith" to believe that everything came from nothing. Additionally, the science of Biogenesis discredits evolution. It says that living things come from other living things, thus answering the age old question: "What came first, the chicken or the egg?" According to the science of Biogenesis and God's Word, the chicken did.
This is why many scientists from NASA Langley research center, as well as PhDs from Harvard, Princeton, Yale, and so on, all signed a statement that said the following, "We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutations and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for the Darwinian theory should be encouraged." See more at http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org/.
Christianity looks at the evidence, compares it with science, and confirms it with God's truth. Job said that the earth free floats in space. Isaiah declared that the earth is a sphere. Hebrews talks about tiny unseen particles that appear in the creation of life. Leviticus encourages us to wash with running water to prevent disease and that the life of the body is in the blood. Job knew that springs were at the bottom of the ocean. Genesis disclosed that our bodies are made from the earth (28 base and trace elements). Psalms mentions the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics "The universe will perish; they will all wear out like a garment." Jeremiah said that stars are innumerable but scientists as early as 1600 said that there are about 1,005.
God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness." The human DNA has 3-billion letters in each cell showing how to build life. Did you catch that? Trillions of cells each contain the blueprint for life in the nucleus of the cell. Each blueprint of 3-billion letters is like having 12 sets of The Encyclopaedia Britannica in each cell. Unbelievable! This could not just develop by chance. The chance of ink falling out of a cartridge and writing this article are a millions times more likely than life forming on its own.
The probability of life happening on its own is immeasurable. For example, the light rays enter our eye through the cornea which bends the light rays to pass through the pupil. The iris then works like a shutter in a camera enlarging, shrinking, focusing, etc. This cannot happen on his own.
Charles Darwin said, "To suppose that the eye ... could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree." Yet he goes on and "tries" to explain how it did happened via evolution.
Think about this: Sperm meets the ovum. A single cell is born (life at conception). The DNA of the father and the mother begin to work together bones and muscles form to protect the vital organs the heart, kidney, and liver all begin to form simultaneously. The neurological system is formed and begins to connect to the brain. The thought process begins and the five senses are activated. Life is amazing its truly a gift from a Creator.
Psalm 139:13, "For You [GOD] formed my inward parts; You [GOD] knitted me together in my mother's womb."
So yes, science confirms, verifies, and supports the Bible. But how can people look at the exact same evidence and come to different conclusions? It's an issue of the heart. Many "worship the creature rather than the Creator" (cf. Romans 1). To say that we evolved from primordial ooze gives us an "out" that there is no God.
There are no excuses for rejecting God. He uses conviction, the Word, books, articles, blogs, friends, pastors, teachers, and preachers to spread His message of love and grace, repentance and salvation.
Romans 1:18-20 tells us that "we are without excuse" because God's attributes are clearly seen. Don't let this discourage you, "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 John 4:4). Fall forward into God's arms of restoration and forgiveness. Jesus said, in Mark 10:15, "Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it." Receive it today and be and experience tremendous peace and hope from the atheist to the adulterer, and from the addict to the arrogant it's not too late. Turn to Him today.
This information was taken from a recent debate on this topic. To view the debate, Does Science Confirm the Bible, visit our website at WCFAV.org.
Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, just North of Los Angeles. Shane's sermons, articles, books, and radio program can all be found at shaneidleman.com or wcfav.org. Follow him on Facebook at: facebook.com/confusedchurch.
This article was originally published in The Christian Post. The views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today or its editors.
ISIS is giving its fighters drugs so that they don't feel any pain on the battlefield
Here is another way to defeat the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists: Deprive them of the narcotics that make them feel no pain and give them greater resilience on the battlefield.
Police in Italy did just that recently when they seized a cargo containing 37 million painkilling pills worth $75 million destined for Libya where they were allegedly due to be sold by ISIS to its fighters in the north African country, The Times of London reported.
ISIS is known to be in control of some areas along the Libyan coastline.
The haul of the drugs called tramadol was found inside three containers at the port of Genoa, marked as blankets and shampoo. The containers were set to be loaded on a freighter bound for Misrata and Tobruk in Libya when Italian authorities found out about the contraband.
According to Mayo Clinic, tramadol is an opioid analgesic that acts in the central nervous system to relieve pain. When used for a long time, tramadol may become habit-forming. The drug can only be bought with a doctor's prescription.
An Italian investigator said the ISIS is "making a fortune" in selling tramadol pills to its fighters.
The Nigerian terror group Boko Haram is also known to feed its child soldiers with dates stuffed with tramadol before sending them on combat missions, according to The Times.
Aside from tramadol, ISIS is also said to give its fighters a drug known as captagon, an amphetamine that blocks hunger, fear, and fatigue.
According to Forbes, Captagon is the drug that's fueling Syria's civil war. It is part of a family of drugs known as amphetamines, which stimulate the central nervous system, increasing alertness, boosting concentration and physical performance, and providing a feeling of well-being.
The three ISIS terrorists who attacked the Bataclan concert hall in Paris on Nov. 13, 2015, killing at least 89 people and wounding about 100 others, reportedly had a "zombie-like" appearance and were high on Captagon.
Italian investigators said the tramadol shipment came from the Indian pharmaceuticals company Royal International, which allegedly sold the drugs for $250,000 to a Dubai-based importer. The latter then sent the shipment from India to Sri Lanka. There the records of the contraband shipment disappeared.
"The containers were then shipped to Genoa, ready to be delivered to two companies in Libya, which the US Drug Enforcement Administration has informed us are linked to ISIS," the investigator said.
He said the tramadol pills would sell for $2 each in Libya, adding: "It's addictive, but so much cheaper than cocaine or amphetamines, and someone's making a fortune."
New Photos Reveal Shocking Horrors Of Life In North Korea's Brutal Prison Camps
Photographs taken from space have revealed the chilling growth rate of one of North Korea's notoriously inhumane prison compounds, Camp 25.
The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea reports that the camp has more than doubled in size in just five years.
Despite their size making them clearly visible from space, the regime led by dictator Kim Jong-un denies the camps even exist.
The committee, based in Washington DC, worked with AllSource Analysis, a leading provider of high-resolution earth images.
Camp 25, also known as Kwan-li-so No 25, is in Susong-dong, Chongjin-si in North Hamgyong Province on the northeast coast of North Korea.
About 5,000 political prisoners are believed to be incarcerated there.
Its biggest growth period was between 2009 and 2010, when its size increased by 72 per cent, from 565,424 square meters to 972,270 square meters, surrounded by more than 40 guard posts.
Analyst Joseph Bermudez Jr said the committee's report confirms that "primary economic activities likely carried out with prison labor are centered on agriculture and light industry."
Greg Scarlatoiu, director, said: "It continues to be difficult to quantify the precise economic importance of the slave labor provided by North Korea's political prison camps. That said, our satellite imagery analysis of Camp No 25 and other such unlawful detention facilities appears to confirm the sustained, if not increased importance of the use of forced labor under Kim Jong-un.
"Due to an intensified crackdown on attempted defections, the imprisonment of forcibly repatriated refugees, the purging of senior officials, together with associates and family members, and the possible transfer of prisoners from camps in the border areas that are now closed, Camp No 25 underwent a twofold expansion in 2009-2010. Recent satellite imagery analysis indicates that Camp No 25 continues to be fully operational at the expanded scale."
Last month, Amnesty International released its own report also proving the massive growth of the camps, often a source of nothing more than brutal slave labour for the regime.
Amnesty said: "These camps constitute the cornerstone of the country's large infrastructure dedicated to political repression and social control that enables widespread and systematic human rights abuses. Assessments of the satellite images of two political prison camps known as kwanliso collected in May and August show the addition of new guard posts, upgrading of a reported crematorium, and on-going agricultural activities."
Amnesty said the images were "consistent with our prior findings of forced labour and detention in North Korea's kwanliso." Amnesty has also reported rape, infanticide, torture, deliberate starvation, forced labour and executions against the up to 120,000 men, women, and children held incommunicado in political prison camps throughout the country.
Many of those detained in these camps have committed no crime, but are collectively punished through guilt by association as family members of those deemed threatening to the regime, the charity said.
Amnesty has for years campaigned about human rights abuses in North Korea and released this film documenting one woman's attempt to escape to China.
North Korea continues to be considered the worst place in the world in which to be a Christian. A damning report released by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) in September said Christians face rape, torture, enslavement and being killed for their faith. Freedom of religion or belief "is largely non-existent" under dictator Kim Jong Un's leadership, CSW said.
"Religious beliefs are seen as a threat to the loyalty demanded by the Supreme Leader, so anyone holding these beliefs is severely persecuted," the report said, noting: "Christians suffer significantly because of the anti-revolutionary and imperialist labels attached to them by the country's leadership."
Among the documented incidents against Christians are "being hung on a cross over a fire, crushed under a steamroller, herded off bridges and trampled underfoot".
On Thursday, the Center for Human Rights in Iran commented upon Khameneis speech by emphasizing its similarity to a speech the supreme leader had given in response to the outbreak of nationwide protests against the disputed reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009. In addition to the vague threat of reprisal against domestic supporters of the boycott, Khamenei also conveyed familiar, unsubstantiated accusations that this and other protests were the result of attempted intervention by Western powers and Zionists.
In a previous speech, Khamenei appealed to the notion of national autonomy in order to urge Iranians of all political persuasions to go to the polls and demonstrate the legitimacy of the countrys government. But the emerging boycott specifically disregards this claim of legitimacy, asserting that the incumbent Hassan Rouhani and his hardline challengers are essentially the same, since the clerical regime has the authority to bar genuinely reformist voices from the political process altogether.
The regimes tight control over political dialogue was certainly on display in the recent commentary by Khamenei and others. Addressing the candidates who had passed their vetting by the unelected Guardian Council last month, Khamenei cautioned against addressing issues that might agitate ideological, geographical, linguistic and ethnic fault lines. He also characterized these types of political speech as traps set by enemies, and threats to the countrys security and tranquility.
These claims have been reinforced by other hardline public figures. On Thursday, the National Council of Resistance of Iran cited one example that was specifically directed at President Rouhani, who is opposed by hardliners but also regarded as an inadequate alternative by serious reformists and dissident organizations like the NCRI. The report quoted former Member of Parliament Ahmad Tavakoli as saying that some of Rouhanis statements on the campaign trail threated to fuel public resentments and put the country on a track of sedition.
Sedition is the term still applied by regime authorities to the 2009 uprising, which was violently suppressed following Khameneis public response, and which led to dozens of deaths and hundreds of instances of political imprisonment. Although Rouhanis successful campaign in 2013 included the promise to release at least some of those political prisoners, his administration has shown no movement on this issue or on any other reform-minded campaign promise with the exception of pursuing a nuclear agreement with world powers.
Rouhanis record on civil rights and economic reform led to a significant loss of support in the early days of his presidency. More recently, it has lent credence to the calls for boycott which are being led by the NCRI and its main constituent group, the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran. Vocativ reported upon some of the details of that campaign on Thursday, emphasizing how it has been supported through social media activity by Iranian expatriates in place like France, where the NCRI is headquartered in exile, and Albania, where thousands of PMOI members relocated after spending years as refugees in the former American military base of Camp Liberty, Iraq.
The campaign has also made itself apparent in domestic activities, including the public display of posters celebrating NCRI President Maryam Rajavi and graffiti espousing such slogans as my vote is for regime change. But the international support from the Iranian diaspora is arguably a major part of the reason why the regime is struggling to suppress the emerging boycott. That struggle is evident from Khameneis responses to it, which acknowledge widespread non-participation as a real threat.
In the Washington Posts coverage of Khameneis speech on Wednesday, the paper pointed out that other regime officials had claimed certain victories in their pushback against the boycott organizers. Claims of dissident arrests and the disruption of particular campaigns were vague, however, and this could suggest that they are little more than propaganda efforts to make the boycott look more precarious than it is.
Whats more, the Associated Press issued a report, also on Wednesday, indicating that there has been a great deal of successful resistance to the regimes attempts at clamping down on political speech by private citizens. The article specifically highlights the importance of internationally accessible social media applications in perpetuating conversations that would otherwise be suppressed. These include discussions of the 1988 massacre of political prisoners which primarily targeted the PMOI and which had been subject to a conspiracy of silence until last year when the son of the late cleric Hossein Ali Montazeri revealed an audio recording of the former regime official harshly criticizing his colleagues for the massacre.
Social media and the internet have permitted groups like the PMOI to reach residents of the Islamic Republic with formerly inaccessible information about this and other issues. Although sites like Twitter and Facebook are technically banned by the regimes highly active censorship authorities, young Iranians routinely circumvent these restrictions through the use of virtual private networks and other technical workarounds. Whats more, since its introduction to Iran in 2015, the Telegram messaging app has become a very familiar tool for political and social activists throughout the country. It is this service that is given particular credit in the AP report for making effective repression more difficult for regime authorities in the run-up to this election.
Of course, this is not to say that Iranian citizens are not suffering for their political activities and pro-reform or anti-regime views. In an effort to strike a blow against Telegram, in March the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested several administrators of the apps local user groups. Whats more, the Center for Human Rights in Iran points out that more than 20 reformist journalists as well as political and civil rights activists have been arrested in recent months and that campaign speeches by prominent supporters have meanwhile been forcibly canceled in several cities.
Some of these efforts have simply reinforced Khameneis appeal to the candidates to avoid controversy in their campaigning. But the more repressive efforts have clearly been focused on reformist voices, some of which continue to support Rouhani despite the widely felt disappointment of his first term.
Reuters explained on Thursday that the Revolutionary Guards have sought to put their weight behind Raisi, and that they are preparing to bus people to the polls and use familiar intimidation tactics to generate votes for their chosen candidate. This preference has not been associated with any expectation of seriously different policy initiatives from Raisi and Rouhani, although it is believed that Raisi might do more to defend IRGC business interests against the potential influence of foreign investors in the aftermath of the 2015 nuclear agreement.
The more salient reason for IRGC support of Raisi, however, is the hardline paramilitarys apparent belief that his presidency could set him up to be selected by the Assembly of Experts as the next supreme leader. Reuters quoted Atlantic Council senior fellow Ali Alfoneh as saying, The IRGC believe that [Raisis election is] their chance to completely eliminate the technocrats and control the succession process after Khamenei.
Nevertheless, Khamenei himself apparently remains focused on the short term goal of compelling as many Iranian citizens as possible to go to the polls. Conversely, the NCRI and other opponents of the clerical regime remain focused on exposing the illegitimacy of the political process and the lack of reformist voices. Most global media outlets still seem to believe that the incumbent Rouhani will win, but he lacks the committed support from an institution like the IRGC, and the implications of his possible victory may greatly depend upon the what portion of the population comes out to vote for either leading candidate.
As the parallels between Rouhanis recent speech and his speech in 2009 indicate, his preoccupation with that factor seems to reflect regime concerns about the possibility of another Green Movement-style uprising.
North Korea causes fury with ballistic missile test
North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Sunday in defiance of calls to rein in its weapons program, days after a new leader in its old rival South Korea came to power pledging to engage it in dialogue.
The missile flew 700 km (430 miles) and reached an altitude of more than 2,000 km (1,245 miles), according to officials in South Korea and Japan, further and higher than an intermediate-range missile North Korea successfully tested in February from the same region of Kusong, northwest of its capital, Pyongyang.
North Korea is widely believed to be developing an intercontinental missile tipped with a nuclear weapon that is capable of reaching the United States.
US President Donald Trump has vowed not to let that happen.
The US Pacific Command said it was assessing the type of missile but it was 'not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile'. Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada said the missile could be of a new type.
An intercontinental ballistic missile is considered to have a range of more than 6,000 km (3,700 miles).
Experts said the altitude the missile tested on Sunday reached meant it was launched at a high trajectory, which would limit the lateral distance it traveled.
But if it was fired at a standard trajectory, it would have a range of at least 4,000 km (2,500 miles), experts said.
Kim Dong-yub, of Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul, said he estimated a standard trajectory would give it a range of 6,000 km.
Japan said the missile flew for 30 minutes before dropping into the sea between North Korea's east coast and Japan. The North has consistently test-fired missiles in that direction.
'The launch may indeed represent a new missile with a long range,' said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, referring to the estimated altitude of more than 2,000 km. 'It is definitely concerning.'
In Washington, the White House said Trump 'cannot imagine Russia is pleased' with the test as the missile landed closer to Russia than to Japan.
'With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased,' it said.
The launch served as a call for all nations to implement stronger sanctions against North Korea, it added.
Speaking in Beijing, Dmitry Peskov, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, told reporters Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping had discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula, including the latest missile launch and expressed "mutual concerns" about growing tension.
Putin is in Beijing for a conference on a plan for a new Silk Road. Delegations from the United States, South Korea and North Korea are also there.
The launch, at 5:27 am Seoul time (2027 GMT Saturday), came two weeks after North Korea fired a missile that disintegrated minutes into flight, marking its fourth consecutive failure since March.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who took office on Wednesday, held his first National Security Council in response to the launch, which he called a 'clear violation' of UN Security Council resolutions, his office said.
'The president said while South Korea remains open to the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, it is only possible when the North shows a change in attitude,' Yoon Young-chan, Moon's press secretary, told a briefing.
Moon won Tuesday's election on a platform of a moderate approach to North Korea and has said he would be willing to go to Pyongyang under the right circumstances, arguing dialogue must be used in parallel with sanctions.
China, the North's sole main ally which nevertheless objects to its weapons programs, called for restraint and for no one to exacerbate tension.
'China opposes relevant launch activities by North Korea that are contrary to Security Council resolutions,' China's foreign ministry said in a statement.
The launch will also complicate Moon's efforts to mend ties with China that have been strained by a decision by South Korea's former government to deploy a US anti-missile defense system aimed at defending against North Korea, but which China sees as a threat to its security.
Moon told Chinese President Xi last week that it would be difficult to resolve the issue unless North Korea stopped being provocative.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said North Korea's missile launches were a 'grave threat to our country and a clear violation of UN resolutions'.
North Korea on February 12, launched the Pukguksong-2 missile, an upgraded, extended-range version of its submarine-launched ballistic missile, from the same site.
South Korean and US military officials said the February launch was a significant development as it successfully tested a solid-fuel engine from a mobile launcher. The missile flew about 500 km with an altitude of 550 km.
The North attempted but failed to test-launch ballistic missiles four times in the past two months but has conducted various tests since the beginning of last year at an unprecedented pace.
It also conducted its fourth and fifth nuclear tests last year.
Trump warned in an interview with Reuters in April that a 'major, major conflict' with the North was possible but he would prefer a diplomatic outcome.
Trump has also said he would be 'honored' to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un under the right circumstances.
On Saturday, a top North Korean diplomat said it was open to dialogue with the Trump administration under the right conditions.
The Forgotten Christians Who Faced Brutal Persecution In 2016
Religious freedom has deteriorated rapidly across the globe, that was the conclusion of a US State Department report published in August.
The 2015 International Religious Freedom Report released on August 10 said that a quarter of countries around the world, which account for about 75 per cent of the global population, curtail religious liberty through "government policies or the hostile acts of individuals, organizations, or societal groups".
"Around the world, governments continued to tighten their regulatory grip on religious groups, and particularly on minority religious groups and religions which are viewed as not traditional to that specific country," the report said.
"By any measure, religious freedom abroad is under sustained and serious assault, with governments responsible for many of these abuses," Thomas Reese, chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) told Christian Today.
"Governments' violations of religious freedom take many forms including: suppressing religious activity; detaining prisoners of conscience; and implementing anti-terrorism and anti-extremism laws (in, for example China and Russia), and blasphemy laws (in, for example, Pakistan and Egypt). Many of these governmental violations seek to control or marginalise those religious groups and their adherents who are deemed threats to the states' supremacy."
"The actions of non-state actors also present a major challenge to freedom of religion or belief," Reese added. "For example, in countries including Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, and the Central African Republic, non-state actors are among the primary perpetrators of egregious abuses of religious freedom and other human rights. Governments in these countries either are unable or unwilling to protect the rights of potential victims of persecution."
Here are some of the stories of persecution that have stood out over the past year.
Iraq and Syria
The battle to retake Mosul ISIS' last stronghold in Iraq is well under way, but Islamic State has over the past year continued to perpetuate serious abuses against religious minorities, including Christians, Yazidis and Shia Muslims.
At least 30 mass Yazidi graves have been discovered in liberated areas to the north of Sinjar Mountain in Iraq and harrowing stories continue to emerge from groups persecuted by ISIS. The systematic persecution of Christians, Yazidis and Shia Muslims was this year labelled a genocide by the US administration, European Parliament, UK Parliament and Council of Europe.
"Religious freedom conditions continue to deteriorate in Iraq, especially in areas under the control of ISIL [ISIS]," Reese said.
"While ISIL targets anyone who does not espouse its extremist Islamist ideology, minority religious and ethnic communities, including the Christian, Yazidi, Shi'a, Turkmen, and Shabak communities, especially are vulnerable. In Kirkuk, ISIL has used churches as bases, stormed cemeteries, and desecrated several graveyards; it also destroyed Assyrian monasteries. In late January 2016, it was reported that ISIL had destroyed the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, the St. Elijah's Monastery in Erbil, which has been a place of worship for more than 1,400 years."
In Syria, civilians are suffering not only under ISIS, but also as the nearly six-year-old civil war rages on.
"Syria's religious communities largely are deprived of religious freedom due to the actions of President Bashar al-Assad's regime, elements of the armed opposition, and terrorist Jabhat alNusra and ISIL," Reese said.
"Since 2011, government forces targeted between 50 per cent and 63 per cent of Christian places of worship as well as members of the Christian community... Prominent Christian civil rights activists, humanitarian workers, and religious leaders have been among the detained and killed."
Isaac Six, advocacy director at International Christian Concern (ICC), told Christian Today that the Christian community in Iraq has been "decimated over the past thirteen years."
"Of the relatively small number who remain, hope is in very short supply," he added. "ICC has been working since August of 2014 with many of these communities to provide relief and assistance, and what we see now, even with ISIS slowly being pushed out of the country, is still a tremendous amount of fear that it's only a matter of time until they will have to leave the region all-together."
In Syria, he continued, the church "has endured incredible suffering over the past five years. Incredibly, there are still some Christians who remain, and our prayer is that they would endure and one day rebuild the church out of the ashes of the civil war."
Pakistan
One of the most infamous cases of Christian persecution in Pakistan is that of Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five who was sentenced to death in 2010 after being accused and convicted under the country's notorious blasphemy laws.
In October, she was due to appear before Pakistan's Supreme Court in Islamabad for her final appeal after languishing for years on death row, but it was postponed on the day, leading campaigners to question whether the judge had bowed to Islamist pressure. Hardline Muslim groups in Pakistan want Bibi hanged for her alleged crime, and on the day of her appeal, the cleric of the Red Mosque in Lahore said he would issue a fatwa against the Prime Minister of the country if Asia Bibi was set free.
Campaigners say Pakistan's blasphemy laws are frequently misused and used against minority groups, especially Christians. The laws prescribe life imprisonment for the desecration of the Qur'an and the death sentence for "defiling" the Prophet Mohammad, and accusations of incidents have often prompted mob violence. According to the Centre for Research and Security Studies in Pakistan, more than 62 people have been killed in such incidents since 1990. More than 40 people are currently on death row for blasphemy, the majority of whom are members of religious minorities.
"The Pakistani government continues to perpetrate and tolerate systematic, ongoing, and egregious religious freedom violations," Reese said. "Religiously-discriminatory constitutional provisions and legislation, such as the country's blasphemy law and anti-Ahmadiyya laws, violate international standards of the freedom of religion or belief and result in prosecutions and imprisonments."
Reese also condemned "chronic sectarian and religiously-motivated" violence experienced by Shi'a and Ahmadiyya Muslims, Christians, and Hindus, and blamed the government's failure to protect religious minorities. This has created "a deep-rooted climate of impunity," he said.
North Korea
A horrifying report released in September revealed that Christians in North Korea face rape, torture, enslavement, and being killed for their faith.
CSW, a UK-based religious freedom charity, said in the report, Total Denial: Violations of Freedom of Religion or Belief in North Korea, that freedom of religion or belief "is largely non-existent" under dictator Kim Jong-Un's leadership.
"Religious beliefs are seen as a threat to the loyalty demanded by the Supreme Leader, so anyone holding these beliefs is severely persecuted," the report said. "Christians suffer significantly because of the anti-revolutionary and imperialist labels attached to them by the country's leadership."
Among the documented incidents against Christians are "being hung on a cross over a fire, crushed under a steamroller, herded off bridges and trampled underfoot".
Other crimes include "extra-judicial killing, extermination, enslavement/forced labour, forcible transfer of population, arbitrary imprisonment, torture, persecution, enforced disappearance, rape and sexual violence, and other inhumane acts".
Though the regime officially says there are just 13,000 Christians in North Korea, the true figure is believed to be much higher. Cornerstone Ministries International, which works with North Korean Christians in the country as well as in China, estimates that there are between 200-300,000 in total.
Believers are forced to practise their faith in secret, and if caught, get sent to North Korea's notorious hard labour camps. One escapee told CSW that while he was detained, he met a prisoner who was sent to the camp simply because he had spent a month in China studying the Bible.
Six told Christian Today it was "nearly impossible to imagine the horrors that are a daily reality for so many of faith in North Korea".
"Religious freedom conditions in North Korea remain dire, especially for Christians," Reese added. "Christians believed to have propagated religion, carried out religious activities, been in contact with religious persons, or are in possession of religious items typically are jailed, forced into hard labour, or executed."
China
The Chinese government this year continued its campaign to crackdown on Christianity and up to 1,700 churches have been demolished or had their crosses removed over the past three years.
However, new rules were drafted this year by the State Administration for Religious Affairs (SARA) that will further restrict religious freedom in the country. Due to be brought into effect in 2017, the new regulations will mean that no religious materials may be published without approval by SARA, no one may study theology without official permission, and no venues may be used for religious services unless a permit is granted.
China already has in place a number of draconian laws on religion that systematically repress the liberty of its citizens, and campaigners fear that the proposed new laws could see the climate for Christians and other minorities significantly worsen.
In November, it was reported that Christian children in Zhejiang at the centre of the church demolition campaign were being lured away from churches by a government scheme aimed at stopping them from taking part in Sunday services with other believers.
In October, more than 20 Christians in Henan province were detained and beaten, and another couple detained for hanging a cross in their home.
"It was generally believed that conditions were slowly improving in China over the past decade, but these incidents make it clear that the Communist Party is dedicated to crushing any perceived threat to its authority, regardless of the cost to freedom," Six said.
Nigeria
Open Doors has ranked Nigeria as one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a Christian. President of the charity's UK and Ireland division, Eddie Lyle, told Christian Today in September that the Church there "is facing its Gethsemane".
"For the most part it stands alone and misunderstood. It has endured years of destruction, great human loss, and its people scattered. It's time for the Church around the world to hear not only their cries, but their screams for help, and for the support of the family of God around the world," Lyle said.
Much of the violence perpetuated against Christians in Nigeria is by Boko Haram; an Islamist militant group whose name means 'Western education is sinful'. Since uprising in 2009, it has targeted more than 900 schools, deliberately killing at least 611 teachers and forcing another 1,900 to flee. In total, 20,000 people have been killed over the past seven years as a result of the insurgency.
In August, Boko Haram's new leader Abu Musab al-Barnawi vowed to eradicate Christianity in Nigeria. Militants will blow up "every church that we are able to reach... killing all of those who we find from the citizens of the cross," he said.
"In Nigeria, more Christians have been murdered because of their religious identity than in any other country we know of over the past year," Six said. "Boko Haram and Fulani militants are running rampant in the North and across the Middle Belt of the country. While the Nigerian military and government have taken some action against Boko Haram, the almost weekly slaughter of Christians by Fulani militants desperately needs to be addressed."
Violence in Chicago is reaching epidemic proportions. In the first five months of 2016, someone was shot every two and a half hours and someone murdered every 14 hours, for a total of nearly 1,400 nonfatal shooting victims and 240 fatalities. Over Memorial Day weekend, 69 people were shot, nearly one per hour, dwarfing the previous years tally of 53 shootings over the same period. The violence is spilling over from the citys gang-infested South and West Sides into the downtown business district; Lake Shore Drive has seen drive-by shootings and robberies.
The growing mayhem is the result of Chicago police officers withdrawal from proactive enforcement, making the city a dramatic example of what I have called the Ferguson effect. Since the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in August 2014, the conceit that American policing is lethally racist has dominated the national airwaves and political discourse, from the White House on down. In response, cops in minority neighborhoods in Chicago and other cities around the country are backing off pedestrian stops and public-order policing; criminals are flourishing in the resulting vacuum. (An early and influential Ferguson-effect denier has now changed his mind: in a June 2016 study for the National Institute of Justice, Richard Rosenfeld of the University of MissouriSt. Louis concedes that the 2015 homicide increase in the nations large cities was real and nearly unprecedented. The only explanation that gets the timing right is a version of the Ferguson effect, he told the Guardian.)
Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel warned in October 2015 that officers were going fetal, as shootings in the city skyrocketed. But 2016 has brought an even sharper reduction in proactive enforcement. Devastating failures in Chicagos leadership after a horrific police shooting and an ill-considered pact between the American Civil Liberties Union and the police are driving that reduction. Residents of Chicagos high-crime areas are paying the price.
Felicia Moore, a wiry middle-aged woman with tattoos on her face and the ravaged frame of a former drug addict, is standing inside a Polish sausage joint on Chicagos South Side at 10 PM. Asked about crime, she responds: Ive been in Chicago all my life. Its never been this bad. Mothers and grandchildren are scared to come out on their porch; if you see more than five or six niggas walking together, you gotta run. The violence claimed her only son last year, she says, just as he was being drafted by the Atlanta Hawks. Moore is engaging in some revisionist history: her son, Jeremiah Moore, was, in fact, killed with a shot to his headbut in 2013, a little over a year after he was released from prison for shooting a mother at a bus stop; the Atlanta Hawks dont enter into it.
Felicia Moores assessment of the present crime situation in Chicago, however, is more reality-based. Through the end of May, shooting incidents in Chicago were up 53 percent over the same period in 2015, which had already seen a significant increase over 2014. Compared with the first five months of 2014, shooting incidents in 2016 were up 86 percent. Certain police districts saw larger spikes. The Harrison District on the West Side, encompassing West Humboldt Park, for example, had a 191 percent increase in homicides through the end of May. Shootings in May citywide averaged nearly 13 a day, a worrisome portent for summer.
A man who calls himself City Streets is standing in a ragtag group of drinkers and hustlers outside a liquor and convenience store on the South Side. They pass around beer, cigarettes, and cash and ask strangers for money. A young woman shoves her boy along, oblivious to the late hour. Its terrible out here. Someone gets shot every day, City Streets tells me. It aint no place to hang, he adds, ignoring his own advice.
Social breakdown lies behind Chicagos historically high levels of violence. Fatherlessness in the citys black community is at a cataclysmic levelclose to 80 percent of children are born to single mothers in high-crime areas. Illegitimacy is catching up fast among Hispanics, as well. Gangs have stepped in where fathers are absent. A 2012 gang audit documented 59 active street gangs with 625 factions, some controlling a single block. Schools in gang territories go on high alert at dismissal time to fend off violence. Endemic crime has prevented the commercial development and gentrification that are revitalizing so many parts of Chicago closer to downtown; block after block on the South Side features a wan liquor store or check-cashing outlet, surrounded by empty lots and the occasional skeleton of a once-magnificent beaux-arts apartment complex or bank. Nonfunctioning streetlights, their fuse boxes vandalized, signal the reign of a local gang faction.
But disorder, bad before, seems to be worsening. The night after my conversations with Felicia Moore and City Streets, dozens of teens burst into the intersection of Cicero and Madison on the West Side, stopping traffic and ignoring the loud approach of a fire truck. They hold their cell phones high, the new sign of urban empowerment. Earlier that day, a fight involving at least 60 teens took over a nearby intersection, provoking a retaliatory shooting two days later at a local fried-chicken restaurant. On May 14, a 13-year-old girl stabbed a 15-year-old girl to death in a South Side housing complex; the murderers mother had given her the knife. In the summer of 2015, wolf packs of teens marauded down Michigan Avenues Magnificent Mile, robbing stores and pedestrians. The phenomenon started even earlier this year. A couple strolling on Lake Shore Drive downtown on Memorial Day weekend were chased by more than a half-dozen young men, at least one armed with a gun. The two tried to escape across the highway, the teens in hot pursuit. A pickup truck hit the couple, killing the female. A police officer flashed his emergency lights at the teens, and they fled. If it wasnt for the police being there at the time, I dont know where I might be now, the surviving man told the Chicago Sun-Times. Six feet under?
Public-order infractions, otherwise known as Broken Windows offenses, abound. Stand just a few minutes on a South or West Side thoroughfare, and someone will stride by hawking bootleg CDs or videos and loose cigarettes. Oliver, a 34-year-old with a Bloods tattoo and alcohol on his breath, has just been frisked by the police in a West Side White Castle parking lot around 9:30 PM. The police are assholes, he says. I know my rights; Im selling CDs, so I know Im doing something wrong, but they werent visible in my bag. Oliver then sells two loosies to a passerby, laboriously counting out change from a five-dollar bill.
Oliver, a 34-year-old with a Bloods tattoo, has just been frisked by cops in a West Side White Castle parking lot.
Some law-abiding Chicagoans blame the rising violence on just such street disorder. After a woman and four men were shot at a bus stop on the South Side in May, a local resident complained about the illegal vending. This sort of congregation of people who meet at this space dealing drugs and selling loose cigarettes . . . is despicable, he told the Chicago Tribune. The drug trade is less overt but more ubiquitous than the trafficking in CDs and loosies. As I approach a Jamaican jerk restaurant on the West Side, the young men in front melt away. You saw what happened when you pulled up hereeveryone disappeared, a middle-aged man tells me. They sell drugs everywhere.
The majority of victims in the current crime wave are already known to the police. Four-fifths of the Memorial Day shooting victims, for example, were on the Chicago Police Departments list of gang members deemed most prone to violence. But innocents, like the Lake Shore Drive robbery victims, are being attacked as well: a 59-year-old Pakistani cabdriver, fatally shot in the head in February by a 19-year-old passenger; a DePaul student brutally beaten in April on the subway while other passengers passively looked on; a 49-year-old female dispatcher with the citys 311 call center, killed in May while standing outside a Starbucks a few blocks from police headquarters; a worker driving home at night from her job at FedEx, shot four times in the head while waiting at an intersection and saved from death by the cell phone at her ear; a trucker shot in the face in May on the Dan Ryan Expressway; three eighth-graders robbed at gunpoint outside their school in May; a six-year-old girl playing outside her grandmothers house in June, shot in the back and lung; a man stabbed in the stomach by a felon, who said: I hate white people. Give me your money.
The murder that shook the city to its core was the assassination of nine-year-old Tyshawn Lee. He was playing in a park on November 2, 2015, when a 22-year-old gangster, Dwight Boone-Doty, lured him into an alley with the promise of chips and candy. Boone-Doty fatally shot the boy, then fled with two accomplices, bleaching the getaway car and dumping it in Dalton, Illinois. Boone-Dotys original plan, according to a police source, was to kidnap Tyshawn and send his ears and fingers to his mother. Tyshawns father was a member of the gang believed responsible for shooting the brother and mother of one of Boone-Dotys accomplices a few weeks earlier. After the shooting, local schools went on lockdown, terrified that the children of gang members were now fair game for execution.
Officers who try to intervene in this disorder face a virulent street situation, thanks to the current anti-cop ideology. People are a hundred times more likely to resist arrest, an officer who has worked a decade and a half on the South Side informs me. People want to fight you; they swear at you. Fuck the police, we dont have to listen, they say. I havent seen this kind of hatred toward the police in my career.
Antipolice animus is nothing new in Chicago, of course. An Illinois state representative, Monique Davis, told a Detroit radio station in 2013 that people in her South Side community believed that the reason so few homicide cases were solved is that it was the police who were killing young black males. Davis later refused to repudiate her statement: We cant say that it is not happening. The no-snitch ethic of refusing to cooperate with the cops is the biggest impediment to solving crime, according to Chicago commanders. But the Black Lives Matter narrative about endemically racist cops has made the street dynamic much worse. A detective says: From patrol to investigation, its almost an undoable job now. If I get out of my car, the guys get hostile right away and several people are taping [with cell phones]. Bystanders and suspects try to tamper with crime scenes and aggressively interfere with investigations. Additional officers may be needed during an arrest to keep angry onlookers away. Its very dangerous out there now, a detective tells me. In March 2016, then-chief of patrol (now superintendent) Eddie Johnson decried what he called the string of violent attacks against the police after an off-duty officer was shot by a felon who had ordered him on the ground after robbing him. The previous week, three officers were shot during a drug investigation.
This volatile policing environment now exists in urban areas across the country. But Chicago officers face two additional challenges: a new oversight regime for pedestrian stops; and the fallout from an officers killing of Laquan McDonald in October 2014.
In March 2015, the ACLU of Illinois accused the Chicago Police Department of engaging in racially biased stops, locally called investigatory stops, because its stop rate did not match population ratios. Blacks were 72 percent of all stop subjects during a four-month period in 2014, reported the ACLU, whereas whites were 9 percent of all stop subjects. But blacks and whites each make up roughly 32 percent of the citys populace. Ergo, the police are racially profiling. This by-now drearily familiar and ludicrously inadequate benchmarking methodology ignores the incidence of crime. In 2014, blacks in Chicago made up 79 percent of all known nonfatal shooting suspects, 85 percent of all known robbery suspects, and 77 percent of all known murder suspects, according to police department data. Whites were 1 percent of known nonfatal shootings suspects in 2014, 2.5 percent of known robbery suspects, and 5 percent of known murder suspects, the latter number composed disproportionately of domestic homicides. Whites are nearly absent, in other words, among violent street criminalsprecisely whom proactive policing aims to deter. Whites are actually over-stopped compared with their involvement in street crime. Nearly 40 percent of young white males surveyed by Northwestern University criminologist Wes Skogan in 2015 reported getting stopped in the previous year, compared with nearly 70 percent of young black males. Statistically, age is the strongest correlate of being stopped, says Skogannot race.
Despite the groundlessness of the ACLUs racial-bias charges, thenpolice superintendent Garry McCarthy and the citys corporation counsel signed an agreement in August 2015 allowing the ACLU to review all future stops made by the department. The agreement also created an independent monitor for police stops. Why McCarthy agreed to put the ACLU in charge is beyond us, says a homicide detective. McCarthys signing of the stop agreement was indeed ironic, since he had encouraged a dramatic increase in stops. They rose 50 percent in his first two years, ultimately reaching about 700,000 a year, more than the NYPD performed at the height of its own stop activity, even though the CPD is about a third the size of the NYPD.
On January 1, 2016, the police department rolled out a new form for documenting investigatory stops, developed to meet ACLU demands. The new form, traditionally called a contact card, was two pages long and contained a whopping 70 fields of information to be filled out, including three narrative sections. (Those narrative sections were subsequently combined to try to quiet criticism.) The new contact card dwarfs even arrest reports and takes at least 30 minutes to complete. Every contact card is forwarded to the ACLU. Stops dropped nearly 90 percent in the first quarter of 2016. Detectives had long relied on the information contained in contact cards to solve crimes. When 15-year-old Hadiya Pendleton was killed in January 2013, days after performing with her high school band in President Barack Obamas second inaugural, investigators identified the occupants of the getaway car through descriptions of the vehicle in previous contact cards. Now, however, crime sleuths have almost nothing to go on. Earlier this year, a detective working armed robbery had a pattern of two male Hispanics with tattoos on their faces sticking up people in front of their homes. But virtually no contact cards had been written in the area for three months. So he made car stops in the neighborhood himself, coming across the stolen car used in the robberies and the parolees responsible for the crimes. This is not a maximally efficient division of labor.
Criminals have become emboldened by the police disengagement. Gangbangers now realize that no one will stop them, says a former high-ranking police official. And people who wouldnt have carried a gun before are now armed, a South Side officer says. The solution, according to officers, is straightforward: If tomorrow, we still had to fill out the new forms, but they no longer went to the ACLU, stops would increase, a detective claims.
But a more profound pall hangs over the department because of a shockingly unjustified police homicide and the missteps of top brass and the mayor in handling it. On the night of October 20, 2014, a report went out over the police radio that someone was breaking into cars in a trucking yard in the southwest neighborhood of Archer Heights; the vandal had threatened the 911 caller with a knife. Two officers found 17-year-old Laquan McDonald a block away; he punctured a tire on their squad car and struck its windshield with his three-inch blade. The cops trailed McDonald, who was high on PCP, for nearly half a mile while waiting for backup units with a Taser. Two additional patrol cars pulled up as McDonald strode along the middle of Pulaski Road, energetically swinging his right arm, knife in hand. One car parked behind him; its dashboard camera recorded the subsequent events. The other car stopped about 30 yards ahead. The officers in that forward vehicle jumped out, guns pointed at McDonald, commanding him to drop the knife. Less than ten seconds after exiting, Officer Jason Van Dyke began shooting. McDonald spun 360 degrees under the impact of the first bullets and dropped to the ground. Van Dyke continued shooting, emptying his cartridge into McDonalds crumpled and gently writhing body.
The new contact card takes at least 30 minutes to complete. Every contact card is forwarded to the ACLU.
The shooting, pitiable to watch, represented a catastrophic failure of tactics and judgment. Some police use-of-force experts claim that a suspect armed with a knife can rush and slash an unprepared officer if the assailant is within 21 feet. Even if that so-called 21-foot rule applied here, Van Dyke and his partner had no need to exit the car and put themselves within possible reach of McDonald. If they were in any imminent risk of lethal harm, they created that risk themselves. But even then, McDonald did not appear poised to attack, despite his failure to drop the knife. He was on a slight rightward trajectory away from Van Dyke, who was on his left, before the shooting began.
What followed the homicide was almost as shocking. Five officers at the scene all told variants of the same tale in their written reports: that McDonald had been advancing toward Van Dyke, aggressively raising his knife as if to attack. Once on the ground, McDonald tried to get up, they said, continuing to point his knife at Van Dyke. None of those claims is borne out by the video. McDonald displayed no aggressive behavior toward Van Dyke. It is true that for two strides immediately before the first bullets hit him, McDonalds trajectory had minimally shifted to the left so as to be perpendicular to Van Dyke rather than veering diagonally away. But that modest and likely unconscious alteration of trajectory does not rise to the level of lethal threat. And having made the mistake of opening fire in the first place, Van Dyke should at least have stopped shooting once McDonald fell. Had McDonald had a gun, capable of striking from a distance, rather than a knife, the analysis might have been different.
A police-union spokesman at the scene of the killing told reporters that McDonald had been threatening Van Dyke. The police department press release a few hours later essentially echoed that account, stating that McDonald continued to approach the officers after being warned. Superintendent McCarthy viewed the video the next day, without retracting the departments press release, explaining later that he was too busy trying to learn what had happened. From then on out, officials made no effort to countermand the McDonald attack narrative. (A rumor that cops destroyed a video of the incident taken at a nearby Burger King, however, proved not to be true.)
McCarthy immediately stripped Van Dyke of his police powers and forwarded the case to the civilian board that reviews police shootings, the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA). The case also went to the Cook County state attorneys office, the U.S. attorneys office, and the FBI. In April, the mayors corporation counsel, Stephen Patton, attained city council approval for a $5 million settlement with the McDonald family, conditioned on the continued non-release of the video. Later that month, the detectives bureau cleared and closed the case, astoundingly concluding that the recovered in-car camera video was . . . consistent with the accounts of the witnesses and that Van Dykes use of deadly force was within bounds of CPD guidelines.
By then, the Chicago press was clamoring for the videos release, but it was not until November 24, 2015, that the video came out, under a judges order. The reaction was understandably explosive; weeks of angry protests denouncing alleged police racism and brutality followed.
The Cook County state attorney announced first-degree murder charges against Officer Van Dyke on the day that the McDonald video was released. Mayor Emanuel fired McCarthy a week later and appointed the Police Accountability Task Force, dominated by critics of the police. That task force issued a report in April 2016, claiming that the Chicago Police Department is shot through with racism. Emanuel is now genuflecting to the citys activists. He has adopted many of the reports most sweeping recommendations, including the appointment of a costly and unnecessary inspector general for the department (that will come on top of the independent monitor for investigatory stops), the replacement of the IPRA with a new entity, the Civilian Police Investigative Agency, and the creation of the Community Safety Oversight Board. All these additional layers of oversight will only complicate chains of command and further discourage proactive policing.
McCarthy defends his decision not to release the video or to correct the record early on the ground that he didnt want to compromise the integrity of the investigation. He did not have the legal authority to comment once the case went to federal agencies, he says. Those protocols may be appropriate in the case of an ordinary police shooting, but this was no ordinary police shooting. Allowing a fabrication about a very bad shooting to stand, especially during the current era of fevered antipolice sentiment, is guaranteed to amplify the demagoguery against the police. McCarthy, an able and accomplished police executive, should have at least called in the investigating bodies in emergency session and worked out with them a way to counter the false narrative without jeopardizing their work. The Emanuel administration also bears enormous responsibility for the crisis in legitimacy that now afflicts the department. Emanuel has praised himself for being the first Chicago mayor to acknowledge an alleged police code of silence, but he knew about the shooting, and his aides had seen the video early on. City hall was already in damage-control mode by February 2015, as Emanuel faced a tight runoff election. It is irresponsible for Emanuel to scapegoat McCarthy when his own administration also failed to set the record straight.
The damage to the Chicago police and to policing nationally from the mishandling of the McDonald homicide is incalculable. The episode can now be invoked to confirm every false generalization about the police peddled by the Black Lives Matter movement. Yet the shooting was a tragic aberration, not the norm. A New York Times Magazine article in April 2016 tried to establish the departments racially driven malfeasance by citing the absolute number of fatal police shootings in Chicago: from 2010 to 2014, Chicago police killed 70 people, more than any other police agency. The Times article neglected to reveal that Phoenix, Philadelphia, and Dallas all lead Chicago in the per-capita rate of such fatal shootings. Chicagos rate of police shootings is nearly 50 percent lower than Phoenixseven though its murder rate is twice as highand 35 percent lower than Philadelphias.
The number of armed felons that the citys cops confront dwarfs the number of officer-involved shootings. No other police department takes more guns off the street. In the first nine months of 2015, the CPD recovered 20 illegal weapons a day. From January 2007 to November 30, 2015, the police made 37,408 arrests of an armed felon, or roughly 4,670 a year. Each of those arrests could have turned into an officer shooting. But in 2015, even as crime was increasing under the Ferguson effect, the Chicago police shot 30 people, eight fatally. Those fatal shootings represent 1.6 percent of the 492 homicides that year. Nationally, police shootings make up 12 percent of all white and Hispanic homicide deaths and 4 percent of all black homicide deaths. Chicagos ratio of fatal police shootings to criminal homicide deaths is less than the national average.
The Emanuel-appointed Police Accountability Task Force claimed that police shooting data give validity to the widely held belief that the police have no regard for the sanctity of life when it comes to people of color. The task force pointed to the fact that of the 404 individuals shot by the police between 2008 and 2015, both fatally and nonfatally, 74 percent (or 299) were black, and 8 percent (or 33) were white. Predictably, the task force said not one word about black and white crime rates, which were even more disproportionate in 2015 than in 2014. In 2015, blacks were 80 percent of all known murder suspects and 80 percent of all known nonfatal shooting suspects. Whites made up 0.9 percent of known murder suspects in 2015 and 1.4 percent of all known nonfatal shooting suspects. And blacks were overwhelmingly the victims of criminal shootings as well. In 2015, 2,460 blacks were shot lethally and nonlethally, or nearly seven blacks a day. By contrast, roughly 30 blacks were shot lethally and nonlethally by the police in all of 2015. Those 2,460 black victims of criminal shootings constituted nearly 81 percent of all known shooting victims. Seventy-eight whites were shot in 2015, or one white every 4.6 days, constituting 2.5 percent of all known shooting victims. If 74 percent of police shootings have black subjects, that is because officer use of force is going to occur most frequently where the police are trying to protect the law-abiding from armed and dangerous suspectsand that is in predominantly minority neighborhoods.
Emanuel is disbanding the IPRA because it found that of the 404 police shootings between 2008 and 2015, only two were unjustified. The mandate of its replacement body will be clear: penalize more cops. But absent an examination of each of those cases, no conclusion can be reached about whether the low number of findings of misconduct represents a miscarriage of justice. The IPRA has been understaffed over the years, but its fundamental design is strong. The fact that it has not found many bad shootings most likely means that they are rare. The IPRA released more than 100 files of police misconduct cases in early June, as part of a new policy of increased transparency. Prediction: the press will find few cases of clear wrongdoing.
The CPDs critics are right about one thing, however: the cumbersome disciplinary process makes it too hard to fire officers found guilty of wrongdoing. And Chicago has had some truly bad cops over the yearsmost infamously, Jon Burge, a detective who tortured suspects from 1972 to 1991 to obtain false confessions. But the vast majority of officers today observe the law and are dedicated to serving the community; what they need is more tactical training, adequate staffing and equipment, and better leadership from an ingrown, highly political management cadre. As for the alleged blue wall, or code, of silence, it is hard in any department to crack the defensive solidarity among officers, who feel that they are facing an uncomprehending and often hostile world. Even now, a few of the officers I spoke with will not pass judgment on the McDonald homicide, on the ground that they were not there. Such solidarity is understandable, but commanders need to stress that when it results in distorting the truth, not only will the officer be severely punished; he is also making todays anti-cop environment all the worse.
Despite the activists charge that the Chicago police are intent on killing black males, its easy to find support for the cops in crime-ridden areas. Mr. Fisher, a 55-year-old sanitation worker at a West Side bakery, is waiting for his wife outside Wileys Soul Food and Bar-B-Que on the West Side. Fisher was pulled over earlier in 2016 for a missing light on his license plate. The officer was courteous, he says. I aint trying to buck them, I aint trying to disrespect them, I aint trying to give them a hard time, because I love my job. Its not them, its the younger generation thats got us messed up. Civilians provoke confrontations with cops, not vice versa, Fisher says: I seen a lot of people disrespect them, cussin and fussin. If a cop was to get out of his car here, someone would run. To me, if youre not doing anything, why would you run? (Such commonsensical hypotheses have been ruled illegal by many courtsif a cop makes them.) Melissa, a 24-year-old outside D & Js Hair Club on Pulaski Road, says that she has no problem with the police. They doing they job. I dont give them no reason to talk to me. The problem is crime, she says: I feel unsafe here. It just gets worse and worse.
Sometimes support for the cops comes from unexpected places. In May 2016, a 38-year-old drug trafficker named Toby Jones received a 40-year federal prison sentence for repeatedly trying to gun down a federal informant, in the process shooting three people. He told the judge: Even with all the latest police shootings on minorities in Chicago, I dont blame these cops one bit for most of their decisions in the field. And the black community has to first come to grips with why these cops are so afraid, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. Stories of heroic cops go untold, Jones said, but as soon as a black kid gets shot, everyone is in an uproar.
Activists and politicians are proposing the usual root causes solution to the current crime wavemore government programsas well as less usual ones, such as abolishing the police department. The mayors Police Accountability Task Force wants the mayor and Cook County to implement programs that address socioeconomic justice and equality, housing segregation, systemic racism, poverty, education, health and safety. Such top-down spending ignores the normative breakdown that renders government social services largely futile. The bakery where Fisher works has been hiring for the last five years; he tells the young brothers about the jobs. Half of them dont show up; the others have drugs in their system. Half want to hang out and make the fast money that can get you in jail, Fisher observes.
But the Chicago violence is also undermining the politically correct consensus about crime and policing. The Chicago Tribune has called for the police to make more traffic stops to quell the highway shootings; it points out that the Illinois vehicle code offers plenty of reasons to stop drivers, whether for a broken taillight or an expired registration sticker. Traffic stops are, of course, a prime target in the specious campaign against racial profiling; the mayors Police Accountability Task Force blasted the CPD for its allegedly biased stop rates, ignoring differential rates of vehicle and moving violations.
Police superintendent Eddie Johnson wants three-strikes-and-youre-out-type sentencing laws for repeat felons. Chicagos criminal-justice system fails to hold these individuals accountable and allows them to bring . . . violent acts into our neighborhoods, he said in March 2016. Stricter sentencing for repeat offenders is also a prime target for Black Lives Matter protesters. A few days after Johnsons plea, anti-law-enforcement activists assailed former president Bill Clinton for having signed the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which lengthened federal sentences for repeat felony offenders. Such sentences, protesters charged, resulted in mass incarceration for blacks. And an Illinois bill mandating stricter sentencing for illegal gun possession was blocked by the black caucus in Springfield in 2013, on the ground that it would have a disparate impact on blacks.
Some people in the community, however, are demanding even stronger measures than Johnson calls for. After a 15-year-old car passenger was killed in a drive-by shooting on June 1 on the South Side, a friend of his family told the Chicago Tribune, We need martial law. Period. If its to protect our children, then so be it.
Such calls will undoubtedly multiply this summer, since the violence shows no signs of abating. It may not be time to call out the National Guard yet. But it is time to reinvigorate the Chicago Police Department. With the Police Accountability Task Force charge of endemic racism and the ACLU straitjacket depressing morale, and with resistance of lawful authority growing, that will be no small task. City leaders will need to show that they understand and will support officers like the cold-case homicide detective who told me, in reaction to the task-force report: Never once has anyone complained to me that Im racist. Im in it to do whats right.
Top Photo: Police stops, like this one, have become increasingly rare. (RALF-FINN HESTOFT/CORBIS/GETTY IMAGES)
Borders are in the news as never before. After millions of young, Muslim, and mostly male refugees flooded into the European Union last year from the war-torn Middle East, a popular revolt arose against the so-called Schengen Area agreements, which give free rights of movement within Europe. The concurrent suspension of most E.U. external controls on immigration and asylum rendered the open-borders pact suddenly unworkable. The European masses are not racists, but they now apparently wish to accept Middle Eastern immigrants only to the degree that these newcomers arrive legally and promise to become European in values and outlookprotocols that the E.U. essentially discarded decades ago as intolerant. Europeans are relearning that the continents external borders mark off very different approaches to culture and society from what prevails in North Africa or the Middle East.
A similar crisis plays out in the United States, where President Barack Obama has renounced his former opposition to open borders and executive-order amnesties. Since 2012, the U.S. has basically ceased policing its southern border. The populist pushback against the opening of the border with Mexico gave rise to the presidential candidacy of Donald Trumppredicated on the candidates promise to build an impenetrable border wallmuch as the flood of migrants into Germany fueled opposition to Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Driving the growing populist outrage in Europe and North America is the ongoing elite push for a borderless world. Among elites, borderlessness has taken its place among the politically correct positions of our ageand, as with other such ideas, it has shaped the language we use. The descriptive term illegal alien has given way to the nebulous unlawful immigrant. This, in turn, has given way to undocumented immigrant, immigrant, or the entirely neutral migranta noun that obscures whether the individual in question is entering or leaving. Such linguistic gymnastics are unfortunately necessary. Since an enforceable southern border no longer exists, there can be no immigration law to break in the first place.
Todays open-borders agenda has its roots not only in economic factorsthe need for low-wage workers who will do the work that native-born Americans or Europeans supposedly will notbut also in several decades of intellectual ferment, in which Western academics have created a trendy field of borders discourse. What we might call post-borderism argues that boundaries even between distinct nations are mere artificial constructs, methods of marginalization designed by those in power, mostly to stigmatize and oppress the otherusually the poorer and less Westernwho arbitrarily ended up on the wrong side of the divide. Where borders are drawn, power is exercised, as one European scholar put it. This view assumes that where borders are not drawn, power is not exercisedas if a million Middle Eastern immigrants pouring into Germany do not wield considerable power by their sheer numbers and adroit manipulation of Western notions of victimization and grievance politics. Indeed, Western leftists seek political empowerment by encouraging the arrival of millions of impoverished migrants.
Dreams of a borderless world are not new, however. The biographer and moralist Plutarch claimed in his essay On Exile that Socrates had once asserted that he was not just an Athenian but instead a citizen of the cosmos. In later European thought, Communist ideas of universal labor solidarity drew heavily on the idea of a world without borders. Workers of the world, unite! exhorted Marx and Engels. Wars broke out, in this thinking, only because of needless quarreling over obsolete state boundaries. The solution to this state of endless war, some argued, was to eliminate borders in favor of transnational governance. H. G. Wellss prewar science-fiction novel The Shape of Things to Come envisioned borders eventually disappearing as elite transnational polymaths enforced enlightened world governance. Such fictions prompt fads in the contemporary real world, though attempts to render borders unimportantas, in Wellss time, the League of Nations sought to dohave always failed. Undaunted, the Left continues to cherish the vision of a borderless world as morally superior, a triumph over artificially imposed difference.
Yet the truth is that borders do not create differencethey reflect it. Elites continued attempts to erase borders are both futile and destructive.
Bordersand the fights to keep or change themare as old as agricultural civilization. In ancient Greece, most wars broke out over border scrubland. The contested upland eschatia offered little profit for farming but possessed enormous symbolic value for a city-state to define where its own culture began and ended. The self-acclaimed citizen of the cosmos Socrates nonetheless fought his greatest battle as a parochial Athenian hoplite in the ranks of the phalanx at the Battle of Deliumwaged over the contested borderlands between Athens and Thebes. Fifth-century Athenians such as Socrates envisioned Attica as a distinct cultural, political, and linguistic entity, within which its tenets of radical democracy and maritime-based imperialism could function quite differently from the neighboring oligarchical agrarianism at Thebes. Attica in the fourth century BC built a system of border forts to protect its northern boundary.
Throughout history, the trigger points of war have traditionally been such borderlandsthe methoria between Argos and Sparta, the Rhine and Danube as the frontiers of Rome, or the Alsace-Lorraine powder keg between France and Germany. These disputes did not always arise, at least at first, as efforts to invade and conquer a neighbor. They were instead mutual expressions of distinct societies that valued clear-cut bordersnot just as matters of economic necessity or military security but also as a means of ensuring that one society could go about its unique business without the interference and hectoring of its neighbors.
Advocates for open borders often question the historical legitimacy of such territorial boundaries. For instance, some say that when Alta California declared its autonomy from Mexico in 1846, the new border stranded an indigenous Latino population in what would shortly become the 31st of the United States. We didnt cross the border, these revisionists say. The border crossed us. In fact, there were probably fewer than 10,000 Spanish-speakers residing in California at the time. Thus, almost no contemporary Californians of Latino descent can trace their state residency back to the mid-nineteenth century. They were not crossed by borders. And northsouth demarcation, for good or evil, didnt arbitrarily separate people.
What we might call post-borderism argues that boundaries even between distinct nations are mere artificial constructs.
The history of borders has been one of constant recalibration, whether dividing up land or unifying it. The Versailles Treaty of 1919 was idealistic not for eliminating borders but for drawing new ones. The old borders, established by imperial powers, supposedly caused World War I; the new ones would better reflect, it was hoped, ethnic and linguistic realities, and thus bring perpetual peace. But the world created at Versailles was blown apart by the Third Reich. German chancellor Adolf Hitler didnt object to the idea of borders per se; rather, he sought to remake them to encompass all German-speakersand later so-called Aryanswithin one political entity, under his absolute control. Many nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century German intellectuals and artistsamong them the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, historian Oswald Spengler, and composer Richard Wagneragreed that the Roman Empires borders marked the boundaries of civilization. Perversely, however, they celebrated their status as the unique other that had been kept out of a multiracial Western civilization. Instead, Germany mythologized itself as racially exceptional, precisely because, unlike other Western European nations, it was definable not only by geography or language but also by its supposed racial purity. The fairy-tale origins of the German Volk were traced back before the fifth century AD and predicated on the idea that Germanic tribes for centuries were kept on the northern and eastern sides of the Danube and Rhine Rivers. Thus, in National Socialist ideology, early German, white-skinned, Aryan noble savages paradoxically avoided a mongrelizing and enervating assimilation into the civilized Roman Empirean outcome dear to the heart of Nazi crackpot racial theorist Alfred Rosenberg (The Myth of the Twentieth Century) and the autodidact Adolf Hitler. World War II was fought to restore the old Eastern European borders that Hitler and Mussolini had erasedbut it ended with the creation of entirely new ones, reflecting the power and presence of Soviet continental Communism, enforced by the huge Russian Red Army.
Few escape petty hypocrisy when preaching the universal gospel of borderlessness. Barack Obama has caricatured the building of a wall on the U.S. southern border as nonsensical, as if borders are discriminatory and walls never work. Obama, remember, declared in his 2008 speech in Berlin that he wasnt just an American but also a citizen of the world. Yet the Secret Service is currently adding five feet to the White House fencepresumably on the retrograde logic that what is inside the White House grounds is different from what is outside and that the higher the fence goes (higher and stronger, the Secret Service promises), the more of a deterrent it will be to would-be trespassers. If Obamas previous wall was six feet high, the proposed 11 feet should be even better.
In 2011, open-borders advocate Antonio Villaraigosa became the first mayor in Los Angeles history to build a wall around the official mayoral residence. His un-walled neighbors objected, first, that there was no need for such a barricade and, second, that it violated a city ordinance prohibiting residential walls higher than four feet. But Villaraigosa apparently wished to emphasize the difference between his home and others (or between his home and the street itself), or was worried about security, or saw a new wall as iconic of his exalted office.
Youre about to graduate into a complex and borderless world, Secretary of State John Kerry recently enthused to the graduating class at Northeastern University. He didnt sound envious, though, perhaps because Kerry himself doesnt live in such a world. If he did, he never would have moved his 76-foot luxury yacht from Boston Harbor across the state border to Rhode Island in order to avoid $500,000 in sales taxes and assorted state and local taxes.
While elites can build walls or switch zip codes to insulate themselves, the consequences of their policies fall heavily on the nonelites who lack the money and influence to navigate around them. The contrast between the two groupsPeggy Noonan described them as the protected and the unprotectedwas dramatized in the presidential campaign of Jeb Bush. When the former Florida governor called illegal immigration from Mexico an act of love, his candidacy was doomed. It seemed that Bush had the capital and influence to pick and choose how the consequences of his ideas fell upon himself and his familyin a way impossible for most of those living in the southwestern United States. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg offers another case study. The multibillionaire advocates for a fluid southern border and lax immigration enforcement, but he has also stealthily spent $30 million to buy up four homes surrounding his Palo Alto estate. They form a sort of no-mans-land defense outside his own Maginot Line fence, presumably designed against hoi polloi who might not share Zuckerbergs taste or sense of privacy. Zuckerbergs other estate in San Francisco is prompting neighbors complaints because his security team takes up all the best parking spaces. Walls and border security seem dear to the heart of the open-borders multibillionairewhen its his wall, his border security.
This self-serving dynamic operates beyond the individual level as well. Sanctuary cities, for instance, proclaim amnesty for illegal aliens within their municipal boundaries. But proud as they are of their cities disdain for federal immigration law, residents of these liberal jurisdictions wouldnt approve of other cities nullifying other federal laws. What would San Franciscans say if Salt Lake City declared the Endangered Species Act null and void within its city limits, or if Carson City unilaterally suspended federal background checks and waiting periods for handgun purchases? Moreover, San Francisco and Los Angeles do believe in clearly delineated borders when it comes to their right to maintain a distinct culture, with distinct rules and customs. Their self-righteousness aside, sanctuary cities neither object to the idea of borders nor to their enforcementonly to the notion that protecting the southern U.S. border is predicated on the very same principles.
More broadly, ironies and contradictions abound in the arguments and practices of open-borders advocates. In academia, even modern historians of the ancient world, sensing the mood and direction of larger elite culture, increasingly rewrite the fall of fifth-century AD Rome, not as a disaster of barbarians pouring across the traditional fortified northern borders of the Rhine and Danubethe final limites that for centuries kept out perceived barbarism from classical civilizationbut rather as late antiquity, an intriguing osmosis of melting borders and cross-fertilization, leading to a more diverse and dynamic intersection of cultures and ideas. Why, then, dont they cite Vandal treatises on medicine, Visigothic aqueducts, or Hunnish advances in dome construction that contributed to this rich new culture of the sixth or seventh century AD? Because these things never existed.
Academics may now caricature borders, but key to their posturing is either an ignorance of, or an unwillingness to address, why tens of millions of people choose to cross borders in the first place, leaving their homelands, language fluency, or capitaland at great personal risk. The answer is obvious, and it has little to do with natural resources or climate: migration, as it was in Rome during the fifth century AD, or as it was in the 1960s between mainland China and Hong Kongand is now in the case of North and South Koreahas usually been a one-way street, from the non-West to the West or its Westernized manifestations. People walk, climb, swim, and fly across borders, secure in the knowledge that boundaries mark different approaches to human experience, with one side usually perceived as more successful or inviting than the other.
Western rules that promote a greater likelihood of consensual government, personal freedom, religious tolerance, transparency, rationalism, an independent judiciary, free-market capitalism, and the protection of private property combine to offer the individual a level of prosperity, freedom, and personal security rarely enjoyed at home. As a result, most migrants make the necessary travel adjustments to go westwardespecially given that Western civilization, uniquely so, has usually defined itself by culture, not race, and thus alone is willing to accept and integrate those of different races who wish to share its protocols.
Many unassimilated Muslims in the West often are confused about borders and assume that they can ignore Western jurisprudence and yet rely on it in extremis. Todays migrant from Morocco might resent the bare arms of women in France, or the Pakistani new arrival in London might wish to follow sharia law as he knew it in Punjab. But implicit are two unmentionable constants: the migrant most certainly does not wish to return to face sharia law in Morocco or Pakistan. Second, if he had his way, institutionalizing his native culture into that of his newly adopted land, he would eventually flee the resultsand once again likely go somewhere else, for the same reasons that he left home in the first place. London Muslims may say that they demand sharia law on matters of religion and sex, but such a posture assumes the unspoken condition that the English legal system remains supreme, and thus, as Muslim minorities, they will not be thrown out of Britain as religious infidelsas Christians are now expelled from the Middle East.
Even the most adamant ethnic chauvinists who want to erase the southern border assume that some sort of border is central to their own racial essence. The National Council of La Raza (the race; Latin, radix) is the largest lobbying body for open borders with Mexico. Yet Mexico itself supports the idea of boundaries. Mexico City may harp about alleged racism in the United States directed at its immigrants, but nothing in U.S. immigration law compares with Mexicos 1974 revision of its General Law of Population and its emphasis on migrants not upsetting the racial makeup of Mexicoeuphemistically expressed as preserving the equilibrium of the national demographics. In sum, Mexican nationals implicitly argue that borders, which unfairly keep them out of the United States, are nonetheless essential to maintaining their own pure raza.
Migration has usually been a one-way street, from the non-West to the West or its Westernized manifestations.
Mexico, in general, furiously opposes enforcing the U.S.Mexican border and, in particular, the proposed Trump wall that would bar unauthorized entry into the U.S.not on any theory of borders discourse but rather because Mexico enjoys fiscal advantages in exporting its citizens northward, whether in ensuring nearly $30 billion in remittances, creating a powerful lobby of expatriates in the U.S., or finding a safety valve for internal dissent. Note that this view does not hold when it comes to accepting northward migrations of poorer Central Americans. In early 2016, Mexico ramped up its border enforcement with Guatemala, adding more security forces, and rumors even circulated of a plan to erect occasional fences to augment the natural barriers of jungle and rivers. Apparently, Mexican officials view poorer Central Americans as quite distinct from Mexicansand thus want to ensure that Mexico remains separate from a poorer Guatemala.
When I wrote an article titled Do We Want Mexifornia? for City Journal s Spring 2002 issue, I neither invented the word Mexifornia nor intended it as a pejorative. Instead, I expropriated the celebratory term from Latino activists, both in the academy and in ethnic gangs in California prisons. In Chicano studies departments, the fusion of Mexico and California was envisioned as a desirable and exciting third-way culture. Mexifornia was said to be arising within 200 to 300 miles on either side of an ossified Rio Grande border. Less clearly articulated were Mexifornias premises: millions of Latinos and mestizos would create a new ethnic zone, which, for some mysterious reason, would also enjoy universities, sophisticated medical services, nondiscrimination laws, equality between the sexes, modern housing, policing, jobs, commerce, and a judiciaryall of which would make Mexifornia strikingly different from what is currently found in Mexico and Central America.
When Latino youths disrupt a Donald Trump rally, they often wave Mexican flags or flash placards bearing slogans such as Make America Mexico Again. But note the emotional paradox: in anger at possible deportation, undocumented aliens nonsensically wave the flag of the country that they most certainly do not wish to return to, while ignoring the flag of the nation in which they adamantly wish to remain. Apparently, demonstrators wish to brand themselves with an ethnic cachet but without sacrificing the advantages that being an American resident has over being a Mexican citizen inside Mexico. If no borders existed between California and Mexico, then migrants in a few decades might head to Oregon, even as they demonstrated in Portland to Make Oregon into California.
Removing borders in theory, then, never seems to match expectations in fact, except in those rare occasions when nearly like societies exist side by side. No one objects to a generally open Canadian border because passage across it, numbers-wise, is roughly identical in either directionand Canadians and Americans share a language and similar traditions and standard of living, along with a roughly identical approach to democracy, jurisprudence, law enforcement, popular culture, and economic practice. By contrast, weakening demarcated borders between diverse peoples has never appealed to the citizens of distinct nations. Take even the most vociferous opponents of a distinguishable and enforceable border, and one will observe a disconnect between what they say and dogiven the universal human need to circumscribe, demarcate, and protect ones perceived private space.
Again, the dissipation of national borders is possible only between quite similar countries, such as Canada and the U.S. or France and Belgium, or on those few occasions when a supranational state or empire can incorporate different peoples by integrating, assimilating, and intermarrying tribes of diverse religions, languages, and ethnicities into a common cultureand then, of course, protect them with distinct and defensible external borders. But aside from Rome before the fourth century AD and America of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, few societies have been able to achieve E pluribus unum. Napoleons transnational empire didnt last 20 years. Britain never tried to create a holistic overseas body politic in the way that, after centuries of strife, it had forged the English-speaking United Kingdom. The Austro-Hungarian, German, Ottoman, and Russian Empires all fell apart after World War I, in a manner mimicked by the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in the 1980s and 1990s. Rwanda and Iraq dont reflect the meaninglessness of borders but the desire of distinct peoples to redraw colonial lines to create more logical borders to reflect current religious, ethnic, and linguistic realities. When Ronald Reagan thundered at the Brandenburg Gate, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall! he assumed that by 1987, German-speakers on both sides of the Berlin Wall were more alike than not and in no need of a Soviet-imposed boundary inside Germany. Both sides preferred shared consensual government to Communist authoritarianism. Note that Reagan did not demand that Western nations dismantle their own borders with the Communist bloc.
Something there is that doesnt love a wall, Robert Frost famously wrote, That wants it down. True, but the poet concedes in his Mending Wall that in the end, he accepts the logic of his crustier neighbor: He says again, Good fences make good neighbors. From my own experience in farming, two issueswater and boundariescause almost all feuds with neighbors. As I write, Im involved in a border dispute with a new neighbor. He insists that the last row of his almond orchard should be nearer to the property line than is mine. That way, he can use more of my land as common space to turn his equipment than I will use of his land. I wish that I could afford to erect a wall between us.
The end of borders, and the accompanying uncontrolled immigration, will never become a natural conditionany more than sanctuary cities, unless forced by the federal government, will voluntarily allow out-of-state agencies to enter their city limits to deport illegal aliens, or Mexico will institutionalize free entry into its country from similarly Spanish-speaking Central American countries.
Borders are to distinct countries what fences are to neighbors: means of demarcating that something on one side is different from what lies on the other side, a reflection of the singularity of one entity in comparison with another. Borders amplify the innate human desire to own and protect property and physical space, which is impossible to do unless it is seenand can be so understoodas distinct and separate. Clearly delineated borders and their enforcement, either by walls and fences or by security patrols, wont go away because they go to the heart of the human conditionwhat jurists from Rome to the Scottish Enlightenment called meum et tuum, mine and yours. Between friends, unfenced borders enhance friendship; among the unfriendly, when fortified, they help keep the peace.
Top Photo: The ruins of a boundary fortress designed to separate Athens from Thebes; in ancient Greece, most wars broke out over territorial disputes. (HERVE CHAMPOLLION/AKG-IMAGES /THE IMAGE WORKS)
It wasnt supposed to be this way.
In the summer of 2008, Barack Obama was hailed as the healer who would redeem a barren time. (See Obama, Shaman, Summer 2008.) He isnt really one of us, journalist Mark Morford opined in the San Francisco Chronicle. Not in the normal way, anyway. Many spiritually advanced people I know (not coweringly religious, mind you, but deeply spiritual) identify Obama as a Lightworker, that rare kind of attuned being who has the ability to lead us not merely to new foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot, but who can actually help usher in a new way of being on the planet.
Yet when, in January, the 44th president made his way through the Capitol to witness the inauguration of his successor, even those on his side could not disguise a sense of letdown. In The New Yorker, George Packer lamented Obamas difficulty in sustaining public support for his program and his party. Slates Jacob Weisberg conceded that Obamas inability to produce any durable consensus must count as a tremendous disappointment. Harvards Stephen Walt went so far as to say that Obamas presidency, for all its promise, was a tragedy.
The rest of the country was no less ambivalent. Polls showed Obama to be personally popular as he left office; but at the same time, the Associated Press reported, more Americans felt that his eight years in power had divided the country than felt that they had brought people together. The result, as Obama departed the White House, was that just 27 percent see the U.S. as more united as a result of his presidency.
What went wrong? The word we reach for, in attempting to explain an ascent like Obamas, is charisma. But it is a treacherous word, with several meanings. Max Weber, who first applied the term to secular leadership, thought William Ewart Gladstone its most notable modern exemplar. In his 1879 Midlothian campaign, Gladstone broke with convention to speak directly to the British people at mass meetings and open-air rallies. The spectacle alarmed Queen Victoria, who, after the victory of Gladstones Liberals in the 1880 general election, at first refused to accept the Grand Old Man as her prime minister. She would sooner abdicate, she wrote, than send for or have any communication with that half mad firebrand who wd soon ruin everything & be a Dictator.
Gladstones charisma was an instrument of policy: he sought both to end British support for the Ottoman Empire (which Benjamin Disraeli was backing as a counterweight to Russia) and to advance his own liberal agenda. By contrast, Obamas 2008 campaign is remarkable for how little it had to do with policy. It was not the candidates new foreign policies or health care plans or whatnot that captivated the imagination of the country and, indeed, the world that year. Obamas campaign closely resembled the book that served as its blueprint. What at first seems the weakness of The Audacity of Hopeits vacuousnessis, in fact, its genius. In it, Obama conspicuously resists the temptation to put forward specific solutions to the nations problems. I offer no unifying theory of American government, he conceded in the prologue, nor do these pages provide a manifesto for action, complete with charts and graphs, timetables and ten-point plans.
What Obama offered in lieu of a program was an imageone calculated to appeal to the mood of the moment, one that he could rely on his enthusiasts in the media to embellish. (I was, he admitted, the beneficiary of unusuallyand at times undeservedlypositive press coverage.) He was a child of Kenya and Kansas, of Hawaii and Indonesia, and the exoticism of his background seemed to mark him out as the incarnation of the multicultural romance of the age. The media swooned. In extravagant panegyrics, much was made of the coolness of his demeanor, his Harvard degree, his literary skill. I think hes more talented than anyone in my lifetime, the New York Timess David Brooks said. I mean, he is pretty dazzling when he walks into a room.
That so prodigious a combination of virtues should be found in one manand a black man, too!enthralled the fourth estate. For as the novelist Darryl Pinckney observed in The New York Review of the Books, 2008 was not a color-blind election. People arent voting for Obama in spite of the fact that he is black, or because he is only half-black, they are voting for him because he is black, and this is a whole new feeling in the country and in presidential politics. The desire to be part of the whole new feeling perhaps accounts for the element of condescension evident in the press hysteria of the timethe cooing over complexionas well as the parading of righteousness. In romancing Obamas image, the journalist could exhibit his own purity on race questions and congratulate himself on his virtue.
Like other purveyors of fables, the Obama romanticists pointed to the fabulous qualities of their heros ascent. The Washington Posts David Maraniss, musing in Haji Ramli Street in Jakarta, where Obama had passed part of his boyhood, could not help but be overwhelmed by how utterly improbable it was that such a child should have grown up to conquer the plain-vanilla heights of the Yankee political establishment. The twists and turns in Obamas story were made to seem as magically implausible as those in a tale from The Arabian Nights, and it was a bit disconcerting to find, in media accounts of the golden child of the souk making his way to his miraculous treasure, a reworking of Orientalist fantasies that the late Professor Said taught good liberals to deplore.
Yet Obamas image owed quite as much to repackaged Western myths of the hero as it did to romanticized visions of the East. The motive of the Old Western hero, Lionel Trilling observed, is the legendary one of setting out to seek his fortune, which is what the folktale says when it means that the hero is seeking himself. Obamas first book, Dreams from My Father, is a quest book, the story of its young heros search for a way to reconcile his blackness with his whiteness. The tension between the two identities is resolved when Obama discovers his vocation as a pacifier, a healer of divisions. Religious or secular, black, white, or brown, he wrote in The Audacity of Hope, we need a new kind of politics, one that could replace the old divisive politics by building upon those shared understandings that pull us together as Americans.
Obama was well aware of the appeal of the heroic and redemptive myths that he was tapping. As a student at Columbia, he told a friend that he had been impressed by T. S. Eliots poetry, in which he found a certain kind of conservatism which I respect more than bourgeois liberalism. He was drawn to what he called the fatalism of The Waste Land, born of the poets preoccupation with fertility and death. Eliots fatalism was that of Christianity; not only the title of The Waste Land, Eliot wrote, but the plan and a good deal of the incidental symbolism of the poem were suggested by Miss Jesse L. Westons book on the Grail legend: From Ritual to Romance. Eliot equated the Grail that the hero seeks with the fertilizing blood of Christ, which (in theory) could redeem a barren time. Obama found his own Grail not in Christian eschatology but in a redemptive secular politics: he would show his fellow Americans how we can ground our politics in the notion of a common good. Divisive public questions could be transcended through the grace latent in the personality of the hero.
It was all very easy for a skeptic to mock, but the image of the redeemer prince, much embellished by Obamas media devotees, proved immensely appealing in a secular age bored with secularism, a scientific age that found no salvation in science. John Stuart Mill described how, in a moment of disenchantment with the spiritual dullness of liberal progress, he turned for consolation to the poetry of Wordsworth. In 2008, the poetry, the spiritual consolation that a good part of the American electorate sought as an antidote to its own discontents, was Barack Obama himselfor rather, the image that that gifted fabulist impressed upon them.
It wasnt entirely new. In his 1960 Esquire article on John F. Kennedy, Superman Comes to the Supermarket, Norman Mailer argued that a charismatic leader could liberate Americas hidden potential, all that virtu and desire that had been forced underground both by an unsatisfactory politics and by mass civilization, in which so many electronic circuits made men as interchangeable as commodities. Kennedy, Mailer believed, was the existential hero whose royal image could be a salve for Americas malnourished electronic psyches.
A rambling, self-indulgent piece of writing, Mailers essay was more a symptom of the hysteria that Kennedy aroused than a sober analysis of it. What he called his rich chocolate prose anticipated the inanities of the more outre expositions of Obamas own splendors in 2008. Was America brave enough, Mailer asked,
to enlist the romantic dream of itself, would it vote for the image in the mirror of its unconscious, were the people indeed brave enough to hope for an acceleration of Time, for that new life of drama which would come from choosing a son to lead them who was heir apparent to the psychic loins?
This was a roundabout way of saying that it was not Kennedys policies that were liberating but his image. It was not his prefabricated politics but his charismatic person that would rouse the country from its dogmatic slumbers. That Kennedy was young, that he was physically handsome, and that his wife was attractive were not, Mailer maintained, trifling accidental details but, rather, new major political facts. A Kennedy presidency, he believed, would touch depths in American life which were uncharted and promised to usher in a post-political age in which the nation would rise above the deadening verbiage of its issues, its politics, its jargon, and live again by an image of itself.
I suppose that there is a little demon in every soul that would have it grovel before the hero and lick his boots. During most of human history, boot-licking has been the rule rather than the exception, as it continues to be in much of the world today. What is astonishing about Mailers apology for the politics of image is how oblivious he is of the morbidity of the thing. The sort of hero-worship that Thomas Carlyle embraced has often been described as a pathology of the Right, but Mailer shows that the Left, too, is hardly immune to its appeal.
The most obvious problem with the politics of image is that its natural home is in authoritarian states, where its purpose is to divert the masses attention from whatever policies are being implemented by the hierarchs at the topthus the personality cults of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Castro, and others. But in free constitutional states, where politics involves convincing people on the merits, image is largely irrelevant after the election has been won and attention turns to the brass tacks of lawmaking. Kennedy, for all the brilliance of his person, was unable to get his program enacted; Obama, though he saw his health-care legislation pass on a party-line vote, never succeeded in convincing the bulk of the country of its wisdom. The legislation cost him his House majority, and during much of the rest of his presidency, he sought to govern by executive order. It is true that his popular image insulated him, to some extent, from the animosity that, in a free state, government by ukase naturally excites, yet this can scarcely be thought a healthy development in the political life of a republic.
What is most malignant about the politics of image is the way that it induces people to find consolation in remote figures glimpsed in a magazine or projected on a screen. Already, in the nineteenth century, Flaubert showed his Emma Bovary escaping the actual life around her through a fantastic identification with romantic personages and distant scenes. If only she could lean over the balcony of a Swiss chalet, or enclose her melancholy in a Scottish cottage, with a husband wearing a long black velvet cloak. As solipsistic technologies offer ever more possibilities of escapeever more reality shows that are fundamentally unreallife becomes, in the words of Santayana, the joy of living every life but ones own.
Mailer rightly predicted that the politics of image would make for the ultimate reality show. With Kennedys election, he wrote, Americas politics would now be also Americas favorite movie, Americas first soap opera, Americas best-seller. Resembling Gregory Peck one moment, Marlon Brando the next, Kennedy, in Mailers evocation, was less a politician than a movie star, his coloring vivid, his manner rich, his gestures strong and quick, alive with that concentration of vitality a successful actor always seems to radiate.
Put to one side how politically corrupting a personality cult of this kind is, how it tempts us to relax our vigilance, to give up the hard work of thinking through the issues on our own because the appealing figure on the screen has done it for us. Put aside, too, the danger inherent in making the chief executive into a quasi-divine figure, the object of adoration more than a little reminiscent of that bestowed on the Roman emperors. What is most troubling about the transformation of yet another realm of experience into an exercise in media-massaged groupthink is that it further diminishes the ever-shrinking zones of life that are lived outside the gravitational pull of mass society and lie beyond the reach of its screen romance.
The deadening of this older way of lifethe diminishment of life writ smallbegan long before the advent of electronic communications. The Viennese thinker Camillo Sitte traced the progress of the bacillus in his 1889 book City Building According to Artistic Principles, in which he described the decay of traditional artistries that gave the old way of living its charm, a charm that can still be sensed in old European towns that have been spared the bulldozers of the barbarians. Here, in ages materially much poorer than our own, was a cultural artistry that was much richer, one that drew on local inspirations to create places where people wanted to be, as opposed to places where they go only for some limited utilitarian purpose, their hearts the whole while being elsewhere, like Emma Bovarys in her daydreams. From the Piazza San Marco in Venice to the modern shopping mall is a steep descent.
The point is that the genius and passion that once went into the maintenance of local forms are now, to a great extent, channeled into the life of the universal civilization. Instead of being a valued actor on a small stage, one becomes a passive spectator of the drama of the mass stage. The cycle is vicious; as our sense of ourselves as individuals rooted in a particular place among particular people diminishes, we are the more tempted to identify with one or another of the collectivist hordes on offer: the electronic mobs that light up the circuits of Facebook.
Death by monotony, by sameness, by loss of identity, Gerald Brenan wrote in his classic study, The Spanish Labyrinth, is the fate held out by the brave new world of universal control and amalgamation. Our overinvestment of passion in this universal culture not only leads to the drabness and homogenization that Brenan deplored; it also exacerbates the very divisions and animosities that Obama promised to transcend. For just as, in our character as mass-people, we lovingly build up our mass idols and endow them with superhuman, quasi-magical properties, so we as passionately abhor their voodoo-doll nemeses and exaggerate their vices. The apotheosis of Kennedy required the damnation of Nixon. The delirious chants of yes we can find their analogue in the no-less-frenzied lock her up. The hysterical hatreds of mass politics are inseparable from their equally unreasonable idolatries. It is precisely because the remote personages we adore or revile are essentially unreal, the projections of fantasy, that we respond to them in ways that we rarely respond to those whom we encounter in our ordinary flesh-and-blood lives. The new technology, with all its virtues, has aggravated the evil. Read the comments section of any controversial piece of writing published online, and you find a degree of vitriol and incivility rarely encountered outside the virtual mobocracies of cyberspace.
Ten years after Obama announced his candidacy, his politics of image appears more a symptom of the problems he attempted to address than a solution to them. He promised to bridge our divisions, yet both the hysterical adoration and the fanatical revulsion he inspired had as much to do with a disconnectedness in our manner of living as they did with the ostensible issues of the moment. With the decay of older forms of belonging and of solace, it is perhaps only natural that we should seek synthetic substitutes. But the result is a morbidity that will not be healed with a fantasy and a trick of famethe artifice of image that is becoming the essence of modern politics. Such artifice can only make it worse.
Last month, accounts belonging to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), a France-based opposition group considered one of Irans most powerful opposition movements headed up an online movement where posts encouraging the boycott have reached over 300,000.
What election?! Its a puppet show run by [religious leader Ayatollah] Khamenei to create the illusion of a democracy, was tweeted by a person purporting to be an exiled Iranian living in Europe.The two candidates are portrayed as two sides of the same coin. #Shamelections, #MyVoteRegimeChange, and other anti-election hashtags are beginning to trend on Twitter, as are slogans like, Boycott the faked election, and there is no difference between Rouhani and Raisi, in reference to the two leading candidates in Irans May 19th elections President Hassan Rouhani, and Ehbrahim Raisi. This is because Raisi is one of the four Sharia judges who oversaw the executions of tens of thousands of political prisoners in 1988, and many have attacked Rouhani saying he has been directly involved in all of Iran regimes crimes and has overseen the arrest, torture, and executions of hundreds of people over his four-year presidency.
The majority of the tweets seem to have originated outside of Iran, from countries including France, Germany and Albania, where the NCRI has a significant presence. The NCRI enjoys the support of many major officials, including Chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Forces Committee, Senator John McCain, who met with NCRI officials in Albania last month, praising them for their sacrifice for freedom in Iran, according to reports.
NCRI users uploaded videos that allegedly show Iranians k holding signs against elections, or against Rouhani, or Raisi in public places in Tehran and Ara. It is said that these actions were coordinated by Mujahedeen e-Khalq (MEK), the military wing of the NCRI.
Official have said that Iranians can vote in the elections at 279 polling stations in 103 different countries. There are currently between 5 and 6 million Iranians living abroad.
Reuters expects Rouhani to be re-elected, due of his support among urban populations and women, who believe there will be a welcome relax on restrictions of social behavior. However, the Iranian opposition claims, the opposite, arguing that little has changed during Rouhanis presidency.
In an article by Heshmat Alavi, political and human rights activist, he writes, The mullahs seem to have easily forgotten they initially launched the battle and how their modern day illegitimate support for the Houthis in Yemen are threatening Saudi Arabias southern borders. Tehran is also known for provoking Shiite terrorists inside the Kingdom and other Muslims nations across the region.
In a possible reference to the Saudi warplanes in Yemen, Dehghan added, They think they can do something because they have an air force.
Major-General Mohammad Baqeri warned Islamabad of his countrys forces, who are willing to attack inside Pakistan to target terrorists, in an attempt to place attention on Irans eastern neighbors. In effect, the head of Irans armed forces accused Islamabad of harboring terrorists. The Al Jazeera website cited Irans Fars news agency quoting Baqeri, We expect Pakistani officials to control the borders, arrest the terrorists and shut down their bases.
Such comments led to Pakistan summoning Tehrans ambassador over these recent threats, Alavi writes, adding, Pakistan strongly condemned Tehrans statements, arguing bilateral relations between the two bordering countries would be harming, to say the least. Iranian authorities must abstain from making such negative comments, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry added.
Presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi, who seems to have the favor of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself, made strong remarks against the Saudis. Raisi, head of the Astan Quds Razavi, a charity foundation said to be funneling revenue to Irans Revolutionary Guards, stated one day soon the filthy stain of arrogance will be wiped from the Noble Sanctuaries.
Raisi was referring to the Saudis who administer many of Islams holiest sites on their soil. Raisi is also known to believe Tehrans borders extend across Syria, which we consider our frontier for defending the Islamic Republics security and identity. This is exactly why Raisi is described as a close confidant of Khamenei, according to Alavi.
Raisi and four others are running against the incumbent President Hassan Rowhani in the 12th presidential election of this regime. Described by The Wall Street Journal, the election is a race between several Islamic hard-liners and one hard-liner whom the Western media prefer to cast as a moderate.
All candidates must be vetted by the Guardian Council, an unelected 12-cleric body appointed directly and indirectly by Khamenei.
The two leading candidates, Rowhani and Raisi, are both controversial. Under Rowhani, over 3,000 executions have been carried out during his past four-year tenure. Raisi has led a long career in the regimes judiciary and is known for his role a part of the Death Committee during the 1988 massacre of some 30,000 political prisoners.
Alavi writes, As a result, the remarks made by senior Iranian officials lashing at left and right reveal the unending troubles the Iranian regime in its entirety is facing. And with the third and final debate scheduled for Friday, the votes for May 19th and a likely second round vote for May 26th, this entire month can be described as a minefield for Khamenei and the mullahs entire apparatus.
Alavi believes that the regime is resorting to threats to maintain face among its dwindling social base the people relied upon to turn out at the polling stations and be displayed for foreign reporters, in order to claim high voter turnout for the presidential election.
Mohammad Mohaddessin, Chairman of the Iranian opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran Foreign Affairs Commission, described Khameneis crises, The choices for Khamenei are between the worse, and the worse of the worse. This is the reality that Khamenei has to deal with. This is a totally new situation and new prospects and brings the regime closer to its downfall.
Portugal has won the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest with the song Amar Pelos Dois (Love for the both of us) performed by Salvador Sobral. It's the first win for Portugal who have been competing since 1964.
26 countries took part in the Grand Final of the worlds longest running annual television music competition, hosted by EBU Member UA:PBC on Saturday 13 May in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Luisa Sobral, Salvador's sister. wrote the winning song which finished the night with 758 points, 143 points ahead of 2nd placed Bulgaria represented by Kristian Kostov singing "Beautiful Mess". Luisa joined her brother for a reprise of the winning song on stage. Moldova with "Hey Mamma" finished in third place.
On winning Salvador said: "This is a victory for music - music is not fireworks - music is feeling - let's bring music back."
Following the performances of the 26 Grand Finalists, the results of the juries in the 42 participating nations who voted on Fridays dress rehearsal were given out leaving Portugal in the lead.
This was followed by an exciting sequence where viewers televotes for each competing country were combined and added to the scoreboard resulting in a thrilling finale that saw Portugal score the most televotes as well to be declared the winner.
An estimated audience of 200 million will have seen this year's Contest which was broadcast live in the 42 participating countries and in China, Kazakhstan and Kosovo.
Viewers in the United States also saw the Grand Final live for the second year running on LogoTV.
The 26 finalists performed live in front of an audience of nearly 10,000 inside the International Exhibition Centre in the Ukrainian capital. In total, 42 EBU Members competed in this years Eurovision Song Contest. 16 nations were knocked out in two Semi-Finals held on 9 and 11 May.
Ukrainian Eurovision winners Jamala (2016) and Ruslana (2004) performed new material during the interval between performances and voting.
The Director General of the EBU Ingrid Deltenre said, We congratulate Salvador and Portugal on their win. We are thrilled after such a long participation that Portugal has deservedly taken the trophy. Tonight we have seen 26 artists who, true to this year's theme, have celebrated their diversity as well as embodying the values of the Eurovision Song Contest to bridge cultural differences and unite viewers through music.
EBU Media Director Jean Philip De Tender said about the event: This years Eurovision Song Contest has shown the power of public service media to create shared experiences that millions of viewers in over 40 countries can enjoy together. We are so proud of our team in Kyiv for delivering 3 incredible shows this week and look forward to begin planning next years competition in Portugal.
Around 11,000 people were accredited at the event at on the day of the Grand Final. In total 212 tonnes of technical equipment and over 30 cameras were used inside the Arena to bring the show to the millions watching around the world. 8,000 man hours were spent preparing the event which used 18 Generators to power the venue. 212 microphones and 1816 lighting fixtures were also used on the production.
Over 1,300 journalists from 80 countries were also in the host city Kyiv to cover the event.
The 62nd Eurovision Song Contest was broadcast live in the 42 participating countries by EBU Members: ORF (Austria), PTV (Armenia), RTSH (Albania), ICTIMAI (Azerbaijan), BTRC (Belarus), VRT (Belgium), RTBF (Belgium), BNT (Bulgaria), HRT (Croatia), CyBC (Cyprus), CT (Czech Republic), DR (Denmark), ERR (Estonia), YLE (Finland), GPB (Georgia), ARD (Germany), ERT (Greece), MTV (Hungary), RUV (Iceland), RTE (Ireland), IBA (Israel), RAI (Italy), LTV (Latvia), LRT (Lithuania), RTCG (Montenegro), MRT (FYR Macedonia), PBS (Malta), TRM (Moldova), RTCG (Montenegro), AVROTROS (The Netherlands), NRK (Norway), TVP (Poland), RTP (Portugal), TVR (Romania), SMRTV (San Marino), RTS (Serbia), RTVSLO (Slovenia), RTVE (Spain), SVT (Sweden), SRG SSR (Switzerland), UA:PBC (Ukraine), BBC (United Kingdom) and Associate Member SBS (Australia).
19 EBU radio members broadcast the Grand Final live: BTRC (Belarus), BNR (Bulgaria), HRTR (Croatia), ERR (Estonia), BR, DKU, NDR, RB, WDR (Germany), RTE (Ireland), RAI (Italy), LRT (Lithuania), RTVS (Slovakia), Cadena COPE & SER (Spain), RTVS (Slovakia), SR (Sweden), UA:PBC (Ukraine), and the BBC (United Kingdom).
The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest was a co-production between the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and UA:PBC.
The full list and profiles of participants for the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, with high resolution photos, can be found on the official website, Eurovision.tv.
Meat promoters are looking at an 'exceptionally busy month' of promoting premium British produce around the world in a major export push.
In particular, future of Welsh lamb and beef exports post-Brexit was a major topic of discussion in Westminster in the final debates before the UK General Election.
But while Parliament is now dissolved until after June 8, red meat agency Hybu Cig Cymru Meat Promotion Wales (HCC) is looking forward to an 'exceptionally busy month' of promoting premium PGI Welsh Lamb and PGI Welsh Beef to existing international customers and searching for new business across the globe.
Around a third of the Welsh lamb flock is exported every year, bringing well over 100 million to the Welsh economy.
Welsh Beef is also in demand, with annual exports worth in excess of 50 million. Currently, over 90% of the export trade is with the European Union.
'More vital than ever'
British produce is on an oriental adventure to showcase the work UK farmers do (Photo: AHDB at Hofex in Hong Kong)
This week, HCC is meeting a wide range of clients from across Europe and the Middle East at Tutto Food in Milan, one of the worlds largest food exhibitions, and British meat processors are attending the SIAL Toronto fair in Canada.
British meat will also be showcased at the Hofex exhibition in Hong Kong, where the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is exhibiting a selection of top quality British beef, lamb and pork.
Contestants at a major cookery competition at Hofex will also be challenged to create winning dishes using PGI Welsh Lamb.
And later in the month, a delegation of overseas agents and marketers will visit Welsh farms to see for themselves the high standards of production and sustainability for which our meat is renowned.
May is an exceptionally busy month for HCC, said Chief Executive Gwyn Howells.
Due to the uncertainty over the future terms of trade after 2019, its more vital than ever that we both nurture relationships with our existing European customers and intensify our work to open up new markets.
New opportunities
Mr Howells said it was important to reassure established markets whilst looking for new opportunities in Asia and America.
At Tutto Food, HCC and Welsh meat processors have a packed schedule of meetings with European retailers and foodservice companies who are proud to stock Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef, to reassure them of our commitment to grow our brands in these established markets, he added
But at the same time, its important to showcase our products and attract business in territories such as Hong Kong and Canada, which have potential for increased trade.
Mr Howells emphasised that Mays events were also a chance to explore new opportunities which might arise over the next two years.
Canada offers Wales a way to establish contacts for the important US market, where work to gain access for Welsh Lamb has been ongoing for many years and may finally come to fruition in the next twelve months.
We have similar hopes for gaining market access to Saudi Arabia; its encouraging that Saudi retailers have decided to come to Milan to sample Welsh produce and discuss the potential for future trade with us.
Increasing the value of exports has a direct positive effect on the prices for farmers and processors at home, added HCCs interim Chairman Kevin Roberts.
Its vital that we keep our options open both maintaining our European markets and continuing to work in new territories. Welsh Lamb and Welsh Beef are iconic premium products which reinforce Waless reputation for quality across the globe.
What will Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A -1.39%) (BRK.B -1.35%) do with the Bank of America (BAC -1.59%) warrants it owns when they expire in 2021? Warren Buffett answered this question at the annual meeting last weekend, suggesting that if the warrants were to expire today, he'd definitely want to keep the stock.
Almost immediately, members of the media read through the lines to suggest that Buffett is bullish on Bank of America, but that's not quite true. His supposed bullishness comes with a very big caveat.
Mind the taxman
Nothing Buffett says or does should be taken at face value, as there's always some nuance at play. For Buffett and Berkshire, the issue isn't whether Bank of America is a good deal at a recent closing price of about $24 per share. The issue is whether Bank of America is a good deal relative to the opportunity cost of paying taxes on the gain and investing in something else.
Buffett is notorious for legally avoiding Uncle Sam's tax collectors, preferring a deferred gain to a realized gain. Exercising a warrant and taking ownership of common stock isn't a taxable event. Thus, he can defer taxes on the tremendous gains earned on Bank of America warrants by turning those warrants into B of A shares.
Buffett ultimately has to decide which of these two scenarios is better:
Holding Bank of America shares that are valued by the market at roughly $24 each; or Exercising the warrant, selling the stock, and having the equivalent of $18.07 in after-tax cash per Bank of America share (roughly 25% less value).
To put it in simpler terms, I'll ask this question: Would you rather have $100 worth of Bank of America shares or $75.40 to invest in any other stock? This is essentially the same question that Buffett has to ponder, but at a much larger, multibillion-dollar scale.
Any other investment worth about $75 would have to be markedly better than the bank to beat the returns generated by $100 of Bank of America stock. In effect, the B of A stock has a 33% head start.
Why you shouldn't blindly follow Buffett
This is just one of the many reasons why I think investors have to be very careful when they try to follow Warren Buffett's stock picks and commentary. Earlier this year, Charlie Munger explained that Buffett is investing very differently than he used to, telling an audience of Daily Journal shareholders that Berkshire bought ExxonMobil in 2013 as a cash substitute, believing that the oil giant's shares were better than a microscopic return on cash.
With more than $90 billion of cash, it's not remotely surprising that Buffett sees roughly $16.8 billion of Bank of America stock being better than having $12.7 billion in after-tax cash. It's even less surprising that Buffett would choose not to talk down a stock four years before he gets the chance to sell it.
The correct read is that Buffett implied he is bullish on Bank of America if the bank has a 33% head start on any other stock. That's not exactly a glowing endorsement, but it is an accurate report of the underlying question he answered last weekend.
It's a well-known fact that most Americans aren't in great financial shape. An estimated 69% of U.S. adults have less than $1,000 in savings, while 34% have no savings at all. And the Economic Policy Institute reports that almost half of Americans have nothing to show in retirement savings either.
However, while it's one thing to not have many assets to speak of, it's another thing to reach the point of having a negative net worth -- and that's the category 14% of American households fall into. Negative net worth represents a financial scenario where your total debts exceed your total assets. If, for example, you have $500 in short-term savings, $4,500 in a retirement account, and $6,000 in credit card debt, you'll have a net worth of negative $1,000.
Now when we think about the reasons why a household might have negative net worth, we may be inclined to blame mortgage and credit card debt. Yet in a New York Federal Reserve study, which found that over 16 million households have a negative net worth, the single largest culprit was none other than ridiculous loads of student debt. Now that's a good reason to think before you borrow.
Negative net worth: how we got here
Americans have a number of options for accumulating assets. In its study, the Fed identified respondents' total assets, including short-term savings, retirement savings, investments, home values, vehicles, and other tangible items of notable value. It then calculated respondents' total outstanding debts, including mortgage debt, home equity lines of credit, auto loans, credit card balances, and student debt. When the total amount of debt for a given household exceeded its total assets, that household was classified as having negative net worth.
What's really surprising, however, is the role student debt has played in propelling so many households into negative-net-worth status. In fact, the Fed found that among households with the greatest negative net worth, the majority of debt comes in the form of student loans. And the more student debt a household has, the greater its negative net worth is likely to be. In fact, among households whose net worth measures negative-$12,500 to negative-$46,300, student loans represent 40% of total debt, compared with less than 10% for households that don't have negative net worth.
Of course, the student loan crisis is by no means news. Americans owe more than $1.4 trillion in student loans, and at present, a good 44 million adults are still paying off educational debt. To give that some context, total student loan debt in the country exceeds credit card debt by roughly $620 billion. And while many college hopefuls have no choice but to rack up debt in pursuit of an education, their borrowing is also increasing year over year. The average Class of 2016 graduate came away with $37,172 in student debt, which represents a 6% increase from the previous year. And unless students collectively get smarter and more judicious about borrowing, we're likely to see an even greater uptick in negative net worth households in the coming years.
Other contributing factors
It's not just student loans, however, that contribute to the problem of negative net worth. Only 20% of households with negative net worth own their own homes, which means they're spending money on rent rather than using it to build wealth. In fact, vehicles are the primary assets held by negative net worth households.
That said, owning a home can also lead to negative net worth, especially given the number of Americans with negative equity. Of those surveyed, 36% of negative net worth households are underwater on their mortgages. And while the ongoing housing market recovery might allow some of these households to dig out of their hole, that still only helps those folks in a strong enough financial position to buy a home in the first place.
Another factor that plays into negative net worth is health. Households with a negative net worth are more likely to include at least one member who experienced a recent major health issue or deterioration. Income, or lack thereof, also contributes to negative net worth. Households with a negative net worth tend to have considerably lower incomes than those with a positive net worth -- $39,077 versus $86,309, respectively.
Breaking the cycle
The good news in all of this is that for many households, negative net worth is a temporary condition. For example, recent college grads who emerge loaded with debt have an opportunity to pay off their loans early on in their careers, and once they do, they can quickly begin accumulating assets.
The downside, however, is that even just a few years of having negative net worth can impact your ability to save for the future and borrow money at a favorable rate -- which is why it's a better idea to avoid taking on too much debt in the first place. Since student loan debt plays such a key role in pushing households over the edge, a good way to preserve your financial standing is to avoid borrowing too heavily for college in the first place. While limiting your debt might, in turn, limit your choices, opting for a public in-state school over a private one can shave $24,000 off your tuition costs each year. Commuting from home versus dorming, meanwhile, can save you $10,000 or more annually.
Furthermore, the less student debt you graduate with, the better positioned you'll be to buy a home earlier on in life. And the less money you throw away on rent (an expense, not an asset), the greater your chances of avoiding negative net worth status at some point in time or another.
At the end of the day, net worth is a simple calculation based on the assets you have versus your outstanding debts. Make sure the former category always exceeds the latter, and you'll be in pretty good shape for the long haul.
77 F150 clicks?
Got a 77 f150 4x4 4 speed with a 351 in it. Spent most the day cruising around the hills started up an ran fine all day. Started making my way home. Stopped at the Chevron to buy a couple cans of chew went to start an it just clicked. Crossed the terminals on the solenoid an just clicked tapped the starter an nothing. Ended up pull starting with a buddys truck. Put a new solenoid but still clicks. The cable from the solenoid to the starter has seen better days though. Tried jumping it thinking it was the battery nothing. Any suggestions
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Haiti - FLASH : Moise distributes tractors
Friday, during his second visit to Maissade (Central Department) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20884-haiti-news-zapping.html in less than 8 days, President Jovenel Moise, accompanied by Deputy Romel Bauge (Commune of Maissade), of the Deputy and President of the Lower House Cholzer Chancy (Ennery), and Senator of the Center, Willot Joseph, proceeded to the handing of thirty tractors to farmers of the Central Plateau.
At the end of this handover of agricultural equipment, the Head of State inspected the dredging work that began on the Rio Frio River where he had announced on May 6th the construction of a bridge .
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-11106-haiti-agriculture-presentation-of-the-first-batch-of-agricultural-equipment-of-venezuela.html
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - Politics : Installation of members of the Bureau of Social Grievances
Thursday in the annex of the Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT) in Champs de Mars, President Jovenel Moise and Max Rudolph Saint-Albin the Minister of the Interior, have proceeded to the installation of the members of the Bureau of Social Grievances : Sabrina Demasthil, Berthony Jean-Paul and Lindsay Rashana Louis.
The mission of this new Bureau is to allow to respond rapidly and effectively to the needs of different segments of the population, particularly organized groups, to contribute to a local response and, in general, to help the Government to reduce the precariousness of a large segment of the population.
In his remarks for the occasion the Head of State said that the initiative aimed to put the country on track for the dignity and work, stating that the Bureau of Grievances should also advise the authorities on any abuses that disrupt the proper functioning of institutions in terms of services to the population and combat corruption. This office will have to support among others the efforts of structures, such as the National Center of Equipments (CNE), whose equipment must be put exclusively at the service of the population.
Minister Saint-Albin welcomed this initiative, which will, according to him, promote the fulfillment of the campaign promises of President Moise, address the living conditions of the citizens, in dialogue and respect for the person and the law .
In addition, the authorities took advantage of this opportunity to validate the installation of a "Committee on Social Activities and Sanitation" attached to the Metropolitan Service of Collecting Solid Residues (SMCRS) composed of : Galate Saint-Jacques, Lesly Charles and Marie Nerlande Desir.
HL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - FLASH : The Ministry of Foreign Affairs close to bankruptcy
Thursday in the Lower House, Chancellor Antonio Rodrigue, questioned on his roadmap by members of the Foreign Affairs Committee, drew up an inventory of his Ministry, describing the situation as very serious and alarming.
With a budget of 2.9 billion Gourdes, already spent more than 90% after only a little more than 7 months, the Chancellery is now unable to pay its contractors and diplomats abroad.
Some figures :
Debts: 1.4 billion Gourdes https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20863-haiti-flash-haiti-s-economy-at-the-edge-of-the-abyss.html ;
Staff of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Haiti: 641 members (571 civil servants and 70 contractors)
Number of diplomatic missions worldwide: 49;
Total number of employees abroad: 1,003 members (188 diplomats, 300 employees and 515 contractors);
Amount of total monthly allowances for the 49 diplomatic missions: US $ 4.3 million.
Antonio Rodrigue deplored the lack of a competent executives in the Directorates of the Ministry and the excessive number of staff abroad, pointing the finger at the authorities of previous governments. He said that if nothing is done to downsize the staffing "It is the insured bankruptcy of diplomacy and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs", acknowledging that the Chancellery had no well definite foreign policy.
Faced with this critical situation, he said that according to its roadmap https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20519-haiti-politics-foreign-affairs-roadmap.html he intended to face the many challenges in reforming the Haitian diplomacy. He said that a Commission had been working on the reform since last April to: diagnose the situation and propose solutions, reform the structure within the framework of the law and develop tools and protocols in order to be better articulated front of our international partners.
See also :
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20863-haiti-flash-haiti-s-economy-at-the-edge-of-the-abyss.html
https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20519-haiti-politics-foreign-affairs-roadmap.html
SL/ HaitiLibre
Haiti - News : Zapping...
Attack of the PNH motorcade
Thursday at Delmas 31 around 7pm , unidentified armed individuals attacked one of the vehicles of the motorcade of Michel-Ange Gedeon, the Director General of the National Police of Haiti. In the exchange of shots, agent 1, Antoine Magath, of the 21st promotion was injured. The information was confirmed by Chief Inspector Garry Desrosiers, Deputy spokesperson of the PNH.
Fuel prices, dialogue of the deaf
On Friday, no agreement was reached between the Government and the transit union representatives. Worse, we are witnessing a genuine dialogue of the deaf and the confusion is such that we no longer even know how much the increases on both sides increase, as the proposals and counter-proposals are rejected, modified or revert to previous positions. The only thing certain is that the government wants an increase and does not intend to backtrack and that the unions are not willing to accept any increase.
Investigation on the Government Jean Charles ?
3 deputies: Alfredo Junior Antoine, Kenscoff (KID), Jean Marcel Lumerant Grand-Goave (INITEI and Yvon Geste Miragoane (PHTK) wrote to the President of the Lower House asking him to obtain the statement of disbursements for the period from October 2016 to 19 March 2017, for the purposes of an inquiry into the management of the Enex Jean Charles Government.
End of Mission on the international cooperation of CELAC
Friday, at the Hotel Kinam, Stevenson Jacques Thimoleon, the Director General of the Ministry of Planning and External Cooperation, closed the first mission of the Special Commission of the Working Group on International Cooperation Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
Diaspora : Tourism and investments
Thursday, Tessa Jacques, Director General of the Center of Facilitation of the Investments (CFI), accompanied by several executives held a working session with Emilie Jessy Menos, the Minister of Tourism, accompanied by members of her cabinet. It was question of exploring strategies for research and development of means to promote diaspora investment in the tourism sector.
Economy : Haiti in Guyana
A Haitian delegation from the Ministry of Trade and Industry is in Guyana to attend the 44th Ministerial Meeting of the Trade and Economic Development Council (COTED).
HL/ HaitiLibre
Come and view the talk by Sunsara TaylorThe Battle for Berkeley:Why It's Right and Righteous to Drive Fascists Off Campus, Out of Berkeley...and Out of Power!6pm Sunday May 14 at Revolution BooksOn May 4th, Sunsara Taylor began her speech at the University of California Campus by quoting Ann Coulter's insistence that Black children be publicly whipped, along with other shocking quotes. While many have heard Coulter's name, in recent weeks as two sides battled over whether Coulter would be allowed to speak at Berkeley's campus, few had read and taken seriously the content and impact of Coulter's words, so this set an important context for the speech and discussion that Sunsara Taylor led that night. About 150 people turned out to hear Taylor give a talk called, "The Battle for Berkeley: Why It Is Right, and Righteous, to Drive Fascists Off Campus, Out of Berkeley, and Out of Power!"In recent months, a series of "intellectual" hit-men-including Ann Coulter, David Horowitz, and Milo Yiannopoulos-have targeted the UC Berkeley campus and on two occasions ready-to-brawl fascist militia types have amassed in downtown Berkeley by the hundreds. Taylor insisted that this cannot be ignored, that it will not "go away" on its own, and is closely linked to the imposition of fascism across the country by the Trump/Pence Regime. Berkeley has become a flash point with high stakes in this larger battle precisely because of its radical history and because if the fascists succeed in making inroads in Berkeley, it will greatly strengthen their hand in consolidating fascism and suppressing opposition nationwide.At the core of Taylor's presentation and the contentious question and answer that followed was her insistence that the issue was not "free speech"-as most in the media and on campus are claiming-but the right and responsibility of the people to resist and drive fascists out of power in this country before it is too late. Read the article, A Wild Night at UC Berkeley.To contact Refuse Fascism: 510-253-5551 norcal [at] refusefascism.org Refusefascism.org
For visitors to Singapore, a trip to the Long Bar at Raffles Hotel is a rite of passage, where you can perch on a padded stool and sip a cerise-colored Singapore Sling in the 130-year-old building named after the countrys founder.
But theres a new kid in town. Atlas, housed in what locals affectionately call the Batman Building due to its similarities to Gotham Citys Wayne Tower, bills itself as having the worlds largest collection of gin.
Its owner, Vicky Hwang, thinks that after a five-month renovation and two years of planning, the 7,400 square foot Art Deco space will be able to rival Raffles thanks to an extensive menu of 1,011 bottles and counting.
The drinks menu at Atlas is currently a work in progress but already stretches to 60 pages, and thats without tasting notes.
Inside, you can find Ki No Bi Kyoto Dry Gin, produced at Japans first dedicated gin distillery in the south of Kyoto using Japanese botanicals .
If you prefer more of a dry style, go for the Forest Dry Gin Quersus, a classic Belgian gin aged in a former Montrachet white wine barrel.
Jason Williams, Atlass master of gin, describes the collection as one of the worlds largest, most diverse and thoughtfully curated physical collections of quality gins.
They include Pollination Gin, which is made at the Dyfi Distillery in mid-Wales using botanicals foraged from the Unesco-recognised Dygi Biosphere Reserve. Another, called Gin La Republica Andina, is a Bolivian gin distilled at 4,000m above sea level .
One factor common to all the bottles in the collection is strength. Every one is at least 40% ABV, according to Williams. Gin is better when its stronger. You get those botanicals like perfume.
The best of the collection is displayed in the three-story-tall gin tower with carved wooden columns and glass shelving that serves as the centrepiece of the room.
In the venues previous incarnation, the tower was a wine refrigerator. When a customer selected a bottle from the upper reaches, a wine angel bartender would don a pair of wings before being whisked to the top with a pulley system, where she would pluck it from its shelf.
At the time, it was incredible. Twelve years later, it was a bit gimmicky, said Hwang.
Getting your hands on more than 1,000 of the worlds most distinctive gins isnt easy. After drawing up an extensive inventory of the worlds best bottles, the tough part was sourcing them.
While many distillers were happy to submit a bottle for the collection, others were harder to come by, so Atlas came up with a novel solution employ a barren of gin mules (yes, the collective noun for mules is barren), friends and family around the globe, to bring them into the country.
Whenever someone was coming to Singapore, if there was a bottle we needed, we would let them know, and they would buy the bottle and mule it back for us, Hwang said. We had all these gin mules all over the world.
While sourcing the bars plush furnishings, Hwang flew to Spain so she could sit on a chair and and personally test whether its stuffing was comfortable enough for guests.
She jokingly describes herself as a nightmare client for design firm Hassell, who worked with Hwang throughout the refurbishment.
It got to the point where I would take a picture, Id be like, I want this seat, and the carpet needs to be more like this. The lobby makeover was a major overhaul, with just the walls and ceiling remaining intact.
Hwang wont say how much it cost to renovate, or what the bars profit expectations are. She reveals only that the bar pays rent, like any other tenant.
Diane Aw, head of retail services at Singapore real estate company Colliers International, estimates the space would rent for about 48,000 a month, taking into account location, its Art Deco grandeur, and the limited number of bar operators with the capacity to fit out such a space.
If your idea of a good drink involves sipping on a glass of bubbly that spent 75 years on the seabed, you can do that at Atlas thanks to a selection of rare champagne bottles straight from the private collection of Hwangs Uncle George.
Among them? Shipwreck champagne. The story goes that 4,400 bottles of 1907 Charles Heidsieck and Co champagne were being transported to Russias Tsar Nicholas II when the Swedish freighter Jonkoping was sunk by a German U-boat.
In 1997, salvage crews recovered some 2,000 bottles from the seabed, where the contents had been preserved at a perfect pressure by the dark, ice-cold water.
Its actually the same champagne that they drank on the Titanic, Hwang explains.
Propped up on a shelf behind the bar is a portrait of Hwangs late grandfather, property magnate CS Hwang, founder of the Chyau Fwu Group. Today the family-run empire includes one of Hong Kongs largest housing estates and developments in China and Europe.
Despite the modest size of the portrait, the late tycoons presence looms large in Parkview Square where Atlas is housed it was his last major building project before his death in 2004, aged 78.
His legacy was very much in the forefront of Vicky Hwangs mind when it came to tearing up the original lobby bar. They took all the furniture out, and then they started breaking the marble, and I literally had a panic attack, Hwang recalls. I was like, Oh my god, thats my grandfathers marble. If I mess this up theyre all going to kill me.
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The official said the deal will be good for the U.S. economy.
The United States is close to completing a series of arms deals forSaudi Arabia totaling more than $100 billion, a senior White House official said on Friday, a week ahead of President Donald Trumps planned visit to Riyadh.
The official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the arms package could end up surpassing more than $300 billion over a decade to help Saudi Arabia boost its defensive capabilities while still maintaining U.S. ally Israels qualitative military edge over its neighbors.
We are in the final stages of a series of deals, the official said. The package is being developed to coincide with Trumps visit to Saudi Arabia. Trump leaves for the kingdom on May 19, the first stop on his maiden international trip.
Reuters reported last week that Washington was pushing through contracts for tens of billions of dollars in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, some new, others already in the pipeline, ahead of Trumps visit.
The United States has been the main supplier for most Saudi military needs, from F-15 fighter jets to command and control systems worth tens of billions of dollars in recent years. Trump has vowed to stimulate the U.S. economy by boosting manufacturing jobs.
The package includes American arms and maintenance, ships, air missile defense and maritime security, the official said. Well see a very substantial commitment In many ways it is intended to build capabilities for the threats they face.
The official added: Its good for the American economy but it will also be good in terms of building a capability that is appropriate for the challenges of the region. Israel would still maintain an edge.
Via TeleSur
Director-general of the North America bureau chief of North Korea's foreign ministry Choe Son-hui (left) arrives at the Beijing Capital International Airport, Friday, as she returns from Norway and transfers a flight to North Korea. / Yonhap
A senior North Korean diplomat in charge of U.S. affairs said Saturday Pyongyang will hold talks with Washington "under the right conditions," raising the possibility bilateral contact amid U.S. President Donald Trump having expressed his willingness to meet with the North's leader.
Choe Son-hui, director-general of the North America bureau chief of North Korea's foreign ministry, told reporters at the Beijing Capital International Airport that her country "will hold dialogue under right conditions" with the U.S. administration.
Choe led a North Korean delegation that met with a group of American experts, headed by Suzanne DiMaggio -- director of the U.S. think tank New America -- in Oslo, Norway, earlier this week, according to South Korean diplomatic sources.
DiMaggio is known as an Iran specialist well-versed in the Obama administration's nuclear talks with the Middle Eastern nation. Thomas Pickering, former U.S. envoy to the U.N., and Robert Einhorn, U.S. State Department's former special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, were also among the American experts' group.
The diplomat was in Beijing and was returning to Pyongyang. When asked what she discussed with Pickering, Choe answered, "I met with Pickering and I will discuss it when given the opportunity in the future."
This week's meeting took place amid a let-up in military tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The North did not conduct a nuclear test or a long-range rocket launch in April despite a view that it may take such a provocative act to mark a series of key political events in the month.
It was also held as South Koreans picked Moon Jae-in of the liberal Democratic Party as their new president. Expectations are running high over a change of mood in inter-Korean ties that have long been frosty.
When asked whether Pyongyang is preparing to hold dialogue with Seoul's Moon administration, Che replied, "We will observe the situation."
The U.S. government has stated that it will not attach any special meaning to the so-called "track two" dialogue in Oslo.
"Track-two meetings are routinely held on a variety of topics around the world and occur independent of U.S. government involvement," a State Department official said.
But North Korea watchers took note of the timing of the meeting this time, saying it may provide the two sides with a chance for a type of "exploratory" talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump often talks tough about North Korea, emphasizing the need to put more pressure on the Kim Jong-un regime.
He recently said, however, he would meet Kim "under the right circumstances."
"If it would be appropriate for me to meet with him, I would absolutely, I would be honored to do it," Trump said in an interview with Bloomberg News earlier this month. (Yonhap)
Moon's agenda to upend status quo
President Moon Jae-in dropped a couple of hints about what policy he seeks regarding three key powers _ the United States, China and Japan _ as well as North Korea.
To U.S. President Trump who called him to congratulate him on his election, the new President accepted an invitation for an early U.S. visit. Speaking to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, he took issue with the popular discontent over the $8.8 million settlement for imperial Japan's sexual enslavement of Korean women during its 1910-45 occupation. Moon asked Chinese President Xi Jinping to go easy on Korean firms being targeted for harassment in retaliation to the deployment of a U.S. missile interceptor. Moon more or less consented with Xi's way of dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Xi responded cordially.
Now, it is widely speculated that Moon has inherited the legacy of two late former presidents _ Roh Moo-hyun, his mentor and friend, and Kim Dae-jung, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning pioneer for inter-Korean reconciliation. But Moon is finding himself in a better position and more eager to push for his diplomatic agenda with zeal and a sense of purpose that may surprise those who are accustomed to seeing Korea a follower rather than leader.
Moon's moves will likely tip the delicate balance of power, now suspended in a temporary equilibrium between the U.S. and Japan together with South Korea on one side, and China, North Korea and, distantly, Russia on the other.
Moon and his team favor an independent line, the heritage from Roh, to put more distance with its traditional ally, the U.S., while bringing China closer to make up for the void. Even before his election, Washington had expressed concerns about Moon's rise but they may turn out to underestimate the potential chasm, when the unpredictable Trump factor is thrown in. Would Moon stand berating and blackmail from Trump and accept the fate of a small nation caught in the nutcrackers of the big powers as before? That is less likely.
Bad blood between Moon and Trump would give further rise to pro-Chinese members of Moon's camp, tempting him to use China as leverage. His sympathetic view toward the North is the strong currency that can smooth relations between Moon and Xi.
Then, with Japan, the Moon government will have no choice but to continue, however backward-looking it may be, a history war, sending their relationship back to the days prior to the December 2015 pact on comfort women. It was a kind of shotgun marriage ministered by the U.S. who needed the two neighbors to patch up their relationship, a pivotal element to the stand the U.S. was taking against expansionist China.
How would all these factors affect South Korea and the regional power balance? A drastic change may not be ruled out.
By Chang Se-moon
Let us be honest. When Trump ran for the presidency of the United States last year, one of his key campaign promises was to re-negotiate the U.S. trade deal with China because the annual trade deficit of the U.S. against China has been exceeding $300 billion, which is clearly unsustainable.
Once Trump realized that North Korea posed an immediate threat, Trump made a deal with President Xi of China by suggesting that China rein in the nuclear program of North Korea in return for which Trump would not push for a new trade deal with China that would have lowered the U.S. trade deficit against China. By making this deal, Trump risked his political life because in America, violation of such a key campaign promise usually means the end of the politician's political life.
There is no doubt that the deal Trump made with China is a courageous one.
Trump made the deal to protect America, not necessarily South Korea. South Korea was not involved in making the deal even if the deal will determine the future of South Korea, and possibly the entire Korean peninsula.
The deal by Trump, however, presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for South Korea by changing the future course of the confrontational relations between the two Koreas to a more stable relationship. This is true, especially if all political leaders in South Korea rise above personal differences and develop a uniform voice for its future security.
In this grand scheme of things, not many people think, let alone worry about, political prisoners in North Korea. The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea (HRNK) is a rare exception.
On April 24, HRNK sponsored a workshop at The George Washington University on North Korea's Gulag for political prisoners. The main feature of the program was the presentation by two defectors from North Korea: Mr. Hu Kang-il and Ms. Lim Hye-jin.
Hu worked at the Cheongjin Dockyard as a party cell secretary of the North Korean government, and was sent to Russia in 1986 to work as North Korea's Forestry representative. He escaped from North Korea in 1993, and now is the director of the Committee for the Democratization of North Korea.
Lim's defection process to South Korea appears more painful. She served in the North Korean military for 7 years as a communication operator. She defected to China by paying brokers to help her get to China, was sold twice to Chinese men, was arrested by Chinese Security and sent back to North Korea, and finally made it to South Korea in 2001. Lim is now working for the New Korea Women's Alliance to help women who defect from North Korea reunite with their children left in North Korea.
Owing to the little bit of acoustic issues and the inevitable loss of emotional statements during interpretation, a large portion of their presentations was likely not conveyed to the attentive audience. As far as I can tell, some of the important statements made by the two courageous defectors are the following.
The camp for political prisoners, called Gyo-hwa-so in Korean which means camp for re-education, first appeared when Kim Il-sung was the leader of North Korea. Kim Il-sung is the founder of North Korea and grandfather of the current leader, Kim Jong-un.
Quite often, prisoners in the camp were reported to the authorities by colleagues and family members for simple statements they made. Once these prisoners are brought to the camp, it is a life sentence for many of these prisoners. Some of them are executed in brutal ways, including execution by high-power electricity wire. When some camps near the border with China were brought to the world's attention, North Korea simply closed those camps, and either built new ones or expanded existing ones.
Ordinary people in North Korea are not aware of the reality of these camps. This is partly because these camps are built in places that are not easily visible to ordinary people, and likely because the existence of these camps has long been a part of their lives.
News of the existence of these camps and the brutal treatment of political prisoners in these camps began to spread outside North Korea due mainly to efforts of former prisoners and their guards who somehow succeeded in escaping from these camps and defecting to China and eventually South Korea. Efforts of these people have been aided by policies of South Korea as well as the new small-scale market system that has been developing in North Korea where information can easily be exchanged among ordinary North Koreans.
A good piece of advice was given in the beginning minutes of the workshop by Suzanne Scholte, who is co-Vice Chair of HRNK and President of the Defense Forum Foundation that sponsors programs on national security and human rights issues. The human rights violation issues relating to political prisoners in North Korea will not disappear when and even if North Korea collapses and the two Koreas are unified. Scholte stresses that efforts to prepare for freeing these political prisoners will have to be a continuous process.
Chang Se-moon is the director of the Gulf Coast Center for Impact Studies. Write to him at: changsemoon@yahoo.com.
GameStop Corp. is a specialty retailer founded in 1999 and headquartered in Grapevine, Texas. The company was originally known as GSC Holdings Corp. but later changed its name following its IPO. Originally a brand of then dominant Babbages, Gamestop altered the way video games were distributed and it is now the world's largest retailer of video games and video game accessories. The company went public in 2004 and operated 4,573 stores at the start of 2022. Brands under the company umbrella include Gamestop, EB Games, and Micromania as well as 50 pop-culture-themed Zing Pop locations.
Gamestop Corp. provides video games and entertainment products through its global network of e-commerce properties and stores. The company sells new and pre-owned gaming platforms and accessories like controllers, headsets, memory cards, and gaming software as well as in-game products like digital currency, downloadable content, and games. The company also sells new and used memorabilia and collectibles. Genres include TV, movie, comic book, and game characters as well as many other items from pop culture. GameStop Corp. also operates Game Informer, a magazine and website dedicated to the gaming industry including reviews, updates, and new developments in technologies.
Game enthusiasts enjoy two primary benefits of using Gamestop. The first is access to the full range of games and gaming accessories. The second is the ability to sell or trade their old equipment and games for fair prices. All old equipment is refurbished to a like-new state before resale.
In 2021 Gamestop announced it was entering the world of cryptocurrency. The company revealed plans to build an NFT (non-fungible token) platform for listing, selling, and holding digital or digitized artwork and collectibles. The beta version launched in 2022 and has so far seen great success with an average daily volume exceeding $1 million. The NFT marketplace also featured Web3.0 games in which characters and in-game items are held forever on the blockchain. As of September 2022, the most successful retailer on the NFT marketplace was Gamestop Presents, a collaboration of cover art from Game Informer Magazine. Sales at the time were just under 168 ETH or about $221,500.00.
GameStop began a slide in 2016 following a series of bad investments that included a foray into the world of mobile phones. The slide came to an end in late 2021 when shareholders using the Reddit thread Wallstreet Bets orchestrated a short-squeeze and brought on the age of meme stocks.
Nucor Corporation manufactures and sells steel and steel products. The company's Steel Mills segment produces hot-rolled, cold-rolled, and galvanized sheet steel products; plate steel products; wide-flange beams, beam blanks, and H-piling and sheet piling products; and bar steel products, such as blooms, billets, concrete reinforcing and merchant bars, and special bar quality products. It also engages in the steel trading and rebar distribution businesses. This segment sells its products to steel service centers, fabricators, and manufacturers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Its Steel Products segment offers hollow structural section steel tubing products, electrical conduits, steel racking, steel joists and joist girders, steel decks, fabricated concrete reinforcing steel products, cold finished steel products, steel fasteners, metal building systems, insulated metal panels, steel grating and expanded metal products, and wire and wire mesh products primarily for use in nonresidential construction applications. This segment also engages in the piling distribution business. The company's Raw Materials segment produces direct reduced iron (DRI); brokers ferrous and nonferrous metals, pig iron, hot briquetted iron, and DRI; supplies ferro-alloys; and processes ferrous and nonferrous scrap metal, as well as engages in the natural gas drilling operations. This segment sells its ferrous scrap to electric arc furnace steel mills and foundries for manufacturing process; and nonferrous scrap metal to aluminum can producers, secondary aluminum smelters, steel mills and other processors, and consumers of various nonferrous metals. It serves agriculture, automotive, construction, energy and transmission, oil and gas, heavy equipment, infrastructure, and transportation industries through its in-house sales force; and internal distribution and trading companies. Nucor Corporation was incorporated in 1958 and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The following companies are subsidiares of Pearson: AEL (S) PTE Limited, ATI Professional Development LLC, Addison Wesley Longman Inc., Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., Aldwych Finance Limited, Americas Choice Inc., Atkey Finance Limited, Author Solutions, Axis Finance Inc., CAMSAWUSA Inc., CTI Education Group (Pty) Limited, Camsaw Inc., Casapsi Livraria e Editora Ltda, Centro Cultural Americano Franquias e Comercio Ltda., Century Consultants Ltd., Certiport, Certiport China Co Ltd, Certiport China Holding LLC, Certiport Inc., Cogmed Systems AB, Connections Academy of Arkansas LLC, Connections Academy of Florida LLC, Connections Academy of Iowa LLC, Connections Academy of Maine LLC, Connections Academy of Maryland LLC, Connections Academy of Minnesota LLC, Connections Academy of Missouri LLC, Connections Academy of Nevada LLC, Connections Academy of New Jersey LLC, Connections Academy of New Mexico LLC, Connections Academy of New York LLC, Connections Academy of Oregon LLC, Connections Academy of Pennsylvania LLC, Connections Academy of Tennessee LLC, Connections Academy of Texas LLC, Connections Education Inc., Connections Education LLC, Connections Education of Florida LLC, Dominie Press Inc., Dorian Finance Limited, Dorling Kindersley Australasia Pty Limited, EBNT Canada Holdings ULC, EBNT Holdings Limited, EBNT USA Holdings Inc., Edexcel Limited, Edexcel South Africa Pty Ltd, Education Development International plc, Education Resources (Cyprus) Limited, Educational Management Group Inc., Educational Publishers LLP, Embanet ULC, Embanet-Compass Knowledge Group Inc., EmbanetCompass, Embankment Finance Limited, English Language Learning and Instruction System Inc., Escape Studios Limited, FBH Inc., Falstaff Holdco Inc., Falstaff Inc., GED Domains LLC, GED Testing Service LLC, George (Shanghai) Commercial Information Consulting Co. Ltd, Global Education, Global George I Limited, Global George II Limited, GlobalEnglish, Globe Fearon Inc., Guangzhou Crescent Software Co. Ltd, Heinemann Education Botswana (Publishers) (Proprietary) Limited, Heinemann Publishers (Pty) Ltd, INTELLIPRO INC., Icodeon Limited, IndiaCan Education Private Limited, Integral 7 Inc., Integrated Analytics LLC, J M Solucoes Exportacao e Importacao Ltda, K12 Learning Services LLC, Kagiso Education Pty Ltd, Knowledge Analysis Technologies LLC, LCCI International Qualifications (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., LCCIEB Training Consultancy. Ltd, Learning Catalytics, LessonLab Inc., Lignum Oil Company, Linx Brasil Distribuidora Ltda., Longman (Malawi) Limited, Longman Australasia Pty Ltd, Longman Group(Overseas Holdings)Limited, Longman Indochina Acquisition L.L.C., Longman Kenya Limited, Longman Mocambique Ltda, Longman Romania S.R.L., Longman Swaziland (Pty) Limited, Longman Tanzania Limited, Longman Zambia Educational Publishers Pty Ltd, Longman Zambia Limited, Longman Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, Longmaned Ecuador S.A., Major123 Limited, Maskew Miller Longman (Pty) Limited, MeasureUp LLC, Modern Curriculum Inc., Multi Holding, Multi Treinamento e Editora Ltda, NCS Information Technology Services (Beijing) Co Ltd, NCS Pearson Inc., NCS Pearson Pty Ltd, NCS Pearson Puerto Rico Inc., National Computer Systems Japan Co. Ltd, Ordinate Corporation, PN Holdings Inc., PT Efficient English Services, Pearson (Beijing) Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Pearson (Guizhou) Education Technology Co. Ltd., Pearson Affordable Learning Fund Limited, Pearson America LLC, Pearson Amsterdam B.V., Pearson Australia Finance Unlimited, Pearson Australia Group Pty Ltd, Pearson Australia Holdings Pty Ltd, Pearson Australia Pty Ltd, Pearson Benelux B.V., Pearson Books Limited, Pearson Brazil Finance Limited, Pearson Business Services Inc., Pearson Canada Assessment Inc., Pearson Canada Finance Unlimited, Pearson Canada Holdings Inc, Pearson Canada Inc., Pearson Central Europe Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Pearson College Limited, Pearson DBC Holdings Inc., Pearson Desarrollo y Capacitacion Profesional Chile Limitada, Pearson Deutschland GmbH, Pearson Digital Learning Puerto Rico Inc., Pearson Dollar Finance Two Limited, Pearson Dollar Finance plc, Pearson Educacion SA, Pearson Educacion de Chile Limitada, Pearson Educacion de Colombia S A S, Pearson Educacion de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Pearson Educacion de Panama SA, Pearson Educacion de Peru S.A., Pearson Education (Singapore) Pte Ltd, Pearson Education Achievement Solutions (RF) (Pty) Limited, Pearson Education Africa (Pty) Ltd, Pearson Education Asia Limited, Pearson Education Botswana (Proprietary) Limited, Pearson Education Hellas SA, Pearson Education Holdings Limited, Pearson Education Inc., Pearson Education Indochina Limited, Pearson Education Investments Limited, Pearson Education Korea Limited, Pearson Education Limited, Pearson Education Namibia (Pty) Limited, Pearson Education Publishing Limited, Pearson Education S.A., Pearson Education SA, Pearson Education South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Pearson Education South Asia Pte. Ltd., Pearson Education Taiwan Ltd, Pearson Education do Brasil S.A, Pearson Educational Measurement Canada Inc., Pearson Educational Publishers LLC, Pearson Egitim Cozumleri Tikaret Limited Sirketi, Pearson Falstaff (Holdings) Inc., Pearson Falstaff Holdco LLC, Pearson France, Pearson Funding Five plc, Pearson Funding Four plc, Pearson Funding Two Limited, Pearson Holdings Inc., Pearson Holdings Southern Africa (Pty) Limited, Pearson IOKI Spoka z ograniczona odpowiedzialnoscia, Pearson India Education Services Private Limited, Pearson India Support Services Private Limited, Pearson Institute of Higher Education, Pearson International Finance Limited, Pearson Investment Holdings Inc., Pearson Italia S.p.A, Pearson Japan KK, Pearson Lanka (Private) Limited, Pearson Learning China (HK) Limited, Pearson Lesotho (Pty) Ltd, Pearson Loan Finance No. 3 Limited, Pearson Loan Finance No. 4 Limited, Pearson Loan Finance No.2 Unlimited, Pearson Loan Finance Unlimited, Pearson Longman Uganda Limited, Pearson Malaysia Sdn. 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Inc., Pearson PRH Holdings Limited, Pearson Pension Nominees Limited, Pearson Pension Property Fund Limited, Pearson Pension Trustee Limited, Pearson Pension Trustee Services Limited, Pearson Professional Assessments Limited, Pearson Real Estate Holdings Inc., Pearson Real Estate Holdings Limited, Pearson Schweiz AG, Pearson Services Limited, Pearson Shared Services Limited, Pearson South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Pearson Strand Finance Limited, Pearson Sweden AB, Pearson VUE Philippines Inc., Pearson in Practice Holdings Limited, Pearson in Practice Skills Based Learning Limited, Pearson in Practice Technology Limited, Penguin Capital LLC, Phumelela Publishers (Pty) Ltd, ProctorCam Inc., Reading Property Holdings LLC, Rebus Planning Associates Inc., Reston Publishing Company Inc., Rycade Capital Corporation, Shanghai AWL Education Software Ltd, Silver Burdett Ginn Inc., Skylight Training and Publishing Inc., Smarthinking Inc., Sound Holdings Inc., Spear Insurance Company Limited, Stark Verlag GmbH, Sunnykey International Holdings Limited (BVI), TQ Catalis Limited, TQ Clapham Limited, TQ Education and Training Limited, TQ Global Limited, TQ Group Limited, TQ Holdings Limited, The Financial Times (I) Pvt Ltd, The Learning Edge International pty Ltd, The Waite Group Inc, Trio Parent Holdings LLC, US Learning Services LLC, USLS Holdings LLC, Virtual Nerd, Vue Testing Services Israel Ltd, Vue Testing Services Korea Limited, Wall Street Institute Kft., Williams Education GmbH, eCollege.com, and Editions Du Renouveau Pedagogique Inc..
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Wabash National Corporation designs, manufactures, and distributes engineered solutions for the transportation, logistics, and distribution industries primarily in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Transportation Solutions and Parts & Services. The Transportation Solutions segment provides dry van and platform trailers; refrigerated trailers; converter dollies; van bodies for dry-freight transportation; cutaway van bodies for commercial applications; service bodies; insulated van bodies; stake bodies; refrigerated truck bodies; and used trailers, as well as laminated hardwood oak flooring products. This segment also offers stainless steel and aluminum tank trailers for the dairy, food and beverage, oil, gas, and chemical end markets; dry bulk trailers; and fiberglass reinforced poly tank trailers. The Parts & Services segment provides aftermarket parts and services; aluminum and steel flatbed bodies, shelving for package delivery, partitions, roof racks, hitches, liftgates, and thermal solutions; and door repair and replacement, collision repair, and basic maintenance services. This segment also offers stainless steel storage tanks and silos, mixers, and processors for the dairy, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, chemical, craft brewing, and biotech end markets; and composite products, including truck bodies, overhead doors, and other industrial application products. The company offers its products under the Wabash, DuraPlate, DuraPlateHD, DuraPlate AeroSkirt, and AeroSkirt CX brands, as well as EcoNex brand. It distributes its products directly, as well as through its retail operations and independent dealers to truckload common carriers, leasing companies, private fleet carriers, less-than-truckload common carriers, and package carriers. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana.
EnerSys provides various stored energy solutions for industrial applications worldwide. It operates in three segments: Energy Systems, Motive Power, and Specialty. The company offers uninterruptible power systems applications for computer and computer-controlled systems, as well as telecommunications systems; switchgear and electrical control systems used in industrial facilities and electric utilities, large-scale energy storage, and energy pipelines; integrated power solutions and services to broadband, telecom, renewable, and industrial customers; and thermally managed cabinets and enclosures for electronic equipment and batteries. It also provides motive power products that are used to provide power for electric industrial forklifts used in manufacturing, warehousing, and other material handling applications. In addition, the company offers mining equipment, diesel locomotive starting, and other rail equipment. Further, it provides specialty batteries for starting, lighting, and ignition applications in transportation; and energy solutions for satellites, military aircraft, submarines, ships, and other tactical vehicles, as well as medical and security systems. Additionally, the company offers battery chargers, power equipment, battery accessories, and outdoor cabinet enclosures, as well as related after-market and customer-support services for industrial batteries. The company sells its products through a network of distributors, independent representatives, and internal sales forces. The company was formerly known as Yuasa, Inc. and changed its name to EnerSys in January 2001. EnerSys was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Angels right-hander Garrett Richards is eligible to come off the 60-day disabled list sometime in June, but thats not going to happen. Richards, who hasnt pitched since April 5 because of an irritated cutaneous nerve in his right biceps, isnt healing particularly quickly and probably wont return to action until at least August.
Looking at the schedule right now, I think thats realistic, he told Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times. I think thats all going to depend on when I start throwing again. But with the past cases, this was like a one-time thing for these guys. So Im hopeful on that, too, that this might just be a fluke thing and I just continue on.
Pitchers who have dealt with Richards injury in the past include then-Dodger Brad Penny in 2004 and former Cardinal Chris Carpenter in the same year, as Moura writes. Penny missed two months, and Carpenter sat out the final two weeks of the regular season and the Cardinals World Series-winning playoff run. Angels doctors told Richards that his injury isnt as severe as theirs were, leading to hope that hell pitch again this year. And while Richards doesnt feel any pain in his biceps, the 28-year-old noted that if it isnt strong, the elbow is just gonna be shredded, especially with my velocity and my arm speed.
Richards, of course, missed most of last season with an elbow issue, though he was able to avoid Tommy John surgery by successfully undergoing stem-cell therapy treatment. Unlike last year, though, the Angels havent found an alternative recovery method for Richards, whose only hope is to wait for his biceps strength to return to normal. Fortunately, if Richards is able to throw again this season, the Angels are optimistic he wont need to embark on a long program before returning to the mound.
Once hes 100%, hes probably already gotten some of the legwork and questions out of the way, compared to where he was in the spring, manager Mike Scioscia told Moura. Hopefully that build-up will happen in a more timely fashion than our seven-or-eight week spring training.
As was the case during a 74-win campaign last year, the Angels have stumbled this season without Richards, having posted an 18-21 record to fall 8.5 games behind the AL West-leading Astros. The Halos rotation, which is also without the injured Tyler Skaggs who, like Richards, missed the bulk of 2016 has been a mixed bag, ranking 11th in the majors in ERA (4.16) but only 23rd in FIP (4.56).
14.05.2017 LISTEN
Ghana based Guinean model Marie Jean (@mjeanne_l) from Confidence Models (@confidencemodels) hits the net in viral editorial shoot with amazing photography talent Chasquido Studios (@chasquido_studios). The Shoot three part shoot showcases the fierce beauty in a sleek regal black dress in front of the door way, as well as a lovely beach shoot in clothes by fashion label MXDN (@mxdnofficial).
Marie Jeans began modeling 4 years ago prior to winning Miss Guinea Ghana. Ever since then she has remained a popular name in Guinea but choses to live in Ghana as she stays very much in love with the culture and the people.
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Former Minister of Gender and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur has described the incoming Chief Justice Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo as woman noted for hard work
According to her, the Justice of Ghanas Supreme Court is a fine legal brain, expressing her joy to president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for her nomination.
Recounting their relationship in time past, she said I remember in 1994/95 when I walked into your office and you told me that President Rawlings had nominated you as a Supreme Court Judge. In a reflective mood, you told me it was a call to serve Ghana. You had done so well as Chairperson of Civil Aviation Authority. The airport saw massive transformation under your leadership. Under your tenure you zoned and developed the Holiday Inn airport area, the airport saw a major expansion and you set up the Aviation Social Centre.
There was an uproar within the Ghana Bar Association about the Presidents nomination .I distinctly remember the objection by the late ED Kom.You have proved them wrong.
You were strict,efficient,hardworking,no nonsense and compassionate as head of chambers.One of the few female senior lawyers heading a law firm in those days.You had left Mobil Ghana as their solicitor and set up the law firm Akuffo &Co.You groomed us all in your law firm to become sharp lawyers.Shiela Minkah Premo,Kwame Akuffo and I.
You excelled at the Supreme Court and African Human Rights Court.
Justice Sophia Abena Boafoa Akuffo. Congratulations. I am proud of you. I am happy for you. More importantly Ghana has one of its finest legal brains as a Chief Justice nominee. May God chart your path so that justice will roll like waters and righteousness like an everflowing stream in Ghana.
The current government has made clear its intention to improve upon human settlements especially in the lass developed parts of the country that includes 600 or more Zongos in Ghana. The Ministry of Inner Cities and Zongo affairs under Hon Alhaji Abubakar Sidik Boniface , would be required to carry out this assignments of development through a laid down plan with a development fund.
The Ministry can only succeed when it collaborates with various knowledgeable people, opinion leaders and organizations in the areas concerned. One of the organizations which is well placed to assist in carrying out this assignment is the Islamic Council for Development and Humanitarian Services. Established in 1991 this organization has grown into one of the leading non govermental bodies in Ghana. It is noted for engaging in building free of charge schools , mosques wells and orphanages in the country and other parts of West Africa.
The organization was founded by Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim an islamic acholar, who is also its Executive Chairman. Due to the good works carried out by ICODEHS its Chairman Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim has been awarded National Awards in Ghana and other Arab Nations. ICODEHS traces its roots from the Islamic Book Development and Translation Council (IBDTC), founded in 1980 by Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim, the Current Chairman of ICODEHS.
Through this body it wrote many books that explains all the tenets of Islam from the meaning of some important Quran texts such as the rules governing prayers, fasting and inheritance among many topics. While Sheikh Mustapha engaged in the writing of books he up-scaled the work of ICODEHS by seeking the support of Kuwait Zakat House [Kuwaiti charity organization] towards building more mosques and schools. When ICODEHS was recognized by Kuwait Zakat House and other donors to be honest and accountable in its dealings the organization was introduced to other donors in United Arab Emirates Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Morocco for more support. Today ICODEHS is permitted, with the support of foreign donors to operate in other West African countries. Apart from building schools, orphanages, clinics, building wells and supporting orphans ICODEHS engages in DAWA or preaching on radio and television to help Muslims and non-Muslims to appreciate Islam.
Currently ICODEHS under Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim is running a weekly program on Marhaba radio for the benefit of Muslims in and around Accra. The last time I checked the program has assumed tremendous popularity among Muslims and non-Muslims especially as the program discussed the coming Ramadan fast.
The charity works of ICODEHS goes beyond building mosques , schools wells and support for orphans . Of late it has begun organizing free medical screening for those suffering from their eyes and other conditions. According to Sheikh Mustapha Ibrahim ICODEHS would continue with this free medical service adding that his outfit would also provide health insurance cover for a number of people in the Zongos. As a result of the contribution of ICODEHS towards development in the Muslim settlement the office of the National Chief Imam has apponited Sheikh Mustapha onto his advisiory board. Apasrt from that he has been appointed as the Chairman of the Chief Imams Education Fund SONSETFUND,. Through this body funds are raised to support the education of students in senior secondary schools . SONSETFUND also serves as guaranter for students in our countrys universities. The fund now supprt close to 1200 students from SONSETFUND in our tertiary schools .
ICODEHS is also noted for providing suppport to orohans and muslims during the RAMADAN fasting and festival period during which clothing and food is distributed to them.
ICODEHS is also noted for sponsoring some muslims to perform the hajj every year providing the tickets and pocket money.
Executive Director eanfoworld for sustainable development [email protected]/[email protected] 0244370345/0208844792/0274853710
DURBAN, the capital of the KwaZulu Natal Province in South Africa, is ready to host the 2017 edition of INDABA. The event takes place at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Convention Centre (Durban ICC) and the Durban Exhibition Centre (DEC) respectively from Tuesday May 16 to Thursday May 18, 2017.
The President of South Africa, His Excellency Mr. Jacob Zuma will officially open the 2017 INDABA at the Durban ICC on the morning of Tuesday 16 May, 2017.
INDABA is one of the largest tourism marketing events on the African calendar and one of the top three must visit events of its kind on the global calendar.
It showcases the widest variety of Southern Africa's best tourism products and attracts international buyers and media from across the world. INDABA is owned by South Africas tourism marketing and development organization, South African Tourism.
This year exhibitors in the Durban Exhibition Centre will include provincial authorities, provincial products and African Countries. Exhibitor categories in the International Convention Centre will include accommodation, tour operators, game lodges, transport, online travel, media publications and industry associations. Outdoor exhibitors include transport, camping and safari companies.
INDABA has a dedicated following of local and international media who provide extensive coverage of the exhibition for the local and international markets through radio, television, newspaper and dedicated travel publications.
This year, as last year, the West Africa office of South African Tourism is hosting a team of top managers of travel and tour companies as well as leaders of travel and tour associations from Ghana and Nigeria to experience interesting destinations before and after INDABA.
Also being hosted this year is a team of journalists and travel bloggers from Ghana and Nigeria. The objective is to expose the travel trade executives to the many tourism experiences that South Africa offers and for the media to expose same to audiences back home.
Some of the experiences that the team being hosted would have are cultural village visit, picnics, rickshaw rides, boat cruises, Segway tour, power boating, quad biking, horse riding, and many more. Most of these experiences would be had in the KwaZulu Natal Province.
This will be the first INDABA since Mr Sisa Ntshona was appointed by the board as Chief Executive Officer of South African Tourism.
President Nana Akufo-Addo has stressed the important roles laboratories and workshops in Technical High Schools play in developing the skills that would equip students for the modern world.
President Akufo-Addo assured that his government will not turn the Free SHS into a process that simply churns out young people that would not be equipped to cope with the modern world.,
He noted that a High school educated child without any skills would be even more frustrated than a child that ended her education at the Junior High School.
President Akufo-Addo, therefore noted that his government will ensure that our High Schools and their teachers are equipped to deal with the white heat of science and technology that rule today's world.
The President was speaking during the 33rd Anniversary and 2nd Speech and Prize Giving day celebration of the Mafe-Kumase Senior Technical School, at the commencement of his 2-day tour of the Volta Region on Saturday.
The President noted that, the joblessness and under-employment that have blighted the lives of Ghanas youth will be overcome, when we provide laboratories and workshops and the qualified teachers that would turn out skilled school leavers.
According to him, every new policy his government seeks to introduce, such as the 1-District-1-Factory, and 1-Village-1-Dam, requires skilled people to make them work.
Science, technology and technical skills, rule agriculture and the entire food industry, and that is where the jobs are. Remember the programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, which I rolled out recently at Goaso in the Bring Ahafo Region? Science, technology and technical skills rule industry, and you rule yourself out if you are not appropriately equipped. That is why we are insisting on the policy of One District, One Factory, he added.
To this end, the President assured that his government will prioritize a change in the country's education system to pay the deserved attention to skills training, adding that the provision of laboratories and workshops would be paramount. This would involve huge investments in infrastructure and the proper training of teachers.
In order to start the process of trying to turn the technical in the name of your school into a reality, President Akufo-Addo pledged the construction of a modern, well-equipped workshop, which, he said will be an appropriate structure to mark his visit to Mafe-Kumasi Sec-Tech.
With the Japanese government helping to build a science laboratory in the school, President Akufo-Addo was confident that the addition of a modern and well-equipped workshop complex would transform your school.
By: Sammi Wiafe/citifmonline.com/Ghana
14.05.2017 LISTEN
Mukesh V. Thakwani, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of B5 Plus Limited, the most patronized steel manufacturing company in Africa has been named the Industrialist of the Year at the Ghana @ 60 edition of the Ghana Entrepreneurs & Corporate Executives Awards (GECEA).
This recognition attests to the commitment the company has made to become the leading steel manufacturing company in the West African sub-region.
It also displays the business leadership and vision in founding B5 Plus Limited and its expansion to become a leading exporter of steel in the sub region.
Through its broad range of operations, B5 Plus Ltd has created jobs for several youth in the country thus assisting to improve standards of living and hastening the socio-economic development of Ghana.
The event held at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra is an initiative of Entrepreneur Foundation of Ghana (EFG) in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
The GECE Awards 2017 is a premier competition for emerging entrepreneurs, corporate executives, established business owners, innovative and creative entrepreneurs who own and operate businesses. The ones selected are given recognition for their achievement in business development.
This years event under the theme: Promoting Economic Growth through Private Sector Development and Corporate Governance, aimed to enhance business relationship between entrepreneurs and business executives and also promote governments private sector development initiative.
In the 15th edition of the Ghana Club 100 ranking organised by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC), B5 Plus Limited improved its position to the 19th position as the most prestigious company in Ghana currently.
Under the auspices of GIPC, the ranking uses three main criteria; size of the company, growth and profitability to arrive at the Club 100 list.
Mr. Mukesh V. Thakwani who is the Chairman of B5 Plus and Delhi Public School (DPS), International Ghana who expressed excitement about the recognition dedicated the award to customers and workers of the steel manufacturing company.
According to him, the hard work exhibited by the workers and the trust repose in his companys products by customers who cut across Africa and who continue to patronize the companys products brought about the award.
He pointed out that this recognition will encourage him and his company to invest more and improve on its operations to continue to offer quality products to its cherished customers.
The CEO of B5 Plus Limited pointed out that This award means a lot to me and is to encourage me to work extra harder to take over the whole of Africa which is my dream. Now I see myself holding the ECOWAS nations and I want to move to the whole of Africa.
Since its establishment, B5 Plus Ltd has a vision to become the best in the worlds steel manufacturing industry through the excellence of its workforce, its innovative approach and overall conduct.
The companys steel products remain the most sought for due to their durability and efficiency in all the ECOWAS countries it serves.
B5 Plus Ltds steel products come in seven major categories: Mild Steel, High Tensile & Iron Rods, Galvanized Products, Stainless Steel, Marine & Mining, Roofing & Nails and Concrete & Fencing.
Mr. Mukesh V. Thakwani who is the Chairman of B5 Plus and Delhi Public School (DPS), International Ghana who expressed excitement about the recognition dedicated the award to customers and workers of the steel manufacturing company.
Kashimbila, Taraba State, Nigeria 13 May 2017: Water retained by the Kashimbila Multipurpose Dam built by the Federal government in Takum Local Government Area in Taraba State has been rising and flooding parts of Nigeria and has also submerged villages in three subdivisions in the Cameroons.
Work on the dam in Kashimbila located at Latitude 6.87324 N, and Longitude 9.75942 E started in 2009. The project commenced overlooking basic requirements for mega projects like informing the populations of the areas to be affected in advance and obtaining their free consent (FPIC). No environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) was carried out to determine the suitability of the project in an ecological hotspot like the Katsina Ala Basin. Furthermore, project management has refused to sign any memoranda of understanding (MOU) with the affected communities.
Polluted and contaminated water from the decaying biota (animals and plants) under the dam waters has reached Kpep located on Latitude 6.79813 N, and Longitude 10.06849 E into Furu Awa Subdivision in the Cameroons. Nobody here was informed of the project and both the project management and the affected persons did not anticipate the arrival of this water.
The Federal Government of Nigeria had bullied all opponents of the project into accepting it claiming that the dam was a buffer against the cataclysmic waters rushing down from the collapsing walls of Lake Nyos located on the Cameroonian territory. According to Nigerian authorities, the gases from Lake Nyos which killed 3000 people in 1986 were still accumulating and a similar explosion today will cause the narrow walls of the lake to break flooding many states in South Eastern Nigeria.
Nigeria failed to inform her people that the lake is being degassed on a regular basis and that the gases would never accumulate to a dangerous amount that would explode again. Conferences were organized throughout Nigeria and beyond to cement this fear factor in the minds of people and curry favour for the dam.
Today, the world is waking up to an environmental and human disaster, far worse than the doomsday tags put on Lake Nyos by fear mongers. This lone argument is stomached with complicit silence by the Cameroons, itself not sure how to explain the Lake Nyos phenomenon which many believe was a conspiracy.
On the fast moving beaches of Alang, in Nigeria where travelers are now forced to board rickety boats to Akum Upkack in the Cameroons, a tired Ramatu Garba said, This water pursue everything. It pursues animals. It pursues people, pursue trees, pursue houses, pursue Cameroon people, pursue Nigeria people. This water too much.
Ramatu aged 65 says she has been trading along the Katsina Ala River basin for more than 40 years, and never in her life has she seen the river rise above its banks to devour things more than a kilometer from its river bed.
Millions of traditional West African oil palm trees have disappeared under water and it is a free for all those who can afford a boat ride to penetrate the devouring waters to harvest palm nuts. Not being aquatic plants, all these palm trees will decay and collapse. Cocoa trees, in their millions, African bush mango, banana plantains, hectares of corn, cassava, groundnuts have all disappeared under the water.
Survival instincts have pushed some daring farmers on the Cameroonian side to move to higher ground to plant new food crops. The earth around these steep rocks sometimes rising to 30 storey building is fast moving and loose being of volcanic ash. Farming here would only lead to erosion that would take away the last shallow earth and the ever permanent giant rocks in the Cameroon trough would reign supreme.
Three months into the flooding, authorities from the Furu Awa and Fungom Subdivisions in the Cameroons rode against the shifting tides into Akum Upkack on 12 May 2017. An elite observed that they were at the mercy of God alone. They could be wiped out by the forces of man and water at a time without anyone coming to their rescue.
Michael Robbin, who makes occasional incursions into the Cameroonian territory on a flying boat, is said to tell curious Cameroonians who emerge from their collapsing buildings to stop him on his ride like a Hollywood star that he is waiting for the Cameroonian authorities to come for compensation.
On their part, the Nigerians say there was no real compensation as only arbitrary amounts were paid them. Ibrahim Sale, son of the Mangwa or quarter head of Alang said, some people were given 3000 Naira about 6000 FCFA or US 10 dollars. What can somebody do with such an amount? Look at Lybia, Qatar, Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Equatorial Guinea. These countries use their resources to develop their infrastructure and people.
Kashimbila does not look like a town which has sacrificed much to host such a gigantic project to benefit five states in Nigeria. No pipe borne water could be seen in the town. People still pay Garuwa (water boys) to draw water from katsina Ala to cook, clean their homes and water animals. The palace of Gar Gadin Kashimbila (Chief of Kashimbila) is dilapidated sitting across broken culverts damaged by the dam contractors. Rain water now runs into homes since most culverts have been blocked by mud deposited by company.
It is worst upstream where all the tributaries of River Katsina Ala have been flooded and contaminated. All surface and underground water has been contaminated and the water smells like a million decaying corpses. After three months of flooding, some people upstream manage to drink water from the rain. There is no single drop of potable water along the Katsina Ala River basin.
Children have started looking sick and an outbreak of cholera, typhoid and other waterborne diseases malaria is just a matter of time for it to happen. Mosquitoes have multiplied exponentially and swarms assail you if you are blocked on the way and forced to stay the night in the affected area.
If this company does not wipe us out malaria would soon kill all my people, said Rev Pastor Sara of the Cameroon Baptist Convention, Ezong. To make ends meet in this difficult environment, he commutes to Bariki during the week to teach at a primary school there.
Christopher Fada, deputy youth chairman of Kashimbila says it would seem the management of the dam keeps them near the project simply for tourism purposes. The Project manger never intended us to be part of the project. We are just here as part of a circus to be presented to the influx of tourists as the last vestiges of the primitive tribes of Eastern Nigeria.
Some of the new homes built from the compensation money on the Nigerian side are ten times worst than the homes swallowed by the dam water. The compensation would not last 12 months in the hands of these indigenous people who would now have to grapple with the man-imposed scorch of hunger.
This is one of the worst projects in Nigeria. We could not oppose for fear of political witch hunting. During the last president (Goodluck Jonathan) some of our elders would report us and we would be arrested and detained, said Dauda Audu a boatman. Nigeria is a unique country where you would be presented as an enemy for opposing what the incumbent President wants. Our elders gave their consent out of fear, Dauda lamented.
On the Cameroonian side Etsem Jeremiah of Ezong says, It would seem the government of the Cameroons does not consider us Cameroonians, Just as the Federal Government of Nigeria believes most of the people in Taraba State are not Nigerians.
The indigenous peoples of the Katsina Ala Basin are victims of an infamous 1961 plebiscite organized by the United Nations for these peoples to vote whether to join the Federation of Nigeria to attain independence or join the Cameroun Republic. The Katsina Ala Basin is a true test on dual nationality experiments as many people are Cameroonians and Nigerians at the same time.
As I return to the field to see what would be left after a few days of walking into town to look for telephone network and electricity to power my gadgets, be sure that more houses in the villages would have been devoured by the water from the Kashimbila dam. The water keeps rising uncontrollably, minute by minute.
Fon Christopher Achobang
Social Commentator, Human rights activist and
Environmental Campaigner
The Cameroons
The writer
14.05.2017 LISTEN
Introduction
The Ghanaian banking system is growing at a fast pace with the number of commercial banks increasing each year. Most savings and loans and microfinance institutions are working very hard around the clock to meet the Central Banks requirements for gaining licences to become commercial banks. There are currently 35 fully licensed and operational commercial banks in Ghana that are serving just a little above 7million people out of the nations population of about 27million. This simply means that there is a huge unbanked population, although the number of commercial banks is growing.
It is very unfortunate that a country with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about USD35billion and a population of about 27million has a growing number of commercial banks of 35 and they just serve 7million people, each of whom maintains either one account or multiple accounts.
The minimum capital requirement for an operational commercial bank in Ghana is GHS120 million, as required by our central bank, the Bank of Ghana.
Meanwhile, in spite of the growth in the number of operational commercial banks in Ghana, the aggregate of their minimum capital is GHS 4.2 billion which is about USD976, 744,186.04 at an exchange rate of GHS 4.3 to USD 1.0. This is 2.8%,nowhere close to the USD 35billion GDP of the country.
Why the Bank of Ghana Must Increase the Minimum Capital
As one of the major keys to the success and growth of our economy, the minimum capital requirement for obtaining a licence to operate a commercial bank should be raised to GHS500million. This is almost equivalent to USD120million. A policy of this nature will cause transformations through mergers and acquisitions in the banking sector. One result would be to consolidate the capital base and promote financial growth. Another advantage from a more consolidated banking sector would be to make it feasible for banks to grant more long and medium term loans to the private sector, individuals and to the government. Examples of these loans include the yearly cocoa syndicated loans and crude oil deals which most often are granted by foreign financial institutions. These are services that a consolidated domestic banking sector can and should provide. What is envisaged here would be similar to events in Nigerias banking sector when in 2004 the then Governor of the Nigerian central bank raised capital adequacy requirements from N2 billion to N25 billion. This policy freed Nigerian banks from reliance on public sector funds and better equipped them to finance bigger projects within the oil, gas and telecommunication sectors.
Any policy that raises the minimum capital base of commercial banks in Ghana will boost the integrity of our banking sector in such matters as effective adherence to sound practices in corporate governance. This would partly be due to the fact that the central bank would have a much smaller number of banks that it can more effectively supervise and more efficiently monitor their activities. Furthermore, the confidentiality and safety of the funds of depositors can be more effectively be safeguarded with the limited resources of the central bank.
A major concern of most of our domestic banks is the ballooning of non-performing loans (NPL) on their books. This problem results from a blend of a monitoring system that has broken down and a credit referencing bureau system that is weak. A consolidation of our banks would facilitate an effective and efficient system of monitoring all credit facilities that are granted to customers and make it easier for credit bureaus to gather accurate data on all businesses and individuals that have been given loans.
Issues that need immediate attention within the banking sector of Ghana
The most significant issue of concern that needs attention and immediate consideration is that the operational minimum capital for commercial banks, currently GHS120 million (USD27.9million at a rate of GHS4.3 = USD1.0), is too low and should be raised to GHS500 million. Drastic measures need to be taken to improve the safety of the funds of depositors and their trust in the banking system. This has been a long-standing problem that increases, whenever fraudulent acts result from collaboration between criminals outside the affected bank and some equally criminal staff members of the bank to steal the funds of depositors. Many bank workers show no friendliness and courtesy toward the illiterate and less privileged in our society. There have been numerous complaints from ordinary Ghanaians about how they feel intimidated when they enter a bank and see workers dressed up in suits and ties and working within a flamboyant decor of the banking hall. The dress code of bankers and the way most of them talk intimidate and create a barrier that is a major factor why we still have about 70% of the population unbanked.
Conclusion
I am very confident that if the central bank and its governor implement the recommendations suggested in this write-up, the banking system will experience an unprecedented boost in business, job creation and revenue generation. The sector would be better placed to support both local and international transactions for the massive economic growth that our economy needs and deserves. The present and future of the banking/financial sector is in the hands of the governor and his team to implement policies that would improve its performance and restore the financial integrity of the Ghana economy. The right financial environment is key for the private sector and the government to bring economic growth to our country.
Jerry.J.AFOLABI
[email protected]
Follow me on twitter @Afojel
LinkedIN @afolabijelili
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facebook @Afojel
14.05.2017 LISTEN
Accra, May 14, GNA - The Christian Council of Ghana and the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference have commended President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and his government for the efforts to stop illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
'We have observed with satisfaction the efforts of His Excellency the President of the Republic and his government to protect our water bodies, farm lands, forest reserves, and their commitment to end illegal mining in the country,' the two bodies said.
This was in a communiquA issued at the end of the 2017 Annual Joint Meeting by the Council and the Conference in Accra on Saturday.
The CommuniquA was jointly signed by Reverend Dr Kwabena Opuni-Frimpong, General Secretary of the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG), Rev. Fr. Lazarus Anondee, Secretary General of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference (GCBC), Rev. Dr. Ernest Adu-Gyamfi, Chairman of the CCG and the Most Rev. Philip Naameh, President of GCBC.
'We commend the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, the Media Coalition, religious bodies, traditional leaders, security agencies and all who have committed themselves to the fight against illegal mining in the nation,' it said.
It said illegal mining was destroying the livelihoods of ordinary Ghanaians and that, as a result, many of the youth had also abandoned the classroom to engage in the act leading to increase in illiteracy in the affected communities.
The communiquA, therefore, called on the Government to sustain the effort in the fight against galamsey to ensure that major river bodies like Birim, Prah, Ankobra and Densu become drinkable again.
It also called on pastors to join in the campaign against galamsey and use their pulpits to educate the people
It urged Christians to pray and commit themselves to the preservation of the environment and other natural resources at all times.
Meanwhile, the annual meeting afforded the two bodies the opportunity to pray for the nation and discuss issues that were of interest to the church and country.
GNA
By Lydia Asamoah, GNA
14.05.2017 LISTEN
Gomoa Feteh (C/R), May 14, GNA - Ms Esther Cobbah, the Chief Executive Officer of Strategic Communications, (Stratcomm) Africa, has encouraged graduates to adhere to the virtues of hard work, determination and dedication to enable them to excel.
She urged them not to allow adversities to bring them down but should use them as a platform to build their capabilities for the realisation of their full potentials.
Ms Cobbah gave the advice at the third graduation ceremony of the Village of Hope College at Gomoa Feteh in the Central Region which saw 80 students graduating after their three-year Senior High School education.
Sharing her life experience, Ms Cobbah said her career achievements did not come on a silver platter and that one would have to overcome hurdles in order to achieve the best in life.
She said the journey had not been easy when she started her company; Stratcomm Africa, 23 years ago to nurture talents adding that she had chalked successes and received local and international awards through hard work.
'You are capable of achieving even more in the future if you take advantage of the Hope College promise which includes Christ-like character, rigorous scholarship and selfless servanthood,' she said.
She said: 'You best prepare yourselves for the future by steadfastly cultivating the Christ-like nature that Hope College seeks to inculcate in you and nurturing the talents that God has endowed each and every one of you with.
'I can tell you that in my own life, faith in Jesus Christ has provided me a firm anchor throughout all that I have been through and gives me such joy and a blessed assurance.'
Ms Cobbah, therefore, called on the continuing students to take their studies seriously and cultivate the habit of reading to enable them to succeed in the competitive, challenging and knowledge-based world.
Mr Fred Asare, the Headmaster of the School, advised the graduands to make use of the knowledge acquired to achieve higher heights in their education and contribute effectively to national development.
Awards were presented to students who had performed excellently in their various courses.
Ms Priscilla Obour Acheampong, a General Arts Student, emerged the Overall Best Student and encouraged her peers to keep working hard to achieve success.
GNA
By Kwamina Tandoh, GNA
14.05.2017 LISTEN
Accra, May 14, GNA - The Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) and the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference (GCBC) have called on Christians to bring the values and doctrines of their faith to bear in public service.
A communiquA issued at the end of the 2017 Annual Joint Meeting of the CCG and the GCBC said citizens of the nation should cherish values like hard work, honesty, integrity, and respect of the rule of law.
'We call on government to roll out a programme to facilitate attitudinal change which the CCG and the GCBC would be ready to support. A typical example is the need to establish accessible counselling units in our various institutions to help reorient people's minds and attitudes towards nationalism,' it said.
'The avoidable killings on our roads, open defecation resulting in diseases like cholera and typhoid, disregard for the rule of law and environmental cleanliness, lateness to work, lack of maintenance of public property, corruption etc. are examples of such worrying attitudes,' the communiquA said.
Meanwhile, the communique has called on all churches to embrace the spirit of ecumenism and foster closer relationships with neighbouring churches.
It assured all Ghanaians that the two bodies would continue their public education, Christian advocacy ministry, and prayers for peace, harmony, and justice in the country.
GNA
By Lydia Asamoah, GNA
TeiNkwanta (E/R), May 14, GNA - Very Reverend Dr. Samuel Victor Mpereh of the Trinity Theological College has called on Ghanaians to develop the spirit and culture of forgiveness to enable the country to receive the needed blessings from God.
He urged the Methodist Church in Ghana to return to the tradition of evangelism to have a positive impact on the Ghanaian society as Charles Wesley, the Founder of Methodism, did and had great influence on England and its colonies in those days.
Very Rev. Dr Mpereh was preaching the sermon at a thanksgivings service to climax a three-day camp meeting of the Adweso Circuit of the Methodist Church at TeiNkwata, near Koforidua.
New converts were baptized into the church by Very Rev. Dr Emanuel Asare-Kusi, the Superintendent Minister in-charge of the Adweso Circuit of the Methodist Church.
Funds were also raised to acquire a land for the construction of a church building.
GNA
By Edmund Quaynor, GNA
The attention of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has been drawn to a story in some sections of the media of an incident that occurred at the Kwame Nkrumah Interchange on Saturday, May 13, 2017. It is about a trader who was alleged to have been assaulted by personnel of the AMA Rapid Response Unit (RRU); a unit tasked to ensure that hawkers do not encroach the pavements around the Interchange.
The publications so far contained some factual inaccuracies that the AMA would like to correct in order not to give the public a misleading impression about the incident.
It is unfortunate that none of the media that carried the story verified their facts with the AMA before publication. What occurred there did not involve the AMA Rapid Response Unit (RRU).
It was rather between personnel of the United Creative Solutions (UCS), a company contracted by the AMA to manage the lawn and other facilities at the circle Interchange, and a trader who was believed to have trespassed to the decongested area.
Contrary to media reports, no one died as a result of the incident though regrettably one trader was injured and is receiving medical attention at the 37 Military Hospital at the full expense of management of UCS. AMA is investigating the matter and will put measures in place to avoid any future occurrence of such incidences.
The AMA have also noticed that some undisciplined traders want to use this incident as a leeway to frustrate the efforts of sanitising the enclave.
We therefore state unequivocally that the AMA will not relent in its efforts to fully implement our bylaws and activate the punitive sanctions thereof.
The AMA however entreats all city dwellers to support the efforts being rolled out as we strive to make Accra the cleanest city in Africa.
-Signed-
NUMMO BLAFO III
Director, Public Relations
AMA
- Nigerian Army on clearance operation arrested a fleeing Boko Haram terrorist
- Some kidnappers were also apprehended in another operation
- Weapons and mobile telephones were recovered from them
The Nigerian Army has intensified the war against insurgency as it arrested a suspected Boko Haram terrorist on Saturday, May 13.
In a statement by Brigadier-General Sani Kukasheka Usman, he said the fleeing terrorist who was captured on morning patrol and preliminary investigation showed he was from is an indigene of Bulabulin village, Fika Local Government Area, Yobe State.
READ ALSO: If anything happens to Buhari, the north will fight for another 8 years
Also, the army in another operation apprehended four suspected kidnappers on their way to carry out their crime.
The suspected kidnappers
The army recovered some weapons and mobile telephones belonging to the kidnappers.
Read the statement below:
"Troops of Forward Operation Base, Fika, on routine patrol earlier today, arrested a suspected fleeing Boko Haram terrorist, named Bala Ibrahim aged 30 years at Fika. Preliminary investigation shows that the suspect is an indigene of Bulabulin village, Fika Local Government Area, Yobe State. He is further being interrogated.
Weapons recovered from kidnappers
"Similarly, troops deployed at Forward Operation Base Yuga on blocking position, today, following a tip off from well-meaning individuals, ambushed and arrested 4 suspected kidnappers at Mundu village.
Suspected Boko Haram terrorist
READ ALSO: US, UK express confidence in Buhari's administration
"The suspects, Yahaya Auta, aged 25, Salisu Lawal, aged 20 years , Umar Mohammed, aged 18 years and Samaila Abubakar were found to be in possession of 1 Locally made Six Loader Single Barrel Gun, 1 Empty Cartridge, 2 Machetes, a Knife, 2 Mobile Telephone Handsets, 2 Packets of Tramol Tablets and the sum of Three Hundred and Sixty Naira, while on their way to commit crime. They are also currently being further investigated."
Source: Legit.ng
An activist in Sudan, Mr. Mohamed Al-Dosogy, is set to be sentenced to death for denouncing Islam.
Al-dosogy had requested a judge to allow him to change his religion to atheism, a move that was tantamount to renouncing his faith. He had written to the Sudanese court explaining why he wanted to change his religious status after which he was arrested and charged with apostasy.
Reports are that authorities ordered his arrest two days after for apostasy, a crime in Sudan that attracts death as penalty.
READ ALSO: Governor sentenced to 2 years in prison for 'insulting Islam'
Mohamed Al-Dosogy was later released on Friday, May 12, by the police on the order of a judge, APA reports.
The police said Mohamed Al-Dosogy was mentally challenged and could not be punished for his alleged crime.
The police said Mohamed Al-Dosogy was mentally challenged and could not be punished for his alleged crime.
The judge said the defendant had been examined by a psychiatric and it was determined that he is mentally incompetent to stand trial.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Friday, the defense team rejected the courts decision, saying the defendant never asked the court to submit him to a psychiatric test.
Source: Legit.ng
- Osama Bin Laden's son, Hamza has reportedly threatened the US over his father's death
- Personal letters seized in the raid that killed bin Laden show that his son, Hamza, is set on avenging his fathers death
- Hamza recently released a message threatening US in his father's language
According to news reports, Osama bin Ladens son, Hamza is reportedly seeking revenge for his fathers death and is poised to become the new leader of Al Qaeda.
Some personal letters seized in the raid that killed bin Laden show that his son, Hamza, is set on avenging his fathers death.
Former FBI agent, Ali Soufan, while speaking to CBS News in an interview said: He tells him thathe remembers every lookevery smile you gave me, every word you told me."
Osama Bin Laden's son. Hamza
Soufan also said that Hamza considers himself to be forged in steel. When he was younger,, Hamza was used as a propaganda tool in his father's videos in which he was seen sometimes holding a gun.
The agent added that he had even started to sound like his father.
Soufan said: His recent message that came out, he delivered the speech as if its his father, using sentences, terminology that was used by Osama bin Laden."
Hamza is believed to be about 28 years old and has been named as a specially designated global terrorist by the U.S., as he has recorded four audio messages in the last two years aimed at the U.S.
READ ALSO: Declassified CIA file shows that Osama Bin Laden permitted terrorists to pleasure themselves
Hes basically saying, American people, were coming and youre going to feel it, Soufan said. And were going to take revenge for what you did to my father. Iraq, Afghanistan. The whole thing was about vengeance, Soufan concluded.
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian Army has intensified the war against insurgency as it arrested a suspected Boko Haram terrorist on Saturday, May 13.
In a statement by Brigadier-General Sani Kukasheka Usman, he said the fleeing terrorist who was captured on morning patrol and preliminary investigation showed he was from is an indigene of Bulabulin village, Fika Local Government Area, Yobe State.
Watch a video of the atack on Boko Haram below:
Source: Legit.ng
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa says Nigerians must make deliberate efforts to live with one another peacefully
The Delta state governor stated that when citizens are united, it will help to fight against bias in the country
Governor Okowa made the comment while paying homage to late Brigadier-General Dominic Oneya (rtd) who passed on recently
Asaba - Delta state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, on Friday, September 10 called on Nigerians to embrace peace and love, saying they were the panacea for rising insecurity and apathy in the country.
Okowa gave the charge at the funeral mass for a former military administrator of Kano and Benue states, late Brigadier-General Dominic Oneya (rtd) at St Jude's Catholic Church, Effurun, Uvwie local government area of the state.
Governor Okowa says citizens must embrace peace for Nigeria to defeat insecurity. Photo credit: Delta state government
Source: Facebook
He said that peaceful co-existence and love among the citizenry would engender much-needed unity.
The governor remarked that late Oneya epitomised brotherhood and good neighbourliness in service and in all his activities while alive and urged people to emulate him.
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A statement sent to Legit.ng by the Delta state government quoted Okowa as saying:
We have come here to pay our last respect for one of our own brother and leader Brig. Gen. Dominic Oneya (rtd).
It is our prayer that God will encourage the family because he was truly a good man and may the mercy of God be with his family.
The funeral service was attended by the deputy governor of Benue state; Benson Abounu, former governor of Delta state; Chief James Ibori, President of Nigeria Football Federation, Mr. Amaju Pinnick, among others.
Effects of bad governance in the country
Governor Okowa had on Wednesday, August 25 said bad governance, ethnoreligious conflicts, and lack of faith in the electoral process were major causes of disunity in Nigeria.
Okowa stated this in his keynote address at the 2021 Annual Lecture and Symposium organised by Ripples Centre for Data and Investigative Journalism in Lagos.
The governor stated that bad governance at different levels of government was a major contributory factor to disunity in the country, adding that the absence of a shared national vision or aspiration, primordial loyalties, and sentiments largely held sway among the citizenry.
Giving all Nigerians a voice
Governor Okowa recently called on the federal government to create an avenue for a national dialogue to dissect and seek a panacea to various challenges facing the country.
Okowa made the call at an interdenominational thanksgiving service to mark the 30th anniversary of the creation of Delta state held at St. Peters Anglican Cathedral, Asaba, on Friday, August 27.
He said that there were too many voices of anger calling for justice, fairness, and equity in the affairs of the nation and urged the federal government to take steps to listen to the voices.
Source: Legit.ng
- Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has revealed why he won't be Biafra president
- He says he is in the struggle for secession to ensure that the rights of the people of Biafra were restored
- Kanu says he is not interested in money but wants to ensure that justice and equity reign
Leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, has said that contrary to insinuations in some quarters, he does not intend to be president when the Republic of Biafra was eventually actualized, Vanguard reports.
Kanu always preferred to operate from the background, pointing out that if the pioneer leader of the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), Chief Ralph Uwazurike, had remained consistent with the struggle, he would not be doing what he is doing with IPOB.
Legit.ng previously reported that Nnamdi Kanu, was granted bail by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja after spending almost two years in detention.
READ ALSO: Buharis top aide in trouble as plot to stop Osinbajo from acting revealed
Legit.ng gathered that while insisting that the actualization of a Republic of Biafra was a foregone conclusion, the IPOB leader said he also sympathized with the South East governors and some other political office holders position on Biafra, attributing it to their fear of losing their positions and political relevance in Nigeria.
He, however, said the fear being entertained by such Igbo leaders was neither here nor there because the Biafra Republic would be founded on the principle of justice, equity and fairness.
He was also happy that some Igbo leaders were already identifying with the struggle and encouraged them to remain steadfast.
Nnamdi Kanu reveals why he will never leave Biafra struggle
He said: I am into this struggle because of leadership vacuum. I am into this struggle because my people are suffering; they are being denied their rights and privileges and nothing will stop this fight. I want to assure our people that we are almost there.
The Biafra Republic is almost here with us. Even if one is from Sokoto, he can be a Biafran once he believes in our value system of equity, justice and fairness.
Biafra will be a home for all people who agree with our values, whether you are from Kano or Sokoto.
"It will be a place for good things for good people. Therefore, those who are distancing themselves from the Biafra struggle will regret it. If you dont join the struggle, you will be irrelevant in the end because Biafra Republic is sure.
Legit.ng had previously reported that IPOB gave Nnamdi Kanu beautiful gifts.
Kanu described Afaraukwu-Umuahia, where his father is the traditional ruler as being part of the headquarters of Biafra.
Afaraukwu-Umuahia was where late Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu had the popular Ojukwu bunker, and operated from till the end of the Biafra war, adding that there was therefore no way he would abandon his fathers land which served Biafra in time of need.
He stated that, the same politicians who called them noise makers, internet warriors, miscreants and so many names today sneak in to come and lobby him for support.
They will always ask me to support them to get into office, that while they are in office, they will help push the cause, but I know that what they are after is the four or eight years they will stay so that they can make money," he said.
READ ALSO: UPDATED: Ex-PDP BoT chairman, Anenihs son slumps, dies at Lagos club
Asked whether he agreed with the late Igbo leader, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu that Biafra should now be a thing of the mind and not a geographical space, Kanu said Biafra had a geographical location and that the people of Biafra were known and defined.
Meanwhile, watch this video of Nigerians reacting to Buhari's return to London.
Source: Legit.ng
This isnt all Microsofts fault though. Its newer operating systems, like Windows 10, are much more secure. There are many more players and dimensions to this ticking bomb.
During this latest ransomware crisis, it became clear there were many institutions that could have patched or upgraded their systems, but they had not. This isnt just because their information technology departments are incompetent (though there are surely cases of that, too). Upgrades come with many downsides that make people reluctant to install them.
For example, the more secure Windows 10 comes with so many privacy concerns that the Electronic Frontier Foundation issued numerous alerts about it, and the European Union is still investigating it. My current Windows 10 machine is more secure but it advertises to me in the login screen. (Are they also profiling me to target advertisements? A fair question in this environment.)
Further, upgrades almost always bring unwanted features. When I was finally forced to upgrade my Outlook mail program, it took me months to get used to the new color scheme and spacing somebody in Seattle had decided was the new look. There was no option to keep things as is. Users hate this, and often are rightfully reluctant to upgrade. But they are often unaware that these unwanted features come bundled with a security update.
As an added complication, the ways companies communicate about upgrades and unilaterally change the user interface make people vulnerable to phishing, since one is never sure what is a real login or upgrade message and what is a bogus one, linking to a fake website trying to steal a login.
The problem is even worse for institutions like hospitals which run a lot of software provided by a variety of different vendors, often embedded in expensive medical equipment. For them, upgrading the operating system (a cost itself) may also mean purchasing millions of dollars worth of new software. Much of this software also comes with problems, and the no liability policy means that vendors can just sell the product, take the money and run. Sometimes, medical equipment is certified as it is, and an upgrade brings along re-certification questions. The machines can (as they should) last for decades; that the software should just expire and junk everything every 10 years is not a workable solution. Upgrades can also introduce new bugs. How do you test new software when the upgrade can potentially freeze your M.R.I.? Last year, a software update bricked Tesla cars: they could not be driven anymore until another update fixed the problem. Many large institutions are thus wary of upgrades.
The next crisis facing us is the so-called internet of things: devices like baby monitors, refrigerators and lighting now come with networked software. Many such devices are terribly insecure and, worse, dont even have a mechanism for receiving updates. In the current regulatory environment, the people who write the insecure software and the companies who sold the things bear no liability.
Theyre using military courts because the president is assured of the outcome there. Its not a coincidence that the moment the government feels they dont control the attorney general, they look elsewhere to see that they can lock up dissidents.
TAMARA TARACIUK, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, referring to Venezuelas prosecution of civilians in military tribunals.
Instead, this Decalogue seems, without any radical effects, to be coolly composing a new grammar, and with some largeness of spirit. More than any Peck piece so far, its partnering assignments include female-male and same-sex as well as male-female. And couples are fluid. Jared Angle, the companys most redoubtable partner, is variously paired with both Sara Mearns and Rebecca Krohn; at one point, he holds a first arabesque extending his line on one leg while a woman walks around to revolve him. The exact reverse of the partnering for which Mr. Angle is best known, its an emblem of the changing priorities in this ballet.
Coupling is not the central point here anyway. The five women and five men are individuals and a community before they are couples. There are hierarchical groupings in which Ms. Mearns is central, dominant, with the others arrayed as if in attendance; but all such orderings here are impermanent. In one duet, she turns and moves in Mr. Angles arms with fabulously fluent length of phrase; but walking prosaic walking without airs or graces is also a prominent part of the vocabulary.
Dancers are often crouched on the ground as well as upright. Thursdays performances included two moments when individual women briefly fell to the floor; they looked to me like accidents, but other members of the audience decided they were choreographed. The mixture of formality and informality is part of the pieces character.
The group geometries (always one of Mr. Pecks specialties) are seldom symmetrical; there are off-center parabolas, and chain effects that ripple through the group in diagonally slanted zigzags. All 10 dancers the others are Rachel Hutsell, Claire Kretzschmar, Kristen Segin, Daniel Applebaum, Harrison Coll, Gonzalo Garcia and Aaron Sanz have individual opportunities, but there are quintets in which the differences between men and women are not paramount, as they usually are in ballet.
This is the second of two world premieres in City Ballets current four-week Here/Now season, and it closed the eighth of the 10 programs. The 43 Here/Now ballets have all been made in the 34 years since the death of the companys founding ballet master, George Balanchine. The dancers have been working exceptionally hard the more so since there have been a number of injuries so it has not been unusual to see one dancer making two debuts in a single evening. Almost everyone has risen admirably to the challenges; several have revealed unsuspected facets.
The conductor Leon Botstein has long argued that classical music is in danger of boring itself to death with endless performances of repertory staples, however great those works may be. Through the programs he has conducted over 25 years as music director of the American Symphony Orchestra, and the summer festivals he has overseen at Bard College, where he is president, Mr. Botstein has championed earlier works that, often for inexplicable reasons, have been nearly forgotten.
Mr. Botstein was at it again on Friday at Carnegie Hall, when he led the American Symphony, a strong roster of vocal soloists and the Bard Festival Chorale in a rare performance of Edward Elgars 1903 The Apostles. This two-hour oratorio tells the story of Christs crucifixion from the vantage of his followers. Its performed on occasion in Britain.
But in America, even Elgar fans may not realize that this piece exists. It was a revelation to me. After this fine performance, I think I prefer The Apostles, with its soft-spoken, reflective richness, to Elgars better-known oratorio The Dream of Gerontius.
Elgar conceived The Apostles during a visit to the Bayreuth Festival in Germany in the summer of 1902, when he saw Wagners Parsifal three times. Flush with inspiration, he embarked on a work of Wagnerian dimensions: a trilogy of oratorios on Christian themes. The Apostles was the first; the second was The Kingdom, a shorter work. But artistic indecision and a crisis of faith caused him to abandon the third.
3. President Trump will host leaders from around the globe this week, including the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, above, the Turkish president and the president of Colombia.
On Friday, he begins his first international trip as president. Mr. Trumps first stop, one of many, will be Saudi Arabia.
Our Washington correspondents wrote that Mr. Trump remains deeply frustrated over not getting enough credit for winning the election.
Theres a lot of anger. Ive talked with him about it, said one of his friends.
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On this day in 1969, students and community activists clashed with the police over a three-acre plot owned by the University of California, Berkeley.
What began as a disagreement over use of the land a site known as Peoples Park resulted in the most violent confrontation in the universitys history, a day that became known as Bloody Thursday.
Mr. Reagan responded by sending in the National Guard.
Berkeley, home to the University of Californias flagship campus, has long been a center of cultural disputes and civil unrest. The Free Speech Movement began there during the 1964-65 academic year, and protests erupted on campus this year over planned appearances by the right-wing activists Milo Yiannopoulos and Ann Coulter.
The recent controversies over campus speakers has reignited a debate over freedom of expression, again testing the city and university on two fronts: speech and safety.
Inyoung Kang contributed reporting.
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Tell us what we are going to get out of this, said James Zimmerman, a lawyer in Beijing who is a former chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China, referring to the West. Its a nonstarter if its all about bringing Chinese goods to Europe, or if its all one way.
A top official in the Trump administration, Matthew Pottinger, the senior director for Asia at the National Security Council, said at Sundays conference that China should provide transparency in the bidding for contracts related to the initiative, to give a better chance to companies that arent state-owned.
Chinas industrial overcapacity is a big motivator behind the plan. China can make nearly 1.1 billion tons of steel a year, as much as the rest of the world put together, but has domestic demand for only about 800 million tons. The initiative might absorb only about 30 million tons a year, according to a recent study by the European Union Chamber of Commerce.
Some American companies are taking steps to improve their chances but that sometimes means manufacturing more in China, not the United States. Ms. Duan said G.E. had focused on ways to produce goods in China to meet the countrys requirements that some of the work be done locally. Honeywell said in a statement that it had also been looking for ways to produce more goods in China for the program.
When the roads are built, when the ports are built, when the power plants are built, I think the other opportunities will come, Ms. Duan said.
HONG KONG Hackers in Vietnam have been attacking foreign companies and other targets for years, seeking information and using tactics that suggest links to the Vietnamese government, a cybersecurity company said Monday.
The findings, laid out in a report released by the company, FireEye, come as companies and experts look beyond traditional sources of attacks like China and Russia to deal with new or rising threats. Smaller countries are now trying their hand at hacking, experts say, as they seek to follow dissidents, undermine enemies or comb corporate files for trade secrets.
FireEye, a company based in California that deals with large network breaches, said it had watched a Vietnamese group known as OceanLotus target foreign companies in the manufacturing, hospitality and consumer products sectors since at least 2014. While identifying hackers or the governments that might back them can be difficult, FireEye said OceanLotus had used tactics similar to those in attacks previously identified by experts as having targeted Vietnamese dissidents, journalists and governments at odds with the country.
The OceanLotus group accessed personnel details and other data from multiple victim organizations that would be of very little use to any party other than the Vietnamese government, said Nick Carr, a security expert at FireEye and the primary author of the report.
Alisa Rose Hartman and Benjamin Craig Winchel are to be married May 14 at Greentree Country Club in New Rochelle, N.Y. Rabbi A. Jonathan Muskat is to officiate.
Mrs. Winchel, 28, is a prekindergarten teacher at Temple Israels preschool in Manhattan. She graduated from Hofstra University and received masters degrees in early childhood education from Bank Street College of Education and in social work from Hunter College.
She is the daughter of Evelyn T. Hartman and James D. Hartman of the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The brides father is an adjunct professor of English at Manhattan College and at Fordham University, both in the Bronx, and is the author of Providence Tales and the Birth of American Literature. Her mother, a psychoanalyst, has a private practice in Manhattan, and is a member of the faculty at the William Alanson White Institute of Psychiatry, Psychoanalysis and Psychology in Manhattan.
Mr. Winchel, 30, is a sanctions compliance adviser at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi in Manhattan. He graduated from Brandeis University and received a law degree from St. Johns University.
Drake Matthew Carden and Charles Allen Bentley III were married May 13. Sam H. Roberson, a friend of the couple who received permission from the Fairfax County Circuit Court to perform the wedding, officiated at Blenheim Vineyards in Charlottesville, Va.
Mr. Carden (left), 28, is a third-year law student at Harvard, and expects to graduate later this month. In October, he is to begin as an associate in the London office of Latham & Watkins, the Los Angeles firm. He graduated from the University of Florida.
He is the son of Janette D. Peaver of St. Augustine, Fla., and Kevin Carden of Longwood, Fla. His mother is a vice president for wholesale business information at SunTrust Bank, which is in Atlanta. His father is a lawyer at the Bounds Law Group in Maitland, Fla.
Mr. Bentley, 30, is a foreign service officer and a vice consul at the United States Consulate in Montreal. In August, he is to become the human rights and political officer at the United States Embassy in Juba, South Sudan. He graduated and received a masters degree in world politics from Catholic University of America.
Kathryn Anne Leech and Matthew Raymond Kretschmer were married May 13 at the Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh. The Rev. Dr. Chris Taylor, a Presbyterian minister, performed the ceremony.
The couple met at the University of Maryland, from which each received a Ph.D., the bride in human development and quantitative methodology, and the groom in physics.
Dr. Leech, 29, is a postdoctoral research fellow and lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, Mass. She graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.
She is a daughter of JoEllen F. Leech and Frederick C. Leech of Pittsburgh. The brides father is a partner in Leech Tishman Fuscaldo & Lampl, a law firm there.
Sarah Elizabeth Fisher and Ricky Shenhau Lu were married May 13 at Foxfire Mountain House in Shandaken, N.Y. Ricarda OConner, a civil marriage officiant in Shandaken, officiated.
Mrs. Lu, 32, is a diversity programs and communications manager in New York for Google, working to increase diversity and inclusivity at the company. She graduated from Columbia.
She is the daughter of Sandra A. Fisher and Frank A. Fisher of Mechanicsburg, Pa. The brides father retired as the chief counsel for Pennsylvanias Office of Administration in Harrisburg, Pa., and is a part-time public-sector arbitrator in Mechanicsburg. Her mother is a co-owner of Core Plus Physical Therapy in Mechanicsburg.
Mr. Lu, 31, is the associate director for strategic planning and mergers and acquisitions at Time, the New York magazine company. He graduated from Tufts and received an M.B.A. from N.Y.U.
Implants have become increasingly popular. From 2000 to 2016, the number of breast augmentations in the United States rose 37 percent, and reconstructions after mastectomy rose 39 percent. Annually, nearly 400,000 women in the United States get breast implants, about 300,000 for cosmetic enlargement and about 100,000 for reconstruction after cancer, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Allergan and Mentor are the major manufacturers. Worldwide, an estimated 1.4 million women got implants in 2015.
Image Nearly all the cases of breast implant-associated anaplastic large-cell lymphoma have been linked to textured implants like this one.
Credit... Southern Illinois University, via Science Source
As late as 2015, only about 30 percent of plastic surgeons were routinely discussing the cancer with patients, according to Dr. Mark W. Clemens II, a plastic surgeon and an expert on the disease at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Id like to think that since then weve made progress on that, Dr. Clemens said.
Late last year, an alliance of cancer centers, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, issued treatment guidelines. Experts agree that the essential first step is to remove the implant and the entire capsule of scar tissue around it. Otherwise, the disease is likely to recur, and the prognosis to worsen.
Not all women have been able to get the recommended treatment. Kimra Rogers, 50, a nursing assistant in Caldwell, Idaho, learned last May that she had lymphoma, from textured implants she had for more than 10 years. But instead of removing the implants and capsules immediately, her doctor prescribed six rounds of chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiation. A year later, she still has the implants.
Unfortunately, my doctor didnt know the first line of defense, Ms. Rogers said.
She learned about the importance of having the implants removed only from other women in a Facebook group for those with the disease.
New Developments in Cancer Research Card 1 of 5 Progress in the field. In recent years, advancements in research have changed the way cancer is treated. Here are some recent updates: Uterine cancer. Women who use chemical hair straighteners frequently could have a higher risk of developing uterine cancer than women who have never used the products, according to new findings from a national study that has followed nearly 34,000 U.S. women for more than a decade. Breast cancer. A new study suggests surgery may not always be necessary for all breast cancer patients. A small early-stage clinical trial found that a carefully selected group of patients who responded remarkably well to chemotherapy could skip surgery altogether. Cancer vaccines. For a long time, the promise of cancer vaccines that would protect healthy people at high risk of cancer has only dangled in front of researchers. Now, though, encouraging animal data and preliminary studies in human patients are making some doctors feel optimistic. Rectal cancer. A small trial that saw 18 rectal cancer patients taking the same drug, dostarlimab, appears to have produced an astonishing result: The cancer vanished in every single participant. Experts believe that this study is the first in history to have achieved such results.
Her health insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana, covered the chemotherapy and radiation but has refused to pay for removal of the implants, and told her that her appeal rights were exhausted. In a statement sent to The New York Times, a spokesman said, Cosmetic breast implants are a contract exclusion, as are any services related to complications of the cosmetic breast implants, including implant removal and reconstruction.
Physicians dispute that reasoning, saying the surgery is needed to treat cancer. Her lawyer, Graham Newman, from Columbia, S.C., said he was planning a lawsuit against the implant makers, and had about 20 other clients with breast-implant lymphoma from Australia, Canada, England and the United States.
Lennon and McCartney. Abbott and Costello. Siegfried and Roy. Ahearn and Torres.
Who?
In the history of creative duos, John Ahearn and Rigoberto Torres may not have name recognition or money but they have longevity. For almost 40 years the two artists have collaborated on life casts, making them from the South Bronx to Taiwan and from Brazil to Puerto Rico. Creatively, they are like John Lennon and Paul McCartney, sharing credit on life-size sculptures of famous and obscure people. Temperamentally, Mr. Torres can be reticent to the point of being more like George Harrison, the quiet Beatle.
Their partnership has endured through distance, even as both pursued solo projects. About 15 years ago Mr. Torres left New York for Orlando, Fla., while Mr. Ahearn continued working in his South Bronx studio. With Mr. Ahearn the one with connections to the citys art world, people sometimes forget about Mr. Torress equal contributions to their oeuvre. But if anything, Mr. Ahearn was relieved and excited when Mr. Torres returned to his studio recently to prepare several pieces for a show in Chelsea in the fall.
John has his own anxieties going on, Mr. Torres, 54, said with a laugh. Im the more relaxed one. Im the one who fixes everything after theyre broken. Im not so anxious about things.
They met in summer 1979 at Fashion Moda, a fabled gallery near 149th Street and Third Avenue in the Bronx that attracted downtown artists like Tom Otterness, Jane Dickson and Mr. Ahearn, as well as local graffiti artists and break dancers. Mr. Ahearn had been making casts of people by the gallerys big storefront windows when a cousin of Mr. Torress stopped by to check out the scene. Mr. Torres soon went to see for himself.
For the past two years, Tennessee has led the nation in Fafsa applications. Seventy percent of high school seniors there fill one out, 13 percentage points higher than New York, according to federal Department of Education figures. The number of Tennessee students applying for federal loans, meanwhile, dropped by 17 percent in 2015, said Joni E. Finney, a professor at the University of Pennsylvanias Graduate School of Education, who was a co-author of a report in April analyzing higher education in Tennessee.
Enrollment at community and technology colleges for first-time freshmen has climbed by 30 percent. And a majority of Tennessee Promise students who began at a community college in the fall of 2015 were still in school this year, compared with fewer than half of those who were not Promise recipients, according to the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
In many ways, its a good model in terms of how much work you have to do in terms of implementation to get this to work, said William Doyle, an associate professor of public policy and higher education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. The messaging, the branding, the community outreach.
At Antioch High School in south Nashville, where roughly three-quarters of the mostly minority population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunches, signs urging students to sign up for the program are ubiquitous, and college acceptance letters are taped to the wall in the hallways.
Previously, the mind-set of the building was, Our kids dont go to college they go to work, said Stephanie Ridley, a Spanish teacher. But if you tell kids they can go to college, they will.
Many Antioch students said they saw the program as a way to save money by going to community college for two years free before transferring to a four-year university.
The problem is seven, going on eight, years of Governor Christies stubborn refusal to put any new state aid to invest any new money over an extended period of time, Mr. Sciarra said.
Some districts in the state, however, are actually overfunded. Places like Jersey City, Hoboken and Asbury Park cities that have gentrified are receiving more money than they are owed from the state. A loophole in the formula allows those cities to continue getting the same aid even after the student population has shrunk or property tax revenue increases.
In his February budget address, Mr. Christie criticized the funding formula, calling it unfair. Certain municipalities are ripping off the state; certain school districts are being ripped off, he said. Mr. Christie had promoted a new formula that would set aside the same amount for each public school student, regardless of income. But critics called the proposal unfair to low-income districts. Now, Mr. Christie has asked the Legislature to come up with a new funding plan.
Any solution would most likely pit district against district and the needs of property owners against the needs of public school students. And emotions are rising. In Clifton, students staged a walkout. In Paterson, one of the states poorest cities, hundreds of teachers have been laid off.
When state legislators recently held a budget hearing, parents and district administrators packed the room to plead for more funding. Valerie Freeman, a parent who lives in Paterson, said nurses and substance abuse counselors had been cut throughout the district.
Most of our children, they walk through harsh areas in our school. Most of them are coming to school high. But, what can the teacher do? she said in an interview. The teachers cant do anything about it.
ISTANBUL With President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey visiting President Trump in Washington this week, it might be useful to briefly turn away from the conventional explanatory sources and consider a wildly popular television series that is capturing the zeitgeist in Turkey.
Over three bombastic seasons so far, Dirilis: Ertugrul (Resurrection: Ertugrul) has described medieval campaigns waged by Turks against Christian enemies. Focusing on the life of Ertugrul Bey, father of Osman Bey, the 13th-century founder of the Ottoman Empire, the series leads television ratings in Turkey every week. Its loaded tagline: A nations awakening.
This chimes with the spirit of the age after Mr. Erdogan framed the constitutional referendum in April as a struggle against enemies of the Turkish nation and domestic traitors.
Turkeys national mood can often be measured by the popularity of certain television shows. A few years back, rising self-confidence was symbolized by the blockbuster success of The Magnificent Century, based on the life of Sultan Suleiman, who led the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power in the 16th century. Described by The New York Times in 2012 as an Ottoman-era Sex and the City, The Magnificent Century luxuriated in the opulence and intrigue of the Ottoman court and became an international hit.
Carrying torches and chanting angrily, demonstrators marched Saturday in a Virginia city against a vote to remove a statue of Robert E. Lee, leading the citys mayor to compare the rally to a gathering of the Ku Klux Klan.
The gathering of several dozen protesters in Charlottesville, Va., was led by Richard B. Spencer, a prominent white supremacist, who posted pictures and video from the gathering to social media that showed a phalanx of demonstrators holding Confederate battle flags and a banner proclaiming, We will not be replaced. Their chants, some of which were captured on video, included Russia is our friend and the Nazi-era slogan blood and soil.
According to local news reports, the protesters gathered in Lee Park, which is named for the general, shortly after 9 p.m. and were dispersed by the police after about 10 minutes.
On Fox News, Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, said if there are recordings, it was probably inevitable that they would be turned over to Congress, which is investigating possible connections between Mr. Trumps campaign and Russia.
Both senators, along with others, were responding to the presidents warning to Mr. Comey, in a Twitter post on Friday, that he had better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!
The minority leader, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, said that President Trump should turn over such tapes immediately, if they exist, while Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the ranking Democrat on the committee investigating the Russia ties, said that such recordings must be preserved.
Mr. Schumer also used the controversy to repeat his call for a special prosecutor to lead the Russia investigation, and left open the possibility that Democrats might withdraw support for a new F.B.I. director if the Justice Department did not appoint an independent prosecutor.
WASHINGTON As a senator, Jeff Sessions was such a conservative outlier on criminal justice issues that he pushed other Republicans to the forefront of his campaign to block a sentencing overhaul, figuring they would be taken more seriously.
Now Mr. Sessions is attorney general and need not take a back seat to anyone when it comes to imposing his ultratough-on-crime views. The effect of his transition from being just one of 535 in Congress to being top dog at the Justice Department was underscored on Friday when he ordered federal prosecutors to make sure they threw the book at criminal defendants and pursued the toughest penalties possible.
This is a key part of President Trumps promise to keep America safe, Mr. Sessions said on Friday as he received an award from the New York City police union to mark the beginning of National Police Week.
Given Mr. Sessionss long record as a zealous prosecutor and his well-known views on the dangers of drug use, his push to undo Obama-era sentencing policies and ramp up the war on drugs was hardly a surprise. But it was still striking, because it ran so contrary to the growing bipartisan consensus coursing through Washington and many state capitals in recent years a view that America was guilty of excessive incarceration and that large prison populations were too costly in tax dollars and the toll on families and communities.
In the days after Mr. Trumps election victory, the mood was different, as Republicans expressed high hopes that they could move quickly on a conservative agenda that merged with Mr. Trumps. Were going to be an enthusiastic supporter almost all the time, Mr. McConnell said of Mr. Trump in November.
But Republicans have so far achieved few of their legislative priorities, like repealing the Affordable Care Act or cutting taxes. When Mr. Trump suggested this month that the Senate should change its rules to make it easier for Republicans to push bills through, Mr. McConnell firmly rejected the idea.
Lawmakers are also bucking the president by pushing ahead with bipartisan measures on sanctions against Russia. And this month, Republicans rejected many of the administrations priorities in a short-term spending measure, including money for a wall along the border with Mexico.
Two Republican senators who face potentially tough re-election fights next year Dean Heller of Nevada and Jeff Flake of Arizona have been unabashed in their criticism of Mr. Trump and his administration, which they have clearly begun to view as a drag on their political prospects.
In Arizona, we grow them independent, Mr. Flake said, noting the unpopularity in his state of Mr. Trumps views on the border wall and Nafta. I expect people want someone who will say, Im voting with Trump on the good stuff and standing up to him on the not good stuff.
Some Republicans, like Mr. Ryan, have preferred to keep the focus firmly on the good stuff. Mr. Ryan has remained in harmony with the president, last month calling him a driven, hands-on leader, with the potential to become a truly transformational American figure.
Mr. Trump retains the support of about 80 percent of Republican voters, and although his overall popularity is at historic lows at this point in a presidency, it remains well above the depths eventually reached by presidents like George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. At those levels, larger numbers of lawmakers might start to turn away from Mr. Trump though even if they wanted to do so, Republicans would not be able to completely separate themselves from him on issues like a tax overhaul, where his blessing would be needed to move forward in any major way.
I dont have enough clothes or even soap to clean her, Ms. Ipangba said of her child. I pray to God to guard me and give me strength to watch over my child because its just me who has to take care of her.
Gladis Koutiyote said she, too, had a child with a Ugandan soldier who promised to marry her. She said some Ugandan soldiers did bring her a little bit of sugar in a cup and some rice.
I used it for just one day and then it was finished, she said.
The girl who said she was raped in the fields at 13 said she had to drop out of school to take care of her child. She wants the soldier to go to prison and to provide money for the babys care. But she said she was not sure she would ever get justice.
She still walks miles to a field to grow beans, manioc and maize to eat. But Im scared, she said. I worry that he could come for me again.
Brigadier Karemire, the Ugandan military spokesman, said the Ugandan investigations were finished. He said that no cases of rape or statutory rape were registered here in the Central African Republic, and that there was no plan to support any children left behind. All Ugandan forces will be gone from the Central African Republic within a few weeks.
BEIJING President Xi Jinping of China delivered a sweeping vision of a new economic global order on Sunday, positioning his country as an alternative to an inward-looking United States under President Trump.
Mr. Xi, surrounded by autocratic leaders from Russia and Central Asia at a forum in Beijing, pledged more than $100 billion for development banks in China that he said would spearhead vast spending on infrastructure across Asia, Europe and Africa. Noticeably absent from the gathering were leaders of major Western democracies.
Sparing no modesty for the plan, Mr. Xi called the initiative, known as One Belt, One Road, this project of the century. The program, based on Chinese-led investment in bridges, rails, ports and energy in over 60 countries, form the backbone of Chinas economic and geopolitical agenda.
In a new twist for China, which has generally been skeptical of social programs by the World Bank, Mr. Xi said the initiative would tackle poverty in recipient countries. He promised to deliver emergency food aid and said China would begin 100 poverty projects, though he stopped short of providing details.
The components of the global cyberattack that seized hundreds of thousands of computer systems last week may be more complex than originally believed, a Trump administration official said Sunday, and experts warned that the effects of the malicious software could linger for some time.
As a new workweek started Monday in Asia, there were concerns the malicious software could spread further and in different forms, with new types of ransomware afflicting computers around the globe.
There were initial reports of new cases found over the weekend in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.
President Trump has ordered his homeland security adviser, Thomas P. Bossert, who has a background in cyberissues, to coordinate the governments response to the spread of the malware and help organize the search for who was responsible, an administration official said Sunday.
The attack is more complicated because the experts tell us that this code was cobbled together from many places and sources, according to an administration official who insisted on anonymity to discuss the governments cybersecurity plans. The more potential sources of the malicious code, the harder it is for investigators to run down the trail of possible perpetrators.
PARIS Against the regal backdrop of a grand reception room in Frances presidential palace, Emmanuel Macron, 39, was officially installed on Sunday as the youngest president in modern French history.
In his short speech to mark the occasion, he encouraged the French to embrace the future, to hold him to a high standard and to join him in the hard work ahead.
I reassure you that not for a single second did I think that everything changed as if by magic on May 7, Mr. Macron said of the day he was elected. This will be slow work, demanding, but indispensable. It will be up to me to convince the French that our country, which seems threatened by the sometimes contrary winds of the world, carries in its heart all the resources to be a nation of the first rank.
The new president is wasting no time. On Sunday afternoon, Mr. Macron, as the new commander in chief, visited wounded soldiers at a military hospital outside Paris. On Monday, he is expected to travel to Berlin to meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Frances most important ally in Europe, and will also announce his pick for prime minister. By midweek, the rest of his government is expected to be named.
DUSSELDORF, Germany The party of Chancellor Angela Merkel scored an upset victory on Sunday in elections in Germanys most populous state that were seen as a dress rehearsal for national parliamentary elections in September, when she will seek a fourth term.
The victory in North Rhine-Westphalia, home to 18 million people and one in five German voters, dealt a severe blow to Martin Schulz, Ms. Merkels Social Democratic challenger, who admitted to a bitter defeat in his home state, traditionally the leftists heartland. Cheers erupted at the state headquarters of Ms. Merkels Christian Democratic Union when early results came in.
With almost all ballots counted, the Christian Democrats had won almost 33 percent of votes cast, compared with around 31 percent for the center-left Social Democrats.
The national elections are still more than four months away a long time in an era of febrile politics across Europe, where mainstream parties have seen their grip weaken in recent elections. But Ms. Merkel, in power since 2005, seems to be bucking the trend, buoyed by experience, a calm temperament and the exceptional economic strength of Germany, which has 4.1 percent unemployment and just last week announced record exports and tax revenues that will exceed expectations by 55 billion euros by 2020.
Mauno Koivisto, who as Finlands last president during the Cold War steered the country out of isolation and into the European Union, died on Friday in Helsinki. He was 93.
The Finnish presidents office announced his death. His wife, Tellervo Koivisto, said this year that he had Alzheimers disease.
Mr. Koivisto served two six-year terms, from 1982 to 1994. His down-to-earth manner and dry humor, often laced with sarcasm and philosophical pondering, won him wide popularity.
He succeeded Urho Kekkonen, who had ruled Finland for 25 years until his resignation in 1981. Mr. Koivisto was seen as ushering in a new, freer era, changing the face of the country by reducing the powers of the head of state and strengthening the role of Parliament.
MOSCOW Russia was again at the center of a global hacking scandal when computer systems the world over were frozen this weekend by a variant of malicious software known as WannaCry. But this time, Russians were among the victims of the attack, not suspected of being the perpetrators.
In fact, of all the countries afflicted in the first wave of the spread of the malicious software, Russia was hit the hardest: The virus tried to infect more computers in Russia than anywhere else, according to an analysis by Kaspersky Lab, a Russian antivirus company.
While government computers were crashing, banks, cellphone operators and railroads in Russia were fending off attacks designed to freeze their systems in demand for ransoms to unlock the data.
Now on the business end of a cyberattack, Russian officials were quick to voice outrage.
Humanity is dealing here with cyberterrorism, said Frants Klintsevich, the deputy chairman of the Russian Senates defense committee, according to the state-run Tass news agency. Its an alarming signal, and not just a signal but a direct threat to the normal functioning of society, and important life-support systems.
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"Rob Kall's book, Bottom-Up points the way to a more caring and connected world. This stimulating book combines realistic facts with idealistic optimism at a time when both are so urgently needed."
Riane Eisler, author of The Real Wealth of Nations and The Chalice and the Blade
Big dogs bite people.
Labradors and Labrador mixes were the second biggest biters in Lincoln last year, behind pit bulls and pit mixes.
Little dogs bite people.
Chihuahuas and Chihuahua mixes were fifth on the list and make the top 5 list most years.
The breed of the dog, or whether it's big or small, doesn't really matter when it comes to biting. Fearful dogs of all sizes bite people, according to a local veterinarian.
"I think nine times out of 10, maybe more ... the bite is not out of primary aggression. It is out of fear," said Dr. Megan Ehlers.
There are very few naturally aggressive dogs, she said. A dog's aggression is usually rooted in fear.
Its not the breed that matters, though there are some breeds that, because of their intelligence and nature, are a little more skeptical. "They think a little deeper about situations and are quicker to go to fear," she said.
A fearful dog cowers and hides from people. A fearful dog growls when people approach. A fearful dog guards its food.
You have to work to eliminate the fear by building confidence and being a strong leader for your dog, she said.
Pit bulls, which top the list of dogs that bite, are a popular breed. They have great emotions, including fear, Ehlers said.
And too often they have owners who want them to be on guard, who want them to be intimidating, so those dogs are only doing what their owners are asking them to do, she said.
If you have a fearful dog, you shouldn't set them up to fail, which means you shouldn't put them where they can bite a mail carrier or the child next door, Ehlers said.
Postal carriers cautious
Dogs do bite postal carriers in Lincoln.
Five carriers were bitten by dogs while delivering the mail in the last year, said Lincoln Postmaster Kerry Kowalski.
Usually the dog is somewhere out of sight, on the porch, behind a bush, or it comes out of the house when the customer opens the door for a package delivery, said Kowalski, who himself was bitten by dogs twice, once as a child and once as a carrier.
The number of carriers bitten by dogs is rising, likely driven by the increase in online ordering and in the postal services parcel delivery service, said Kowalski.
He speculates that dogs, protective by nature, see these strangers, often in uniform, as danger.
There have been instances when a dog, in an owner's arms, lunged and bit a carrier, he said.
The U.S. Postal Service recommends customers always put their dog in a separate room or a closed space before opening the door to a carrier.
And the postal service is going to err on the side of caution. If there is a dog in a side yard, even on a leash, the carrier may leave a notice in the box rather than deliver a package, he said.
There are customers who are upset about that. But we dont know your dog wont bite. We are not going to take a risk."
Dogs most likely to bite
Lincolns list of dogs that have bitten people is evidence that biters come in all sizes, shapes and breeds.
The biters on last years list comprise almost 40 different breeds great Danes, corgis, cockers, blue heelers, poodle mixes, dachshunds (who often make the top 10 biter list), shelties, Yorkshire terriers.
The generally loving and gentle Labrador is near the top of the biter list, in part because there are so many -- 3,000 licensed -- in Lincoln, Ehlers said.
But Chihuahuas, also a popular breed with 1,538 registered in the city last year, are temperamentally more likely to bite, she said.
You need to understand their mentality ... They live in a big person world. When everything is 25 times larger, you have to defend yourself. So they are on the defensive constantly."
Plus they are too often allowed to dominate -- even their humans. We let them on our shoulder. We let them sleep with us."
Its no wonder they bite, she says.
But they dont rank among the dogs with the strongest bite (in terms of pounds per square inch). That honor goes to Kangals, Dobermans, English mastiffs and Rottweilers, based on research.
For owners, check things out before you buy a dog, said Ehlers. "Not everyone can raise a German shepherd; not everyone can raise a Chihuahua, which is why shelters are filled with Chihuahuas," she said.
The number of reports of dogs biting humans in Lincoln is growing, from 297 in 2011-12 to 333 last fiscal year. But the number of registered dogs is also growing -- 39,449 to 41,332, said Steve Beal, head of animal control.
But Lincoln residents are less likely to have serious dog bites, based on research. In Lincoln, 51 to 57 people per 100,000 population ended up in an emergency room for a dog bite. In the county, 63 to 69 people per 100,000 population visit the emergency room. Statewide, the average is 66 to 72 per 100,000 population, according to Beal.
The city ranks dogs who have bitten based on the situation, from potentially dangerous to vicious. Last year two dogs, declared vicious, were euthanized.
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"In his groundbreaking new book Bottom Up: Tapping the Power of the Connection Revolution, Rob Kall invites and eases us into in a much-needed meta-level shift -- a truly basic paradigmatic shift from top-down to bottom-up. He capably and imaginatively explores the differences between these ways of approaching life, clearly demonstrating that bottom-up allows us to flourish. His vision and his book are enriched by telling references to interviews which he has engaged in over the years with bottom-up researchers, theorists, activists, and dreamers in a variety of areas. Think about Rob's interviews. Read this revolutionary book. And take one step further into the bottom-up universe yourself. You will not regret it."
Bonnie Burstow, MD, author of Psychiatry and the Business of Madness and Radical Feminist Therapy, associate professor at the University of Toronto
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President Trump is now threatening another destructive war against the North Korean people and their society. He must not be allowed to do this--there is another way to deal with the problem. As a matter of policy, Trump can redirect his energy and efforts onto the person of Kim Jong-un, the country's dictator, who not only threatens the safety of other nations, but who holds his own people in slavery. Why should the United States make war against a captive nation and its helpless people when there is a more effective solution?
The Failure of War as an Instrument of Public Policy
Making war against nation states and their people no longer works. Unstable and undemocratic countries, such as North Korea, are usually controlled by individuals and cabals against whom military force ends up harming their own domestic victims more than the entrenched leadership. The wrath of the people is directed against the outsiders who slaughter their children and helps solidify the rule of their domestic despots.
Destroying the infrastructure of a nation to turn its people against their "leadership" fails--as in Iraq--resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocent children. Targeting "insurgents" using drones and violent nighttime home invasions fails--as in Afghanistan--resulting in "collateral" deaths and injuries to children and noncombatants. Imposition of economic sanctions fail--as in Iran--resulting in the destruction of the middle class and small businesses that are essential to a free society. Support of "rebels" against their government fails--as in Libya--when the new government is controlled by hostile and undemocratic forces. Direct military strikes fail to make a difference--as in Syria--for all of these reasons; and the threat of violent war--as in North Korea--is simply stupid against an immature dictator who has nuclear weapons and nothing to lose by using them.
The use of war as an instrument of foreign policy fails in all of these situations because it does not produce the desired change. It primarily injures the innocent victims of their unrepresentative governments and results in their hatred of the aggressors, rather than their oppressors.
In addition, the use of war by the United States also harms its own people through the wasteful diversion of scarce tax resources to the military-industrial complex, the compiling of massive and unsustainable public debt, a reduction of personal freedoms by the intelligence-security complex, and a loss of respect by other people and nations around the world.
Moreover, continued use of aggressive--yet undeclared--wars by the United States has resulted in an undemocratic shift of power from the legislative branch to the executive branch of government. The Constitution provides that "The Congress shall have power . . . To declare War . . . ." For the past 50 years, however, American presidents, rather than Congress, have repeatedly unleashed military force against far weaker nations and their people--who do not have the means or ability to fight back, except through acts of terror.
In addition to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria, the United States is also currently conducting military operations in Somalia and Yemen. Not only are these wars undeclared by Congress, their extent is largely concealed from the People. Moreover, in "fighting" these wars, the president, as Commander-in-Chief, claims the right to kill and detain "unlawful combatants," including American citizens, anywhere in the world, without trial.
Americans no longer want to militarily intervene in other countries. A CBS/NYT poll found that 72 percent of Americans are opposed to removing dictators where it can, and a CNN poll found more than six in ten Americans desiring a more "non-interventionist" foreign policy. Part of President Trump's electoral support resulted from his campaign promises to avoid military action in foreign nations. He said the United States. should "stay out of Syria and other countries that hate us."
Yes, there is violence and repression in the world, some of which may threaten the security interests of the United States, and it would be naive to deny it. It is equally foolish, however, to believe that launching undeclared aggressive wars against nation states and their people can resolve each and every one of these threats. There has to be a better solution, one that is both legal and effective.
An Alternative to War
Let us, for a moment, think "outside the box" about an alternative public policy to deal with these dangerous geopolitical situations--one based on commonsense and the law.
Assuming that the Trump administration can make the case that Kim Jong-un and his regime pose a risk of danger to the People of the United States, shouldn't President Trump present that evidence to Congress and allow it to decide what to do? Rather than an authorization to launch a violent military attack against North Korea--essentially a declaration of war--Congress could pass a resolution along these lines:
"The Congress of the United States declares that Kim Jong-un and his administration of the government of North Korea pose a danger to the United States, and he is hereby declared to be an outlaw. Congress directs the President of the United States to file a legal proceeding against the government of North Korea in the International Court of Justice and to take all necessary and reasonable steps to compel the personal attendance of Kim Jong-un to defend his government and its conduct."
As a member of the United Nations, North Korea is automatically a party of the International Court; however, it must consent to jurisdiction in a specific case. The congressional resolution would, however, be directed against Kim, personally--as the dictator of North Korea--instead of the people of North Korea. It is narrowly designed to compel him to personally leave North Korea and to accept jurisdiction of the Court on its behalf. As a practical matter, once Kim leaves the country, the chances of his ever returning are very slim.
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Reprinted from shadowproof.com by Kevin Gosztola
Chelsea Manning's prison mugshot from week she began hormone therapy
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Chelsea Manning will be released from military prison at Fort Leavenworth next week. She will finally get a chance to be herself without having to conform to the rigid guidelines or expectations of the United States Army.
News media are undoubtedly clamoring for an "exclusive" interview with Manning after she leaves prison. One can imagine the atrocious template, which has persisted, that they probably will call upon once more for her introduction.
"There are some who call her a hero. There are others who see her as a traitor. Whatever you think, she served time in prison for one of the biggest leaks in history, and now she joins us for a first-ever TV interview."
If her first interview is on NBC's "Today" show, one can be certain Savannah Guthrie will probably ask if Manning thinks President Barack Obama was right to commute her sentence, like she has some obligation to validate those who vilify her and would be unfazed if she had died in prison.
It is very possible she takes some time out of the public eye and does not give any media outlet an "exclusive" for pundits to pick apart and berate her. That may include sympathetic media outlets.
Very personal aspects of her life have garnered public attention to an extent she never imagined. She now can have private moments without being watched by military officers, journalists, or the public.
For two and a half years, I made regular trips to Washington, D.C. in order to cover Manning's court martial at Fort Meade as a credentialed reporter. I was able to glean some insight into her character when she took the stand to give testimony and when she read a providence statement accepting responsibility for her actions. But it was not until November 2015 that I wrote Manning to exchange letters and gain firsthand insight.
"I can't be myself. Every time I try to assert my existence or define myself on my own terms, I get beat up by the world. I'm really scarred, bloodied, and bruised at this point," Manning shared in one of her letters.
When she appealed to Obama for a commutation in November, she confessed, "I need help, and I am still not getting it. I am living through a cycle of anxiety, anger, hopelessness, loss, and depression. I cannot focus. I cannot sleep. I attempted to take my own life."
"When the USDB [Leavenworth] placed me in solitary confinement as punishment for the attempted suicide, I tried it again because the feeling of hopelessness was so immense. This has served as a reminder to me that any lack of treatment can kill me so I must keep fighting a battle that I wish every day would just end," she added.
Free from prison, Manning will be able to grow her hair. She will be able to obtain adequate mental health treatment that has been denied to her. She will be able to complete her transition from Bradley to Chelsea, which the Army has done everything in its power to stall at great risk to her health.
"For the first time, I can see a future for myself as Chelsea. I can imagine surviving and living as the person who I am and can finally be in the outside world," Manning declared in a recent statement posted by the American Civil Liberties Union.
"Freedom used to be something that I dreamed of but never allowed myself to fully imagine," she added. "Now, freedom is something that I will again experience with friends and loved ones after nearly seven years of bars and cement, of periods of solitary confinement, and of my health care and autonomy restricted, including through routinely forced haircuts."
In prison, she managed to transcend her act of whistleblowing as an all-source military intelligence analyst by fighting for dignity and rights for herself as a transgendered person.
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FAKE DUMPTRUCK PRESIDENT -- show us your tax returns and confess your secret collusions with russia and THEN GO TO JAIL
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If the Dems get their sh*t together there's a very good chance that they will take back the House and the senate. In the past when party's president has a support rating of less than fifty percent, the president's party loses an average of 36 seats, as Evan Osnos reports in his New Yorker article, HOW TRUMP COULD GET FIRED
"Since 1946, whenever a President has had an approval rating above fifty per cent, his party has lost an average of fourteen seats in the midterms, according to Gallup; whenever the rating has been below fifty per cent, the average loss soars to thirty-six seats.
If the Dems pull it off, they will probably successfully impeach Trump and possibly Mike Pence. But impeachment didn't do much to Bill Clinton. He was acquitted in the senate because it takes a two thirds vote to convict. I don't think that will happen, even if the Dems win big.
So, we'll have a situation where Trump is laughing at the impeachment.
But that doesn't mean it'll be impossible to get rid of Trump and Pence. Impeachment wasn't the way that Nixon was removed. He resigned. That's what will have to happen with Trump and Pence.
How will they be persuaded to resign? They'll be given a choice between prosecution for crimes, prosecution that is likely to put them in jail, or they will be allowed to resign.
The way to do that is for the Democrats, after January , 2019, when they control the House and the Senate, to open up independent investigations with special prosecutors.
One of the first things they should do is to pass a version of the bill Ron Wyden offered in 2016,S.2979 - Presidential Tax Transparency Act. It requires presidential candidates to release their taxes, and if they don't the IRS is required to release them.
But it should include the requirement that the sitting president also be required to release his taxes, and if he doesn't, that the Internal Revenue Service be required to release them.
I think even Republicans may have to let that pass. Polls show that 74% of Americans want Trump to reveal his taxes and even 64% of Republicans want Trump to publicly release his taxes.
Getting Trump's taxes will set a lot in motion. By February 2019 I expect Trump will have lied and engaged in enough corruption that he will have committed crimes. Pence will very likely, out of loyalty, aid and abet him.
A special prosecutor should be able to deliver both their heads. And while the Dems are at it, they should be able to do the same to Jeff Sessions. Getting rid of him, and with a Democratic Majority in the Senate, Trump will not be able to appoint another partisan with character and values as impaired as Sessions'. I expect that Trump and Sessions will have disgusted patriotic members of the intelligence services enough so they will happily help the hearings and special prosecutors.
That's the way it needs to go, the way it very possibly will go. Impeachment will get things started, but hearings and independent prosecutors will have to finish the job.
Part I introduced the problem: the mistaken ideas that human nature is fixed and bound to fight, that warfare is part of human evolution and therefore, inevitable. This false idea both suppresses the older evolutionary truth of humanity's peaceful and co-operative pre-history but leads to the self-fulfilling myth that we are compelled to fight by both our very natures and our history of warfare. In this section, I refute this false idea and thereby undermine the self-fulfilling prophecy which leads to bloodshed.
A more accurate picture of ancient humanity is offered by ancient-origins.net :
"The earlier Stone Age seems to have been a time of peace and not war, says an anthropologist specializing in war who has studied the published work of dozens of researchers. Unfortunately for many millions of victims of death, wounding, displacement, hunger and loss, humanity began to make war compulsively, some groups as early as 13,000 years ago.
"My argument is that war regularly -- not always -- leaves archaeological traces, if a people are known by a substantial record of skeletal remains, and/or settlement remains, sometimes supported by weapons or art. Looking at the archaeological record around the world typically shows that those signs eventually show up, but usually after a more or less long stretch when they are not present. When this appears as a recurrent pattern around the world, the straightforward explanation is that war has beginnings.
If forced to answer the question: globally, when did war begin? I would have to say between 11,000 BC and 1400 AD."
Brian Ferguson in War, Peace, and Human Nature/2013.
The tragic irony of the Agricultural Revolution, which produced the world's first abundance, led to war, the struggle for surplus.
"The First Agricultural Revolution, also known as the Neolithic Revolution, is the transformation of human societies from hunting and gathering (more accurately, gathering and scavenging) to farming. This transition occurred worldwide between 10,000 BC and 2000 BC, with the earliest known developments taking place in the Middle East. This is when the first evidence of war and the first images of war appear. Before this era, there is neither evidence of the massacres that typify the violence of war or images of war."
Ancient cave drawings show people hunting but never at war. There is no way to hide the scars of war: broken bones, crushed skulls, accompanied by the propaganda of war, images of battles and slaughters. Why would there be no evidence of war in early man if not for the truth that there were no wars? Why would there be no images drawn on caves if there were no memories to recapture?
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Reprinted from www.organicconsumers.org
"Our common planet and governing system are fast approaching the point of no return. We must unite to protest and resist the out-of-control corporations and politicians that are degenerating our food, health, environment, climate, economy and politics. But we must also inspire and mobilize a new radical majority by focusing on positive solutions and alternatives in the marketplace and in the political arena--by building a multi-issue, multi-constituency power base in all 50 states, 3200 counties, and 39,000 cities and towns across the nation. The Regeneration Movement is a new grassroots-powered movement arising out of the organic food, natural health, fair trade and climate movements. Inspired by the Bernie Sanders insurgency, this new movement is dedicated to connecting the dots between all of our burning single issues, and to bringing together people and movements into a powerful revolutionary force. Our strategy is to mobilize a critical mass of Americans to oppose corporate crime and political corruption, through powerful public education, protests, consumer boycotts and political action. Over time we believe that our growing movement will gain the strength and power to bring out-of-control corporations to heel and, on the political front, to 'throw the bums out,' to replace the majority of the 500,000 elected public officials--from Main Street to Washington D.C.--who currently represent the interests of the corporate and economic elite (the '1 percent'), and replace these indentured bureaucrats with a new corps of insurgent public servants, willing to stand up and fight for the public interest. We are not talking about minor adjustments to our catastrophic 'Business-as-Usual' model. We are talking about a 'Regeneration Revolution'." -- Ronnie Cummins, "Who We Are: Declaration of the New Nationwide Meetup.com Network called 'Resist and Regenerate,'" April 22, 2017
Degeneration Nation
After eight years of failed promises, warmongering, and "business-as-usual, by-the-rich, for-the-rich" governance by the Obama administration and U.S. Congress, the Democratic Party Establishment and the mass media went on to sabotage the 2016 grassroots-powered campaign of radical insurgent Bernie Sanders. Instead, they nominated the hugely unpopular Hillary Clinton for President.
As a result, 92 million people stayed home on election day, 62 million voted for the neo-fascist billionaire Republican candidate Donald Trump, and 65 million voted for Clinton. Clinton "won" the popular vote but lost the Electoral College.
A hundred days into the Trump administration, what have we learned?
Number one: The Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress and Supreme Court, aided and abetted by Wall Street, fossil fuel companies, Big Pharma, Big Ag, and the military-industrial complex, as well as by collaborators in the Democratic Party Establishment and the "deep state" (FBI, CIA, and the military hierarchy), are the most corrupt and dangerous ruling elite in U.S. history.
Number two: A full 35-40 percent of the electorate (mainly older white people who live in the suburbs and small towns and rural areas outside major cities) are so bitter, nationalistic, greedy, brainwashed, racist, misogynist, homophobic and/or delusional that they continue to support Trump and his cronies no matter what they say or do. Climate change denial, xenophobia, racism, environmental pollution, cutbacks in health and social services, regulation rollbacks that let corporations pollute and poison at will, increased military spending, and tax cuts for the rich and big corporations are apparently no problem for Trump's mass base, even as we rush headlong toward catastrophic global warming, economic meltdown and endless war.
The level of Trump support is now approximately the same as the Nazi Party (37 percent of the vote in the 1932 elections) enjoyed before Hitler became Chancellor of Germany in 1933. Given this mass support for what can only be described as 21st Century corporate fascism, the Trump resistance has no choice, at least for the moment, but to focus on mobilizing the "other 65 percent" of the electorate, especially the youth and racial minorities, who did not vote for Trump.
Grassroots mobilization and mass protest against the Trump junta have reached an all-time high. Yet our growing Anti-Trump resistance is still rather weak in terms of explaining exactly what it is we are fighting for. Are we talking about a return to Establishment Democratic Party rule, a slight revision of the status quo we experienced during the Obama and Clinton administrations? Or are we talking about a genuine grassroots "Political Revolution" as called for by Bernie Sanders, now the most popular politician in the U.S.?
We've protested against Trump's corporate cronies and swamp cabinet; against dirty oil pipelines and fracking; against rollbacks of environmental, food safety, health and consumer protection regulations; against the slaughter of civilians in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Iraq; against racist police and immigration policies; against laws designed to marginalize workers, poor people and minorities; and against anti-choice and homophobic cabinet and Supreme Court appointments and legislation.
Now, it's time to work for something. It's time to connect the dots between all of our burning issues, and unite our single-issue constituencies under a common vision and strategy for societal Regeneration--we cannot afford to return to the Democratic Party Establishment's business-as-usual politics.
Resistance and Regeneration: Five Rules for Revolutionaries
It's no secret that our current food, farming, health, climate and political crises pose a mortal threat, not just to our well-being, but to our very survival. The question is: What do we do about it?
Here are several organizing principles that we need to keep in mind, along with concrete action steps to begin to meet up and work with others in our local communities who are also ready for radical change.
Next Page 1 | 2 | 3
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Trump meets in oval office with Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak
(Image by Tass Russian State Media) Details DMCA
Reprinted from www.republicreport.org
Donald Trump is a third rate crook. He had freshly-confirmed Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein write a little essay about Hillary Clinton emails and called that the reason for firing FBI director James Comey, but then tons of Trump associates immediately blabbed to the press with the real, obvious reason. Trump was "screaming" at the TV about the Russia investigation.
This is so disgraceful it is beyond words.
There may, or may not, be a smoking gun moment where Trump made a deal with Putin or was confronted with a Russian blackmail threat. My guess is we'll never find that, even if the outlines of the corrupt arrangement are clear on the surface.
Candidate Trump said he liked Putin and wanted to lift sanctions against Russia; Putin saw a Trump presidency as in Russia's interest, so he engaged in a series of online dirty tricks that complemented the Trump operation's work.
Meanwhile Trump and a range of Trump associates have business dealings with Russia, some of which shade into engaging with Russian intelligence.
Whether a real sustained investigation of Trump-Russia ties would prove crimes by Trump, I don't know. But anyone being honest knows this: Trump has sought to impede the investigation, to obstruct justice, by firing Comey. He behaved like a tyrant, yes, but also your basic street-level crook, trying to silence a snitch.
The decision to fire Comey because he was pushing too hard on an investigation of Trump-Russia parallels the articles of impeachment against Richard Nixon. It is a sufficient ground to begin an impeachment investigation against Trump, if only the GOP House had a shred of integrity.
"Ultimately, we need to invest more in our own local workforce." Jesse Torres
Amid recent tensions over foreign labor policies in U.S. territories, a new proposal has emerged that could pave the way for individual state governance over non-immigrant foreign labor.
Earlier this month, Sen. Ron Johnson introduced the State-Sponsored Visa Pilot Program Act, a measure that would allow states to individually manage worker immigration, as opposed to a "one-size-fits-all" federal policy.
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"The (current) approach is ill equipped to address the diverse needs of the states. It is simply an impossible task for Congress to determine the economic demands in every corner of the country," immigration policy analyst David Bier stated in a Cato Institute article. "Congress has made no major reforms to the immigration system no temporary worker visa for year-round, lower-skilled jobs, and barely any increase in the high-skilled worker programs."
The bill, as introduced, makes no mention of Guam or the other non-self-governing territories, but could hint at future prospects.
On Friday, labor officials brought up the issue of bottle-necked H-2B worker visas, the result of continental policies that don't meet the needs of the territories.
While the cost of bringing H-2B workers to Guam to fill local jobs can be higher than paying Guam workers, Guam Department of Labor Director Sam Mabini said the island has relied on off-island workers to do jobs that are difficult to fill locally.
Guam has had nearly zero approvals of H-2B visa petitions since last year. The matter has had a negative impact on the local construction industry, driving up the cost of labor and causing delays in some projects, Post files state.
Some residents, like Jesse Torres, feel Johnson's measure, and similar like-minded policies, could be beneficial to Guam to an extent.
"I think it's fine as long as the dependence on foreign workers gets reduced every year," Torres said. "Ultimately, we need to invest more in our own local workforce."
H-2B workers are often hired as carpenters, masons and iron workers, according to Greg Massey, administrator of Alien Labor Processing and Certification at the Guam Department of Labor.
"Those jobs are the really hot, strenuous outside work. And, it's very difficult these days to get U.S. workers, local workers, to fill those jobs," Massey said.
Similar to Torres, Massey said in order to prepare for the military buildup and similar large-scale projects, there needs to be a greater effort to attract and train the next generation of local workers in these skill areas.
The bill also explicitly states state-sponsored non-immigrant workers would not be eligible for any benefits, including family assistance, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or Medicaid. But they will be subject to federal taxes.
"Over the first decade of the program, non-immigrant workers who work for three years will pay $105.3 billion," Bier writes.
That number jumps to an estimated $150.7 billion if a majority of foreign workers work for at least five years before returning to their home countries.
Gov. Eddie Calvo recently retracted his support for the buildup over the H-2B visa denials. His office did not respond as of press time.
Tom Cotter knows there's no such thing as a time machine.
But traveling the historic Lincoln Highway in a pale yellow 1926 Ford Model T Speedster comes close.
The car enthusiast and author began the transcontinental trip last Sunday, along with the car's owner, Dave Coleman, and a photographer.
The trio made a stop at Lincoln's Museum of American Speed Saturday night for some much needed rest and to help celebrate the Model T Ford Club of America Lincoln chapter's 50th anniversary.
And, of course, the car got a tune-up from automotive restoration students from McPherson College in Kansas.
Cotter, of North Carolina, started his tour in New York City's Time Square Sunday and expects to arrive in San Francisco's Lincoln Park in a week to 10 days, completing a nearly 3,400-mile trip.
The idea for a Model T tour of the United States was sparked when Cotter had a conversation with Coleman, a fellow car enthusiast from West Virginia who owned the 1926 Model T Speedster.
"I love old cars and I love to travel," Cotter said. "This is something that has been on my bucket list for 20 years, and I just happened to meet Dave."
The 1926 Speedster was a project of Coleman's, who fitted out the car with modern touches to boost its performance.
"It really hasn't missed a beat," he said.
After Cotter landed a book deal to chronicle the trip, the three agreed to travel across the country, with photographer Michael Alan Ross following the Speedster in a car supplied by Ford Motor Co.
Mike Vaughn, the president of the national Model T club and Lincoln resident, said a trip like Cotter's is on the bucket lists of nearly every vintage car enthusiast because of the Model T's significance.
"It's what put America on wheels," Vaughn said.
As he drove his 1914 model -- the first to be manufactured on an assembly line -- through west Lincoln Saturday evening, Vaughn remarked on its eye-catching appeal.
"It's a parade every time you drive one."
Ford Motor Co. began manufacturing Model T's in 1908, with the car hitting markets a year later in a variety of colors at a cost of $900.
It wasn't until 1914 when Model T's were produced in their classic black design. By 1924, models cost around $260, making them affordable for even working-class families.
The black design stayed around through 1925, said Vaughn, who owns five Model T's.
In 1928, the Model A was introduced as its successor.
Cotter and Coleman chose the Lincoln Highway -- one of the first transcontinental roads in America -- because of its significance to automotive history.
The highway, which runs from New York to San Francisco, was the brainchild of auto racing pioneer Carl Fisher.
Coleman's 1926 Speedster -- which reaches top speeds of 50-55 mph -- hasn't encountered any problems on the highway during the trip.
But it has been a learning experience for Cotter, who learned how to drive the car during the first leg of the tour.
"You have to have three legs to drive one efficiently," he said, noting the multitude of pedals and handles that make it more difficult to drive than today's cars.
For Cotter, the tour is an ode to the American road trip, as driverless cars become an ever-increasing possibility.
"I really wonder if road trips in the future will be the same," Cotter said. "Are people going to miss these little places along the way and meet these salt-of-the-earth people?
"Stopping in places and meeting people -- that's where the beauty is."
After the trip, Cotter will pen an addition to his 17-book oeuvre, entitled "Ford's Model T Coast to Coast: A Slow Drive Across a Fast Country," which he plans to release next year.
After reaching San Francisco, Coleman plans to bring the Model T back to Lincoln for the International Speedsters Trials and Reunion in June.
But for now, the pair still has to drive the roughly 1,400 miles to Lincoln Park in the Speedster's small cab.
That's no problem for Cotter, who has enjoyed the thrill of the ride so far.
"It's like traveling with the bare basics," he said. "And I kind of like living on the seat of my pants like that."
YEREVAN -- An RFE/RL reporter has been attacked for the second time in two months while investigating potential vote buying.
Sisak Gabrielian, a reporter with RFE/RL's Armenian Service, was roughed up by government loyalists after he witnessed voters receiving cash outside a campaign office of the ruling Republican Party (HHK) in Yerevan during municipal elections on May 14.
After Gabrielian entered the office and attempted to interview HHK activists, several young men there berated and shoved him.
Gabrielian was forced to stop filming them with his mobile phone, and one of the men struck him with his hat.
Another man who identified himself as an HHK-affiliated member of Yerevan's outgoing municipal council then threatened Gabrielian but apologized to the journalist shortly thereafter.
The HHK leadership and law enforcement authorities did not immediately comment on the incident.
Gabrielian was also attacked by ruling party loyalists on April 2 after he asked HHK officials about people leaving a party office in Yerevan with cash in their hands during parliamentary elections that day.
He says he sustained minor injuries in that incident.
Armenian opposition and civic groups allege that the party headed by President Serzh Sarkisian relied heavily on vote buying to win the April 2 ballot.
Monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also cited "credible information about vote buying."
An HHK spokesman admitted on April 5 that some candidates bribed voters, but said this did not have a "substantial impact" on the election results.
An EU spokeswoman has denounced the decision by a court in Azerbaijan to permanently block five online media outlets, including that of RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service.
The court's decision was "not in keeping with the need for free, diverse and independent media in modern and democratic societies," Maja Kocijancic, a spokeswoman for European Union foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini, said in a May 14 statement.
The U.S.-based democracy monitor Freedom House also condemned the court's decision.
"By banning independent media websites, the Azerbaijani government has disproved President Ilham Aliyev's most frequently used argument that Azerbaijan enjoys freedom on the Internet," said Robert Herman, vice president for international programs at Freedom House, in a May 12 statement.
The Sabail district court in Baku ruled on May 12 that the Ministry of Transport, Communications, and High Technology's request for the blockage of access to the websites must be met.
RFE/RL said it will appeal the ruling, which it called "another blatant attempt" at silencing its reporting in the country.
In addition to RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, the ruling affects opposition newspaper Azadliq, Meydan TV, and two other Internet TV programs.
The ministry has limited access to the sites since March 27 on the instructions of the Prosecutor-General's Office, which claimed they "pose a threat" to Azerbaijan's national security.
Russia has launched multiple suicide drones on Ukraine's southeastern Dnipropetrovsk region, wounding people and damaging civilian facilities, the head of the regional military administration said, as fierce battles are under way in the eastern Donetsk region and in the south.
"The occupiers attacked the area massively with kamikaze drones, said Governor Valentyn Reznichenko. Ukrainian air defense destroyed some of the drones, but others hit targets. The Russian forces also used drones in an attack on the city of Dnipro, targeting a logistics enterprise. Reznichenko said four employees were wounded, and three of them are in serious condition in hospital.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
Russian forces also bombarded the Nikopol district in the region with Grad missiles and heavy artillery. Reznichenko said the shelling damaged private houses, a factory, and a power line, but no one was injured.
A fire spread over more than 3,000 square meters but was extinguished, Reznichenko said.
Russian troops regularly shell the Dnipropetrovsk region with various types of weapons, in particular the Nikopol, Kryvorizky, and Synelnyk districts.
In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy vowed Ukraine will not "surrender a single centimeter of our land" in Donetsk, and he thanked Ukrainian troops who are holding positions in the Donbas region.
The epicenter of the battle for the industrial region of Donetsk is around the towns of Bakhmut, Soledar, and Avdiyivka.
"The activity of the occupiers remains at an extremely high level -- dozens of attacks every day," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address late on November 8.
"They are suffering extraordinarily high losses. But the order remains the same: to advance on the administrative boundary of Donetsk region. We will not yield a single centimeter of our land," he said.
Donetsk is one of four Ukrainian regions Russia said it annexed in September following referendums considered a sham by Kyiv and its Western allies.
Fighting has taken place there between Ukrainian military and Kremlin-backed separatist forces since 2014, the same year Russia illegally annexed Crimea in the south.
Zelenskiy said the goal of the Russian troops is to push to the administrative border of the Donetsk region.
"We clearly understand the enemy's plans, so we act accordingly: carefully, thoughtfully, and in the interests of the liberation of our entire territory. We are strengthening our positions, breaking Russian logistics, and consistently destroying the potential of the occupiers to keep the south of our country under occupation," Zelenskiy added.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said the most intense battles were taking place in Bakhmut and Soledar where the Ukrainian military repels dozens of Russian attacks per day.
Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the region's military administration, said the city of Bakhmut was badly damaged, and there is not a single surviving house in Avdiyivka, Maryinka, or Krasnohorivka. Russian troops are trying to wipe the cities "off the face of the Earth," he said.
Fierce fighting was also going on on the edge of the town of Snihurivka, in the southern Mykolayiv region, according to Yury Barabashov, the town's Russian-appointed mayor, as cited by Russia's RIA Novosti news agency.
Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed administration in the southern Kherson region, said on Telegram that Ukrainian forces had tried to advance on three fronts, including Snihurivka.
Vitaly Kim, the Ukrainian governor of the Mykolayiv region, apparently quoting an intercepted dialogue between Russian troops, suggested Ukrainian forces had already pushed the Russians out of the area.
"Russian troops are complaining that they have already been thrown out of there," Kim said in a statement on his Telegram channel.
The information could not be independently verified.
The Ukrainian military said it destroyed two Russian ammunition depots in southern Ukraine on November 8, one in Snihurivka, and one in Kostromka, in the neighboring Kherson region.
WATCH: Paratroopers with Ukraine's 79th Air Assault Brigade say they're holding positions around the small city of Maryinka in eastern Ukraine despite daily Russian attacks.
Russia has mobilized hundreds of thousands of reservists in recent months seeking to stave off an offensive launched by Ukraine to regain Russian-occupied territories.
Kyiv-based military analyst Oleh Zhdanov said on November 8 that 21 Russian conscripts had surrendered to Ukrainian forces around Svatove in the eastern Luhansk region.
"These poor mobilized men -- really poor, they had had nothing to eat or drink in three days -- of course they decided to surrender," Zhdanov said on his YouTube channel.
In the southern Kherson region, a battle between advancing Ukrainian forces and the Russian occupiers has been looming for weeks in the city by the same name, the only regional capital Russia has captured intact since its unprovoked invasion in February.
Kherson is arguably the most important of the four partially occupied Ukrainian regions that Russia says it annexed. It controls both the only land route to the Crimean Peninsula and the mouth of the Dnieper River that bisects Ukraine.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, also commented on the fighting in eastern Ukraine on November 8. He was quoted by TASS as saying that information released about casualties among Chechen fighters near Lysychansk, a city in the eastern Luhansk region, was false.
"Not a single fighter of ours was killed in the aforementioned area," Kadyrov wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that he didn't want to comment on "such falsehoods" but found it necessary "to reassure all sane and concerned people."
Russia's Defense Ministry, meanwhile, released video footage that it said showed a drone strike obliterating a Ukrainian tank that was hiding in an urban area and shelling Russian troops.
"A Russian squad of unmanned aerial vehicles spotted the Ukrainian tank and destroyed it using a precision strike," the ministry said on November 8, according to TASS.
The Ukrainian military's General Staff said Russian troops used drones and artillery on November 8 to shell communities along the Sumy region's border with Russia in northeastern Ukraine. The only damage reported was to utility poles.
Sumy borders three regions of Russia: Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod. The border regions of Ukraine are regularly shelled by Russia.
Neither side's battlefield claims could be independently verified.
The Ukrainian military has accused Russian troops of more looting and destroying infrastructure in Kherson.
"A convoy of trucks passed over the dam of the Kakhova hydroelectric station loaded with home appliances and building materials," the military said.
Russians were dismantling mobile phone towers and taking equipment, it said, adding that near the city of Beryslav, Russian forces "blew up a power line and took equipment from a solar power station."
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and CNN
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.
A Kazakh journalist and civic activist has been hospitalized after he was reportedly stabbed in the stomach before he planned to meet European officials to discuss media freedoms.
A nurse at a hospital in the southern Kazakh city of Shu told RFE/RL on May 14 that Ramazan Yesergepov, the former editor in chief of the independent newspaper Alma-Ata Info, was in serious but stable condition after arriving in the morning.
Yesergepov's colleagues said he had been traveling by train to the capital, Astana, where he had planned to meet ambassadors from several EU countries to discuss the case of a jailed opposition journalist and his own legal travails.
Yesergepov's colleague, journalist Rozlana Taukina, said she received a call early on May 14 from his phone, and that a man on the other end said the journalist had been "stabbed."
Taukina said she later received a call from a police officer who hung up after he learned she was a journalist. She said she called back, and that the officer then told her "everything was fine" with Yesergepov.
The precise nature and circumstances of Yesergepov's injuries could not be immediately confirmed.
Local media quoted transport police in Shu as saying that an investigation into the incident had been opened.
Yesergepov, 61, was released from prison in 2012 after serving a three-year sentence for his conviction on charges of disclosing state secrets.
He has been fighting for his formal rehabilitation, which Kazakh authorities have resisted. Yesergepov currently runs a nongovernmental organization called Journalists In Trouble.
These are certainly tense times for security officials in Central Asia.
Barely halfway through this spring, the violence in northern Afghanistan, in provinces just across the border from Central Asia, has already reached levels not seen since the late 1990s.
The April 21 attack on a military base in Balkh Province, just across the border from Uzbekistan, left more than 130 Afghan soldiers dead, and the Taliban has besieged Kunduz city, the capital of Kunduz Province, which borders Tajikistan, for the third time in less than two years.
There are also the battles in the Zebak district of Badakhshan Province, which also borders Tajikistan. The Ghormach district in Faryab Province, adjacent to Turkmenistan, has been solidly under militant control for weeks and in other areas of Faryab, and Jowzjan Province to the east, control of villages passes back-and-forth between government forces and militants.
Officials in the Central Asian capitals north of the Afghan border are surely weighing their options at the moment, including who they might call upon for aid if some element of instability currently present inside Afghanistan makes its way over the northern border.
That was the topic of the latest Majlis, or panel discussion, RFE/RL arranged that looked at parties the Central Asians could be expected to call upon should some problem from Afghanistan destabilize their own governments.
Moderating the discussion was RFE/RL Media Relations Manager Muhammad Tahir. From the RFE/RL studio, Dr. Stephan Blank, senior fellow at the American Foreign Policy Council, joined the discussion. From Britain, our old friend Dr. David Lewis, senior lecturer in politics at Exeter University, took part.
Blank noted, "Everybody in Central Asian establishments is always concerned that whatever happens in Afghanistan will not be confined to Afghanistan."
That has generally been the view of Central Asian governments for the last 25 years.
The most immediate fear in Central Asia, as the panel made clear, is not the Taliban. The Taliban has never been able to exert control over all of Afghanistan, even in the late 1990s, so the group has never been in a position to consider expansion beyond Afghanistan's borders.
Even now, when the Taliban is resurgent, the militants are a very long way off from conquering Afghanistan.
Lewis said, "Even if the Taliban itself has not been particularly interested in spreading into Central Asia, it's acted as an umbrella, sort of like a protector for groups, which may well have security designs on Central Asia."
Lewis said for Central Asian governments "the bigger problem [in Afghanistan] is...this array of other groups that may be in conflict with the Taliban or at least have different goals from the Taliban, particularly various offshoots of groups that somehow are linked to forms of Islamic State [militant group]."
Citizens of Central Asia are present in many of the militant groups currently active in northern Afghanistan.
Fighting along or near the Tajik border has been in the news a lot recently. Tajikistan is unique among the three Central Asian states that border Afghanistan (Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan being the other two). Tajikistan has clear agreements for receiving outside military help to defend the country.
Tajikistan is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), along with Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia.
As the security situation in northern Afghanistan has deteriorated over the last three years, the CSTO has offered numerous pledges of rapid military support to the Tajik government if problems from Afghanistan spill across the border.
But Blank said, "There are real question marks about the actual readiness of the CSTO as a military alliance."
He pointed out, "Formally speaking there's the Collective Security Treaty Organization, in practice that really means the Russian Army."
And Blank added that Russia is "already involved in three wars, in the North Caucasus, Ukraine, and Syria, the economy is very constrained, military spending has had to be cut, and the last thing they need is a fourth protracted war."
Blank suggested that was one of the reasons Moscow had entered into talks with the Taliban because "Russia has decided that ISIS is the greater threat," and the most likely to destabilize the situation in Central Asia.
Russia has the 201st Division stationed in Tajikistan. Russia commands the CSTO base at Kant, Kyrgyzstan, also.
But Lewis explained, "Tajikistan's been very cautious about its military relationship with Russia," and "there's a lot of sensitivity in the region about Russian involvement in Central Asia, and that's certainly the case for Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan."
Uzbekistan is no longer a CSTO member. The first time Uzbekistan withdrew from the CSTO was in 1999, shortly after Tashkent invoked the CSTO mutual-defense treaty when the Taliban arrived at the Uzbek border (Uzbekistan rejoined the CSTO in 2006 but pulled out in 2012). At that time Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka said he would not send even one soldier to defend Central Asia.
Uzbekistan is a member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), along with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Russia, and China, but Blank said, "The Shanghai Cooperation Organization cannot be relied on, it has never...developed the capability to function as a hard security organization."
Lewis suggested there was another option that would probably be particularly unpalatable to the Kremlin. "I think from a Russian perspective, the kind of nightmare scenario is that if Uzbekistan or Turkmenistan come under pressure they turn not to Russia for help but to other countries, maybe even to the West," Lewis said.
There is another issue here and that is the definition of an internal versus external security threat.
It was noted in the Majlis that when interethnic violence erupted in southern Kyrgyzstan in June 2010, the CSTO did not intervene, deeming that an internal problem.
But Lewis said, "It seems to me the real problem is if you get some internal dissention or state collapse in Central Asia." And Blank noted that in Tajikistan's case, "I'm not altogether certain the Tajik government is strong enough to fight off an internal challenge."
Should Central Asian militants currently located in northern Afghanistan be able cross into Central Asia and wage a terrorist campaign how would the CSTO, SCO, or others view that situation?
The Majlis looked at these topics and also other issues, such as foreign influence in Afghanistan's conflict. You can listen to the full discussion here:
Listen to or download the Majlis podcast above or subscribe to the Majlis on iTunes.
MOSCOW -- Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Moscow to protest the proposed demolitions of Soviet-era housing blocks in the Russian capital.
The May 14 protest, held on a wide central Moscow street named after Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, marked a large showing of grassroots anger less than a year before a planned presidential election in which President Vladimir Putin is expected to secure a new six-year term.
Backed by Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin plans to knock down 4,500 prefabricated buildings erected on an industrial scale across Russia in the 1950s-60s to ease a housing crisis.
Supporters argue that the 3.5 trillion-ruble ($62.1 billion) project is vital, as it will replace the aged buildings with high-rise housing in a city that faces rising rents and a housing crunch. But opponents say the program, due to start in September, is an assault on their property rights.
"People don't quite understand the correlation between freedom and wages. But when you attack the last thing they have, they will of course protest," Nina Braginskaya, a 66-year-old philology professor, told RFE/RL at the protest.
Braginskaya held a placard that read: "I won't give away an inch of my home!" Other protesters held anti-Sobyanin signs, such as "I support the demolition -- of Sobyanin," "Hands off my property," and "Moscow is not a separate kingdom. Sergei Sobyanin -- respect federal laws."
Sergei Velichkov, a 42-year-old IT worker, told RFE/RL that the proposed demolitions "could lead to armed confrontation."
"I'm prepared to buy a rifle, and if they break down my door, I'll shoot. I'm a completely peaceful person.... They've pushed me to this. I'm going to defend my home," he said.
Organizers of the protest, which was not spearheaded by the political opposition, claimed from the stage that 60,000 people had participated. Moscow police, who are regularly accused of undercounting the size of antigovernment protests, put the figure at 8,000.
White Counter, an independent activist group that tracks turnout at demonstrations, estimated that there were 20,200 people present inside the designated demonstration area.
Moscow authorities gave permission for a demonstration of no more than 5,000 people.
Russian authorities in recent years have tightened restrictions on public protests, including with a law criminalizing participation in more than one unsanctioned protest in a 180-day period. Critics say these efforts are specifically aimed at clamping down on the political opposition, whose requests to stage demonstrations are frequently rejected by municipal authorities.
The May 14 protest in Moscow was a rare public showing of substantial grassroots outrage, though social issues -- such as other housing-related matters and the rights of car drivers -- have triggered occasional large demonstrations during Putin's 17 years in power.
The event was organized by local activists who met one another through their opposition to Sobyanin's demolition plan. They explicitly decided not to allow opposition politicians to speak at the demonstration so as to avoid politicizing the rally.
Opposition leader Aleksei Navalny arrived at the protest with his wife and son and attempted to reach the stage, but police intercepted them and led them away from the platform.
WATCH: Russian Police Ban Navalny From Moscow Protest
The protesters' anger was mostly directed at Sobyanin, while there was little or no criticism of Putin, who approved the renovation program in February. Speakers on the stage at the protest repeatedly called for Sobyanin's firing.
Dinara Yakusheva, a woman introduced as Sobyanin's representative, was invited to speak on the stage after Moscow City Hall apparently asked the organizers for permission. As Yakusheva tried to speak, demonstrators booed, whistled, and shouted "shame!"
Andrei Dukhonin, a 46-year-old real estate agent who attended the rally, told RFE/RL that the protest "is very important, because if similar things do not take place in the future, the authorities will simply continue with their impudence and lawlessness."
Sobyanin said in a May 14 tweet that city hall would take into account all "substantive announcements" made during the protest, "including those made by opponents of the program."
The housing blocks were designed for rapid assembly, and some versions were considered to have a shelf life of only 25 years.
The outcry has elicited a reaction from Putin, who told ministers that "it goes without saying that this should be done in such a way and with such means and methods so as to not breach the rights of citizens."
Amid mounting public pressure, Moscow authorities earlier this month decreed that apartment blocks listed for "renovation" will only be demolished if two-thirds of apartments in a building vote in favor. Activists, however, are worried about possible falsifications and that those who fail to vote will be considered to have voted "yes."
The voting was scheduled to kick off on May 15 but was launched by city hall hours after the protest on May 14.
Legislation related to the plan passed its first reading in Russia's lower house of parliament with almost unanimous support on April 20. Lawmakers have promised to push for changes in later readings. Parliament has postponed the second reading of the bill until July.
OVD-Info, a nongovernmental organization that tracks detentions and arrests at public demonstrations, reported that two people were detained during the protests, one of whom was later released.
With reporting by AFP, the Financal Times, Current Time TV, and TASS
Russian police forced opposition leader Aleksei Navalny to leave a May 14 protest against the planned demolitions of residential buildings in Moscow. Definitely thousands -- but possibly tens of thousands -- of people took to the streets to protest the proposed removal of Soviet-era prefabricated housing blocks popularly known as "khrushchyovki." Backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin plans to knock down up to 8,000 dilapidated buildings and resettle their 1.6 million tenants in new homes. Opponents say the program, due to start in September, is an assault on their property rights. (RFE/RL's Russian Service)
A group of intellectuals has exposed a deep rift within Serbian society by challenging the veracity of Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.
Local media say the unidentified "organized citizens" submitted an anti-Darwin petition to parliament in Belgrade, signed by dozens of intellectuals.
The initiative calls for a review of the teaching of Darwinism -- the evolutionary history of life on Earth accepted by the overwhelming majority of the scientific community -- and demands that the religiously inspired theory of creationism be taught in Serbian schools alongside evolution.
The petition's organizers say their goal is to challenge the dominant status of Darwinism in schoolbooks, arguing it is just one of several theories of human creation and that they question the science behind it.
"I tell you that the [Darwin] theory of evolution and claiming that man came from monkeys [sic] offends all [religious] believers, not just Orthodox [Christians]," said Belgrade University professor Ljiljana Colic, whose failed attempts as education minister to oust Darwinism from the school curriculum led to her resignation in 2004.
Colic told Danas.rs that she was happy to sign the petition because she "absolutely agrees with everything written in it."
Zeljko Tomanovic, dean of the biology department at Belgrade University, countered: "It is the old creationist ideas that are totally anachronistic and unscientific. There is no scientific knowledge that supports the aforementioned claims [of creationism] and that deny evolution."
In addition to the signatures of certain elites in Serbia, the petition has been championed by several leading newspapers.
The issue has divided the country, and pro-creationists have tapped into an anti-Western, antiglobalist current that has festered in Serbia as high unemployment (16 percent in 2016) and a stagnant economy combine with Brussels' perceived indifference toward Belgrade's aspirations for closer relations and eventual EU membership.
"There is a disillusionment with liberal democracy and even an anger against the West," an RFE/RL Balkan correspondent said, adding that "this dogmatic, conservative movement is on the rise."
Those who fear the rising influence of the Serbian Orthodox Church -- manifested in the push to teach creationism in schools -- are worried that such proposals will dilute the country's education system and lower public discourse on science and other important topics.
The National Assembly said it had received the petition, which had been signed by 166 people, including doctors, professors, priests, and politicians, some of them reportedly also members of the Serbian Academy of Sciences.
But the Academy of Sciences said that "we don't share the petition's views" and added that only two of its members had signed the document. Initial media reports said dozens of academicians had signed.
Aleksandar Jerkova, a member of parliament's Science, Education, and Technology Committee, told Danas.rs that he regretted that "the signatories to this petition are not engaged in solving the really important problems in education [facing Serbian schools] that will determine the future of our country."
He added that the standards and curriculum in Serbian schools were at a "20th-century level" and this anti-Darwin petition will "take the schools back to the [standards] from the start of the 19th century."
Belgrade resident Stevan Karic agreed, telling RFE/RL: "I don't know [about this creationism initiative].... I think it's reverse evolution."
With reporting by Dragan Stavljanin and Gordana Knezevic of RFE/RL's Balkan Service
A portrait of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin has been hung at a Moscow subway station in celebration of the 82nd anniversary of the opening of the Russian capitals underground transport network.
The portrait appeared at the entrance of the Sokolniki subway station in northeastern Moscow on May 14 as part of a historical recreation of the opening of the Moscow Metropolitan on May 15, 1935.
The event -- which included a banner praising the "great, dear Stalin" as "the initiator and inspiration for the metros construction" -- drew fire from many Russian social-media users who criticized it as an official lionization of a bloody dictator.
Viktor Shenderovich, a prominent humorist and biting opponent of President Vladimir Putin, suggested an upcoming holiday should be marked with portraits of Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo.
He was a serial killer, you say? Well, thats true, but thats small potatoes. At the very least compared to Stalin," Shenderovich wrote on Facebook.
Stalin remains a polarizing figure in Russia. Admirers credit him with the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II and the industrialization of the Soviet Union, while others denounce his purges that killed millions of Soviet citizens.
Critics also say victory over the Nazis was won by Soviet soldiers and people despite major mistakes by Stalin from start to finish.
New monuments to Stalin have cropped up in several cities and towns in recent years, and critics accuse Putin of presiding over a steady rehabilitation of the dictator's image during his 17 years in power.
Surveys conducted by independent pollster Levada-Center in January showed that almost 50 percent of Russians view Stalin favorably -- the highest proportion in the last 16 years.
Putin himself has publicly given a mixed assessment of Stalin, saying in 2009 that "no one can throw stones now at the people who organized and led this victory" in World War II.
He added, however, that this "positive picture" was achieved at an "unacceptable price," criticizing a governing style that led to the suffering of "millions of our compatriots."
Stalin's portrait at the Sokolniki station was accompanied by one of Lazar Kaganovich, a Bolshevik and Stalin associate after whom the Moscow subway was originally named.
With reporting by RFE/RL's Russian Service, AP, TASS, and Interfax
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says it is clear that Russia meddled in last year's presidential election, and that Washington and Moscow will not be able to restart with "a clean slate."
Tillerson's comments in a May 14 television interview with NBC follow Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's visit to Washington last week that included a meeting with President Donald Trump.
Tillerson echoed his earlier statements on bilateral ties, saying relations had fallen to "an all-time low point since the end of the Cold War, with a very low level of trust."
He added, however, that this state of relations "is not healthy for the world."
Relations between the two sides remain tense over Moscow's seizure of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, its backing of separatists in Ukraine, the Syrian civil war, and other issues.
The Trump administration has not budged on the issue of U.S. sanctions targeting Russia over Ukraine, though Trump indicated during his campaign last year that he would consider lifting the punitive measures.
"I think it's important to understand we're not trying to start with a clean slate," Tillerson said.
U.S. intelligence has also accused the Kremlin of directing a hacking and influence campaign aimed at helping Trump, who says he wants to improve ties with Moscow, defeat Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the November presidential election.
The Kremlin denies it interfered in the election. After voicing skepticism about the allegations, Trump has since said he believes Russia was behind the hacking campaign targeting Democrats but that it had no impact on the outcome of the vote.
Tillerson told NBC that Russian interference in the election was "well documented."
"I don't think there's any question that the Russians were playing around in our electoral processes," he said.
He added, however, that it was "inconclusive" whether this had any impact on the election.
Trump's presidency has been dogged by the Russian-meddling allegations and investigations by the FBI and congressional committees about contacts between his associates and Russian officials.
Trump has accused the news media and his political opponents of seeking to undermine his presidency with what he has called a "fake" Russia story.
With reporting by NBC, Bloomberg, and AFP
Maternal depression negatively impacts children's emotional and cognitive development and family life. Studies have shown that a home in which the mother suffers from depression exhibits lower cohesion, warmth, and expressiveness and higher conflict, rigidity, and affectionless control. Since 15-18% of women in industrial societies and up to 30% in developing countries suffer from maternal depression, it is of clinical and public health concern to understand the effects of maternal depression on children's development.
A family affair
A new study, published in Development and Psychopathology, by Prof. Ruth Feldman and colleagues at the Department of Psychology and Leslie and Susan Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center at Bar-Ilan University has, for the first time, examined whether fathering can moderate the negative effects of maternal depression on family-level functioning. The results of this study are the first to describe the family process by using direct observations of mothering, fathering, and family patterns in homes where mothers suffer clinical depression during the child's first years of life.
Feldman conducted a longitudinal study of a carefully selected sample of married or cohabiting chronically depressed women with no comorbid contextual risk, who were repeatedly assessed for maternal depression across the first year after childbirth and when the child reached age six. The families were home-visited when the child reached preschool age in order to observe and videotape mother-child, father-child, and both-parent-child interactions.
Sense and sensitivity
During the first years of life, sensitivity marks the most critical component of the parental style that affects the child's emotional and social development. Sensitive parents are attuned to their child's needs and attend to them in a responsive and nonintrusive manner. Parents who act intrusively tend to take over tasks that children are, or could be, performing independently, imposing their own agenda without regard for the child.
In Feldman's study depressed mothers exhibited low sensitivity and high intrusiveness, and children displayed lower social engagement during interactions with them. Partners of depressed mothers also showed low sensitivity, high intrusiveness, and provided little opportunities for child social engagement, so that the family unit was less cohesive, harmonious, warm, and collaborative. However, when fathers were sensitive, nonintrusive, and engaged children socially, maternal depression no longer predicted low family cohesion.
Feldman: "When fathers rise to the challenge of co-parenting with a chronically depressed mother, become invested in the father-child relationship despite little modeling from their wives, and form a sensitive, nonintrusive, and reciprocal relationship with the child that fosters his/her social involvement and participation, fathering can buffer the spillover from maternal depression to the family atmosphere."
According to Feldman, because rates of maternal depression appear to increase each decade, and paternal involvement in child care is constantly increasing in industrial societies, it is critical to address the fathers' potential contribution to family welfare by providing interventions for the development of a sensitive parenting style and other compensatory mechanisms, in order to enhance their role as buffers of the negative effects of maternal depression.
This study was supported by the Israel Science Foundation, the Simms-Mann Foundation, and the Irving B. Harris Foundation.
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In early May 2017 China publicized the existence of a jet powered three tons UAV that could travel at 750 kilometers an hour at low altitude (under six meters/18 feet) over water and carry a torpedo or missile weighing up to a ton. Endurance was said to be about 90 minutes but that was apparently not seen as a problem as this UAV was mainly intended for coastal defense. This particular this UAV was not a surprise to people in the business (of intel or building UAVs) because it was publicly revealed in 2016. Back then it was not a surprise because China has been building jet powered UAVs for over a decade. The new one was publicized as stealthy and a major threat to American warships. That may be true, but depends on a lot of other factors (mostly of the electronic variety, for both offense and defense).
UAVs of this type date back to jet powered cruise missiles first widely used in the 1950s. By the 1970s these had evolved into reusable target drones. The most widely used of these was the American MQM-107, which entered service in the late 1970s. Some 2,200 MQM-107s were produced until production ceased in 2003. This UAV was reliable, sturdy and used for target practice or towing the designated target. The MQM-107 could be recovered because it was equipped with a parachute and built to survive multiple landings. MQM-107 weighed 664 kg (1,470 pounds) had a max speed of 925 kilometers an hour and max endurance of 130 minutes. There were similar drones from other companies but the BQM-167 was what really replaced the MQM-107 in 2006. This is a one ton, single engine aircraft that is 6.1 meters (20 feet) long, with a 3.4 meter (11 foot) wingspan. Max speed is about 1,000 kilometers an hour, and the carbon fiber composite airframe can handle 9 g turns. Launched via a rocket from a rail, the UAV lands via parachute. Max altitude is 16 kilometers (50,000 feet) and minimum is 16 meters (50 feet). The BQM-167 can stay aloft three hours per sortie. Equipped with GPS, the ground based operator maneuvers the BQM-167 to provide realistic targets for air force or navy missile carrying aircraft, or U.S. Army Patriot anti-aircraft missiles. Most of the time, the weapons operators just use the UAV to ensure that they can track and precisely locate an aerial target. But sometimes, the missiles themselves are tested, and the UAV is fired on. In some of these situations, the UAV is equipped with countermeasures (like chaff or flares or electronic jammers) and will also maneuver as a manned aircraft would. Because of this the price of a BQM-167 can vary from about a million dollars to two million or more. The tech used for the MQM-107 and BQM-167 were known to the Chinese and it was already known that the Chinese were developing similar aircraft.
Back in 2008 China revealed that it was developing a jet powered UAV, similar to the U.S. RQ-4 Global Hawk, called Xianglong (Soaring Dragon). The Chinese UAV is about half the size of the Global Hawk, at 7.5 tons, with a 14.5 meter (45 foot) wingspan and a .65 ton payload. Max altitude will be 18.4 kilometers (57,000 feet) and range will be 7,000 kilometers. It has a faster cruising speed (750 kilometers an hour) than the RQ-4. Back in 2008 the new Chinese jet powered UAVs were seen serving as high speed recon aircraft for naval forces. Once these UAVs spot an American carrier it was believed high speed cruise missiles, fired from a ship or manned aircraft, would have a target location to home in on. By 2016 the Xianglong was in production and the technology for it could easily be adapted to produce the new one carrying a one ton payload.
Chinese firms have already been successful in building and selling clones of the American Predator and Reaper. The Chinese CH-4 entered service in 2011 as part of the Rainbow series of UAVs. The first models were missing some key capabilities of the Predator. By 2016 the CH-4 was updated so it could be controlled via satellite. This included firing laser guided missiles. CH-4 also has a new sensor system. Improvements in this electro-optical (EO) payload are many. The day vidcam now produces 1080p video feeds. The night sensor is FLIR (Forward Looking Infrared sensor), a technology that has been around since the 1980s, and as the heat (infrared) sensing technology became more powerful, it was possible to spot and identify targets at longer ranges. This was accomplished through the development of more sensitive heat sensors, and more powerful computer hardware and software for putting the images together. The new FLIR for CH-4 can identify targets up to 20 kilometers away and enable automatic tracking of distant (up to 18 kilometers) targets. This is made possible by a lot of other improvements like better servo control, inertial guidance inside the EO system, auto focusing and computer controlled image enhancement and identification. This makes possible a much more accurate targeting system for the laser guided missiles the CH-4 carries.
The CH-4 is similar in shape to the 1.2 ton American Predator, weighs 1.3 tons, has a 14 meter (46 feet) wingspan, and is 9 meters (28 feet) long. It has max altitude of 5,300 meters (16,400 feet) and an endurance of over 35 hours. Max payload (sensors and weapons) is 345 kg (759 pounds). A CH-4 can carry 4 weapons (or electronic devices) under the wings, each weighing up to 100 kg.
China offers Chinese made weapons for their larger UAVs. Chief among these are a Hellfire clone, the AR-1. This is a 45 kg (99 pound) missile with a max range of 10 kilometers and a 10 kg (22 pound) warhead. AR-1 can be equipped with either GPS or laser guidance. The other weapon is a copy of the American SDB (small diameter bomb) which is a 128 kg (281 pound) GPS guided glide bomb in the shape of a missile with a penetrating warhead. The Chinese version is the FT-5 and is a 100 kg (220 pound) GPS guided bomb in the shape of a missile.
In early 2106 China began marketing a new combat UAV in the Rainbow series; the CH-5. This one is similar to the 4.6 ton American MQ-9 Reaper but a bit lighter at three tons. The CH-5 has a 900 kg payload and can carry smart (GPS guided) bombs as well as laser guided missiles (similar to the American Hellfire. CH-5 made its first flight in 2015, apparently has endurance of up to twenty hours and is supposed to be available for delivery in 2017.
The Chinese UAVs are much cheaper (sometimes about half the price) than the American originals, but for that you get aircraft and missiles that have not had as many of the bugs worked out nor achieved anything like the nearly two decade track record of the Predator. The CH-4 was developed from the earlier (2010) CH-3. This is a 640 kg aircraft with 12 hours endurance and can carry two AR-1 missiles. Thus it is believed that the CH-5 is a scaled up version of the CH-4.
In 2016 China revealed that is had sold military UAVs to ten countries, mainly in the Middle East and Africa. Most of the military UAVs delivered so far have been CH-3s and 200 smaller unarmed UAVs equipped for surveillance and reconnaissance. At the same time China has become the largest exporter of commercial UAVs which are used by police and commercial firms for a wide variety of tasks.
American Homes 4 Rent is a real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on the US rental industry. The company is a leader in the single-family home rental industry and "American Homes 4 Rent" is fast becoming a nationally recognized brand. The company is known for high-quality rental homes, providing good value and tenant satisfaction while generating profits for investors. The primary investment objective is to provide attractive risk-adjusted returns through dividends and capital appreciation.
The company plans to achieve its objective through the disciplined acquisition of new properties, by expanding its own construction and neighborhood building efforts, growing its geographically diverse portfolio, efficient property management, building a strong brand, and maintaining a sound capital structure.
The company was founded in 2011 by David Singelyn and his partner. Mr. Singelyn has served as a Trustee and CEO since 2012. The company began by acquiring homes in underserved areas and remodeling them to modern standards. The firm has since expanded its operations to construction and now builds planned communities tailored to different lifestyles as well. The company went public in 2013 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
American Homes 4 Rent is an internally managed Maryland real estate investment trust focused on acquiring, developing, renovating, leasing, and operating attractive, single-family homes as rental properties. The company operates through a network of offices and the website AH4R.com. The company owns more than 55,000 properties across 22 states featuring move-in-ready and pet-friendly homes for individuals and families of all sizes.
All previously used properties have been renovated to a high Certified Property standard that brings them to a like-new condition. Interested parties can view listings by area on the website and even use the site to fill out applications and sign leases. Properties are located in communities that fit a variety of lifestyle needs including fences, marble countertops, and even attached 2 and 3-car garages. The communities are located in hand-picked neighborhoods with features including access to commerce, schools, and amenities like lawn care, pools, trails, and fitness centers.
Tenants are afforded many benefits by renting through American Homes 4 Rent. The first and most obvious is the freedom and flexibility of a mortgage-free lifestyle. On top of that, tenants can pay rent or schedule maintenance on their homes through the website, and dedicated service representatives are available 24/7.
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company discovers, develops, licenses, manufactures, and markets biopharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers products for hematology, oncology, cardiovascular, immunology, fibrotic, neuroscience, and covid-19 diseases. The company's products include Revlimid, an oral immunomodulatory drug for the treatment of multiple myeloma; Eliquis, an oral inhibitor for reduction in risk of stroke/systemic embolism in NVAF, and for the treatment of DVT/PE; Opdivo for anti-cancer indications; Pomalyst/Imnovid indicated for patients with multiple myeloma; and Orencia for adult patients with active RA and psoriatic arthritis. It also provides Sprycel for the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia; Yervoy for the treatment of patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma; Abraxane, a protein-bound chemotherapy product; Reblozyl for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta thalassemia; and Empliciti for the treatment of multiple myeloma. In addition, the company offers Zeposia to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis; Breyanzi, a CD19-directed genetically modified autologous T cell immunotherapy for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma; Inrebic, an oral kinase inhibitor indicated for the treatment of adult patients with myelofibrosis; and Onureg for the treatment of adult patients with AML. It sells products to wholesalers, distributors, pharmacies, retailers, hospitals, clinics, and government agencies. The company was formerly known as Bristol-Myers Company. The company was founded in 1887 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Schlumberger Limited provides technology for the energy industry worldwide. The company operates through four divisions: Digital & Integration, Reservoir Performance, Well Construction, and Production Systems. It offers software, information management, and IT infrastructure services; consulting services for reservoir characterization, field development planning, and production enhancement; petro technical data services and training solutions; reservoir interpretation and data processing services; asset performance solutions; open and cased-hole services; exploration and production pressure and flow-rate measurement services; pressure pumping, well stimulation, and coiled tubing equipment for downhole mechanical well intervention, reservoir monitoring, and downhole data acquisition; and integrated production systems. The company also provides mud logging and engineering support services; drilling equipment and services for shipyards, drilling contractors, energy companies, and rental tool companies; land drilling rigs and related services; drilling tools; well cementing products and services; and well planning and drilling, engineering, supervision, logistics, procurement, contracting, and drilling rig management services, as well as supplies engineered drilling fluid systems; and designs, manufactures, and markets roller cone and fixed cutter drill bits. In addition, it offers well completion services and equipment; artificial lift production equipment and optimization services; valves; process systems; and integrated subsea production systems comprising wellheads, subsea trees, manifolds and flowline connectors, control systems, connectors, and services, as well as designs and manufactures onshore and offshore platform wellhead systems and processing solutions. The company was formerly known as Societe de Prospection Electrique. Schlumberger Limited was founded in 1926 and is based in Houston, Texas.
Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. produces and distributes specialty plant nutrients, iodine and its derivatives, lithium and its derivatives, potassium chloride and sulfate, industrial chemicals, and other products and services. The company offers specialty plant nutrients, including potassium nitrate, sodium nitrate, sodium potassium nitrate, specialty blends, and other specialty fertilizers. It also provides iodine and its derivatives for use in medical, pharmaceutical, agricultural, and industrial applications comprising x-ray contrast media, polarizing films for LCD and LED, antiseptics, biocides and disinfectants, pharmaceutical synthesis, electronics, pigments, and dye components. In addition, the company offers lithium carbonates for various applications that include electrochemical materials for batteries, frits for the ceramic and enamel industries, heat-resistant glass, air conditioning chemicals, continuous casting powder for steel extrusion, primary aluminum smelting process, pharmaceuticals, and lithium derivatives, as well as ingredient in manufacturing of gunpowder. Further, it supplies lithium hydroxide for the lubricating greases industry, as well as cathodes for batteries. Additionally, it offers potassium chloride and potassium sulfate for various crops, including corn, rice, sugar, soybean, and wheat; industrial chemicals, including sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, and solar salts; and other fertilizers and blends. The company operates in Chile, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, North America, Asia, and internationally. Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. was incorporated in 1968 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.
WASHINGTON -- It was implausible that FBI Director James Comey was fired in May 2017 for actions committed in July 2016 -- the rationale contained in the memo by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.
It was implausible that Comey was fired by Donald Trump for having been too tough on Hillary Clinton, as when, at that July news conference, he publicly recited her various email misdeeds despite recommending against prosecution.
It was implausible that Trump fired Comey for, among other things, reopening the Clinton investigation 11 days before the election, something that, at the time, Trump praised as a sign of Comey's "guts" that had "brought back his reputation."
It was implausible that Trump, a man notorious for being swayed by close and loyal personal advisers, fired Comey on the recommendation of a sub-Cabinet official whom Trump hardly knew and who'd been on the job all of two weeks.
It was implausible that Trump found Rosenstein's arguments so urgently persuasive that he acted immediately -- so precipitously, in fact, that Comey learned of his own firing from TVs that happened to be playing behind him.
These implausibilities were obvious within seconds of Comey's firing and the administration's immediate attempt to pin it all on the Rosenstein memo. That was pure spin. So why in reality did Trump fire Comey?
Admittedly, Comey had to go. The cliche is that if you've infuriated both sides, it means you must be doing something right. Sometimes, however, it means you must be doing everything wrong.
Over the last year, Comey has been repeatedly wrong. Not, in my view, out of malice or partisanship (although his self-righteousness about his own probity does occasionally grate). He was in an unprecedented situation with unpalatable choices.
Never in American presidential history had a major party nominated a candidate under official FBI investigation. (Turns out the Trump campaign was under investigation as well.) Which makes the normal injunction that FBI directors not interfere in elections facile and impossible to follow. Any course of action -- disclosure or silence, commission or omission -- carried unavoidable electoral consequences.
Comey had to make up the rules as he went along. He did. That was not his downfall. His downfall was making up contradictory, illogical rules, such as the July 5 non-indictment indictment of Clinton.
A series of these -- and Comey became anathema to both Democrats and Republicans. Clinton blamed her loss on two people. One of them was Comey.
And there's the puzzle. There was ample bipartisan sentiment for letting Comey go. And there was ample time from Election Day on to do so. A simple talk, a gold watch, a friendly farewell, a Comey resignation to allow the new president to pick the new director. No fanfare, no rancor.
True, this became more difficult after March 20 when Comey revealed that the FBI was investigating the alleged Trump-Russia collusion. Difficult but not impossible. For example, just last week, Comey had committed an egregious factual error about the Huma Abedin emails that the FBI had to abjectly walk back in a written memo to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Here was an opportunity for a graceful exit: Comey regrets the mistake and notes that some of the difficult decisions he had previously made necessarily cost him the confidence of various parties. Time for a clean slate. Add the usual boilerplate about not wanting to be a distraction at such a crucial time. Awkward perhaps, but still dignified and amicable.
Instead we got this -- a political ax murder, brutal even by Washington standards. (Or even Roman standards. Where was the vein-opening knife and the warm bath?)
No final meeting, no letter of resignation, no presidential thanks, no cordial parting. Instead, a blindsided Comey ends up in a live-streamed O.J. Bronco ride, bolting from Los Angeles to be flown, defrocked, back to Washington.
Why? Trump had become increasingly agitated with the Russia-election investigation and Comey's very public part in it. If Trump thought this would kill the inquiry and the story, or perhaps even just derail it somewhat, he's made the blunder of the decade.
Whacking Comey has brought more critical attention to the Russia story than anything imaginable. It won't stop the FBI investigation. And the confirmation hearings for a successor will become a nationally televised forum for collusion allegations, which up till now have remained a scandal in search of a crime.
So why did he do it? Now we know: The king asked whether no one would rid him of this troublesome priest -- and got so impatient he did it himself.
A defining trait of Toronto manners, according to the new book Toronto Public Etiquette Guide I wrote about recently, is avoidance of speaking to strangers.
On Twitter, Deirdre McCluskey, expressed her surprise at encountering this in the field: Just moved here and this is what I want explained: why do I get ignored when I greet my condo neighbours in the elevator? she wrote. In my sock feet in the hallway after taking out the garbage and smile at someone: get a stone-faced stare! Ugh.
We can tell ourselves this is just a necessary attitude in the big city: Its so crowded everywhere that if we interacted with every stranger, wed never have a moments peace. Yet it isnt the case in all big cities, as Katie Harris noticed upon moving to Boston from Toronto.
When I first arrived in Boston, I was truly alarmed by how easily strangers would speak to me on public transit. Reading a book on my daily subway ride, I would often be asked what I was reading by the person sitting next to me. This happened frequently enough that I had a fake answer (Wuthering Heights), which I hoped would discourage further discussion, she writes.
Despite being not just an introvert but a Toronto introvert (used to a comfortable lack of eye contact and other human engagement while out in public), I did eventually get used to the more outgoing nature of Bostonians.
She even recently offered some strangers in downtown Toronto directions, unsolicited. Their collective look of alarm reminded me that I was breaching Toronto etiquette dont make eye contact, dont talk to strangers, but be ready with extremely polite advice if asked.
Just so. I asked for advice in my previous column local etiquette tips, observations about customs, lists of rules and people were extremely ready to offer it.
No adult bike riding on sidewalks, people agreed. No clipping your nails on public transit, several sadly felt the need to point out. Give a wave when someone lets your car in during crowded traffic conditions, I hear a lot. Several people mentioned that a group of people walking together on the sidewalk should walk single file (on the right, of course) to let those coming the other way pass. And hold the door open for the person behind you in crowded spaces downtown, just push it open wide enough that they can catch it and hold it for the person behind them.
All good lessons and most of them covered in the book (though not discussed in my earlier column).
A few people also wanted to point out the too-little-understood etiquette of grocery checkout lines. You happen to be in a long line, another checkout counter opens up, the cashier calls next in line please, and what happens? a reader named Jean writes. The last person jumps to the new checkout. Grrrrr. This can be easily solved and sometimes is by having the cashier go to the middle of the long line and asking that person and others to follow. However one would think this was obvious without being led.
In the earlier column, I mentioned in passing the Toronto custom of standing to the right and walking on the left on escalators. Though I think this remains an expectation many people have, some readers wrote to point out they and the TTC now think this is dangerous and counter-productive. As a mum of a child with a disability who struggles to walk I was disappointed that again someone wrote about escalator rules, Katharine Harrison wrote, noting the TTC no longer advises doing this. Its unsafe to push past someone on an escalator. The old and infirm and disabled may have less balance and fall down the stairs.
Another reader adds that studies have shown the walk-left, stand-right custom has been shown in studies to actually allow fewer people to move during busy times, another reason to change the etiquette. (Although some other readers wrote to emphasize the custom so for now youll still get some passive-aggressive dirty looks if you stand on the left.)
The use of mobile smartphones generated more advice, I think, than any other topic. Folks, dont talk so loud on them, especially on transit. Dont read or send messages on them when youre in the middle of conducting a conversation with someone else. Dont use them while driving your car or bike, even when youre stopped at a red light (so often a long line of cars is waiting behind you while you sit at the now-green light, still obliviously liking Instagram photos.)
But for pedestrians, one situation in particular was worth attention. While I think it would be nice if people could look up once in a while when walking along a crowded sidewalk, Ive given up on that particular battle. But please, everybody, pay attention while youre using the crosswalk, Terry Lavender writes. Its dangerous enough crossing the street in Toronto, the problem is only compounded when you also have to dodge fellow pedestrians whose eyes are glued to their phones.
Others pointed out that your phone doesnt come with a booth like an old-fashioned payphone, so youve got to get out the way of others before you suddenly stop to check your phone on the sidewalk.
There were plenty of others some more commonly cited rules were to take your backpack off on transit, dont spit on the ground and dont throw cigarette butts on the sidewalk and Im grateful for all the suggestions I received. But I do not have enough space to enumerate them all. However, since I started with a story about the famous Toronto reserve, I figure Ill end with another.
Several years ago my son was returning home late in the evening on the subway. Among the passengers were two young characters noisy enough to have drawn attention to themselves, Anita Dermer writes. Everybody apparently noticed when one of them took out a gun and the two of them began to fool around with it. Nobody screamed or dived for cover. Nobody tackled them. Nobody pushed the emergency signal. But at the next stop, everyone just got up as one person and left the train.
She says she was horrified by the incident but admiring of the response however, it reminded her of this citys changing traditions.
I did tell him that in my day we would have refused to acknowledge such unseemly behaviour in any way whatsoever. Without a word or a glance at the miscreants we would have continued to our destinations and if shot, would have made our way to the nearest ER in as dignified a manner and with as little disturbance as possible.
Edward Keenan writes on city issues ekeenan@thestar.ca . Follow: @thekeenanwire
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MONTREALHundreds of Quebec forestry workers are experiencing the first sour tastes from the softwood lumber battle with the United States as they prepare for the start of layoffs.
Starting Monday, Resolute Forest Products is cutting shifts at seven sawmills and delaying the start of forest operations that will affect 1,282 workers.
Pierrot Fortin, who experienced such heartache during the last impasse in the early 2000s, is again preparing for lost income and uncertainty.
Work stoppages like this are never easy, said the truck driver who hauls wood from forests in the Lac-Saint-Jean region.
It has an impact on families and everyone is worried.
Read more:Trump administration shrugs off softwood lumber threat from Trudeau government
But the 48-year-old says hes luckier than some his house is almost paid for, and his two children are no longer babies.
Fortin feels for young families and older workers who have few employment alternatives in one-industry towns.
The big worry is that temporary curtailments will be extended as companies feel growing pressure from retroactive duties and the prospect of additional preliminary charges to be announced next month.
During the last softwood lumber dispute, Canada shed 20,000 forestry jobs between 2000 and 2006, and about 400 sawmills closed entirely between 2004-09.
Unifor, which represents 24,000 forestry workers at 134 companies, fears duties this time will hurt 25,000 Canadian jobs.
La Tuque mayor Normand Beaudoin says any downtime longer than two weeks currently planned for about 100 mill employees would be difficult for families in the small town about 200 kilometres south of the Lac-Saint-Jean region.
In the short term I dont have a lot of worries, but if it goes on for one or two years it will do a lot of harm, Beaudoin said.
Although workers were aware of the challenges facing the industry, they were surprised by the speed with which Resolute moved to cut costs especially since the companys preliminary duties are below the 20-per-cent Canadian average with no retroactivity, said Daniel Leblond, president of the Unifor local at the Dolbeau-Mistassini sawmill.
Resolute said the immediate impact on the industry is largely because of volatility in market pricing thanks to the duties, and the fact that some U.S. customers had built up some supply in anticipation of the duties.
Still, it has created anxiety because there are no answers to questions if the layoffs will be extended.
These families are devastated, just like if they were struck by a hurricane, Leblond said.
He fears that more job cuts are coming at two paper mills if theres no relief from punishing duties on supercalendered paper.
The Quebec mills are among the first in Canada to feel the effects of softwood duties. However, a cedar mill in New Brunswick recently closed, affecting six workers.
Danny Stillwell, owner of Hainesville Sawmill Ltd., northwest of Fredericton, said hes closing for at least six months until a dispute over the new tariffs is resolved.
Theres no word of any mill closures in Western Canada, but workers are very nervous, said Bob Matters, wood council chairman for the United Steelworkers union.
Many of the workers, probably most of them, have been through the last round of softwood lumber negotiations, and the uncertainty around how long this will last is what is causing the grief, he said.
With many families having several members employed in the forest sector, Matters added, any cuts cause widespread pain and have far-reaching ramifications for forest-dependent communities.
The major employer in town is the mill or manufacturing facility so it is a very big deal.
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OTTAWAA radical idea is being floated or more precisely, revived as a way for the RCMP and its political masters to grapple with all that ails the force.
The looming departure of Commissioner Bob Paulson has prompted some rank-and-file Mounties to call for a joint management approach to running the RCMP instead of the top-down hierarchical system some believe has left it unable to adapt to modern workplace expectations and norms.
Three reports will bring the RCMPs workplace woes into sharp focus this week.
On Monday, the results of an investigation into systemic workplace harassment in the national police force are to be released by the independent watchdog of the RCMP, the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission. Its the first investigation conducted since the watchdog got more robust powers in 2014.
In addition, the Star has learned the Liberal government has received and may also release this week a separate report by former auditor general Sheila Fraser into how the RCMP handled complaints by four female employees.
Cpl. Catherine Galliford, Cpl. Susan Gastaldo, Const. Alice Fox and Atoya Montague, a civilian member of the RCMP in B.C., sued the force for harassment. Their treatment at the hands of their superiors appeared so egregious that the public safety minister last year demanded Frasers outside review.
(Meanwhile, the RCMPs and the governments proposed $100-million settlement of two broader class action lawsuits launched by women who suffered sexual- and gender-based harassment is still in limbo, more than seven months after the RCMP offered a formal apology. The proposal is awaiting final court approvals before even a dollar of actual compensation can be paid out.)
On Tuesday, auditor general Michael Ferguson will release his audit of whether the RCMPs mental health programs provide adequate early detection intervention and support for continuous improvement for its employees.
The trio of reports are expected to paint a bleak picture, sources told the Star.
If all that werent enough, searing testimony in an ongoing trial in a Moncton courtroom is a reminder that RCMP management decisions involve life-and-death consequences.
Three years after lone gunman Justin Bourque went on a shooting rampage that left three Mounties dead and two wounded, the RCMP faces four charges of violating Canadas workplace health and safety laws.
Officers say they were outgunned by Bourque and, in all the chaos, at his mercy. Bourque pleaded guilty a few months afterward. Yet it is still harrowing to hear how the carnage unfolded from the officers perspectives.
Const. Martine Benoit felt as if she was just waiting to be shot again as Bourque fired multiple rounds into the police cruiser she crouched behind. She saw Const. Eric Dubois, who came to her aid, get shot after he peered out to see where Bourque was.
Const. Andrew Johnstone tried in vain to save Const. David Rosss life, then strapped on hard body armour only to learn later hed put it on backwards.
Each charge under the Canada Labour Code of failing to adequately inform, train and equip its officers to confront active shooters like Bourque carries a potential $1-million fine.
More important will be the message such a conviction would send: that RCMP managers failed Canadians, and failed their own.
The trial is expected to last two months.
By the time its over, the RCMP a police force organized along paramilitary top-down chain-of-command lines, with no civilian police services board could have a new boss.
Paulson announced in March hell retire at the end of June. A selection committee to find his successor has yet to be named, but will be announced in the coming weeks, the Star has learned.
The delay is confounding to many. Conservative and NDP critics say it is important to get a strong new leader at the top sooner than later.
Tony Clement, Conservative public safety critic, said the broader the search for the right leader, the better. He said many of the issues, including recruitment and retention, facing the RCMP are quite complex and they involve the morale, and they involve almost the psychic ability of the force to do the job, not just the kit they have. These are things that I believe require the decision-makers to think outside the box.
Now, with that looming vacancy at the top, some are suggesting its time to finally create a management board for the force.
That includes organizers of a drive to unionize about 18,000 front-line Mounties under the banner of the National Police Federation. With more than 10,300 card-carrying members, the NPF has filed an application to be certified as the national bargaining agent.
Brian Sauve, co-founder of the federation, says Paulsons departure represents an opportunity. We are in the process of writing to the minister of public safety and the prime ministers office, Sauve said, to suggest that perhaps we shouldnt have a new commissioner just yet. Perhaps the organization should spend some time evolving into its future state.
Sauve said it might take some kind of joint management committee to assess where weve been, where we are and where we want to go to . . . maintain the confidence of the Canadian public.
Were trying to think outside the box, he said, listing a vipers nest of issues that faces any incoming commissioner. It might just be too much for one person. Do we Canada put one person in charge of that task, or are we setting them up to fail?
Matthew Dube, NDP public safety critic, said more civilian oversight and more accountability for the force is extremely important.
When we look at a lot of the culture change thats necessary, whether its the drive to unionize or the sexual harassment issues that came up over and over again, some good steps have been taken but theres certainly still a lot of work to be done. By increasing accountability . . . I think it can give a good kick in the butt to the folks who need to show leadership on those files.
In 2007, a federal task force recommended a civilian management board for the RCMP. So did successive reports from the independent RCMP reform council. The idea was to guide the RCMPs non-operational activities to ensure it didnt lose its way again.
In January, Liberal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale seemed open to the idea as a concept that needs to be very carefully examined and determined whether that would work effectively given the nature and the character and the tradition of the force . . . . That would be a massive administrative and structural change for the RCMP, so I think you have to think it through very carefully, bearing in mind the principles and the tradition by which the force has functioned for well over 100 years.
On Friday, Goodales office pointed to the pending reports on harassment in the force from Sheila Fraser and the CRCC and said it would be premature to comment further on possible changes to the RCMP at this point.
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Black Lives Matter Toronto and other members of the black community say theyre cautiously optimistic about the citys new draft anti-black racism action plan.
That action plan has 21 recommendations for the city including the creation of a black caucus at City Hall, hiring more black people for city jobs and overhauling the discipline process for the Toronto Police Service.
Mayor John Tory unveiled the draft plan Saturday at an open house attended by dozens of people, many of them long-time activists and organizers from Torontos various black communities.
The recommendations alone cannot solve the deep-seated problem of racist beliefs, Tory said, but he said he is confident they are an important first step for the city to take to combating systemic racism across Toronto.
We have an alternative, Tory told reporters. We can just shrug our shoulders or we can say its really unfortunate or we can say Thats not right and do everything we can to eradicate racism in this city.
Among the draft recommendations is a suggestion the city review the decision not to delete years worth of carding data. Tory reiterated the citys position that it cant delete that data because its lawyers insist doing so would be illegal, but his position is that it should be destroyed if possible.
Other recommendations in the plan include an increased focus on education and job opportunities for young black people, particularly young black men with criminal records.
The report also calls for better training of city staff, and viewing many issues through an anti-black racism lens.
The report includes nine recommendations for the province that the city will push for, Tory said, including creating a black childrens aid society and removing barriers for people to apply for criminal record suspensions.
Reaction to the draft action plan ranged from enthusiastic to tepid.
I think this is an important step for the city and the community, said long-time community activist Nene Kwasi Kafele.
But weve been down this road before. Were cautiously optimistic, but we must be mindful of history, he said.
Kafele said while the recommendations are encouraging, there are three areas he would like to see more focus.
First, its important to ensure that alongside actions to improve the outcomes for individual people in the education, employment and criminal justice systems, there needs to be a larger focus on economic development for many of Torontos currently struggling neighbourhoods, he said.
We need to see large-scale economic development, he said, things like black banks, co-ops and other targeted investments.
Second, Kafele wants to see more commitments for community infrastructure, both in terms of bricks-and-mortar facilities like community centres but also in the human infrastructure and people needed to run them.
Third, Kafele said the report which does place an emphasis on improving black leadership across the city needs to ensure those leaders are not treated simply as consultants, but are incorporated into the roots of the strategy itself going forward.
We need people with lived experience involved in the government structure, he said.
The draft action plan is the result of more than 40 community meetings across the city. It also leans on 41 years worth of previous reports that have been written to address systemic anti-black racism.
Rather than turn to the so-called experts to write another report, we turned to the community, Tory said.
Tory said he personally attended four of the community meetings, and listened to community members describe what it feels like to be followed by store employees or stopped by police for no reason.
He said the whole process was sparked by his struggle to understand how to response to Black Lives Matter Torontos encampment at police headquarters last March.
That group did not participate in organizing the community meetings and consultations that went into drafting this report.
Black Lives Matter Torontos Ravyn Wngz said the group didnt participate officially for fear of dominating the conversation.
We wanted to make sure that the community was heard, Wngz said. These are our families (that participated), our friends.
Wngz said she is hopeful the recommendations will bring about long-needed change, but she wants to see a greater focus on implementation.
If these recommendations are a reflection of what hasnt been happening all along, then that should be a really big red flag for the city, she said.
The feedback the city receives from Saturdays workshop will be used to create a set of final recommendations. Tory pledged to champion that final action plan at city council when it comes up for a vote in July. If the action plan passes, the city will begin working on a plan for implementing the recommendations, Tory said.
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Jonathan Kay has resigned as editor-in-chief of The Walrus, amid a highly charged controversy over an idea to create a so-called appropriation prize that has triggered intense backlash on social media and exposed deep divides within the Canadian arts and journalism communities.
In an email, Kay said he was definitely not asked to file a resignation. He said he chose to step down on Saturday night because he frequently butted heads with his boss and got tired of the internal battles.
The Walrus Foundation is moving in a direction that is different from what I was hoping. My dream was always to create a Canadian version of Atlantic magazine, which offers intelligent well-researched viewpoints and articles on all sorts of issues, including controversial topics, he said. The cultural appropriation issue would be only one small example of that.
I very much respect all the people on the editorial team there, and I know they will continue to make Canadas best journalism, he added.
Deputy editor Carmine Starnino confirmed that Kay had resigned, but declined further comment. The magazines publisher, Shelley Ambrose, could not be reached.
Appointed editor-in-chief in 2014, Kay is among a group of prominent Toronto journalists at the centre of a polarizing debate that has grown from appropriation of voice to white privilege, free speech and the lack of diversity in Canadian newsrooms.
The controversy began with the resignation of another magazine editor, Hal Niedzviecki, who stepped down last week as editor of The Writers Union of Canada (TWUC) magazine, after backlash over his editorial in a recent issue dedicated to indigenous writing, in which he encouraged writers to Win the Appropriation Prize.
Niedzviecki opened the piece by saying, I dont believe in cultural appropriation. Acknowledging that most Canadian literature is written by authors who are white and middle-class, he encouraged those writers to imagine other cultures, and learn from indigenous writers, who so often must write from what they dont know.
The editorial triggered immediate outrage on social media. One of the issues contributors, Helen Knott, posted on Facebook that she was seriously disgusted that someone would use the Indigenous issue . . . as a jump point for a case for cultural appropriation on the backs, words, and reputations of the Indigenous writers featured in it.
The unions Equity Task Force issued a scathing statement, saying the essay contradicts and dismisses the racist systemic barriers faced by Indigenous writers and other racialized writers.
Last Wednesday, the union apologized. Niedzviecki told the Star he failed to recognize . . . how deeply painful acts of cultural appropriation have been to indigenous peoples. He also said it is important that we engage with each other and cautioned against a chill on expressing ideas.
Kay, who is a former editor at the National Post, quickly came to Niedzvieckis defence, posting a link to the Stars story on Twitter, with the comments: The mobbing of Hal Niedzviecki is what we get when we let Identity-politics fundamentalists run riot and Sad & shameful.
Ken Whyte, a former editor-in-chief of the National Post and Macleans, retweeted Kays post, and said: I will donate $500 to the founding of the appropriation prize if someone else wants to organize.
A collection of high-profile editors and columnists from a variety of media outlets, including the National Post, CBC and Macleans, proceeded to pledge hundreds of dollars to fund the creation of such a prize for freedom of thought and expression, as one editor tweeted.
Kay retweeted Whytes post, but was not among those who promised to donate money to the cause. He defended his position in a column in the National Post on Friday, in which he criticized TWUC for an over-the-top apology that suggests it is a chorus for the most restrictive views on acceptable speech.
The Twitter campaign ignited further outrage, particularly among indigenous writers, some of whom tweeted that they had asked for their writing to be removed from the Walrus website. Journalists from other minority groups described the appropriation prize campaign as evidence of the cluelessness of the primarily white CanLit establishment.
Instead of being compassionate about the rage they saw stemming from the pain of exclusion, they ridiculed the marginalized among their own colleagues and readers they profess to represent, wrote the Stars race and gender columnist Shree Paradkar.
Niedzviecki posted on Facebook that Calls for an actual appropriation prize are extremely unhelpful and do not represent me in any way. Some of the editors who initially pledged to help fund the prize have since apologized.
In an email Sunday, Whyte said: Im beginning to think that no one actually read Niedzvieckis piece in Write magazine.
He called for an appropriation prize to celebrate the most sensitive, respectful, and truthful explorations of anothers culture, and he explicitly denounced dishonest and exploitative approaches to other cultures. I happen to agree with those sentiments, he said, adding that Kays resignation is devastating to The Walrus and Canadian journalism.
Kay told the Star he never talked about the controversy with his boss or the Walrus Foundation, but said the issue exemplified his frustration, which has been building for a while now.
He said his comments about the appropriation issue were directed at TWUC, which is not an indigenous organization . . . and then all sorts of people jumped on my tweet and took it further, including that insensitive appropriation prize tweet.
We must have looked like a bunch of stupid Toronto jackasses joking about what to many people is an extremely serious issue, he said. I regret that, and should have called the joke out for being bad and insensitive.
Through emails with indigenous writers, he said he educated himself about the special sensitivity in regard to cultural appropriation among indigenous people, however he said he remains an artistic universalist.
If a black author wants to write a First Nation story, or an Asian author wants to write a Hispanic protagonist, we should find room for that, and start from the presumption that theyre going to do so respectfully, he said. Only when its obvious that they have bad motives should we call them out for cultural appropriation.
With files from Alexandra Jones and Ed Tubb
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One day in 1964, Nicholas Sand, a Brooklyn-born son of a spy for the Soviet Union, took his first acid trip. He had been fascinated by psychedelic drugs since reading about them as a student at Brooklyn College and had experimented with mescaline and peyote. Now, at a retreat run by friends in Putnam County, N.Y., he took his first dose of LSD, still legal at the time.
Sitting naked in the lotus position, before a crackling fire, he surrendered to the experience. A sensation of peace and joy washed over him. Then he felt himself transported to the far reaches of the cosmos.
I was floating in this immense black space, he recalled in the documentary The Sunshine Makers, released in 2015. I said, What am I doing here? And suddenly a voice came through my body, and it said, Your job on this planet is to make psychedelics and turn on the world.
Read more:50 years ago, U of T had an LSD convention
Like Moses receiving the tablets, Sand took this commandment to heart. After being trained by the lab partner of Owsley Stanley, Americas premier LSD chemist, he set about producing vast quantities of the purest LSD on the market. His most celebrated product, known as Orange Sunshine for the colour of the tablets it came in, became a signature drug of the late 1960s.
Touted by Timothy Leary as the finest acid available, the tiny orange pills quickly acquired near-mythic status, Martin A. Lee and Bruce Shlain wrote in Acid Dreams: The Complete Social History of LSD. Distributed by the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, a drug cult based in Laguna Beach, Calif., it showed up wherever hippies gathered: at Grateful Dead concerts, in California communes, in Indian ashrams, in the hashish havens of Afghanistan. Sand made sure that Orange Sunshine was available to U.S. soldiers in Vietnam; he hoped to bend their minds in the direction of non-violence and brotherly love.
The goal was simple. If we could turn on everyone in the world, he said in the documentary, then maybe wed have a new world of peace and love.
It did not work out that way. Orange Sunshine was Sands ticket to a life on the run. For years he raced to stay a step ahead of federal agents, and after being convicted on drug and tax-evasion charges, he hid in Canada for two decades under an assumed name. Eventually, after being arrested and unmasked, he was returned to the United States, where he served six years in prison.
He emerged an unchanged man, totally committed to the beatific vision granted to him that day in upstate New York.
Sand died April 24 at his home in Lagunitas, Calif. He was 75. The cause was a heart attack, said Gina Raetze, his longtime companion, who uses the name Usha, which she adopted as a follower of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh.
After taking his first psychedelic drug, mescaline, in 1962, Sand taught himself chemistry and set up a lab in his mothers attic to make dimethyltryptamine, or DMT. Although it produced only a brief high, it was much easier to formulate than LSD. Brisk demand prompted a move to larger premises in a Brooklyn loft, where he created the fictitious Bell Perfume Labs.
An invitation from Richard Alpert, Learys former Harvard colleague, brought him to Millbrook, a farm in Dutchess County, N.Y., where Alpert, Leary and others had started a psychedelic community. After 1966, when LSD became illegal, Millbrook created the Original Kleptonian Neo-American Church, whose clergy members, known as Boo Hoos, administered sacraments in the form of psychedelic drugs. Sand was designated the alchemist of the new religion, as well as of Learys church, the League for Spiritual Discovery, whose initials spelled LSD.
The glory days lay just ahead. In 1967, Stanley encouraged Sand to shift his operations to California. To help him get started, he offered him the services of his lab partner, Tim Scully, who proved to be a brilliant teacher.
From a lab in Windsor, Calif., north of San Francisco, the two partners turned out four million doses of Orange Sunshine, the first step in a planned production of 750 million doses the right amount, they decided, to precipitate a psychedelic revolution.
Federal and state law enforcement officials had other ideas. By late 1971 Sand was being investigated by a joint force of federal narcotics and tax agents, who pressured Billy Hitchcock, the owner of Millbrook and Sands liaison with the Brotherhood of Eternal Love, to testify against Sand and Scully.
Both men were convicted on multiple charges by Judge Samuel Conti, known as Hanging Sam, who complained during the trial that the death penalty was not available to him.
Conti, telling Sand that he had contributed to the degradation of mankind and society, handed down a sentence of 15 years. In his cell at McNeil Island Penitentiary in Washington state, which he shared with Scully, an unrepentant Sand conducted LSD sessions for his fellow prisoners until he won release pending an appeal of his case.
When it became clear that the appeal would not succeed, Sand, dressed as a tourist on a fishing holiday, entered Canada under the assumed name Ted Parody officially Theodore Edward Parody III.
He settled in the town of Lumby, in British Columbia, and began growing psilocybin mushrooms as a cash crop. After becoming enchanted by the teachings of Shree Rajneesh, the Indian guru, he spent time at the Rajneesh ashram, taking the name Pravasi. He learned to grow hydroponic vegetables and set up an LSD lab. With the guru, he helped create a Rajneeshee community, Rajneeshpuram, near Antelope, Ore.
Rajneeshpuram disbanded in 1985, and Sand returned to Canada, where he eventually created a large lab in Port Coquitlam, near Vancouver, to make LSD and other psychedelic drugs on a grand scale. In 1996, RCMP officers raided the lab and in the course of their investigations discovered that their suspect, now using the name David Roy Shepard, was a fugitive from justice in the United States.
The drug haul was stupendous, the case big time. Staff Sgt. Kenneth Ross of the RCMP, speaking at a news conference, called Sand an icon in the world of illicit drugs.
In 1998, Sand pleaded guilty to manufacturing drugs in Canada he had been found with enough acid, he said, to dose the whole of Canada two times over and was sentenced to nine years in prison, to run concurrently with his U.S. sentence. He was returned to San Francisco, where Conti was brought out of retirement to preside over the case. The judge added five years, the maximum, to Sands original sentence.
Sand was released to a halfway house in 2001 after winning an appeal to overturn the bail-jumping conviction on the grounds that he had not been told what date to return to court. He completed his parole in 2005.
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MAIDUGURI, NIGERIAEver since he was a boy, Bunu Bukar has hunted big game in the forests of northeastern Nigeria, tracking the footprints of wild pigs, antelopes and elephants through the thick brush.
Now the prey he hunts leaves motorcycle tracks.
Bukar and dozens of members of a century-old hunting association have trained their weapons on Boko Haram, the Islamist militants who have shot, kidnapped and burned their way through villages on an eight-year campaign of murder and destruction across the region.
Nigeria has marshalled huge battalions of soldiers to carry out a sweeping operation to attack and kill the insurgents, who have since retreated to remote forest hideouts.
Fed up with Boko Harams mayhem, civilians have formed vigilante groups to join the fight. Enter Bukar and the Hunters/Vigilante Association in Borno state, the epicentre of Nigerias battle with Boko Haram.
Last weekend, Nigeria scored a major victory in the battle with the militants, securing the release of 82 girls whom fighters kidnapped from a boarding school three years ago as they were preparing for exams in the village of Chibok.
Bukar said he was with Nigerian soldiers last fall when they came across one of the abducted schoolgirls: Amina Ali, who was scrounging for food in the forest with other Boko Haram members. She was the first of the girls to be found since the mass kidnapping shocked the world in 2014.
Bukars hunting group is well acquainted with the remote forest areas where the militants have taken refuge. His group, which once gathered regularly in the bush to track rabbits, wild hens and other game, first encountered Boko Haram when the militants fled the state capital four years ago and took their rampage to the countryside, encroaching on the hunters turf.
In the beginning, there was no problem, said Bukar, 51, secretary of the hunters association. Hunters and insurgents met in the forest and everyone was doing their own business.
That changed when the military started chasing Boko Haram through the countryside. The soldiers needed help finding water and shade as they passed through unfamiliar terrain. They turned to the hunters for help. It did not take long for Boko Haram to realize that the hunters were guiding soldiers and the group wanted revenge.
Boko Harams first target was Mai Ajirambe, an elderly leader of the hunters group. Insurgents tracked him to a village near his home and kidnapped him. When fellow hunters found Ajirambe, he had been decapitated, his head carefully placed on his back.
We decided right then, they wont stop until they kill all of us, Bukar said.
He and other hunters gathered their families and moved them from their rural villages to the state capital, Maiduguri, for safety. Then they joined the fight. Now, the hunters sometimes lead soldiers into battle with their own homemade, long-barrelled guns.
Like most hunters, they brag about their successes and lament the ones that got away.
One of Bukars biggest regrets came on the day he and the soldiers found the first girl from Chibok. He said he caught a fighter and delivered him to the soldiers, but then the man somehow escaped in all the excitement of finding one of the kidnapped students.
While last weekends liberation of the Chibok schoolgirls is a victory, Bukar knows the hunt for Boko Haram fighters is far from finished.
When Bukar gets ready for a mission, he follows the same routine he has used since boyhood. He rubs a herbal mix across his body to mask his scent. He puts on his lucky necklace. In the field, he stays as quiet as possible, relying on hand signals to communicate with fellow hunters. He never runs after his prey; he lets it come to him.
Once you meet it, there are only two options: you kill it or it kills you, Bukar said.
The hunters are relying on traditions handed down through generations. Many began hunting when they were young boys, heading to the bush with uncles, fathers and grandfathers. A handful of women who hunt have also joined the Boko Haram fight.
Some hunters carry knives fashioned years ago by grandfathers who etched squiggly designs across the blades. Before the bush became too dangerous, they would gather as many as a hundred people at a time for major hunts, combing the bush for prey.
The hunters said pursuing humans was trickier than going after animals even elephants, which are notorious for fighting back.
If you climb a tree, you might be safe from an elephant. But not with Boko Haram, said Bukar. If you climb a tree, theyll shoot you.
The militants specialize in ambushes, he said. Sometimes the best strategy to catch fighters involves carving a hole in a wide tree to hide in and wait for a group of Boko Haram members to pass, typically on motorbikes, which are banned in Borno.
Most hunters have superstitions, and Bukar and the others are no exceptions. Their bodies are laden with dangling, round leather amulets.
Abba Balomi, a 20-year-old, baby-faced hunter, wears amulets around his waist and a beige, quilted cloth vest designed to look like a bulletproof vest. The items give him a sense of protection, he said.
Balomi has recovered war trophies from raids on Boko Haram hideouts mobile phones and cash, mostly, but also the insurgents good-luck charms. He said he and his brothers destroyed them.
Ba Bunu, 25, is commander of a local group of hunters. His lucky charm is the tail of a black cat that dangles from a necklace.
Muhammed Bakama wears a padlock encased in leather with keys dangling from it. It is tied to a string slung across his torso. His personal arsenal includes a new acquisition: a long, hooked blade called a gariyo, which looks like a cross between an old-fashioned farmers sickle and a weapon that might be carried by the Angel of Death.
Bakama, 35, was on patrol in a rural village recently when his phone rang with news that Boko Haram fighters were heading his way. He heard four approaching motorcycles driven by militants. Bakama gathered other hunters and stood in the road to block them.
We killed all four, he said.
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Mr. and Mrs. Richard Koepsel of 2608 6 Mile Road will celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this summer with family at the Wisconsin State Fair.
Koepsel and the former Avis Opine were married on April 27, 1957, in Milwaukee. The couple has lived in Racine since 1972.
The couple met in Milwaukee at a friends wedding in 1956. They went on a double date to a movie on their first date.
Koepsel, 81, served in the U.S. Army. He was employed by St. Marys Cement operating a front-end loader until his retirement in 1991.
He enjoys golfing.
Mrs. Koepsel, 80, was a telephone operator at Wisconsin Bell and also worked for Quality Candy Factory.
She enjoys flower gardening.
The couple like to attend their grandchildrens sporting activities.
The Koepsels said that having trust in each other and forgiveness is what has kept them together all these years. They said the birth of their three children were their happiest moments together.
Their children are: Kim (Gary) Janowski and Jill (Mike) Pilger of Racine and Kurt of Oak Creek. The couple has five grandchildren and are expecting a great-granddaughter in July.
Their advice to young people getting married today: Learn to work through your problems and dont give up on each other.
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA North Korea fired what appeared to be a ballistic missile early Sunday, the news agency Yonhap reported, days after the election of President Moon Jae In in South Korea.
The North launched the missile from the city of Kusong, in the countrys northwest, according to the South Korean military.
It was the first missile launch since April 29.
It came a day after a senior North Korean diplomat, Choe Son Hui, said Pyongyang would hold talks with the United States under the right conditions.
U.S. President Donald Trump said this month that he would be honoured to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un under the right circumstances.
Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have heightened in recent weeks because of the Norths nuclear program and missile tests.
In response to four North Korean ballistic missile launches into the Sea of Japan, the U.S deployed a THAAD missile defense system in South Korea this year. It became operational this month.
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LOS ANGELESComputers across the world were locked up and users files held for ransom when dozens of countries were hit in a cyber-extortion attack that targeted hospitals, companies and government agencies.
Heres a look at how malware and ransomware work and what people can do if they fall victim to attacks.
WHAT IS MALWARE AND RANSOMWARE?
Malware is a general term that refers to software thats harmful to your computer, said John Villasenor, a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Ransomware is a type of malware that essentially takes over a computer and prevents users from accessing data on it until a ransom is paid, he said.
HOW DOES YOUR COMPUTER BECOME INFECTED WITH RANSOMWARE?
In most cases, the software infects computers through links or attachments in malicious messages known as phishing emails.
The age-old advice is to never click on a link in an email, said Jerome Segura, a senior malware intelligence researcher at Malwarebytes, a San Jose-based company that has released anti-ransomware software. The idea is to try to trick the victim into running a malicious piece of code.
The software usually is hidden within links or attachments in emails. Once the user clicks on the link or opens the document, their computer is infected and the software takes over.
HOW RANSOMWARE WORKS
Ransomware, like the name suggests, is when your files are held for ransom, said Peter Reiher, an adjunct professor at UCLA who specializes in computer science and cybersecurity. It finds all of your files and encrypts them and then leaves you a message. If you want to decrypt them, you have to pay.
The ransomware encrypts data on the computer using an encryption key that only the attacker knows. If the ransom isnt paid, the data is often lost forever.
When the ransomware takes over a computer, the attackers are pretty explicit in their demands, Segura said. In most cases, they change the wallpaper of the computer and give specific instructions telling the user how to pay to recover their files. Most attackers demand between $300 and $500 to remove the malicious ransomware; the price can double if the amount isnt paid within 24 hours.
Law enforcement officials have discouraged people from paying these ransoms.
HOW TO AVOID THESE ATTACKS
The first step is being cautious, experts say. But Villasenor said there is no perfect solution to the problem.
Users should regularly back up their data and ensure that security updates are installed on your computer as soon as they are released. Up-to-date backups make it possible to restore files without paying a ransom.
Fridays attack exploited vulnerabilities in some versions of Microsoft Windows. Microsoft has released software patches for the security holes, although not everyone has installed those updates.
If your software is not patched, you can exploit that user. Anyone who applied the patch that Microsoft released likely wasnt affected by this, Reiher said.
Users should also look for malicious email messages that often masquerade as emails from companies or people you regularly interact with online. Its important to avoid clicking on links or opening attachments in those messages, since they could unleash malware, Villasenor said.
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PARISIn ceremonies marked by youthful optimism and old-world Napoleonic pomp, Emmanuel Macron swept into office Sunday as Frances new president pledging to fortify the European Union, redesign French politics and glue together his divided nation.
Macrons presidency began with a visit to troops wounded in overseas combat a reminder of Frances large global military presence and role in fighting extremists from Syria to Africa.
Hes expected to name a prime minister imminently, and to show his commitment to reviving European unity. Macron takes his first presidential trip Monday to Berlin to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel.
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In France, the far-right is defeated - for now: Editorial
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Emmanuel Macron, right, met with outgoing president Francois Hollande on Sunday.
In a lofty but lucid inaugural speech, Macron vowed to lift France out of its sense of decline and lost purpose, and seize again its place in the world.
The time has come for France to rise up to the occasion. The division and fractures across our society must be overcome ... because the world expects us to be strong, solid, clairvoyant.
He promised to take Frances responsibilities to tackle todays crises the migration crisis, the climate challenge, authoritarian abuse, the excesses of capitalism in the world and of course terrorism. Nothing now strikes one and spares the other. We are all Interdependent. We are all neighbours.
The 39-year-old Macron is the youngest president in the countrys history and the eighth president of Frances Fifth Republic, which was created in 1958. A former economy minister with pro-business, pro-European views, Macron is the first French president who doesnt originate from the countrys two mainstream parties.
After Macron was formally declared president at the Elysee Palace, 21 cannon shots were fired from across the Seine River at the Invalides monument, where Napoleon is entombed.
Macron later solemnly paid tribute at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe, greeting veterans and military officers in formation beneath the imposing arch.
Macron takes charge of a nation that, when Britain leaves the European Union in 2019, will become the EUs only member with nuclear weapons and a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council.
Reviving support for European unity will be among his top priorities. France is a founding member of the 28-nation EU and its third-largest economy after Germany and Britain.
We will need a more efficient Europe, a more democratic Europe, a more political Europe because its the instrument of our power and our sovereignty, I will work on that, he said Sunday.
Before the ceremony, he met for an hour with his predecessor, Francois Hollande, taking a last few minutes to discuss the most sensitive issues facing France, including the countrys nuclear codes.
In a visibly moving moment for both, Macron accompanied Hollande to his car, shaking hands and applauding him along with the employees of the French presidency who had gathered in the palaces courtyard.
The two men had known each other well. Macron was Hollandes former adviser, then his economy minister from 2014 to 2016, when Macron quit the Socialist government to launch his own independent presidential bid.
About 300 guests, officials and family members gathered in the Elysee reception hall, including Macrons wife, Brigitte, wearing a lavender blue dress by French designer Nicolas Ghesquiere for Louis Vuitton.
Macron himself wore a dark suit from French brand Jonas and Cie, a tailor based in Paris. It cost 450 euros ($491), according to his team.
The new president arrived on the Champs-Elysees Avenue under a heavy rain recalling Hollandes inauguration five years ago. But unlike his predecessor, Macron managed to avoid getting wet. The bad weather often associated with the former Socialist president has become a joke for the French.
After his time at the tomb, Macron went to shake hands with supporters along the Champs-Elysees, who were taking selfies and waving French tricolour flags, before coming back to the palace for a lunch with his family.
Earlier, he and Frances new first lady briefly posed for photographers at the front porch of the palace after Hollande left. The couple will now live at the Elysee Palace.
Macron met with Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo later Sunday and visited the Percy military hospital in the Paris suburb of Clamart to meet with two soldiers injured during French operations in Mali last year and one wounded in Afghanistan in 2010. The media wasnt allowed to cover the visit.
Macron has promised to reinvigorate French politics by bringing in new faces, and will form a government in the coming days.
His Republic on the Move movement barely a year old is hoping to elect a majority of lawmakers in next months parliamentary elections so that he can pass his programs. It has announced an initial list of 428 candidates for the 577 seats up for grabs in Frances lower house of parliament in the vote on June 11 and 18.
Many of the candidates are newcomers in politics. Their average age is 46, compared to 60 for the outgoing assembly. Half of them are women. Only 24 are lawmakers running for re-election.
Hollande, meanwhile, went on Twitter to describe the terrible ordeals that marked his five-year term, from deadly attacks to Greeces debt crisis. He defended his unpopular presidency in a series of tweets minutes after leaving the Elysee Palace.
Hollande noted his accomplishments in getting the Paris Agreement on climate change, legalizing gay marriage and doing everything possible to ensure that Greece stays in Europe.
We lived through crises but we held together. France remained France, he tweeted.
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WASHINGTON American democracy is under assault on separate fronts from President Donald Trump and Russia, the former U.S. intelligence chief warned Sunday, expressing dismay over the abrupt firing of FBI director James Comey amid a probe into Moscows meddling in U.S. elections and possible ties with the Trump campaign.
As Trump works to fast-track Comeys successor, lawmakers from both parties urged him to steer clear of any politicians for the job and say he must clean up the mess that he mostly created.
I think, in many ways, our institutions are under assault, both externally and thats the big news here, is the Russian interference in our election system, said James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence. I think as well our institutions are under assault internally.
When he was asked, Internally, from the president? Clapper said, Exactly.
Read more: Trump threatens Comey: Better hope there are no tapes of talks
Clapper spoke following Trumps sudden firing of Comey last week, which drew sharp criticism because it came amid the FBIs investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 presidential election. Clapper said Americas founding fathers had created three co-equal branches of government with checks and balances, but with Trump as president, that was now eroding.
The first candidate to arrive for an interview Saturday was Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration
The White House had no immediate comment. No White House aide appeared on the Sunday news shows, leaving Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, to defend Trump. The president is the CEO of the country. He can hire and fire whoever he wants, she said.
Lawmakers from both parties reprimanded Trumps actions, which included shifting explanations from the White House for Comeys dismissal and an ominous tweet by Trump that warned Comey against leaks to the press because he may have tapes of their conversations. The lawmakers called for a new FBI director without any political background and said Trump would need to hand over to Congress any taped conversations with Comey, if they exist.
Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Judiciary Committee, said selecting an FBI agent to lead the agency would allow the nation to reset. He dismissed as less desirable at least two of the 14 candidates under consideration by Trump, former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, explaining that these are not normal circumstances.
Rogers, an ex-FBI agent and former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has drawn the backing of the FBI Agents Association. Cornyn is the No. 2 Republican in the Senate.
Its now time to pick somebody who comes from within the ranks, or has such a reputation that has no political background at all that can go into the job on Day 1, said Graham, R-S.C.
The president has a chance to clean up the mess he mostly created, he said, adding, I have no evidence that the president colluded with the Russians at all ... but we dont know all the evidence yet.
Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, continued to argue that the president should consider Merrick Garland the federal judge nominated to the Supreme Court last year by President Barack Obama. Lee said he was absolutely serious about it.
A former top aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell, Josh Holmes, said McConnell is interested in the suggestion. I think the Senate majority leader thinks thats a fantastic idea, Holmes said. Garland never got a hearing due to Republican obstruction, and the high court vacancy was filled last month by Neil Gorsuch.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York said the new FBI director should be someone not of partisan background with great experience and courage. Declining comment on a Garland nomination, Schumer left open the possibility that Democrats might withdraw support for a new FBI director unless the Justice Department names a special prosecutor. Under Senate rules, Republicans could still confirm an FBI director with 51 votes. Republicans hold 52 seats in the chamber to Democrats 48.
Calling Trumps remarks about possible taped conversations outrageous, Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said his panel or another committee would absolutely subpoena the tapes.
We have got to make sure that these tapes, if they exist, dont mysteriously disappear, Warner said, adding that he hopes to have Comey testify in a public hearing before his committee.
Less than a week after Trump fired Comey, the administration has interviewed at least eight candidates to be FBI director, and Trump has said a decision could come before he leaves Friday on his first overseas trip as president.
Trump abruptly fired Comey on Tuesday and later said Comey was a showboat and grandstander who was not doing a good job. Trump said in an interview with NBC that the Russia investigation factored into his decision to fire Comey.
The FBI director serves a 10-year term but can be replaced by the president.
So far 14 people have emerged as candidates. Eight met at the Justice Department on Saturday with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein:
Alice Fisher, a high-ranking Justice Department official in the George W. Bush administration.
Adam Lee, special agent in charge of the FBIs office in Richmond, Virginia.
Andrew McCabe, the acting FBI director.
Michael J. Garcia, a former prosecutor and associate judge on New Yorks highest court.
Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general.
U.S. District Judge Henry E. Hudson, a Bush appointee who struck down the centerpiece of the Obama administrations health care law in 2010.
Frances Townsend, a former Bush homeland security and counterterrorism adviser.
Rogers. The FBI Agents Association says it believes his diverse background makes him the best choice.
Clapper and Schumer made their comments on CNNs State of the Union; Graham spoke on NBCs Meet the Press; Haley and Warner appeared on ABCs This Week and Warner also spoke on Fox News Sunday along with Lee and Holmes.
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SEOULNorth Korea said Monday the missile it launched over the weekend was a new type of medium long-range ballistic rocket that can carry a heavy nuclear warhead. A jubilant leader Kim Jong Un promised more nuclear and missile tests and warned that North Korean weapons could strike the U.S. mainland and Pacific holdings.
North Korean propaganda must be considered with wariness Pyongyang has threatened for decades to reduce Seoul to a sea of fire, for instance but Mondays claim, if confirmed, would mark another big advance toward the Norths goal of fielding a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland. Some experts, including officials in Tokyo, estimate that Sundays launch successfully tested a new type of missile in Pyongyangs arsenal.
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The test is also an immediate challenge to South Koreas new leader, Moon Jae-in, a liberal elected last week who expressed a desire to reach out to North Korea. Pyongyangs aggressive push to boost its weapons program also makes it one of the Trump administrations most urgent foreign policy worries, though Washington has struggled to settle on a policy.
North Koreas official Korean Central News Agency called the missile a new ground-to-ground medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket, and said the Hwasong-12 was capable of carrying a large, heavy nuclear warhead. Kim Jong Un witnessed the test and hugged officials in the field of rocket research, saying that they worked hard to achieve a great thing, according to KCNA.
The rocket, newly designed in a Korean-style, flew 787 kilometres and reached a maximum altitude of 2,111.5 kilometres, the North said, and verified the homing feature of the warhead under the worst re-entry situation and accurate performance of detonation system.
South Koreas Defence Ministry said more analysis is needed to verify the Norths claim on the rockets technological features. Spokesman Moon Sang Gyun said its still unlikely that North Korea has re-entry technology, which would return a warhead safely back into the atmosphere.
Japanese officials said Sunday the missile flew for half an hour and reached an unusually high altitude before landing in the Sea of Japan.
North Korea is not thought to be able yet to make a nuclear warhead small enough to mount on a long-range missile, though some outside analysts think they can arm shorter range missiles with warheads; each new nuclear and longer-range missile test is part of the Norths attempt to build a nuclear-tipped long-range missile.
Kim said the North would stage more nuclear and missile tests in order to perfect nuclear bombs needed to deal with U.S. nuclear blackmail.
State media paraphrased Kim as saying that the most perfect weapon systems in the world will never become the eternal exclusive property of the U.S., . . . strongly warning the U.S. should not . . . disregard or misjudge the reality that its mainland and Pacific operation region are in (North Koreas) sighting range for strike.
The launch complicates the new South Korean presidents plan to talk to the North, and came as U.S., Japanese and European navies gather for joint war games in the Pacific.
The president expressed deep regret over the fact that this reckless provocation . . . occurred just days after a new government was launched in South Korea, senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan said. The president said we are leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating.
Moon, South Koreas first liberal leader in nearly a decade, said as he took his oath of office last week that hed be willing to visit the North if the circumstances were right.
The U.N. Security Council will hold closed consultations about the launch on Tuesday afternoon, according to the U.N. Mission for Uruguay, which holds the council presidency this month.
U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley said on ABC television that the United States has been working well with China, Pyongyangs closest ally, and she raised the possibility of new sanctions against North Korea, including on oil imports.
The Security Council has adopted six increasingly tougher sanctions resolutions against North Korea.
President Donald Trumps administration has called North Korean ballistic and nuclear efforts unacceptable, but it has swung between threats of military action and offers to talk as it formulates a policy.
While Trump has said hed be honoured to talk with leader Kim Jong Un under favourable conditions, Haley seemed to rule out the possibility. Having a missile test is not the way to sit down with the president, because hes absolutely not going to do it, she told ABC.
The U.S. Pacific Command said the flight of Sundays test is not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile, a technology the North is believed to have tested clandestinely by launching rockets to put satellites in orbit.
David Wright, co-director of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the missile could have a range of 4,500 kilometres if flown on a standard, instead of a lofted, trajectory considerably longer than Pyongyangs current missiles. He said Sundays launch the seventh such firing by North Korea this year may have been of a new mobile, two-stage liquid-fueled missile North Korea displayed in a huge April 15 military parade.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the launch was absolutely unacceptable and that Japan would respond resolutely.
The White House took note of the missile landing close to Russias Pacific coast and said in a statement that North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long.
Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni said the G-7 summit his country is hosting later this month would discuss how to deal with the risk North Koreas missile launchings pose to global security.
Its a serious problem for global stability and security, and Im convinced that the upcoming G-7, in friendship, will contribute to resolving this issue, he said in Beijing.
The launch came as troops from the U.S., Japan and two European nations gather near Guam for drills that are partly a message to North Korea. The USS Carl Vinson, an aircraft supercarrier, is also engaging with South Korean navy ships in waters off the Korean Peninsula, according to Seouls Defence Ministry.
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British Columbians are fond of bragging to foreigners that B.C. is different. Foreigners being, of course, anyone from across the mountains. They have a point, but not perhaps in the way they mean.
B.C. is the only province to have sanctioned the state-sponsored murder of a trade union leader, Ginger Goodwin.
The only place in Canada to have had a coal strike turn into a bloody conflict in which dozens of miners died, at the hands of American rent-a-cops.
The only province to have had a cabinet minister continue to serve from his prison cell after a bribery conviction.
More recently, it was home to one of the most lurid political money laundering scandals in Canada. To his descendants, it was humiliating that it took place in my late MP grandfathers own riding association, albeit long after his death.
Labour and political violence was not uncommon in B.C. until the 1980s. When the province had a liberal party, its candidates offices were firebombed by Social Credit goons. Sign wars that involved crowbar smashing and spray painting billboards were a partisan jape I participated in as a dumb teen. The war in the woods between loggers and environmentalists was violent for nearly a decade until the early 1990s.
Race, class and identity divides run deep in Canadas most beautiful province. The B.C. NDP has often found itself on the losing side of them politically and suffered the electoral consequences.
Its own, often self-destructive, tribal rituals have also made it hard for voters less invested in the provinces tough and sometimes brutal social history to see them as a dependable party of government. It has governed in only 13 years of the past century as a result. Each of those terms in government ended unhappily, although the most recent, Glen Clarks, collapsed after a stitch-up by his political opponents and their friends in the media.
B.C. also invented the Canadian anti-socialist coalition, 72 years ago(!). Its a supple conservative survival strategy that has been exported to Saskatchewan and now Alberta. The idea that everyone from the hard-right tinfoil hats to blue-haired Victoria conservationists should share the same political tent has been an enormously resilient strategy against the CCF/NDP.
From its inception in 1945 as an election deal between local Liberals and Conservatives, to its morph into decades of Social Credit hegemony, to its current form a political coalition that receives the support of Justin Trudeau and Jason Kenney it has survived crises of leadership, scandal and economic hard times, brilliantly.
David Barrett, the first social democratic premier of B.C., used to stun international political allies observing that B.C. was the only multi-party democracy where the left could win 49 per cent of the vote and lose.
The B.C. NDP has been less successful than other provincial parties most notably Manitoba and Saskatchewan in holding together a progressive coalition on the other side. It has bled forestry and building trade workers to the right, environmentalists to the left, and new Canadians to both sides, since the 1970s. The deep fissures of the provinces politics, reflected in its feuding clans, make these tough political divides for any B.C. NDP leader to bridge.
But bridge and build John Horgan must now do. If he is determined to seize the opportunity that B.C. voters delivered last week a deeply wounded party and premier he will. He needs to persuade the oleaginous Andrew Weaver that his political bread is not buttered red and B.C. voters that the time for a real change has really come. If he shows he has the skills to deliver that vision, B.C. will have a short fractious second-term Christy Clark government followed by their burial in a rerun.
If Horgan allows his caucus and party to revert to partisan form, lashing out to left and right against Greens and Liberals and non-believers inside and out his will be a short fractious second term as leader.
There is much to play for. Decisions made in the next two to three years will impact a generation of British Columbians. The wrong ones will underline how sadly different B.C.s very provincial political culture remains.
A demonstration of progressive coalition building leadership by the almost-B. C. premier could deliver him the job. It could also help deliver the province a united and world-leading government: environmentally courageous, happily socially inclusive, securely grounded in a technology-centred, post rocks and logs economy.
Robin V. Sears, a principal at Earnscliffe Strategy Group and a Broadbent Institute leadership fellow, was an NDP strategist for 20 years.
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When should someone be deemed unfit for public office? Clearly, questions of morals and unprofessional behaviour led to Don Merediths resignation from the Canadian Senate. And recently, a disgraceful racial slur caused a York School Trustee to step down from her position.
But what about the unpredictable, incendiary and often vulgar actions of U.S. President Donald Trump? Even before the dramatic firing of former FBI director James Comey, allegations about the presidents mental health have been mounting.
Escalating the situation were two provocatively titled articles in The Washington Post this past week.
When is it OK to say the president might be nuts? blared one headline on May 2. The president had just finished an angry speech directed mostly at the media but which also included a bizarre reference to former president Andrew Jackson. Trump seemed to imply that Jackson could have stopped the American Civil War, although Jackson had died 16 years before the war began.
The following day, George Will, a highly respected American journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote Trump has a dangerous disability and asked if Trump was uniquely unfit to take the nation into a military conflict. He noted the president has an untrained mind bereft of information married to stratospheric self-confidence and further skewered Trump by commenting that the dangerous thing is that he does not know what it is to know something.
Americans have seen this movie before.
In 1964, Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee, was deemed unfit by 1,000 psychiatrists who had never met with him. Goldwater subsequently launched a $2 million libel suit against a magazine and publisher who printed a story reporting these findings. The Supreme Court awarded Mr. Goldwater, $1 in compensatory damages and $75,000 in punitive damages.
Subsequently, the American Psychiatrists Association, sensing a legal and ethical chill, adopted the Goldwater rule in 1973, which prevents psychiatrists from diagnosing someone they have not met.
Yet, in 2016, three professors of psychiatry were not dissuaded from writing to President Obama to express grave concern regarding the mental stability of our President-Elect. They suggested a full medical and neuropsychiatric evaluation of Trumps health be conducted. In February, Scientific American listed 33 other psychiatrists with the same concern, arguing we fear too much is at stake, to be silent any longer. In addition, a Change.Org petition started by Dr. Fred Gartner, a psychologist, has gathered has more than 55,000 signatures, apparently, all from mental health professionals.
However, past evidence and modern values make it wrong to assume that a mental health condition makes someone unfit for public office.
A study by Jonathan David of the Duke University Medical Center, reviewed the histories of the first 37 presidents, finding that half of them had been afflicted with mental illness. The study concluded that 24 per cent met the diagnostic criteria for depression. Additionally, both anxiety and bipolar disorders were also discovered while 8 per cent of the presidents demonstrated alcohol abuse or dependence.
Very capable politicians who experience mental health issues or addiction challenges are numerous. Abraham Lincoln lived with clinical depression throughout his life. Winston Churchill famously fought the Black Dog of depression. Patrick Kennedy, son of Teddy Kennedy, after serving 16 years in the U.S. House of Representatives, resigned and became a mental health advocate after writing a book about his own struggles with mental health.
North American society is currently engaged in a mega effort to bring mental health and its issues into the open. In 2006, a groundbreaking report Out of the Shadows by former Senator Michael Kirby sparked the establishment of the Mental Health Commission of Canada. Since then, individuals and corporations have created projects, such as Bells Lets Talk.
The Canadian Mental Health Association estimates 20 per cent of Canadians will personally experience a mental illness in their lifetime, while American statistics peg the number at 18.5 per cent. Of that percentage, some of those individuals have run or will run for office.
A struggle with mental illness must not prevent someone from holding public office. If that was the case, the world may have missed some of its most brilliant leaders in the past and for the future.
Instead, lets unmask those who seek to destroy and divide. Those who are unethical and immoral. Those who are racist or misogynistic. They are the ones who are not fit for office.
Penny Collenette is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Ottawa and was a senior director of the Prime Ministers Office for Jean Chretien.
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This time, its different.
I have argued in the past that many of U.S. President Donald Trumps actions have not been as harmful or dramatic as some have made them out to be.
Many Americans and media pundits overreacted to the election Trump, a man who, while considered offensive, ignorant and inflammatory by many, to a demographic of under-represented Americans who have for too long felt silenced has been a hero.
I have not agreed with most of his policy proposals or his actions, but it must be acknowledged that Trump was elected with a mandate that he has relentlessly, and often ruthlessly, carried out.
Many otherwise reasonable people have drawn unreasonable conclusions about many of Trumps actions. Even innocuous and routine acts have been overblown by overwrought critics, who say he is an authoritarian ruler.
Critics decried the recall of politically appointed ambassadors. They howled when district attorneys across the country were dismissed, to be replaced by new ones named by Trump. When Trump shamed big corporations for cutting jobs, he was assailed for interfering in the market and overstepping the appropriate bounds of the presidency.
Critics said these things proved Trump was unfit for office and that the president was unworthy of governing the country.
But many of these things routinely occurred under former presidents of both parties. Voters become used to the whiplash: Trump does something that is decried as vastly inappropriate in the media, and then the action is revealed to be perfectly reasonable.
Its a cycle that has lent itself to a voter fatigue with the anti-Trump forces, as I wrote two weeks ago. But perhaps more importantly, it recalls the fable of the boy who cried wolf. The near-constant outcry over Trumps actions has served to make the public deaf to actual infractions.
This feeds into Trumps bids to defend the indefensible.
But the firing of FBI Director James Comey is different. It is not business as usual in Washington, coming as it did amid the agencys investigation of Russian intervention in the presidential election.
It is unconscionable for a president to remove the person responsible for investigating him. The removal of Comey is a wilful subjugation of the rules and processes that a democratic nation must support.
The 2016 election was a deeply flawed election in many ways. However, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton for a number of reasons not only, or even mostly, due to Russian intervention. As much as it pains CNN, he defeated her fair and square.
But any sensible observer would say that concern about Russias possible interference has risen to a point where it needs to be independently investigated and addressed.
That investigation has, from an optical point of view at the very least, been both damaged and compromised by Trumps actions last week.
The administrations justifications for Comeys firing dont even begin to make sense: they range from blaming others who report to Trump, to pretending this is what Democrats wanted all along. Whats more, those justifications change literally hour by hour depending on who is put up as a talking head on TV or who is lurking behind the White House bushes.
It is clear that the firing was personally motivated, and aimed at undermining the FBI investigation. It is equally clear the administration did not have a plan, or any semblance of a strategy, in firing Comey.
As many have commented, the situation is startlingly similar to Richard Nixons Saturday Night Massacre, where the soon-to-be-disgraced president oversaw the firing of a special prosecutor responsible for investigating his overstepping. Both the attorney general and deputy attorney general at the time resigned in protest of the move.
Nine months later, Nixon resigned in disgrace.
We likely should not expect the same to happen today.
The little boy who cried wolf is back. The constant outcries against every action Trump has taken are coming back to haunt those who are desperate to protect Americas democratic institutions. Simply put, many voters are tired of the critics accusations, exaggerations, and the melodrama that comes along with all of the sky is falling talk.
This latest development is indeed a clear-cut case of unacceptable, inappropriate presidential wrongdoing.
And yet, there is so little public trust in traditional institutions and those that lead them that voters have simply tuned their messages out. Polls agree.
A week that before James Comey was fired, just 31 per cent of Republicans believed he should lose his job. Last week, despite the virtual unanimous criticism of Trumps action, that number was up to 62 per cent.
It is hard not to feel pessimistic about the future of the democratic institutions of the United States and even harder to decide where to lay the blame.
Jaime Watt is the executive chairman of Navigator Ltd. and a Conservative strategist.
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"The animal has to be turned into a machine destined to transform the given feed in the shortest time and in the least amount of space into the maximum amount of milk," agronomist Josef von Schreibers wrote in 1847, a prediction quoted in the entry on Germany in The Oxford Companion to Cheese, which last month won a James Beard award for best reference and scholarship book published in 2016.
The industrialization of cheese-making began four years later with the opening of the first cheese factory in the U.S. in Rome, N.Y. By the 1870s, England imported more than a quarter of its cheese from the U.S., which had devastating effects on many English cheese producers. The trend accelerated after World War II. Between 1950 and 2000, the U.S. dairy cow population fell from 24 million to 9.2 million while total milk production rose from 127.2 billion pounds - about 5,300 pounds per cow per year - to 200 billion, about 17,400. (A gallon of milk weighs about 8.6 pounds.)
The change stemmed in part from a focus on breeding Holstein cows for higher production, which led to a significant loss in genetic diversity. According to the entry on the breed in the Oxford Companion, the vast majority of Holsteins in the U.S. are related to fewer than 20 animals, since the global trade in semen has made it possible for a single Holstein bull to produce 50,000 heifers.
The mechanization of cheese production is a central theme of the 850-page Oxford Companion, which was edited by Catherine Donnelly, a professor of nutrition and food sciences at the University of Vermont and the editor of Cheese and Microbes and contains 855 entries written by 325 authors from 35 countries. Organized alphabetically, the book is a definitive reference work on its subject, from animal husbandry to cheesemaking techniques to kinds of cheese and the mongers who sell them at shops around the world. It's an extraordinary and often engrossing chronicle, though one that only the most dedicated tyrophile should attempt to read from beginning to end.
Those who do will be treated to the history of a foodstuff whose origins date to the domestication of cows, goats and sheep. An image of an ancient Greek terracotta statue of a man grating cheese illustrates the entry on ancient civilizations and suggests that even then cheese was a delicacy that enlivened the taste of food. Cheesemaking was a valuable way of storing an otherwise highly perishable food; the Irish would bury butter in peat bogs to preserve it, and perhaps to hide it from tax assessors and thieves.
The food also symbolized abundance - as it happens, the name of the first cheese mentioned in the book (Abondance), a cows' milk cheese from Haute-Savoie in the French Alps. The entry on Parmigiano Reggiano mentions that the first reference to the Italian hard cheese's pairing with pasta comes in Boccaccio's Decameron, where the author described the residents of the imaginary land of Bengodi seated on a mountain of grated cheese as they prepare maccheroni and ravioli.
These associations have become less powerful in the modern first world with its extraordinary food-producing abilities. Cheesemaking can now be conceived of as the indirect manipulation of proteins, as one entry puts it, rather than a craft developed over generations. But the standardization of products like Velveeta has led many consumers to yearn for distinctive cheeses made by smaller producers. The Oxford Companion tells their story as well, from the American "goat ladies" who revived the popularity of goat cheese in the 1980s to the Cheese Board Collective, the Berkeley, Calif. shop that became a model for ambitious cheese shops around the country.
The book is also studded with descriptions of the sensory experiences that drive people to devote their lives to cheesemaking, like a taste of berthoud, which is made by rubbing a ramekin dish with garlic, putting in thin slices of Abondance cheese, adding white wine and pepper, browning the dish under the grill for five to ten minutes and serving with bread and potatoes boiled in their skins.
Mr. and Mrs. LeRoy Stoehr of Burlington will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary with family members.
Stoehr and the former Joyce Tauscher were married on May 17, 1947, with Monsignor Kersting officiating at St. Mary Catholic Church in Burlington.
They were introduced to each other by her brother in September of 1946.
Stoehr, 94, served in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II, spending much of the time on the South Pacific and in China.
Stoehr was employed by Burlington Brass Works for 35 years, Easterday Office and Equipment Supply for 10 years, and during early retirement with M&I Bank, Burlington, as a part-time employee.
Mrs. Stoehr, 89, was employed by NEL Laboratories for 23 years. After retiring she enjoyed playing cards.
The couple both enjoyed doing local volunteer work and dancing weekly in the Milwaukee area.
The Stoehrs have five children: Bill (Mary) of Boulder, Colo.; Debra (Denny) Dean of Eden Prairie, Minn.; Dan (Kacey) of Burlington; Linda (Bob) Menzia of Oak Creek; and the late Julie (the late John) Spitzer. The couple has eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
They say the secret for a long and lasting marriage is love of family as well as love and respect for each other.
The Clorox Company manufactures and markets consumer and professional products worldwide. It operates through four segments: Health and Wellness, Household, Lifestyle, and International. The Health and Wellness segment offers cleaning products, such as laundry additives and home care products primarily under the Clorox, Clorox2, Scentiva, Pine-Sol, Liquid-Plumr, Tilex, and Formula 409 brands; professional cleaning and disinfecting products under the CloroxPro and Clorox Healthcare brands; professional food service products under the Hidden Valley brand; and vitamins, minerals and supplement products under the RenewLife, Natural Vitality, NeoCell, and Rainbow Light brands in the United States. The Household segment provides cat litter products under the Fresh Step and Scoop Away brands; bags and wraps under the Glad brand; and grilling products under the Kingsford brand in the United States. The Lifestyle segment offers dressings, dips, seasonings, and sauces primarily under the Hidden Valley brand; natural personal care products under the Burt's Bees brand; and water-filtration products under the Brita brand in the United States. The International segment provides laundry additives; home care products; water-filtration systems; digestive health products; grilling products; cat litter products; food products; bags and wraps; natural personal care products; and professional cleaning and disinfecting products internationally primarily under the Clorox, Ayudin, Clorinda, Poett, Pine-Sol, Glad, Brita, RenewLife, Ever Clean and Burt's Bees brands. The Clorox Company sells its products primarily through mass retailers; grocery outlets; warehouse clubs; dollar stores; home hardware centers; drug, pet and military stores; third-party and owned e-commerce channels; and distributors, as well as a direct sales force The company was founded in 1913 and is headquartered in Oakland, California.
The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, prime brokerage, and data analytics. This segment also provides trustee, paying agency, fiduciary, escrow and other financial, issuer, and support services for brokers and investors. The Market and Wealth Services segment offers clearing and custody, investment, wealth and retirement solutions, technology and enterprise data management, trading, and prime brokerage services; and clearance and collateral management services. This segment also provides integrated cash management solutions, including payments, foreign exchange, liquidity management, receivables processing and payables management, and trade finance and processing services. The Investment and Wealth Management segment offers investment management strategies and distribution of investment products, investment management, custody, wealth and estate planning, private banking, investment, and information management services. The Other segment engages in the provision of leasing, corporate treasury, derivative and other trading, corporate and bank-owned life insurance, renewable energy investment, and business exit services. It serves central banks and sovereigns, financial institutions, asset managers, insurance companies, corporations, local authorities and high net-worth individuals, and family offices. The company was founded in 1784 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
Oshkosh Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets specialty vehicles and vehicle bodies worldwide. The company's Access Equipment segment provides aerial work platforms and telehandlers for use in various construction, industrial, institutional, and general maintenance applications. This segment also offers rental fleet loans and leases, and floor plan and retail financing through third-party funding arrangements; towing and recovery equipment; carriers and wreckers; equipment installation services; and chassis and service parts sales. Its Defense segment provides heavy, medium, and light tactical wheeled vehicles and related services for the department of defense. The company's Fire & Emergency segment offers custom and commercial firefighting vehicles and equipment; and commercial fire apparatus and emergency vehicles, such as pumpers, aerial platform, ladder and tiller trucks, tankers, rescue vehicles, wild land rough terrain response vehicles, mobile command and control centers, bomb squad vehicles, hazardous materials control vehicles, and other emergency response vehicles. This segment also provides aircraft rescue and firefighting, snow removal, and broadcast vehicles, as well as command trucks, and military simulator shelters and trailers. Its Commercial segment offers front-and rear-discharge concrete mixers for the concrete ready-mix industry; refuse collection vehicles and related components to commercial and municipal waste haulers; and field service vehicles and truck-mounted cranes for the construction, equipment dealer, building supply, utility, tire service, railroad, and mining industries. Oshkosh Corporation provides its products through direct sales representatives, dealers, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Oshkosh Truck Corporation and changed its name to Oshkosh Corporation in February 2008. Oshkosh Corporation was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
AmerisourceBergen Corporation sources and distributes pharmaceutical products in the United States and internationally. Its Pharmaceutical Distribution segment distributes brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to various healthcare providers, including acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, long-term care and alternate site pharmacies, and other customers. It also provides pharmacy management, staffing, and other consulting services; supply management software to retail and institutional healthcare providers; and packaging solutions to various institutional and retail healthcare providers. In addition, this segment distributes plasma and other blood products, injectable pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and other specialty products; provides other services primarily to physicians who specialize in various disease states, primarily oncology, as well as to other healthcare providers, including hospitals and dialysis clinics; and offers data analytics, outcomes research, and additional services for biotechnology and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The company's Other segment provides integrated manufacturer services, such as clinical trial support, product post-approval, and commercialization support; specialty transportation and logistics services for the biopharmaceutical industry; and sells pharmaceuticals, vaccines, parasiticides, diagnostics, micro feed ingredients, and various other products to customers in the companion animal and production animal markets, as well as demand-creating sales force services to manufacturers. AmerisourceBergen Corporation was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
- Militant group al-Shabaab has launched another attack in Garissa county hours after killing two quarry workers in Mandera
- The attackers raided Amuma location and destroyed a Safaricom communication mast
- The militants are reported to have escaped to Somalia after the attack
Terror group al-Shabaab on Friday night, May 12, launched an attack in Garissa county.
According to sources who spoke to TUKO.co.ke, the attackers raided Amuma location near the Kenya-Somalia border.
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Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia.
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The militants are reported to have destroyed a Safaricom mast during their attack in the location.
No casualties were reported during the incident with the police sent to the area to beef up security.
The militants according to locals are said to have escaped across the border to Somalia.
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Al-Shabaab militants.
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The attack by al-Shabaab comes hours after the militia group launched a horror attack on quarry workers in Mandera as TUKO.co.ke earlier reported.
The attack left two quarry workers dead with others injured.
It was the third time quarry workers had been targeted by suspected extremists in Mandera in the past two years.
Have something to add to this article? Send to news@tuko.co.ke
Watch one of 19 presidential aspirants in Kenya talk about his bid in the video below;
Source: TUKO.co.ke
05/13/2017
By Katharine Webster
Popping flashes, social media Congratulations! messages on the Jumbotron, the universitys brass choir and proud family and friends greeted the UMass Lowell Class of 2017 as they marched into the Tsongas Center on Saturday for their commencement, the largest in university history.
Commencement marked a decade of growth for UMass Lowell with 3,970 graduates, more than double the number of students who graduated in 2008. Chancellor Jacquie Moloney noted that nearly 1,200 students were graduating with honors and that 93 students had a perfect 4.0 GPA.
The graduates came from 44 states and 87 countries, a sign of the universitys growing national and international reputation, she said.
Whether on campus, in the community or during studies abroad, you have advanced our society and improved the lives of the people you touched, Moloney said. You helped us to drive the dramatic transformation of this university, now a national story.
Moloney asked this years graduates to bring the values of the university community into the world they are now entering values of hard work, continual improvement, service and inclusion.
One of the things we are most proud of is how you came together to form a diverse community that demands fairness, equality and inclusivity a campus where every person from every background is welcomed and treated with respect, she said.
The record number of graduates includes the first cohort of six students to earn their doctorates from the Manning School of Business; all are going straight into jobs as assistant professors at universities. The Honors College also set a record this year, graduating 103 students across all departments and majors.
Much of that growth was overseen by UMass President Marty Meehan, who served as chancellor for eight years. After noting that he and Moloney both graduated from the university, he asked this year's graduates to remain part of the university community, first by thanking their mentors and supporters and then by paving the way for the students who will follow them.
When you get your first paycheck, take someone out to lunch or dinner who helped you get it, he said. And if theres any money left over, contribute to scholarships at UMass Lowell.
Photo by Tory Germann Photo by Tory Germann Honorary Degree Recipient and Keynote Speaker Steve Kornacki and Rowdy the River Hawk before the morning ceremony. NBC senior political correspondent Steve Kornacki, who took classes at the university while a high school student in Groton, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters and gave the keynote address at the morning ceremony to graduates of the College of Fine Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, the Manning School of Business and the College of Education.
He joked that it was the first diploma hed ever received: Boston University withheld his 16 years ago because he owed $25, which hed charged to his student account so he could eat the week before graduation.
On a more serious note, Kornacki spoke about a professor in college who had worked with Paul Tsongas on two of his campaigns. Kornacki hung out at the professor's office to listen to his stories about Tsongas, then returned a year after graduation to ask for his mentor's help deciding whether to stick with a responsible, mature job he didnt love or take a chance on a job covering New Jersey politics as a website reporter.
His mentor noted that when Kornacki was describing the New Jersey job, he started to smile.
That was the moment for me. That was the decision, Kornacki said.
Kornacki wished for all the graduates to have a mentor like his, and the wisdom to give those crucial decisions the smile test.
Civil rights activist and University of Maryland Baltimore County President Freeman Hrabowski III, who has received numerous honors for his innovative approach to science and engineering education for underrepresented minorities, spoke at the afternoon ceremony and also received an honorary degree.
Hrabowski told graduates of the Francis College of Engineering, the Kennedy College of Sciences and the College of Health Sciences about his love of blueberry pie as a child, and how his grandmother would bake a whole pie just for him a sign of her unconditional love.
Today is your blueberry pie. You know you have been loved by family who worked so hard for you to be here today, he said. Times will come in your life that will be very tough, but then remember the blueberry pie and the people in your corner.
Photo by Tory Germann Photo by Tory Germann Student speaker Adeja Crearer Students Adeja Crearer, an Honors College English major with minors in political science and digital media, and Solomon Ugbane, who completed his masters in mechanical engineering, also spoke. Based on their inspirational messages, Crearer and Ugbane were selected to speak by a panel of administrators.
Crearer, the daughter of Jamaican immigrants and a first-generation college student, noted that many of her classmates were also the first in their families to graduate from college. With their education comes responsibility, she said.
Knowledge is power, and being aware and conscious of the world that surrounds us is only the beginning of that power, she said. Less than one-third of the U.S. population has at least a bachelor's degree less than one-third, and yet here we are. And we cannot stop now. Many of our parents look at us as a second chance to be more than they ever could be. This is as much their day as it is ours.
Edward Barrett 58 of Naples, Fla., received the Distinguished Alumni Award for his lifelong dedication to education, first as a teacher and later as president of an educational publishing company. He has served as an adviser to the College of Education and established a scholarship for nontraditional students in memory of his mother, Margaret Holland Barrett, who had earned a teaching certificate from Lowell Normal School in 1926 and returned to complete her bachelors in education 30 years later, graduating from Lowell State alongside her son in 1958.
Also receiving honorary doctorates of humane letters were Nobel laureate Steven Chu, a professor of physics and molecular and cellular physiology at Stanford University; Francis Spinola 66, a Lowell native who founded INDSPEC Chemical Corp.; and Mary Jo (Roberto) Spinola 66, a retired teacher. The Spinolas, who are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this year, have supported the DifferenceMaker program and other university initiatives.
Graduating nursing majors Stephanie Wilson of Lexington and Theresa Fullerton of Haverhill got teary-eyed as they talked about everything theyd gained at UMass Lowell and everything theyd miss.
I originally didnt want to come to UMass Lowell, but I came, and I fell in love with it. Its the best choice I ever made in my entire life, Fullerton said.
Im going to really miss student activities and all the clubs here, Wilson added. Im going to miss having all of our friends one minute away.
The two students said they are leaving Sunday for a week of well-earned vacation at Disney World with two of those friends, before they all buckle down and study for their nursing licensing exam next month.
EMMITSBURG, Md. At 9:55 a.m. Tuesday, disaster struck Racine County. Dozens were killed, schools were destroyed, martial law was feared.
Sort of.
In the rolling hills of Maryland, more than 70 people from Racine County went through a simulated disaster in the Federal Emergency Management Agencys training institute located about two hours northwest of Washington, D.C.
In Tuesdays mock scenario, two tornadoes touched down on opposite ends of the county. Twenty-nine people were killed, two Racine Unified schools were damaged, a Rochester public works building and Waterford senior living facility were leveled and a large fire broke out in Burlington.
Oh, and a tanker crashed on Interstate 94, and five people were found dead in Racine from heroin overdoses.
Over the course of four hours Tuesday morning, local officials representing a cross section of agencies and industries formed an emergency operations center and field units to deal with the unfolding crisis.
It quickly became clear why such a large county contingent was needed.
First responders, of course, handled the immediate emergency on the ground. But officials also needed to set up shelters. Clear debris. Create a hotline for those affected. Coordinate with state and federal officials about assistance. Form a coherent message for the public and hold a media briefing.
Thats why the countys delegation to Maryland included personnel from law enforcement, fire departments and Racine Fire Bells, public works, administration, hospitals, schools, health departments, Red Cross, nonprofits, private businesses, media including The Journal Times and other entities.
To watch those puzzle pieces all fit together was really extraordinary, County Executive Jonathan Delagrave said.
Our citizens should be confident that we can respond in a really efficient matter if a disaster ever happens.
Getting prepared
Just miles from Gettysburg, Pa., and Camp David, Md., FEMAs Emergency Management Institute is spread across several red-brick buildings. About 8,000 people each year pass through the campus, the former site of a Catholic womens college. Last week, the institute was at full capacity, with eight groups being trained.
Participants begin each day moving from dormitories to a dining hall for breakfast. Then its off to several hours of classwork and exercises in the morning and afternoon.
The Racine County delegation streamed onto campus Sunday for the four-day training. The group spent the first day in a classroom setting as adjunct instructors stressed the importance of community, how to manage operations in an emergency and communicating with the public.
The sessions raised tough questions, like: Who notifies parents of children killed in a school shooting? as instructors prepared participants for worst-case scenarios.
And then theres the aftermath. The disasters themselves could last for as little as a couple hours or even a couple minutes. But the recovery could go on for a lot longer as residents clean up their properties and rebuild their lives.
Instructors emphasized the importance of developing recovery plans ahead of time.
We often practice response and we do very well at responding to an incident and mitigating it, said David Maack, coordinator of the countys Office of Emergency Management. However, if you look at the big natural disasters, recovery takes months, if not years. Its everything from debris management to economic recovery.
Brings us together
For many participants, the training was a way to meet people whom they would work with closely during a disaster. As instructors often noted, the worst time to exchange business cards is as a crisis unfolds.
Many said afterward they were struck by the sheer number of people involved in a response, including many positions they wouldnt think of like county and city finance workers to help coordinate purchases of supplies, or private businesses to provide warehouse space or refrigeration.
It allowed me to see the bigger picture of the whole operation and what all happens, Mount Pleasant Police Chief Tim Zarzecki said.
Dan Ross, vice president of medical affairs at Ascension All Saints, helped decide which patients should go to which hospitals during Tuesdays simulation. FEMA simulators threw curveballs at many people during the exercise, and Ross was no exception: he was told hospitals were low on two types of blood, so he and others scrambled to replenish supplies amid constantly buzzing phones.
This training has been a great opportunity for all of us to learn how we can work together more effectively to keep the community safe and healthy, Ross said. Not just in an emergency, but every day as well.
The exercise helped officials see ways to improve. But FEMA and county officials widely praised the countys response, saying the first dry run was impressive. About half of the delegation participated in a second simulation Wednesday involving a plane crash at Highways 20 and 31.
Its always going to be chaotic for the first three or four hours as youre trying to assess what your needs are and the calls are coming in, Maack said. I think the exercise went as well as could be expected considering we had a number of people that had never participated in something like that before.
Ukraine officials blamed pro-Russian separatists in the country's restive east for the killings of four civilians Saturday by artillery fire in a government-controlled area near the Russian border.
The shelling in the Donetsk region occurred just hours before the finals of the wildly popular Eurovision song contest, held this year in Kyiv.
The deaths prompted Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko to announce that he and his wife would protest the killings by not appearing at the event, which is followed passionately by tens of millions of Europeans and viewed around the globe each year by millions more.
The head of the Kyiv-controlled Donetsk Regional Administration said the shelling the most serious truce violation in nearly two months targeted the government-held industrial town of Avdiyivka, just north of the separatist-controlled hub city of Donetsk.
The official, writing on Facebook, said at least one shell struck a courtyard of a private house, "where three women and one man perished."
There was no immediate separatist comment on the shelling or the deaths.
Fighting erupted three years ago between pro-Russian separatists and government forces near the Russian border, with Russian-speaking separatists demanding an autonomous region free of Ukrainian controls.
An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in the conflict, most of them between 2014 and 2016. However, sporadic shelling continues in contested areas of the east, particularly near Donetsk and another nearby separatist hub, Luhansk.
Violence in the southeastern part of the Central African Republic, where five U.N. peacekeepers were killed this month, has made it tougher for HIV-positive residents in the remote, lawless region to get treatment.
The prevalence rate of HIV in southeastern C.A.R. is 13 percent, nearly three times the national average.
The migration of people between the bordering areas of South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo contributes to the spread of the disease in all three countries.
"Here, it's a crossing where everything converges. It's why the level of HIV is high," said Bienvenu Sapioko, a government nurse who works at the only hospital in Zemio. He said the rebels and refugees in the area also increase the high prevalence.
An internal U.N. report obtained by VOA found HIV rates increased following the arrival of the Ugandan security forces in the C.A.R. in 2009. The Ugandan and American forces tasked with tracking down Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army ended their mission in April and are heading home.
With prostitution, polygamy and effectively no state authority in the area, weak education contributes to the problem.
Stigma, superstition
"People believe in the power of nature and traditional doctors. So bush doctors, shamans are also very common in the community," said Olivier Pennec, the Doctors Without Borders project coordinator in Zemio.
Stigma compounds the problem.
"Before, the people didn't treat themselves. The people would hide the microbes, this disease," said Marcel Elonga, a community leader. They would hide and "speak about this parasite, parasite, parasite."
HIV-positive people in local communities can also find themselves shunned by their peers.
"They don't want him in the community," community leader Pierre Yakanza said, describing how some people here see an HIV-positive person. "They don't want to be close to him. 'Leave him over there. We don't want to associate with him or have him in the community meetings or give him a job.' He's rejected."
Local health workers spread information about safe sex, but even access to condoms remains a challenge.
Treatment available
More than 1,500 people now come to Zemio's hospital from nearby and as far away as Uganda, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo for the free HIV treatment offered by Doctors without Borders.
Hospital officials said previously one person would die every month or so from the disease, but they haven't registered a death since 2014.
In 2012, Agnes Davouragouni said she used to be sick all the time.
"When I did the test and found out I was positive, my husband said he doesn't have HIV, so he left me the same day," said the 35-year-old woman, who now lives alone with her three children, selling wood and charcoal to get by.
Once a year, Davouragouni walks 45 kilometers to Zemio over the course of two days in order to get a checkup as part of her treatment. She walks mostly at night and sleeps under a tree along the way.
"The roads are very insecure. I don't have a motorcycle or the money to pay to get here," she said. "There's a lot of fear to travel on these roads."
Bandits and rebel groups, including the remnants of the Lord's Resistance Army, all move around the area. The security void will worsen with the departure of Ugandan and American forces in the next few months.
Group efforts
Recognizing the challenges of getting medication, Doctors Without Borders developed a new community approach in which HIV-positive patients work in groups to bring back antiretroviral drugs in bulk every six months, reducing travel time, costs and exposure to risk.
Farmer Moise Ouele picks up the antiretroviral drugs for his group of about 30 people and drives them two hours down the road to his village Kitesa, about 50 kilometers away.
"It was really tiring for me to come each month to the hospital," Ouele said. "But now, this program helps a lot with this problem, despite the insecurity of the LRA that is growing."
Doctors Without Borders is transitioning out of the area at the end of the year and is handing over the administration of the program to the Ministry of Health.
MOUNT PLEASANT Racine Countys Skill Bank program is back in business, thanks to the efforts of the Volunteer Center of Racine County.
Skill Bank which had most recently been run by Lincoln Lutheran is a program which connects senior citizens in need of a variety of services with other seniors who have skills, knowledge and talents they want to share.
After serving the community for more than 30 years, the program was shut down in the fall of 2015, as a result of Lincoln Lutherans financial troubles, according to Al Volmut, Volunteer Center executive director. The Volunteer Center began its re-launch of the program late last year, with some financial assistance from United Way, he said.
Skill Bank meshes well with the centers overall aim to keep seniors in their homes, Volmut said.
We felt it would be a good addition to those programs we already provide for seniors, such as the Senior Companion Program and MyRide, he said. Its a perfect fit.
Wide-ranging skills
Skill Banks purpose is two-fold: It helps seniors maintain themselves, their homes and their yards by offering services provided by a trustworthy person, at costs that are typically less than those charged to the general public. And, at the same time, it offers seniors the opportunity to earn a small stipend, while also fulfilling their need to be of service in the community.
The programs services are available to Racine County residents ages 55 and older, and Skill Bank helpers include senior men and women with a wide range of skills, including everything from carpentry, painting, appliance repair and yard work to shopping, pet sitting, meal preparation and laundry services.
In winter time, services might also include snow plowing or shoveling, and at other times they can be anything from electrical or plumbing repairs to putting a shed up in someones yard, Volmut said.
Many Skill Bank helpers are retired trades workers or handypeople, while others might be small business owners or those who simply have a skill to offer and want to help. All helpers are required to go through an application process, which includes a criminal background check and an interview, according to Volmut. They wear identification tags, much like other service personnel do and, if the services they provide include driving, their driving record is reviewed.
Making connections
The Volunteer Center does the work of matching those persons in need of services with someone from its roster of Skill Bank helpers. And while the program is run out of the VCRC office, 6216 Washington Ave., Mount Pleasant, the center has no say in determining the cost of a service, Volmut said.
We are just the conduit that connects people, he said.
Prices for Skill Bank services are negotiated between the helper and the person served, with estimates given up front. In doing so, helpers are asked to keep in mind that Skill Bank clients are usually low- or fixed-income seniors.
For Skill Bank helpers like Ozzie Flores, that means charging mostly for parts, plus a very minimal fee for his time and skills. The retired plumber who has worked for the service for about eight years, said hes glad to see Skill Bank up and running again, because Ive really missed it.
But it isnt the money that motivates him to be involved, said Flores, a 73-year-old Racine resident.
I like to stay active and busy, he said. And its fun.
Clients grateful
Flores said he takes pride in the work he does for Skill Bank clients and that he feels it is important that clients can rely on him.
When I say Im going to be there at a certain time, I make sure Im there, Flores said.
And the clients seem very grateful for the help, he said.
Flores said he also enjoys talking with the seniors he serves, because they have a lot of interesting history to share.
Im happy to be able to help the elderly, he said. And Ive made many good friends along the way.
Persons interested in using the services of the Skill Bank program, or in becoming a helper, can call Terri Benner, Skill Bank representative, at the Volunteer Center of Racine County, 262-886-9612. Benners office hours are 1 to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
More about the Volunteer Center and its programs is available at www.volunteercenterofracine.org.
The walkie-talkie in the commanders hand buzzes and crackles as soldiers line up their humvees and tanks, readying themselves to enter Islamic State territory.
Tell all the men to put on helmets, are the orders over the walkie-talkie. I dont want to see anyone without a helmet!
A few minutes later, many of the soldiers still dont have helmets, including the commander with the walkie-talkie, who wears a camouflage cap.
Five full Iraqi divisions are fighting in the latest offensive to re-take IS-controlled northwestern Mosul, including the Army, Federal Police and Special Forces known as the Golden Division and the Emergency Response Division.
A few kilometers from the battle the Iraqi Armys 16th division appears gleeful as they get out of their vehicles to wait on the dusty once-residential street for the next order to move forward. Some men tease each other and take selfies.
Look at my face, says 21-year-old Ghaith, laughing. Im made from the same dust and water as this guy. Why is he more handsome than me?
Tattooed on Ghaiths arm are the names of two of his brothers, killed by suicide bombers in Baghdad five years ago and the words never forget in Arabic.
Scared at first
Only the gunners perched inside humvees with their heads and weapons exposed on the top appear to remain on high alert as we wait. If the battle goes wrong, they are in the most danger. Most of them wear helmets.
I was scared at first, says gunner Ali el-Babli, in a rare admission in this world of bravura. But after two years Im used to it.
The clamor from the nearby IS-controlled neighborhoods is constant. Airstrikes crash into buildings and militants fire machine guns at helicopters overhead. Plumes of smoke shoot hundreds of feet into the air as car bombs explode. An IS mortar lobbed clear over Iraqi front lines falls in the field across the street.
The 16th Division has not seen action in weeks, and soldiers tell us the long days and nights spent in crowded make-shift bases while airstrikes and mortars pound the militants nearby has taken its toll. The waiting, soldiers say, is harder than the fighting.
Just five or 10 minutes, Lt. Col. Amar Younis tells us as he whips out of his commanders office, a card-table set up inside an abandoned home. And you will see us beating IS with your own eyes.
The wait
Around 5 a.m. that morning, more than an hour before the units began lining up for battle, Salim, a cook at one of the 16ths bases, had rattled a spoon in a metal can, shouting at the men to get up.
Most bounded out of bed, bypassing breakfast to grab their gear. But as the cool morning fades into glaring noon sun, so does the excitement. The militants defense has proven fierce, and a long night of air attacks has not broken their lines.
IS heat-seeking missiles are threatening Iraqi tanks, the first line of Iraqi ground forces, and drone cameras show cars patrolling IS-controlled areas. In IS neighborhoods these days civilians dont drive cars. They are either car bombs, or gunmen, or both.
Still waiting on the street to deploy, many soldiers crouch along a wall to stay out of the sun. Body armor leans against the concrete and higher-ranking officers have returned to the base.
Orders come to move out, and the men race into their vehicles, engines rattle and the line pulls out. After traveling a block closer to the battle, they pull over again. Men get out of their humvees, some looking deflated. Someone brings lunch, plastic bags full of the usual meal of rice-and-beans and small chunks of meat in white styrofoam containers.
Chatter turns away from battle and some men show pictures of their children on their mobile phones. Others show videos of themselves fishing by throwing grenades into small ponds.
El-Babli, the gunner, shares his biscuits and tells stories of recent victories. We took the last area in record time, he says. "I killed two IS militants when we liberated the shopping mall. My commander gave me two days off for that.
Battle begins
Some men are still eating when the orders finally come in the early afternoon. Styrofoam trays are cast aside and the row of vehicles dissipates in a matter of minutes. They head for the fields surrounding an isolated suburban neighborhood on a hill. Parked at the base of the hill are cars and trucks that may or may not be laden with explosives.
A technical team of about five men enter the field on foot, searching for IEDs among the weeds. Tanks rumble to the front, parking in a row a couple of hundred meters from the IS-held neighborhood. The cacophony of battle sounds continues, as black smoke from another divisions battle streams into the sky.
About 20 civilians attempt to escape the hill, fleeing with a white flag in front of them.
"See those buildings over there? says Lt. Col. Younis after firing a machine gun. We are going to take those buildings and we are going to sleep there tonight.
The hours that follow are painstaking, with tanks and other vehicles re-positioning themselves closer to the militants meter by meter. Soldiers say the pace of the fight varies as much as the terrain they fight in. Victory for them will mean reaching the next line on the map where they again wait for orders.
For politicians, a victory in Mosul will be a defining moment in the battle with IS. But for the army, it will just mean re-deploying resources to Tal Afar, an Iraqi city still entirely controlled by IS or other areas, like Ramadi, where sporadic fighting continues.
After this fight there will be more wars to win, says Major Abass Aziz.
The U.N. Security Council is to hold an emergency meeting Tuesday on North Korea's latest missile test.
The United States, Japan and South Korea requested the emergency discussions after Pyongyang launched a missile Sunday in an unusual high altitude ballistic path that indicated it might be a new two-stage liquid fueled rocket capable of flying up to 4,500 kilometers.
South Korea said Monday President Moon Jae-in is sending special envoys around the world as the country seeks to strengthen its global ties in the wake of North Korea's latest aggressive missile tests. The Blue House said the envoys will meet with high ranking officials to explain the new South Korean government's policy plans and exchange ideas.
Early Monday, North Korea said it successfully conducted a newly developed mid-to-long range missile test, supervised by leader Kim Jong Un and aimed at verifying the capability to carry a "large scale heavy nuclear warhead." The official news agency KCNA said the missile was launched at the highest angle so as not to affect the security of neighboring countries and flew 787 kilometers, reaching an altitude of 2,111 kilometers.
KCNA quoted Kim as accusing the United States of "browbeating" countries that "have no nukes," and warning Washington not to misjudge the reality that its mainland is in the North's "sighting range for strike."
International reaction
Russia's president said North Korea's latest missile test was "counter-productive, harmful and dangerous."
Speaking Monday in Beijing, Vladimir Putin said, "We are categorically against the expansion of the club of nuclear powers."
He urged other world leaders to "stop intimidating North Korea and find a peaceful solution to the problem."
The test, according to a White House statement, should serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Sunday it is time for many nations to "send a strong, unified message that this is unacceptable, and I think you'll see the international community do that." She said the United States will continue to "tighten the screws" against North Korea.
U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this month he would be "honored" to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "under the right circumstances," but Haley said that "having a missile test is not the way to sit down with the president, because he's absolutely not going to do it."
The United Nations first imposed sanctions against North Korea in 2006 and has strengthened them several times following the communist nation's five nuclear tests and two long-range rocket launches.
Japan and South Korea also quickly condemned North Korea's action as a grave threat to the region and a violation of U.N. resolutions about North Korea's arms programs.
Japans prime minister, Shinzo Abe, ordered his government to prepare for all possible contingencies, according to his office.
The launch of such ballistic missiles is a serious threat to our country. The defense ministry and the self-defense forces are continuing to work closely with the United States and South Korea to collect and analyze the information, Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada told reporters in Tokyo. We will make every effort to ensure the peace and security of our country.
She explained it was possibly a new type of missile that was fired in a high-angle orbit, reaching an altitude of more than 2,000 kilometers and flying for 30 minutes, before coming down in the Sea of Japan after a total flight of about 700 kilometers.
China called for restraint to avoid increasing tensions in the region while the Foreign Ministry expressed opposition to Pyongyangs violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Beijing is North Koreas only major ally and Pyongyangs key trading partner.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is in Beijing for an international summit, expressed concern about the missile test and the escalation of tensions, according to a Kremlin spokesman.
The splash-down point was about 400 kilometers from the east coast of North Korea, according to the Japanese government.
Scientists: Not an ICBM
This is kind of a big deal. But its not an ICBM. Thats the good news, Union of Concerned Scientists co-director David Wright told VOA.
If flown on a standard trajectory, the missile fired by North Korea Sunday morning would have a range of up to 4,500 kilometers, according to Wright.
Guam, an American territory with two large U.S. military bases, is 3,400 kilometers from North Korea and until now had been considered beyond the range of the most powerful rocket North Korea is known to have developed, the Musudan, with a range of about 3,000 kilometers.
With this test, North Korea may have leapfrogged its troubled Musudan series of missiles.
It would put together things weve seen them doing that they havent been able to put together, Wright explained.
South Korea, US weigh in
The U.S. Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, confirmed the rocket launch but said the unidentified projectile did not appear to be large enough to be an intercontinental ballistic missile, a weapon that North Korea says it is developing.
Trump was briefed about the North Korean launch on the telephone by National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster, a White House official told VOA news.
The White House statement, which said North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long also seemed to make an indirect appeal to Moscow for stronger cooperation to counter Pyongyang.
With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased, according to the White House statement issued late Saturday.
Pyongyang addresses Washington
Just one day earlier, a senior North Korean diplomat had said Pyongyang would be willing to talk with the United States about the two countries disputes, under the right conditions.
Choe Son Hui, the North Korean Foreign Ministrys director general for U.S. affairs, raised the issue of talks when she spoke with reporters in Beijing while returning home from a trip to Norway.
Some analysts dismissed Choes comment as a long-stated position of Pyongyang, along with its constant belligerent rhetoric toward Washington and Seoul.
In the aftermath of the latest North Korean missile launch, meanwhile, American, European and Japanese military units gathered for war games in a group of remote U.S. islands in the Pacific Ocean. The exercises are meant to warn North Korea not to test the allies military might.
Venezuela's opposition is pushing other Latin American countries to pressure President Nicolas Maduro's government into implementing a democratic agenda, opposition leader Julio Borges said on Thursday.
Borges, the president of Venezuela's opposition-led National Assembly, traveled to Lima to meet with Peruvian legislators and President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who has been one of the most vocal critics of Maduro among Latin American heads of state.
He said the humanitarian crisis and strong protests against Maduro's socialist government had crossed Venezuela's borders due to a wave of refugees across the region.
The request I'm bringing to the Peruvian congress and president is that they help us, together with other presidents who we've spoken with, to create a large group of presidents who are friends and proponents of democracy in Venezuela, Borges told Reuters.
Five weeks of protests
Venezuela has suffered through more than five weeks of violent anti-government protests that have left at least 39 dead. The opposition has decried Maduro as an autocrat who has wrecked the OPEC nation's economy, and demanded elections to resolve the political crisis.
Peru recalled its ambassador to Caracas in late March.
Borges said the aim of the strategy of street protests and calls for international pressure was to break the conscience of the armed forces and the political groups that still support Maduro, and to avoid more deaths.
It's important fundamental that we get several governments in the region to unite in the short term to make sure in Venezuela there exists nothing other than a popular and democratic agenda, Borges said upon exiting an interview with local radio station RPP.
He declined to specify which other countries he had visited or planned to visit, but had told RPP that he would seek support from Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador and Brazil. Socialist Venezuela has lost many regional allies as several Latin American countries have moved to the right in recent years.
There's a new map in Latin America that I'm sure will strongly support this democratic agenda for Venezuela, Borges said.
Borges meets with McMaster
Last week, Borges met with U.S. President Donald Trump's national security advisor H.R. McMaster, where they agreed on the need to bring Venezuela's crisis to a quick and peaceful conclusion.
The meeting came after Maduro announced the creation of a new popular assembly, which foes decried as a power grab aimed at sidelining the National Assembly.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has fired his health minister after ministry data published this week showed the country's medical crisis significantly worsening.
The government said it was replacing Antonieta Caporale, a gynecologist who held the post of health minister for four months, with pharmacist Luis Lopez.
In announcing the move late Thursday, Vice President Tareck El Aissami did not provide a reason for the change. "President Nicolas Maduro is grateful to Doctor Antonieta Caporale for her work," he wrote on Twitter.
The news comes as elderly protesters, angry over medicine shortages, joined in Friday with demonstrators demanding the president step down. Venezuela is in the fourth year of a recession caused by a collapse in crucial oil exports that has led to widespread shortages of basic goods, including food and medicine.
The Health Ministry released data this week that showed cases of infant mortality rose 30 percent, maternal mortality increased 65 percent and malaria cases jumped 76 percent last year. The ministry also said there was an increase in cases of diphtheria and Zika.
The report was the first release of Health Ministry figures in nearly two years, part of a wider government data blackout.
Maduro is resisting pressure to hold early elections, calling the economic crisis a U.S.-backed conspiracy. Opponents of Maduro blame his socialist policies for the crisis. A month and a half of sometimes violent protests has led to the deaths of 38 people.
Elderly join protests
In the latest demonstrations Friday, thousands of pensioners marched in the capital, Caracas, calling their protest the March of Grandparents.
Riot police with helmets and shields used pepper spray several times to control the crowd, while the elderly threw punches and yelled curses.
Chanting "Freedom!" and "Down with Maduro!," the elderly protesters made it onto a highway but were blocked from their intended destination, the state ombudsman's office, by police with armored vehicles. A representative of the office listened briefly to their grievances on the street instead.
The crowd, including plenty of octogenarians plus a nun and one white-haired man dressed as Santa, sang Venezuela's national anthem in front of the security cordon. Opposition leaders joined them, hugging and linking arms with the pensioners.
Since launching protests against Maduro in early April, Venezuela's opposition has sought to vary tactics by staging silent and candlelit marches, for instance, and rallies for women, musicians and medics.
Each time, the ruling Socialist Party has tried to match them. On Friday, other elderly Venezuelans dressed in red to support the government marched to the presidential palace.
Europol confirmed Sunday that computer networks in more than 150 countries and more than 200,000 people had been affected by one of the biggest cybersecurity attacks in recent history. It is the biggest ransomware attack ever, Europol spokesman Jan Op Gen Oorth said.
The number of affected networks and individuals is likely to go up, he said, because many workers left their computer turned on last Friday and will probably find out that they are also affected by the malware on Monday morning.
Although the investigation is ongoing, Europol thinks the malware began to spread Friday from Britains National Health Service. It then affected other networks in countries including Germany, Spain, China, Russia and India.
It remains unclear what the motivation was. Usually, ransomware attacks are designed to be revenue sources, but in this case the ransom was quite low, Op Gen Oorth said. According to Europol, only few companies or individuals have so far opted to pay the ransom of $300 or more, following law enforcement recommendations.
Organizations around the world faced potentially substantial costs after hackers threatened to keep computers disabled unless victims paid a ransom to receive a decryption key.
The German railway network was affected, and passengers in Frankfurt and elsewhere were asked to refer to printed timetables. (Gernot Hensel/EPA)
[The Switch: One of the most important lessons of the crippling ransomware crisis]
The malware hit Britains beloved but creaky National Health Service particularly hard, causing widespread disruptions and interrupting medical procedures across hospitals in England and Scotland. The government said that 48 of the NHSs 248 organizations were affected, but by Saturday evening all but six were back to normal.
When asked if the British government paid any ransom in this situation, a Downing Street spokesman said Saturday that it had not. Amber Rudd, Britains home secretary, also advised against others paying ransom.
In Germany, people posted pictures on social media of scheduling screens at train stations displaying the ransomware message. Deutsche Bahn, Germanys national railway service, tweeted that its train service had not been compromised and that it was working full speed to solve the problems. According to DPA news agency, Deutsche Bahns video surveillance technology also was hit.
Other targets in Europe included Telefonica, the Spanish telecom giant; the French carmaker Renault; and a local authority in Sweden, which said about 70 computers were infected.
It was still unclear who was behind the sophisticated attack.
Were not able to tell you who is behind that attack. That work is still ongoing, Rudd told the BBC. She said that it has affected up to 100 countries and that it wasnt specifically targeted at Britains NHS.
A warning appeared on the website of Britains National Health Service after Fridays attack. (Andy Rain/EPA)
The attack was notable because it took advantage of a security flaw in Microsoft software found by the National Security Agency for its surveillance tool kit. Files detailing the capability were leaked online last month, though after Microsoft, alerted by the NSA to the vulnerability, had sent updates to computers to patch the hole.
Still, countless systems were left vulnerable, either because system administrators failed to apply the patch or because they used outdated software.
[The Switch: Update your Windows systems now. Right now.]
It was a jarring reminder of a stubborn reality facing security experts: Companies and other organizations collectively spent $73 billion on cybersecurity measures in 2016, according to the research firm IDC. Yet systems around the world were crippled by human error failure to do routine software updates and employees unknowingly clicking on email attachments that contained the malware.
This was a completely preventable attack to the extent that organizations have comprehensive patching systems in place, said Paul Lipman, chief executive of the cybersecurity firm BullGuard. However, life is never that simple.
On Friday, Microsoft released additional security updates to Windows and guidelines for consumers and businesses to protect themselves.
Its possible that the malware didnt spread further because of the enterprising work of a 22-year-old British cybersecurity researcher.
[How a $10.69 purchase may have sidelined the global malware attack]
The researcher, whose Twitter handle is @MalwareTechBlog, realized the hackers had designed a kill switch, which involved a domain name that enabled them to stop the attack from spreading if the victims paid the ransoms. The researcher bought the domain name of the kill switch, and when the site went live, the attack stopped spreading.
The move didnt help organizations that were already affected by the attack, but experts said that it limited the spread of the virus. The researcher, however, warned in a blog post that the hackers could alter the code and try again.
Hospitals called ideal targets
Health-care IT experts said it was no surprise that hospitals so easily fell victim to the ransomware attack. Health systems have faced hundreds of ransomware attacks in the past two years.
They are the ideal target for this type of malware due to a perfect storm of factors, said Avi Rubin, technical director of the Information Security Institute at Johns Hopkins University. For one, Rubin said, the data that they have is incredibly time-sensitive, making them most susceptible to ransomware.
If no one ever paid these ransoms, the hackers would have no reason to launch these attacks, Rubin said. But Im not the one sitting in a hospital in need of immediate medical attention.
Hospitals also lag far behind other industries in upgrading their security and doing basic software updates. Health-care organizations in general spend 2 to 4 percent of their operating budgets on information technology, compared with 25 to 35 percent for financial services, said John D. Halamka, chief information officer of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.
We spend billions on new technology, he said. Yet the reality is that were still as vulnerable as our most gullible employee.
Health-care organizations in the United States are also subject to additional regulations, which constrain their ability to do updates. Many updates require systems to go dark for some period of time, and many hospitals are not allowed to put critical systems out of use.
Poorer hospitals are particularly vulnerable. While wealthy hospitals have effectively built cybersecurity war rooms over the past two years, some smaller hospitals dont have enough budget to keep the lights on, said Rubin. They often cannot afford to back up data, perhaps the most critical tool in fighting ransomware.
Cybersecurity researchers were far more surprised that sophisticated telecommunications firms, such as Spains Telefonica, were so vulnerable. This just goes to show that even the largest, most resource-rich enterprises can be brought low by something as simple as a skipped patch, said Lipman.
Russia hit hard
The malware, known as WanaCrypt0r 2.0, or WannaCry, also affected systems for FedEx, major telecommunications firms, Brazils social security administration, and many others around the world.
TMT post, a Chinese online news outlet focusing on the Internet industry, reported that a number of Chinese universities had been affected by the attack.
Several schools including Nanchang University, Shandong University and University of Electronic Science and Technology of China issued alerts on their Weibo social-media feeds, warning staff and students to back up important files and not to open suspicious emails.
According to Chinese magazine Caijing, some students graduation theses and projects have reportedly been encrypted.
In Russia, hacking attacks were confirmed Saturday at the Health Ministry, the state-run Russian Railways and the telecommunications company Megafon, along with the Interior Ministry, which manages the police force. There were also reports that the powerful Investigative Committee, which investigates high-level crime, and several other telecommunications companies had been targeted.
The Interior Ministry said that 1,000 of its computers had been blocked by prompts demanding payment. By Friday evening, the ministry said it had contained the attack and denied that any of its information had been stolen.
Jakub Kroustek, a malware researcher with Avast, a security software company in the Czech Republic, said in a blog post that Russia was the most-affected country so far. We are now seeing more than 75,000 detections of WanaCrypt0r 2.0 in 99 countries, he wrote Friday night.
Kaspersky Lab, a Moscow-based Internet security firm, also said that the attacks were mostly in Russia.
One reason Russia may have been hit so hard is the use of outdated software by government agencies.
Russia has a very rickety, out-of-date infrastructure, using not just outdated software but pirated out-of-date software, said Mark Galeotti, a senior researcher at the Institute of International Relations Prague.
According to Galeotti, one Interior Ministry official in 2013 estimated that 40 percent of the ministrys computers could be using pirated Windows software, which is widely available in Russia for download or at local computer markets.
In Brazil, the attack struck at the heart of the government employee computers at the Justice Ministry and Brazils social security administration were infected. The local media also reported that the attack locked up computers in the countrys labor courts and the public prosecutors office.
In Britain, which is in the middle of an election campaign, the cyberattack triggered criticism of the NHSs aging computer systems, particularly the use of Windows XP, an outdated version of the Microsoft operating system that doesnt have the same level of defense against cyberattacks as newer operating systems.
The opposition Labour Partys Jonathan Ashworth tweeted that the government had been complacent over cybersecurity. We need answers on whether funding squeeze compromised security, he wrote.
Rudd, the home secretary, stressed that there was no evidence that patient data had been compromised but said that there were lessons to learn.
She told the BBC that Windows XP was not a good platform for keeping your data as secure as the modern ones because you cant download the effective patches and anti-virus software.
I would expect NHS trusts to learn from this and to make sure that they do upgrade, she said.
Adam reported from London. Rick Noack in London; Andrew Roth in Moscow; Luna Lin in Beijing; Griff Witte and Stephanie Kirchner in Berlin; Marina Lopes in Sao Paulo; and Michael Birnbaum in Tallinn, Estonia, contributed to this report.
What Victor Hugo did for the Royal Shakespeare Company, he now does for Synetic Theater. That is to say, as the 19th-century French novelists Les Miserables proved a defining vehicle for that venerable British company, his Hunchback of Notre Dame gives a hyper-creative Washington group a source for one of its most beautifully realized productions.
Its the beguiling unity embodied by Synetics Hunchback that sets it above some of Artistic Director Paata Tsikurishvilis other fine shows. The design elements typified by Anastasia Rurikova Simess endlessly elastic modular set, Erik Teagues nightmare-ready costumes and Brian Allards vibrant lighting lay the groundwork in Synetics Crystal City space for Irina Tsikurishvilis inventive choreography and, hallelujah, several exceptionally rich acting turns.
Chief among these are Irina Kavsadzes haunting portrayal of dewy Esmeralda, and Vato Tsikurishvilis physically as well as emotionally compelling performance as the gallant Quasimodo, the cathedral bell-ringer with the hump on his back and lovelorn lump in his throat (Vato being Paata and Irinas son). Philip Fletcher supplies all the slinky, sinister ambiguity required for the passion-crazed cleric, Frollo, and Robert Bowen Smith capably conveys the flaky quality required for Gringoire, here a musician entangled in Esmeraldas ever more complicated love life.
Synetic has not always had as much success adapting other types of literature as it has had with wordless, movement-based interpretations of Shakespeare. The Tsikurishvilis versions of King Lear, enveloped in Felliniesque surreality, and their Antony and Cleopatra, an occasion for a sensual pas de deux, were far and away more exciting than evenings inspired by Dante or Mikhail Bulgakov. (Then again, their waterborne account of King Arthur was pure liquid pleasure.)Continually in the search of titles they can translate into the companys dynamically lyrical physical style, the Tsikurishvilis and a company approaching 20 years of productions have been compelled to look beyond the Bard to fill their seasons.
Happily, they and adapter Nathan Weinberger have made the acquaintance of Hugo and his tale of the reviled Quasimodo, who loves an unattainable Roma girl. The story, staged without dialogue, is well suited to the couple, originally from Georgia in the Caucasus region, whose tastes tend toward tales of damaged hearts and benighted souls. Situated among the spires of Pariss Notre Dame Cathedral, in a labyrinthine set that ingeniously can be divided and reconfigured, Irina Tsikurishvili creates some of her most original dances in some time. The moment, for example, when Quasimodo rescues Esmeralda from captivity, each of her limbs tied to a rope, is thrilling: Vato Tsikurishvili lifts Kavsadze, the ropes still affixed to her arms and legs, and spins her with centrifugal power, until the ropes are flying like helicopter blades.
Philip Fletcher as Frollo with the gargoyle ensemble in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. (Johnny Shryock)
The choreographer also provides a lilting interlude for Kavsadze and Zana Gankhuyag, the George Mason University senior who plays Phoebus, Esmeraldas true love; its a lovely, lusty encounter between two young Synetic actors who seem naturals as romantic partners. And as the Tsikurishvilis always have in mind some interesting concept for their corps de acrobatic ballet, six company members portray, in delightfully grotesque garb, the cathedral gargoyles, magically made flesh.
Teague devises a look for Quasimodo that artfully accentuates his misshapen head and shoulder, though the rigor of the choreography sorely tests the adhesive that binds it to Vatos head. Still, its an effective prosthetic, in a production that is all about masks. The one Fletchers Frollo puts on and takes off constantly suggests the duality in his nature, a set of warring impulses that were meant to recognize as being present in some form in all of us.
Konstantine Lortkipanidze, Synetics longtime house composer, creates another of his eclectic soundscapes for Hunchback. This composition is particularly good at amplifying the personality of individual scenes and characters, of guiding us through the stages of pathos and tragedy. Its indicative of a company cracking a difficult code, of being able to marry the elements of storytelling through design and gesture, and finding harmony.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, adapted by Nathan Weinberger, based on the novel by Victor Hugo. Directed by Paata Tsikurishvili. Choreography, Irina Tsikurishvili; set, Anastasia Rurikova Simes; costumes, Erik Teague; movement, Alex Mills; music, Konstantine Lortkipanidze; lighting, Brian Allard; music direction, Irakli Kavsadze; sound, Thomas Sowers; props, Patti Kalil; stage manager, Marley Giggey. With Lee Liebeskind, Tori Bertocci, Anne Flowers, Raven Wilkes, Augustin Beall, Shu-nan Chu. About 95 minutes. Tickets, $35-$60. Through June 11 at Synetic Theater, 1800 S. Bell St., Arlington. Visit synetictheater.org or call 866-911-4111
Elliott Moss is owner and pitmaster of Buxton Hall BBQ in Asheville, N.C., where he uses hog drippings to flavor pots of vegetables and adds smoke and umami to pimento cheese. (Andrew Thomas Lee)
One weekend last October, some of the nations top young pitmasters gathered on a pig farm just outside Durham, N.C., to participate in an event called the N.C. Barbecue Revival.
On undulating farmland, the cooks, veiled in wood smoke, tended their creations while Duroc and Berkshire pigs trundled freely in the surrounding woods. Without setting out to, these pitmasters theyre all in their 30s and opened their places in just the past few years were making a statement: that the next generation of barbecue has arrived.
Tyson Ho of Brooklyns Arrogant Swine slow-smoked a lamb, which he would season with fermented red chiles, fennel and Sichuan peppercorns. John Lewis of Lewis Barbecue in Charleston, S.C., prepared gargantuan beef short ribs. Bryan Furman of Bs Cracklin Barbeque in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., kept a watchful eye on several glistening beef briskets. In the past, such contributions would be shunned as invasive species in pork country.
Meanwhile, Sam Jones, the scion of a prominent North Carolina barbecue family who opened his own barbecue restaurant near Greenville, and Wyatt Dickson, who helped organize the event, supervised the cooking of a trench-cooked whole hog.
The hog was a reminder of where barbecue had come from, while the other offerings showed where it was going.
There are less and less rules, said Elliott Moss, a co-owner and pitmaster at the retro-modern Buxton Hall BBQ in Asheville, N.C.
Moss was cooking Brussels sprouts seasoned with cider vinegar, onions and garlic in a wok over a wood fire in a burn barrel. The coals from the burned wood were shoveled beneath the hog in the trench. Drippings from the hog then flavored pots of vegetables, a technique Moss uses at his restaurant.
At his restaurant, the Smoked Pimento Cheese appetizer modernizes the traditional Southern dish by using smoked cheese and fermented red bell pepper, which replaces the pimento. It adds an extra layer of umami, he said.
Smoked Pimento Cheese (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post)
[Make the recipe: Smoked Pimento Cheese]
Its hard to imagine an older generation of pitmasters throwing around the word umami. But the Revival, so-named to reclaim a cuisine once seen as dying in the state, was intended to showcase the up-and-comers, new lingo and all. (Full disclosure: I moderated a panel at the event.)
I feel like Im a steward of North Carolina barbecue, said Dickson. Its an extremely large part of our culture. So, I want to respect tradition but not let tradition blind you, which is something that can happen in the South.
Dickson is the pitmaster at Picnic, a barbecue restaurant in Durham that opened in 2014. He co-owns the business with chef Ben Adams and financial adviser-turned-farmer Ryan Butler. Together, they epitomize some of the new approaches.
Butler owns the pig farm where the Revival took place. He pasture-raises the heritage hogs that Dickson smokes. Adams creates a mix of traditional and upscale side dishes think Brunswick stew and marinated kale salad. Dickson smokes the whole hog in a heavy-gauged, double-walled steel pit completely unlike traditional brick pits.
I knew I couldnt stand there, chained to the pit, with a shovel in my hand 24 hours a day, Dickson said. Thats why North Carolina barbecue was dying out. Nobody wants to pick that shovel up. Theyve seen that lifestyle and theyve said, No, thank you. I wanted to find a way to make this more sustainable. Sometimes you have to change to stay around.
As recently as 10 years ago, pitmasters used commodity pork and select (the lowest USDA) grade for beef. The next-gen pitmasters gravitate toward choice and even prime grades for beef and pasture-raised heritage hogs for pork. Their approach is marked by more creative side dishes, a return to all-wood smoking, ethnic influences, local sourcing, cheffy experimentation and pan-regionalism. Even smoked tofu is popping up on menus.
Austins Aaron Franklin helped ignite a revolution in barbecue. (Jim Shahin)
Their patron saint is Aaron Franklin in Austin, who opened his bricks-and-mortar operation six years ago. His use of Angus prime meat, detailed attention to air flow in his self-made offset smokers and strict adherence to all-wood cooking created a transcendent smoked beef brisket that helped him become the only pitmaster to win a James Beard Award for best chef (for the southwest region in 2015). Along the way, he ignited a revolution in the world of low-and-slow cooking.
Franklin smoked pork shoulder, a novelty in Texas as recently as five years ago, and, in a state notoriously averse to sauce, he offered an espresso barbecue sauce. Somehow, Franklin escaped the scorn of the region-first purists. Not long after, a long-advancing trend seen as homogenizing barbecue (the barbecue scholar John Shelton Reed mockingly called this trend the International House of Barbecue, or IHOB) became embraced as a way to reinterpret regionalism through experimentation with local traditions.
Since Franklin opened in 2011, a scad of other highly regarded newcomers followed in Austin alone: La Barbecue, Freedmens Bar, Valentinas Tex Mex BBQ, Kerlin BBQ, Micklethwait Craft Meats.
The upscaling of barbecue is an urban phenomenon. In an article last December for Texas Monthly, the magazines barbecue editor, Daniel Vaughn, called the trend Big City Barbecue and opined that the new region is the Internet.
The Revival was a natural extension of that region-less idea. I call the approach citified. Traditionally, the best barbecue in Texas and the Carolinas was found in the rural areas. Now, the cities are matching, sometimes besting, their country cousins.
Whether its experimental or high-end traditional, many observers have noted the emergence in recent years of pricey barbecue. The cost isnt just in dollars.
Laura Loomis of Two Bros. BBQ. (Dady Restaurant Group)
Urban newcomers often talk about the importance of barbecue as community. But their higher prices have put the historically cheap fare out of the reach of the regular working stiff. That, in turn, has pretty much consigned the sense of a broader community to nostalgia. Years ago, it was hard to find a story about barbecue that didnt include a paragraph about doctors and lawyers sitting next to plumbers and house painters, of beat-up Chevy pickups parked next to new Mercedes. Now? Theyre partly about the hipster customer base, but mainly theyre just about the food.
As for the food, aficionados maintain that it is perhaps better than ever. Welcome to the glory days of American barbecue, John T. Edge, who directs the Southern Foodways Alliance, wrote in a 2014 story in Parade magazine.
This year, Houston Chronicle barbecue columnist J.C. Reid wrote, In many ways, the millennial generation Ive observed is good news for the future of barbecue.
He cited several pitmasters, among them 29-year-old Laura Loomis at Two Bros. BBQ in San Antonio. You picture a pitmaster with leather skin and all that, she told me by phone. Now, its just younger kids. Its really cool. We talk about how we want to get together and maybe do a festival in a year or two. Because were new, its like, Can they do it?
Cherry-Glazed Baby Back Ribs. (Goran Kosanovic/For The Washington Post)
[Make the recipe: Cherry-Glazed Baby Back Ribs]
Two Bros. BBQ uses six wood-fueled offset pits. The menu skews traditional, but the cherry-glazed baby back pork ribs break with the Texas norm of no sauces or glazes. Cherry is very different from the usual tomato-based sauces. And spare ribs are far more common than baby backs.
We try to offer something for everyone, Loomis said.
Transformation is underway in the Kansas City area, as well. I asked barbecue columnist Ardie Davis for names of barbecue restaurants that have opened in the past five years. He emailed a list of 12, nearly all opened in just the past three years.
Mark Kelpe is co-owner of one of them, Char Bar Smoked Meats & Amusements in Kansas City, Mo. Although he is 48, the restaurant is aimed squarely at millennials. In addition to a bocce court, full-size croquet course, two outdoor ping-pong tables and a large firepit, the menu offers a variety of vegetarian options.
When we set out to create a barbecue concept, we were very wary, Kelpe said. We were treading carefully because we are in Kansas City and its filled with world-class barbecue restaurants. We decided we were going to do a Southern-inspired smokehouse, with something different. I wanted to make sure the barbecue was relevant to 2014 and 2015, especially millennial diners.
Jackknife Sandwiches. (Deb Lindsey /For The Washington Post)
[Make the recipe: Jackknife Sandwiches]
The star of Char Bars vegetarian offerings is a pulled jackfruit sandwich with melted provolone and fried jalapenos. Jackfruit is a large, sweet, nubby-shelled fruit that is native to South and Southeast Asia. The canned version of unripe jackfruit comes in chunks and, when cooked, replicates the mild flavor and texture of pulled pork.
I set out to create a vegetarian sandwich that would please a meat eater, Kelpe said.
There were no jackfruit sandwiches at the N.C. Barbecue Revival dinner. Patrons did, however, dine on appetizers of grilled oysters and smoked mullet before wandering from one station to the next to try sides that included an Asian take on collard greens, marinated shrimp with pickled vegetable salad and those wood-cooked cider vinegar Brussels sprouts. At the tables serving the luscious brisket, spicy lamb and juicy beef short ribs, the servers were the pitmasters themselves, who will help shape barbecue for years to come.
Shahin is an associate professor of journalism at Syracuse University. He will join todays Free Range chat at noon: live.washingtonpost.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jimshahin.
THURSDAY, MAY 11
Special agent testies in MS-13 slaying trial
FBI Special Agent Fernando Uribe testified Thursday that MS-13 gang member Venus Romero Iraheta stated her full name before plunging a knife into 15-year-old Damaris A. Reyes Rivas so the victim would know who killed her.
Romero Iraheta, 17, blamed the Gaithersburg teen for the killing of her boyfriend, Christian Sosa Rivas, just a week earlier in Dumfries, and she wanted revenge. The testimony came before a judge in Fairfax County juvenile court certified Romero Iraheta to be tried as an adult in the slaying of Reyes Rivas.
The preliminary hearing and two others offered new details about intertwined killings related to MS-13 that have resulted in the arrests of 18 teens and young adults across the Washington area and underscored the resurgence of the regions biggest and most violent gang.
What home buyers can get for $300,000
In this region, the average first-time home buyer is likely to spend about $300,000.
According to D.C. real estate blog UrbanTurf, 1 in 4 homes in the District are priced above $1 million.
So where does one find homes in the $300,000 range? A look at the region found a mix of properties, from a studio condo in Adams Morgan to a four-bedroom house in Manassas.
A look across the country found a one-bedroom condo in Seattle and single-family homes in Madison, Wis., and Asheville, N.C.
Traffic moves along Route 29 near the Shoppes of Burnt Mills, where Montgomery County offcicials want to introduce a Bus Rapid Transit system connecting Burtonsville and downtown Silver Spring. (Luz Lazo/THE WASHINGTON POST)
Montgomery Countys years-long plan to build a 14-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line on one of Marylands busiest commuter corridors appears to finally be moving from idea to reality.
County Executive Isiah Leggett (D), who has championed BRT as the countys next major transit undertaking, included $21.5 million for the project in his capital budget. A County Council committee earlier this month signaled its support for the BRT project, voting to send the plan to the full council for approval of funding for the design phase, putting the project one step away from construction and closer to a 2020 opening.
It is the system of the future, said Esther Bowring, chief spokeswoman for the countys Transportation Department. This is really necessary for the countys economic development and to meet the needs of the future growth that we anticipate in both population and jobs. It is a vital project, and we certainly hope that it will be approved.
[An express bus is coming to Route 355 this fall. Next stop, BRT?]
Some council members even said the plan does not go far enough to address transit needs in the corridor and urged transportation officials to continue to study other alternatives.
Maria Dubon waits for a Metrobus outside the Woodmoor Shopping Center in Four Corners. She stands next to a poster in the bus shelter announcing the countys plans for a Bus Rapid Transit line in the corridor. (Luz Lazo/THE WASHINGTON POST)
We have a problem to solve, said council member Marc Elrich (D-At Large), who has pushed for BRT for more than a decade. Weve got to get something that is going to work and is going to make a difference.
Bringing BRT to Route 29 would be the Washington regions biggest experiment to date with a system that is designed to prioritize bus travel by using dedicated transit lanes, to provide technology giving buses the green light at major intersections, and to offer features such as off-boarding payments, all-door entry and level boarding, which are designed to shorten the bus dwelling time at each stop.
Transportation experts say enhanced bus service is the way of the future as the region and country struggle to fund transportation projects in tough financial times. In addition to being much cheaper than building heavy- and light-rail lines, BRT has proved to be an effective means of moving large numbers of people and easing congestion in cities around the world. Rio de Janeiro and Bogota, Colombia, have BRT systems that have been rated gold under standards set by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, and it is being used in several cities in China, India and Mexico.
In the United States, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh have successful systems, and several cities are testing elements of BRT, including dedicated lanes, off-board payment and all-door entry.
These [projects] can be done well. They can be very effective, said Eric Randall, a transportation engineer at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, which lists BRT as a strategy to improve transit and connect growing activity centers. But people are going to be hesitant about what the changes are going to bring.
Relief for busy corridor
In Montgomery, officials are pondering the benefits and impact BRT would have on communities. They are responding to concerns about cost and construction and trying to clear up misconceptions that the Route 29 plan would widen the road or take away lanes from general traffic.
The plan as it stands would put buses on shoulder lanes for a portion of the route, but also in regular traffic. This decision, which sacrificed earlier plans to have a reversible HOV lane in the southern portion of the route, cut capital costs by more than half to $31.5 million. Officials say the money will pay for new stations, buses, and new bike and pedestrian infrastructure. The countys portion will be matched with a $10 million federal grant.
Montgomery officials have plenty of incentives to back the plan from a need to revitalize the struggling eastern section of the county to the federal grant that will cover a third of the cost. With annual operating costs estimated at $7.5 million, the system would be a relatively inexpensive way to ease gridlock and cut emissions, supporters say.
The project is really scaled back so it is not a whole lot of money, and we really need it to address the traffic congestion, said Dan Wilhelm, a transit advocate who lives in the corridor.
Local buses are not frequent enough and make too many stops so that residents often find it is faster to drive than ride, county studies show. On average, bus trips take 20 percent longer than other trips and as much as 60 percent longer during rush hour.
The idea is to make it a reasonable option for people to ride, said Wilhelm, president of the Greater Colesville Citizens Association.
[Montgomery council approves revised White Oak science center plan]
Besides, Wilhelm said, the BRT line would add capacity for new riders in an area that is at last seeing signs of economic development. A planned life sciences town center in the White Oak area, along with the potential expansion of the Food and Drug Administration and the new Washington Adventist Hospital that recently broke ground nearby, could generate more than 10,000 new jobs in the corridor in the next 25 years.
The area, which encompasses shopping hubs, federal offices and other major employers, is one of the busiest commuting corridors in the state. About 366,000 trips per day originate in the corridor, and 46 percent of those are single-occupancy vehicles, according to a county report. As a minority-majority corridor, it also has a high concentration of immigrants, lower-income and transit-dependent populations. About 120,000 people live within a half-mile of the planned BRT stations.
Roadwork not a big problem
The region has had limited experience with BRT projects. Metro runs specially branded buses on the five-mile route connecting the Crystal City and Braddock Road Metro stations in Northern Virginia. Ridership has grown since service began in late 2014, partly as passengers are lured by the option to travel in dedicated lanes, avoiding congestion on traffic-choked Route 1.
Plans are underway for more BRT lines along Route 7 from Alexandria to Tysons and along the Fairfax County portion of Richmond Highway from Alexandria to Fort Belvoir. The District is on track to build a bus lane along 16th Street NW, one of the busiest bus corridors in the Metrobus system, carrying more than 20,000 passengers daily, and plans are to adopt BRT features such as off-board payment and all-door entry to save on travel time.
Three years ago, Montgomery approved a vision for 102 miles of BRT lines covering 10 corridors, including along Route 355, Veirs Mill Road and Georgia Avenue. County transportation officials say Route 29 provides the ideal setting to launch a system because buses would run on shoulder lanes and in mixed traffic, which takes away the problem of negotiating right of way.
Fortunately, we dont need to build any road infrastructure for Route 29, said Al Roshdieh, director of county transportation. What we need to build is the stations and bike and pedestrian access, but not much of roadwork.
But as the plans progress, some county leaders say sending buses into mixed traffic during the peak hours wont do. Bus lanes, they say, are critical to the systems success.
Under the current plan, buses will run on shoulder lanes between Burtonsville, near the Howard County line, and New Hampshire Avenue in White Oak. They will then run in regular traffic for the remainder of the route to downtown Silver Spring, where riders will be able to connect to Metros Red Line and the future Purple Line.
Officials are still exploring how to make the peak-hour bus lanes work on the southern portion of the line. But even with 60 percent of the route in regular traffic, the BRT would be an improvement over current bus service, officials say.
Buses will be more frequent every 7.5 minutes during the peak hours and every 15 minutes at other times, versus the current varying timetables that can mean as long as 30 minutes between buses. The off-board payment system will allow passengers to board quickly, using all available doors and keeping buses running rather than waiting at bus stops, officials say. Stations built with tall platforms will provide level boarding, making them more accessible for the elderly and people with mobility problems. And the buses will be longer, providing more capacity. They also will be equipped with WiFi and USB ports, amenities that officials hope will lure more people to transit in the car-centric corridor.
The County Council is expected to vote on the funding proposal this month.
SOMERS Along with a strong sense of pride, Kedona Thompsons family must have felt a dollop of deja vu as she crossed the stage Saturday to receive her University of Wisconsin-Parkside diploma.
Thompson, 22, was one of just six UW-Parkside students to earn an Outstanding Graduate Award upon graduation this semester. A Racine resident, Thompson earned her degree in biological sciences, and is heading for pre-med with the goal of becoming a physician.
Two years earlier, Thompsons family watched as Kedonas slightly older sister Keona graduated from Parkside in biological sciences, also as an Outstanding Graduate and also heading toward premed with the goal of becoming a physician.
Two of the other Outstanding Graduates at UW-Parkside Saturday also came from Racine:
Simmi Bharvani, a psychology major in the University Honors Program. According to the university, Bharvani is president of the Habitat for Humanity UW-Parkside Chapter and has participated in five missions with the club. She also participated in a medical mission trip to Belize to work in a hospital and a school teaching first aid to the local community. Bharvani served as an AmeriCorps member while she worked with special-needs populations, and she also completed a Human Rights certificate at Stanford University last summer.
Monica Drea, a double major in business management and sport management, who excelled while working full-time outside of class. Drea regularly assumes a leadership role in group projects to guide and coordinate other students, encouraging them to succeed. She is described as an invaluable team member, according to the university.
They were among more than 500 students eligible to participate in the universitys spring commencement ceremony. According to UW-Parkside, that number of potential graduates continues a trend spanning the past seven years and is the largest number of students eligible to participate in a spring commencement in the universitys history.
Michael Haubrich, founder and president of Financial Service Group and a sometime columnist for The Journal Times, was the commencement speaker Saturday.
Medical family
Fifteen to 20 family members, Kedona estimated, would be there to watch her receive her diploma in much the same fashion that Keona had in 2015.
The two sisters goals diverge only slightly, Kedona said: She wants to become an obstetrician-gynecologist, and Keona, currently in her second year of medical school at Michigan State, is pursuing family practice with an ob-gyn specialty.
Their mother is a registered nurse with Ascension All Saints Hospital.
Kedona, who said shes always had an interest in academics, attended Walden III Middle School and High School, as did Keona. After high school, Kedona attended UW-Milwaukee for three semesters years before transferring to UW-Parkside. There, she was deeply involved in the student Habitat for Humanity chapter including serving as its president for a year.
She has been a tutor and supplemental instructor for various science courses, including a tutor for the human anatomy course, a position offered only to the top one or two students each semester, according to UW-Parkside.
She also took a year off to do her own research into assessing the health of minorities and has been shadowing Dr. Tasha Johnson, an ob-gyn at Ascension.
Asked if she had an alternative goal in mind in case, for some reason, she doesnt become a physician, Kedona replied: I have no Plan B. Im pretty determined.
Self-proclaimed white nationalist Richard Spencer led a large group of demonstrators carrying torches and chanting You will not replace us Saturday in Charlottesville, protesting plans to remove a Confederate monument that has played an outsize role in this years race for Virginia governor.
What brings us together is that we are white, we are a people, we will not be replaced, Spencer said at an afternoon protest, the first of two rallies he led in the town where he once attended the University of Virginia.
At the second rally, dozens of torch-bearing protesters gathered in a city park Saturday evening and chanted You will not replace us and Russia is our friend, local television footage shows. Spencer was not shown addressing that gathering, but he tweeted a photo of himself standing in the crowd carrying what appeared to be a bamboo tiki torch.
The evening protest was short-lived. About 10 minutes in, an altercation between Spencers group and counterprotesters drew police to the scene, and the crowd quickly dispersed, the Charlottesville Daily Progress reported.
Once an obscure Internet figure promoting white identity, Spencer coined the term alt-right referring to a small, far-right movement that seeks a whites-only state and rose to prominence during Donald Trumps presidential campaign. Although Trump denounced the alt-right, Spencers followers counted his victory as a win for the movement as Trump espoused hard-right stances on undocumented immigrants, Muslims and political correctness.
(alsozak/Twitter)
[Lets party like its 1933: Inside the disturbing alt-right world of Richard Spencer]
You will not replace us. You will not destroy us, Spencer said at the earlier rally, which he broadcast via Periscope video. You cannot destroy us. We have awoken. We are here. We are never going away.
Spencer was in Charlottesville to protest a City Council vote to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. A court injunction has halted the removal for six months.
The statue has become a rallying cry for Corey Stewart, a Republican gubernatorial candidate. Stewart, who is chairman of the Prince William Board of County Supervisors, was chairman of Trumps Virginia campaign until he was fired.
There was no indication that Stewart, who has alienated some supporters with his focus on Confederate symbols, attended either rally. In defending the Confederate battle flag and monuments, Stewart has said he is not promoting symbols of hate but battling political correctness and historical vandalism.
Stewart did not respond to a request for comment Sunday. He kept a relatively low profile on Twitter.
I want to wish all the mothers a very special Mothers Day today! he said in one of his few tweets of the day.
[Do Corey Stewarts Confederate antics help Ed Gillespie or hurt the GOP brand?]
The rallies drew condemnation from the other four contenders for governor: former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie, state Sen. Frank W. Wagner (R-Virginia Beach), and Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam and former congressman Tom Perriello, both Democrats.
All are vying to succeed term-limited Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D).
The ugly display of divisive rhetoric and intimidation tactics in Charlottesville yesterday . . . does not reflect the thoughtfulness and tolerance I see in my fellow Virginians everywhere I go, Gillespie tweeted.
Wagner, who faces Stewart and Gillespie in the June 13 GOP primary, said via email: These actions are totally unacceptable. These people are racists. They dont represent Virginia values. I condemn their actions and beliefs. I call on all Virginians who are involved in efforts to advocate for or against Virginias history to act responsibly and honorably.
Said Northam: There is no place for hate, fear or intimidation in Virginia. The display in Charlottesville is the last gasp of a disgusting ideology. In this commonwealth, our doors are open, our lights are on and we are welcome to everyone who shares a love for it, no matter who you are or where youre from.
Perriello, who grew up in Charlottesville, tweeted derisively at Spencer after the alt-right leader posted video of the first protest.
Get your white supremacist hate out of my hometown, Perriello wrote on Twitter.
Spencer replied: We won, you lost, little Tommy.
Actually, you lost, Perriello shot back. In 1865. 150 years later, youre still not over it.
A record turnout of almost 6,000 Arlington Democrats voting in a three-day caucus chose Erik Gutshall for County Board on Saturday and opted to endorse School Board candidate Monique OGrady over incumbent James Lander.
Gutshall defeated three other candidates, taking 3,209 votes, or 55 percent, in the second round of the instant-runoff vote, coming in ahead of Kim Klingler, who got 1,416 votes, or 24 percent, and Vivek Patil, who won 1,189 votes, or 20.5 percent. Peter Fallon came in fourth in the first round with 945 votes, so he did not make it to the final round.
OGrady, a first-time candidate, beat veteran School Board member Lander by 1,100 votes, or a margin of 19 percentage points, after a late-campaign-season gaffe by Lander, who criticized domestic violence victim Yeardley Love in a local radio interview last month. Maura McMahon came in third.
I hope I won because of the values I put on the table, OGrady said, citing her support for classroom instruction while the system struggles with crowding and the importance of diversity and of listening to teachers and students.
In the County Board race, Gutshall cited the endorsements he received this year and last year from many current and former elected and appointed leaders in the local Democratic Party, as well as his message of focusing on the future.
I think of lot of people are ready to turn the page in Arlington, said the 47-year-old small-business owner, who lost a hard-fought primary last year against incumbent Libby Garvey. Gutshall was the clear leader in fundraising this time, although he faced two others who had also previously run for office Fallon was on his fourth try and Klingler on her second try for the County Board and energetic newcomer Patil.
Gutshall is aiming for the seat being vacated by Jay Fisette (D), who is stepping down from the board after nearly 20 years. Fisette endorsed Gutshall within a day of his announcement.
The winner of the caucus is the presumptive victor in the general election because of the heavily Democratic voter base in Arlington. No Republican has yet announced a candidacy for the County Board. Perennial candidate Audrey Clement is in the race as an independent.
The caucus format was criticized earlier this spring by the Arlington Young Democrats, who wanted a primary so that there would be absentee voting, among other reasons. The party added a third day to the caucus, which was held Tuesday and Thursday nights, and all day Saturday. The unofficial turnout of 5,972 was the highest since 1993, when 4,951 caucusgoers voted.
Consider the number 40,000. Thats larger than the student body of the University of Maryland. Its about double the number of seats at Verizon Center. Its just shy of the total population of Manassas, Va.
So its astounding that its also how many children have been born with the help of Shady Grove Fertility (SGF), a practice that was founded in 1991 and is now the largest baby-making center in the country, according to a profile in the May issue of Washingtonian magazine.
[How is in vitro fertilization regulated?]
Associate editor Caroline Cunningham highlights a few reasons behind this success, including SGFs shared risk program, in which certain patients undergoing in vitro fertilization can pay extra and receive a guarantee: If they dont wind up with a baby, they get a refund.
Another factor: SGF is headquartered in Maryland, one of a few states that require insurers to cover IVF.
SGF has grown to 25 clinics in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and the District. According to one former patient, the office on K Street in downtown Washington is Grand Central Station for infertile women in D.C. Thats why, Cunningham notes, the clinics on-staff interior designer has placed translucent walls in its large waiting rooms so even when theyre filling up, they dont feel overcrowded.
Cunningham reports that Shady Groves size means it can afford the bells and whistles: A custom alarm system on the egg and embryo storage tanks will call the lab directors cell phone at any hour if the tank temperature changes.
Whats next? More babies in more places. SGF is building a center in Chile, which will be its first non-U.S. location, and there are plans to go to China. As the clinics website proclaims, Believe its possible.
[Read more]
[These two baby boys are twins, but an Italian court says they arent brothers]
[Scientists create the worlds first in vitro puppies]
There are many risk factors for autism, some genetic and others environmental. But few are more intriguing and disturbing than psychosocial deprivation in infancy.
Psychosocial deprivation is essentially a lack of caregiver stimulation and investment. It is particularly common among children reared in institutions. Researchers, myself included, have been studying the effects of psychosocial deprivation in Romanian children who were institutionalized as infants. These orphans lived in large white rooms crowded with cribs. They were fed and changed but otherwise ignored.
After the regime of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu ended in December 1989, journalists from the United States and Europe flooded into the country and began to report on the plight of the more than 170,000 children living in state-run institutions.
Many of these orphans were adopted as young children and went on to better homes. But up to 10 percent of these adoptees have persistent social difficulties and repetitive behaviors a set of features sometimes referred to as quasi-autism.
Autism features in these children are most likely rooted in their early lack of social experience. Experience serves as the instructions that guide the formation of circuits in the developing brain. When deprived of experience, the brain is left to wire itself, and the process can go awry.
The path to autism in Romanian orphans is likely to be different from that of other children with the condition. Whether the orphans who are diagnosed with autism even have the same condition as others with the diagnosis is debatable.
Yet understanding what gives rise to autism features in children who were socially deprived as infants could offer clues to these features more broadly, and hint at interventions to ease them.
Seeking stimulation
Two studies have addressed the link between early psychosocial deprivation and autism. The English Romanian Adoptees study, which began in the early 1990s, is tracking the development of 165 Romanian orphans who were adopted into homes in the United Kingdom before age 2. About 10 percent of the children adopted after 6 months of age were diagnosed with autism sometime in childhood.
Asecond study, the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, involving a team of researchers co-led by me, has followed 136 Romanian orphans from as early as infancy into adolescence. At the start of the study, the children ranged from 6 to 30 months of age, when we assigned half of them to a high-quality foster care program; the other half remained in institutional care. About 5 percent of the children meet the criteria for autism regardless of whether they entered foster care.
Children in both studies were deprived of a range of experiences and stimuli as infants. They had little to look at or listen to other than the babies in cribs beside them. No one talked to them, played with them or responded to their cries.
Infants who lack external stimulation often resort to self-stimulation. A common form of self-stimulation is repetitive behavior, such as hand flapping or rocking. We found that more than 60 percent of children in our study show these behaviors, even though most fall short of an autism diagnosis.
Interestingly, placement into high-quality foster care after infancy but before the age of 2 is associated with a dramatic decrease in the prevalence of repetitive behaviors by age 5. The foster care provided the children with the social interaction and sensory stimulation that they had lacked earlier.
This improvement suggests that neural circuits that underlie repetitive behaviors can be rewired within a certain window of development. So early intervention may be particularly useful at ameliorating this feature of autism.
Social circuits
Social difficulties, by contrast, often persist into adolescence, long after the children have entered foster care or adoptive families. For example, many of the orphans show indiscriminate social behavior, such as hugging or jumping into the arms of strangers. They also have difficulty relating to their peers.
Children who left the orphanages before age 2 tend to show subtler social difficulties than those who left later or who remained institutionalized. But the fact that some difficulties remain suggests that there is a critical period for aspects of social and emotional development. If children fail to receive the stimulation required to facilitate healthy development, they may not recover.
Many of the children in our study are now teenagers and have lasting social difficulties regardless of whether they entered foster care before 2 years of age. They are awkward when initiating interactions with peers or responding to invitations to play, and their teachers rate them as less socially skillful than their peers.
The persistence of these problems is additional support for the idea that the neural circuits underlying social behaviors are forged during the first two years of life, and are relatively inflexible after that age.
Most researchers who have met the Romanian orphans agree their condition appears to be different from classic autism. So it is unclear whether the mechanisms underlying the features of these orphans are the same as those that underlie autism.
Still, there are lessons scientists can learn from these children notably, that psychosocial deprivation can, in some children, lead them down a path that looks similar to what we think of as autism. In particular, we dont know why 90 percent or more of the orphans do not develop autism. Perhaps there are genetic risk factors or resilience factors at play.
Identifying the environmental contributions particularly those involving caregiving to the features of these children may reveal treatment opportunities for all forms of autism.
This article was first published by Spectrum. Nelson is professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at Harvard Medical School and director of research at Boston Childrens Hospitals Developmental Medicine Center.
[Read More]
[Studies cast doubt on autism-antidepressant link]
[Autisms drug problem: questionable effectiveness and serious side effects]
[Young adults with autism face many challenges, often without much support]
[The connection between precocious baby teeth and a rare form of autism ]
Pope Francis addresses journalists during the traditional press conference on his flight back to Rome, following a two-day visit to Fatima in Portugal, May 13, 2017. (Tiziana Fabi / Pool/EPA)
BRITAIN
Labour proposes Robin Hood tax
Britains opposition Labour Party says it would crack down on tax avoidance and introduce a Robin Hood tax on financial transactions to fund public services if it wins next months national election.
Labour, which is trailing Prime Minister Theresa Mays ruling Conservatives badly in opinion polls, said that 4.7 billion pounds ($6.1 billion) could be raised by changing the tax policy on share trading.
Labour would also take on those in Britain who dodge paying taxes, closing loopholes and clamping down on havens.
Reuters
THE VATICAN
Pope promises sincerity with Trump
Pope Francis says he will be sincere with President Trump regarding their sharp differences on subjects such as immigration and climate change when the two hold their first meeting at the Vatican later this month.
But the pope also told reporters aboard a plane returning from Portugal on Saturday that he would keep an open mind and not pass judgment on Trump until first listening to his views at their May 24 meeting.
Even if one thinks differently, we have to be very sincere about what each one thinks, Francis said in a typically freewheeling airborne news conference.
Topics will emerge in our conversations. I will say what I think, and he will say what he thinks. But I have never wanted to make a judgment without first listening to the person.
The popes meeting with Trump could be potentially awkward, given their diametrically opposed positions on immigration, refugees and climate change, which he told reporters on the plane are well known.
Reuters
Fatima youths added to roster of saints: Pope Francis added two Portuguese shepherd children to the roster of Catholic saints, honoring young siblings whose reported visions of the Virgin Mary 100 years ago turned the Portuguese farm town of Fatima into one of the worlds most important Catholic shrines. Francis proclaimed Francisco and Jacinta Marto saints at the start of Mass marking the centenary of their visions. A half-million people watched in the vast square in front of the shrines basilica, the Vatican said, citing Portuguese authorities. Many had spent days at Fatima in prayer, reciting rosaries before a statue of the Madonna.
At least 24 die in tour bus accident in Turkey: A tour bus tipped over on a serpentine mountain road in Turkey, killing 24 people when it fell off a cliff and hit a car, Turkish authorities said. The governor of Mugla province, Amir Cicek, said that the driver is among the dead and that the accident may have been caused by a brake system failure. Turkeys state-run Anadolu news agency said the bus was in a convoy of six, carrying mostly women and children for a Mothers Day event.
Fuel thieves suspected in Mexico pipeline fire: A fire in Mexico sparked by suspected fuel thieves killed four people and forced state oil company Pemex to temporarily halt pumping operations along a pipeline in the countrys violent eastern state of Veracruz, the company said. Pemex said that the fire was swiftly brought under control and that none of the four victims found alongside a car near the pipeline were believed to be company workers. The pipeline has a capacity of 73,000 barrels per day and transports gasoline and diesel from Pemexs Minatitlan oil refinery to Mexico City.
Jordanian is killed by Israeli police after alleged attack: A Jordanian citizen stabbed and wounded an Israeli police officer who then shot him dead in Jerusalems Old City on Saturday, Israeli police said, the latest in a string of street attacks. Police spokeswoman Luba Simri said the officer was walking down a street when he was attacked by a 57-year-old Jordanian who had arrived in Israel for a visit a few days earlier. Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani disputed the Israeli account of the incident, which he described as an ugly crime.
From news services
Former director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. warned Sunday that the nations institutions are being undermined by President Trump after his decision last week to fire FBI Director James B. Comey.
Citing Russian influence in the U.S. election, Clapper told CNNs Jake Tapper on State of the Union that outside forces were responsible for weakening the U.S. government. He also added that our institutions are under assault internally.
Internally from the president? Tapper asked.
Exactly, said Clapper. I think the Founding Fathers, in their genius, created a system of three coequal branches of government and a built-in system of checks and balances. And I feel as though its under assault and eroding.
Clappers remarks reflect a growing alarm among policymakers and legal experts who say Trump has undercut the credibility of the FBI and its independence, at a time when the agency is investigating alleged links between Trumps campaign and Russian officials.
Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper listens to a question during his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee subcommittee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 election. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)
When hearing about the possibility of Waukesha shooting millions of gallons of water down the Root River into Lake Michigan, its no wonder red flags go up here Racine.
There is fear. Fear of effluent and sewage polluting our rivers. Fear of our beachs water quality being affected.
Last year, a flier was sent out in the city that alleged: Waukesha wastewater contains treated sewage, viruses, and discarded pharmacy drugs that kill fish and plants and harm our childrens growth.
In addition, those against the proposal have said the Root River would become Waukeshas toilet.
But facts should outweigh fear.
In a recent Editorial Board visit, Waukesha officials came to Racine to quash fears.
Waukesha officials said the water returned trough the Root River will be treated. In addition, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has supported the plan and states it will help with fishing in the river.
Waukesha needs a solution. The federal Environmental Protection Agency has set the maximum contaminant level for radium at 5 picocuries per liter of water (pCi/L) a picocurie is a measure of rate of radioactive decay due to health risks; Waukeshas aquifer wells are three times that limit, and the city is under federal and state orders to find a new water source.
In an August 2015 editorial, we supported the Waukesha plan. Nothing that we have seen since then has changed our opinion.
At that time, we pointed out that while some environmental groups continue to oppose Waukeshas proposal, DNR assessments to date indicate the plan will likely have fewer detrimental effects than other proposals on lakes and streams in the area, and it will benefit the Root River by increasing oxygen levels, eliminating low-flow problems and diluting phosphorous levels all of which would help aquatic life.
We also pointed out that the City of Racine was once enthusiastic about the Waukesha water purchase and the plan to return treated effluent via the Root River but it became less receptive to the idea when it was outbid for the water supply contract by Oak Creek.
Racine Mayor John Dickert, who is poised to resign this summer to become the next executive director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, said last week that he looked into the option of piping water to Waukesha because he is always willing to explore opportunities to sell water to help Racine Water Utility ratepayers.
He changed his mind, he said, after he learned more about the impact Waukeshas diversion would have, and about the opportunities he said the City of Waukesha still has to treat its radium-contaminated water.
But Waukesha officials say that is not the case. They say that for Waukesha, the issue is one of survival. The city has municipal wells that draw radium-contaminated water from a sandstone aquifer and it is under court orders to provide water with safe levels of radium. Something needs to be done.
Its good that officials are continuing to study this important issue, but evidence so far has shown that the Root River is the best way to return the water. We continue to support that option.
The Washington Post identified many events since Election Day in which outside groups paid to rent space at Mar-a-Lago. Hedge-fund investors noshed by the pool. Zoo animals prowled for donors. Navy SEALs dropped from a helicopter near the lakefront cocktail bar and stormed a lawn full of socialites. In at least 10 of those cases, the events turned out to be a little bigger, and to raise a little more money, than in past years, according to interviews with event organizers. That often meant that they paid Trumps club a little more money. Here are some of those events.
Gateway for Cancer Research President Trump arrives at Mar-a-Lago Club during the Gateway for Cancer Research St. Patrick's Day Party on March 17, 2017. Meghan Mccarthy/Palm Beach Daily News via ZUMA Press/Alamy
The Trump administration has removed or tucked away a wide variety of information that until recently was provided to the public, limiting access, for instance, to disclosures about workplace violations, energy efficiency and animal-welfare abuses.
Some of the information relates to enforcement actions taken by federal agencies against companies and other employers. By lessening access, the administration is sheltering them from the kind of naming and shaming that federal officials previously used to influence company behavior, according to digital experts, activists and former Obama administration officials.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration, for instance, has dramatically scaled back on publicizing its fines against firms. And the Agriculture Department has taken offline animal-welfare enforcement records, including abuses in dog breeding operations and horse farms that alter the gait of horses through the controversial practice of soring the animals legs.
In other cases, the administration appears to be dimming the prior spotlight on the background and conduct of top officials. The administration no longer publishes online the ethics waivers granted to appointees who would otherwise be barred from joining the government because of recent lobbying activities. Nor is the White House releasing logs of its visitors, making it difficult for the public to keep track of who is stopping by to see President Trumps inner circle.
The administration has also removed websites and other material supporting Obama-era policies that the White House no longer embraces. Gone, for instance, is a White House Web page that directed prospective donors to private groups that aid refugees fleeing Syria and other embattled nations.
Officials also removed websites run by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Interior Department that provided scientific information about climate change, eliminating access, for instance, to documents evaluating the danger that the desert ecology in the Southwest could face from future warming. (On Friday, protesting against the disappearance of the EPA website, Chicago officials posted the site online as it existed under the Obama administration.)
Within a week of Trumps inauguration, the White House retired the two-year-old Federal Supplier Greenhouse Gas Management Scorecard, which ranks firms with major federal contracts on their energy efficiency and policies to curb carbon output.
The President has made a commitment that his Administration will absolutely follow the law and disclose any information it is required to disclose, White House spokeswoman Kelly Love said in an email Sunday.
The White House takes its ethics and conflict of interest rules seriously, Love added, and requires all employees to work closely with ethics counsel to ensure compliance. Per the Presidents Executive Order, violators will be held accountable by the Department of Justice.
But Norman Eisen, who served as President Barack Obamas special counsel for ethics and government reform, said the changes have undermined the publics ability to hold the federal government accountable.
The Trump administration seems determined to utilize a larger version of Harry Potters cloak of invisibility to cover the entire administration, said Eisen, now a fellow with the Brookings Institutions governance studies program.
Across the vast breadth of the government, agencies have traditionally provided the public with massive data sets, which can be of great value to companies, researchers and advocacy groups, among others. Three months ago, there were 195,245 public data sets available on data.gov, according to Nathan Cortez, the associate dean of research at Southern Methodist Universitys Dedman School of Law, who studies the handling of public data. This week, it stood at just under 156,000.
Data experts say the decrease, at least in part, may reflect the consolidation of data sets or the culling of outdated ones, rather than a strategic move to keep information from the public. But the reduction was clearly a conscious decision.
[EPA shelves climate website the government has maintained for 20 years]
Cortez said the Obama administration increased the amount of government data offered to the public, although the information was at times incomplete or inaccurate and sometimes used as a regulatory cudgel. Under Trump, the government is taking transparency in the opposite direction.
In some cases, federal Web pages are being routinely maintained. In other cases, information that was once easily accessible to the public has moved to locations that are harder to find, access and interpret. Yet other data has entirely vanished.
The Education Department, for instance, continues to update weekly how many universities and colleges are being investigated for how they handle claims of sexual assault and harassment under Title IX, the federal statute that prohibits gender discrimination.
Under Obama, OSHA regularly sent out news releases to publicize the fines levied against companies, aiming to discourage others from engaging in similar behavior. President George W. Bushs administration had a similar policy, issuing dozens of news releases each month.
Business groups have criticized the practice as scapegoating.
The issue of shaming through news releases has been a real issue with my members, said Randy Johnson, senior vice president for labor, immigration and employee benefits at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, in an interview, adding, Its about trying to drive customers away, so that will put pressure on companies to settle with the Labor Department rather than fight the alleged violations in court.
Since Trump took office, OSHA has issued more than 200 citations of $40,000 or more, said the agencys former deputy assistant secretary Jordan Barab. That was the threshold for issuing a news release under Obama.
But OSHA has issued only two stand-alone news releases on fines of at least $40,000, along with one on a judicial ruling. The releases include an incident in which two men died in a collapsed trench in Boston and one in which the agency found that the company did not provide safety training or proper safeguards when a worker in an auto insulation manufacturer in suburban Toledo had his right hand amputated by a machine.
A record of OSHAs enforcement actions is still available online, but accessing it requires navigating the Labor Departments extensive website to access raw data that largely lacks context and can be opaque.
Howard Mavity, a labor and employment lawyer at Fisher & Phillips who represents management, said in an interview that Obama officials practice of regulation by shame . . . angered some employers, as well as me. But putting a near-total stop to the news releases, he said, was too far the other way.
Those news releases served a valuable role, to constantly alert and catch employers attention, Mavity said.
Other documents are simply absent. Just days after taking office, Trump instituted a policy under which appointees are barred from working on any issue on which they have lobbied in the past two years, but the government can still waive this restriction. The administration has not made public which waivers, if any, it has granted.
The waivers detail contacts that could have precluded the person from serving and in some cases outline what contacts that person can have with former clients.
Michael Catanzaro represented clients including American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers and Devon Energy as a partner at the CGCN Group before becoming special assistant to the president for domestic energy and environmental policy in February. Since joining the White House, Catanzaro has played a key role in drafting executive orders that could affect his former clients, including orders on climate and offshore drilling. The administration has not explained what steps, if any, he took to avoid a conflict of interest with those clients.
Catanzaro declined to comment.
[Want to give a story tip to The Posts agencys reporters? Heres how.]
Robert Glicksman, a George Washington University environmental law professor, was making the final edits on a law review article when he noticed that a government website he was relying on had vanished. Gone was the ecological assessment issued by the Bureau of Land Management for the Chihuahuan Desert, while another one was archived and a third was moved to an entirely different site.
Its one of the most important tools for BLM in understanding the current and likely impact of climate change on the public lands, Glicksman said, adding that each document ran hundreds of pages and included technical and scientific information. All that research is essentially off the boards, for now.
The BLM did not respond to a request for comment.
In some cases, experts say, shelving disclosure requirements can hamper innovation in the private sector. Two years ago, the White House launched the greenhouse gas scorecard for federal contractors, listing whether they had disclosed their carbon output, have a goal to cut it and could face business risks from climate change. The site was archived within a week of Trump taking office.
Jason Pearson, executive director of the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council, said that action removed a powerful incentive for private companies to improve their environmental practices.
That transparency about positive action can be one of the most important motivators for the broader community to take action, he said.
Emma Brown contributed to this report.
First-time politician Emmanuel Macron was inaugurated Sunday as Frances president, facing the difficult task of transforming electoral success into political strength in a society beset by unemployment and divided by anger.
The solemn ceremony in the gilded halls of the Elysee Palace capped Macrons rise from political obscurity just a year ago, when he was the economy minister starting a long-shot centrist bid against the parties that had run the nation for decades. Now the 39-year-old is Frances youngest leader since Napoleon.
Macron won after a bitter campaign against a strong far-right opponent, Marine Le Pen, who delivered the best-ever result for the countrys far-right party after her furious denunciations of immigration and open borders.
He is an outlier in this era of crusading populist politicians: a head of state who unapologetically embraces the borderless European Union and the economic opportunities and disruptions of globalization. The stakes are high in his effort to deliver on his promises. If he fails to budge Frances stubbornly high joblessness, the far-right National Front may roar back stronger than ever in 2022 elections, a step that could bring the entire European Union tumbling down.
On Sunday, Macron sought to inject fresh optimism into a French public so disillusioned with the political establishment that in the first round of the presidential elections nearly half of its voters opted for candidates who wanted to blow up the nations political order. Macrons predecessor, Socialist President Francois Hollande, broke records for unpopularity after a five-year term filled with political failure.
The world and Europe need France more than ever, Macron said in a brief speech to a packed Elysee ballroom filled with the countrys political elite, his supporters and his family. The address came after he walked down the red carpet at the entrance to the palace to be received by Hollande, who launched Macrons career by appointing the ex-investment banker as an economic adviser, then elevating him to the economy ministry. The two huddled privately for an hour, and then Hollande departed the presidential palace for the last time in a modest Citroen sedan.
The power of France is not declining, Macron said. We hold in our hands all the strengths of a power of the 21st century.
Acknowledging the fears of the one-third of French voters who opted for his opponent, he said that the French men and women who feel forgotten by this vast movement of the world have to be better protected.
A president who has said he is neither of the right, nor of the left pledged to give back the French their self-confidence.
After the ceremony, he took part in a slow procession down the Champs-Elysees, walking and riding in a military vehicle until he reached the Arc de Triomphe and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at its base. The warm spring day in Paris was punctuated by showers, prompting one observer to joke on Twitter that it was a very Macronian inauguration: its raining AND AT THE SAME TIME its lovely.
Macron has vowed to overhaul Frances slow-growing economy by implementing business-friendly reforms while also strengthening the countrys social safety net. He has pledged to push for increased integration of countries that use the euro currency, a step that would mean rich nations such as Germany would have to pay more to support poorer ones such as Greece.
But his power to deliver change will be determined by a breakneck legislative campaign over the next four weeks. June elections will determine whether he can sweep in a majority for his new political party, Republic on the Move, which is too new to hold any seats and has nominated hundreds of people to run, half of them newcomers to political life.
If Macron fails, he will be forced to share power with his political opponents, an arrangement that could force him to build a piece-by-piece majority for his reforms and sap much of his political energies.
Macron on Monday will visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin, a traditional first trip to Frances most important partner that will be a test of his ability to jump-start the relationship that has driven Europe since the end of World War II. Macron already has a warm relationship with Merkel after two Berlin visits this year, but she has pushed back on some of Macrons most ambitious plans for Europe.
A first sign of Macrons political strategy will also come Monday, when he is to announce his pick for prime minister. Macron will seek to reassure voters on the left and the right that he is not moving too far away from them all while emphasizing his newcomer bona fides.
Two candidates frequently mentioned in the French news media are International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde a onetime finance minister who has never held elected office and the center-right mayor of the port city of Le Havre, Edouard Philippe.
If we dont want France to fall, he needs help, Philippe said in an interview last month before Macrons May 7 runoff victory. The risk of Marine Le Pen getting elected five years from now, if Macron fails, is strong.
Birnbaum reported from Brussels.
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Hugh Thomas, a historian who wrote sweeping accounts of rebellion, conquest and struggle, particularly about parts of the world touched by the Spanish empire, and who was an adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during the Falklands War, died May 6 in London. He was 85.
His death was first reported in British news accounts. His family said he had a stroke.
Mr. Thomas wrote two novels before gaining acclaim as a historian in 1961 with The Spanish Civil War. Memories were still fresh about the war, which lasted from 1936 to 1939, and Mr. Thomass narrative flair and political analysis gave his book the quality of a modern-day epic.
The Spanish Civil War exceeded in ferocity most wars between nations, Mr. Thomas wrote. It was, for the Western World at least, a most passionate war.
In popular memory, the war seemed to be a dramatic enactment of a clear moral choice between a Marxist-inspired democratic left and the military might of a repressive fascist-aligned regime. Mr. Thomas realized that perception was, at best, incomplete.
The Spanish War, he wrote, appeared as a just war, as civil wars do to intellectuals, since they lack the apparent vulgarity of national conflicts. . . . It looked, at least at first, when all the parties of the Left seemed to be cooperating, as the great moment of hope for an entire generation.
In the end, the left-leaning groups were defeated by the nationalist forces of Gen. Francisco Franco, who went on to rule Spain as an autocrat for almost 40 years. Mr. Thomass book portrayed the vast complexity of the Spanish Civil War, with its background of feudalism and religious fervor, but it was also seen as the chronicle of a noble but failed cause.
For that reason, his book was banned under Francos regime. Copies were smuggled across the border, and Spaniards caught in possession of the book sometimes went to prison. It wasnt until after Francos death in 1975 that Mr. Thomass history of the civil war could be freely distributed in Spain.
The Spanish Civil War was the first of more than a dozen large-scale historical studies by Mr. Thomas, including books on European history and the origins of the Cold War.
His 1997 book The Slave Trade was the most comprehensive account of the Atlantic slave trade ever written, UCLA scholar Robert B. Edgerton wrote in the National Review.
Mr. Thomas was best known for a series of books about the Spanish-speaking world, including a monumental, 1,700-page history of Cuba, published in 1971. (When Mr. Thomas turned to A History of the World in 1979, he covered the subject in a mere 700 pages.)
In the 1990s, he published a book on the Spanish conquest of Mexico, followed by his ambitious Spanish Empire trilogy, the final volume of which, World Without End, appeared in Britain in 2014 and in the United States a year later. His overtly popular style of writing, filled with vivid characters and action, led to sales in the millions.
He was 72 when his 700-page Rivers of Gold: The Rise of the Spanish Empire, From Columbus to Magellan, was published.
A book the size of Rivers of Gold would be an astonishing work by any author, historian Paul Kennedy wrote in the New York Times in 2004, yet its publication simply affirms Hugh Thomass record as one of the most productive and wide-ranging historians of modern times.
Hugh Thomas was born Oct. 21, 1931, in Windsor, England, outside London. His father was a colonial administrator in Africa.
Mr. Thomas was a 1952 graduate of the University of Cambridge and worked in the British Foreign Office before deciding to become in independent writer in 1957. He taught at Britains University of Reading from 1966 to 1976.
In the 1950s, Mr. Thomas ran unsuccessfully as a Labour Party candidate for Parliament. In the ensuing years, his political inclinations grew progressively more conservative. (His history of Cuba was sometimes criticized for being too harsh on the communist economic policies of Fidel Castro.)
By the late 1970s, Mr. Thomas had drifted toward the Conservative Party, whose leader, Thatcher, was elected British prime minister in 1979. Because of his expertise on the history of the Spanish-speaking world, Mr. Thomas was a close adviser to Thatcher during the 1982 British war with Argentina in the Falkland Islands.
She named him to a peerage in 1981, and he served in the House of Lords as Baron Thomas of Swynnerton.
Beginning in 1979, Mr. Thomas led the Center for Policy Studies, a conservative London think tank. His strong support of British participation in the European Union was often at odds with prevailing conservative orthodoxy and ultimately led to his resignation from the center in 1991.
Survivors include his wife of 55 years, the former Vanessa Jebb, and three children.
On the whole, Mr. Thomas said the Spanish conquest of the New World was inspired by a desire for some kind of glory, to cut some kind of dash in the world.
Yet the Spanish also had a sense of self-reflection that was not demonstrated by any other colonial power. In no other imperial history, Mr. Thomas told NPR in 2011, the British or the Roman or the French or the Chinese, do we see such a discussion of this nature.
The Spanish may have been brutal and sometimes contradictory, sometimes foolish, Mr. Thomas said, yet they also questioned whether they had any right to be in the New World.
A TV news program playing at the Seoul Railway Station shows an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on May 14. North Korea on Sunday test-launched a ballistic missile that landed in the Sea of Japan, the South Korean, Japanese and U.S. militaries said. (Ahn Young-Joon/Associated Press)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un celebrated a test of the perfect weapon system after his engineers launched what they said was a new kind of intermediate-range ballistic missile system capable of carrying a large-size heavy nuclear warhead.
The missile, launched Sunday morning, appeared to show substantial progress toward developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the U.S. mainland, U.S. rocket scientists said.
North Koreas latest successful missile test represents a level of performance never before seen from a North Korean missile, said John Schilling, an aerospace engineer who specializes in rockets. This means North Korea might be only one year, rather than the expected five, from having an ICBM, he said.
The latest launch was widely condemned, with the White House calling North Korea a flagrant menace and urging allies to impose stronger sanctions. South Korea and Japan also condemned the launch.
Releasing the first photos of the launch something Pyongyang does with missiles it deems successful North Koreas state media said that it was a new ground-to-ground medium long-range strategic ballistic rocket that it called Hwasong-12.
It used a reentry vehicle capable of delivering a warhead to a target, the Korean Central News Agency reported.
If the U.S. dares opt for a military provocation against the DPRK, we are ready to counter it, the agency said, using the abbreviation for North Koreas official name.
[ North Korea launches a ballistic missile that flies about 435 miles ]
If the U.S. awkwardly attempts to provoke the DPRK, it will not escape from the biggest disaster in the history, the agency quoted Kim as saying. The U.S. should not . . . disregard or misjudge the reality that its mainland and Pacific operation region are in the DPRKs sighting range for strike and that it has all powerful means for retaliatory strike.
Although North Korea is known for its florid rhetoric, experts are concerned that it is making substantial progress toward Kims stated goal of developing an intercontinental ballistic missile.
North Korea fired a ballistic missile early Sunday, sending it from a launch site near its border with China 435 miles into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
Analysts think the Hwasong-12 could be the mystery missile displayed in a huge military parade in Pyongyang last month, which appeared to be a smaller version of its KN-08 ICBM.
The missile flew for 30 minutes, much longer than other recent missile launches, meaning that it went straight up rather than trying to fly as far as possible a path that would have sent it over Japan.
This was a single-stage liquid rocket, but it was still using high-energy fuel, so it probably had a really great range, said Melissa Hanham of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation in California, after poring over the North Korean photos. This is the longest-range intermediate range ballistic missile they have shown us, and it could be part of an ICBM, she said.
David Wright, co-director of the global security program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said the missile appeared to have reached an apogee of about 1,240 miles.
If it had been launched on a standard trajectory, it would have a technical range of 2,800 miles, he said. That would easily put the U.S. territory of Guam within range.
This clearly tells us they have several different development programs going on, Wright said.
[ On first day in office, South Korean president talks about going to North ]
Schilling, the aerospace engineer, said the latest launch demonstrated only what might be able to reliably strike the U.S. military base on Guam.
But more importantly, [it] may represent a substantial advance to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile, Schilling wrote in a post for 38 North, a specialist website devoted to North Korea.
This could be a hedge against U.S. military action against it, he said.
The Trump administration has repeatedly said that all options are on the table to stop North Korea from advancing its nuclear weapons and missile programs. The president has signaled that this includes military action.
Tensions had cooled down somewhat since the heated words of April, when the United States and South Korea were conducting joint military exercises and an aircraft carrier strike group was ordered back to the peninsula.
In mid-April, North Korea put on a huge military parade, displaying several new kinds of missile models. It also conducted two missile launches, although neither was successful.
Read more
North Korea fires another ballistic missile, the 75th of Kim Jong Uns tenure
U.S. starts swiftly installing controversial antimissile battery in South Korea
North Korea puts out new video showing the White House in crosshairs
Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Using social-media sources, Kinda Haddad researches civilian casualties resulting from U.S. coalition and Russian airstrikes in Syria from her home outside London. (Shannon Jensen Wedgwood/For The Washington Post)
One recent morning in the countryside beyond London, Kinda Haddad dropped her two children off at school, came home and began scanning her computer for the days first reports of Syrian civilians killed by American bombs.
Outside her living room window, a willow tree was swaying in the breeze. Inside, Haddad was staring at a computer screen full of ghostly images of dead children, dusty and bloodied corpses, and pile after pile of rubble. She kept the volume low.
I try not to listen because it makes the images more disturbing, she said.
This is her second year of doing this, an almost daily routine since Haddad, 45, became one of the first analysts for Airwars, an eight-person nonprofit group started with a simple question: Exactly how many civilians were being killed in the American-led air campaigns in Iraq and Syria?
Was it even possible to know?
The usual sources of such information reporters, the United Nations and human rights groups that traditionally monitor civilian deaths have been largely absent from the battlefields, especially after a series of kidnappings and beheadings of journalists and aid workers in Syria.
And so Airwars which is to say Haddad in her living room and seven others in London, Jordan, Turkey and Baghdad began quite literally piecing together the answer a painstaking process that involves sifting through tens of thousands of shakily filmed videos, photos, Facebook postings, U.S. military accounts and other fragments of information from a war that often feels remote to everyone except the Syrians and Iraqis trying desperately to document their own destruction.
Haddad focused on Syria.
(Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)
She at first doubted there would be enough information to even begin her work. But she soon realized the problem was the opposite: There isnt too little information. It is almost too much.
The result so far: In more than 1,000 days of bombing, Airwars estimates that the United States and its allies have killed at least 3,200 civilians more than nine times the 352 deaths acknowledged by the U.S. military, which has nonetheless come to see Airwars as a partner, even as it often disputes the groups numbers.
We kind of consider them part of the team, said Navy Lt. Michael Grimes, who leads the militarys two-person unit charged with doing an initial assessment of civilian casualty allegations in Iraq and Syria. A lot of the allegations we get can be very vague. It makes the job extremely difficult when we dont have specific information.
Haddad tries to get to the specifics. At the moment, they were all over her computer screen.
Using social-media sources, Kinda Haddad of Airwars researches civilian casualties resulting from U.S. coalition and Russian airstrikes in Syria from her home outside London. (Shannon Jensen Wedgwood/For The Washington Post)
I just open a few sources at a time, she said, clicking open Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, Voice of the East, the Raqqa Truth and the Euphrates Post sites that secretly report from Islamic State territory.
Many had started as Facebook pages or Twitter accounts focused on documenting the brutal excesses of Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government or the bloody deprivations of the Islamic State. As the fighting ground on and the combatants multiplied, the missions of such sources broadened to relaying all of the chaos and suffering that afflicted Syria.
Haddad skimmed reports of regime raids in Damascus, medicine shortages in Daraa and the destruction of an Islamic State tank in Raqqa by U.S. forces. Soon she found her first account of possible civilian casualties. According to the Euphrates Post, U.S. planes had struck a field hospital in Tabaqa, about 30 miles from Raqqa, killing a doctor and wounding a nurse and several patients.
That brief account led her to others. Smart News Agency, a news source with an editor in Germany and correspondents in Raqqa, was reporting that the attack on the field hospital had taken place in the citys second district and had killed a doctor and several patients. An official U.S. military report for the same day said it had struck three targets in Tabaqa, which had been the site of fighting between the Islamic State and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces.
Haddad translated the Arabic posts into English and pasted them into a shared document that she and her colleagues could add to and analyze over the course of the day.
Some allegations, such as the Tabaqa strike, yield scarce details, while others result in massive entries that take days to assemble and include names of the dead, photos and videos. In more than two years of work, Haddad and the other Airwars researchers have collected the names of more than 1,300 victims in Iraq and Syria.
These are not the anonymous victims of past wars, said Chris Woods, an investigative journalist who founded Airwars in fall 2014.
The biggest challenge for the Airwars analysts has been determining with certainty whether the United States or some other combatant dropped the bomb in a given incident.
In March, Airwars analysts, overwhelmed by the accelerating pace of the war in Iraq and Syria, temporarily stopped doing detailed assessments of Russian airstrikes. The group doesnt track Syrian government attacks. Nor does it track artillery barrages, which sometimes can be mistaken for aerial strikes.
Airwars estimated that the United States and its allies killed more than 320 civilians in Syria in March almost seven times the death toll compiled for February. To Woods, the spike demonstrated that the Trump administration had loosened protections that had shielded civilians.
When we are getting these huge numbers of reports saying civilians are dying, we should be listening, he said.
Haddad focused on the gritty specifics. Two days earlier, Haddad and Abdulwahab Tahhan, Airwars other Syria researcher, had spent a full day documenting the aftermath of a series of airstrikes in Bukamal, a village in eastern Syria.
Haddad dipped back into the now 30-page report and noticed that her colleague had added a video from the scene that she had somehow missed in her initial search. I was probably being blind, she messaged him by way of apology and then clicked on the video, which opened in darkness with flashlight beams dancing over rubble. She eased up the volume on her computer.
God help us, a man screamed as rescue workers swirled around him.
Move! Move! Move! other voices yelled.
The shaky cellphone footage cut suddenly to a makeshift morgue where hands in surgical gloves were cradling the faces of dead children who had been pulled from the rubble.
The problem with a war like this one is that people just report the numbers, she said. At first three deaths is shocking, and then 20 she said, trailing off.
Using social media sources, Kinda Haddad researches civilian casualties resulting from U.S. coalition and Russian airstrikes in Syria from her home outside London on behalf of Airwars. (Shannon Jensen Wedgwood/For The Washington Post)
Sharing with the military
It was soon after she started with Airwars that Haddad, alone in her house, decided that the images on her screen were easier to take if she kept the volume low, shutting out the screams.
She had clicked on a video from Ber Mahli in northern Syria, which had been the site of a sustained American aerial assault in spring 2015. The scene opened on a pickup truck filled with mangled childrens bodies. An older man, heartbroken and full of fury, picked up the body of a headless child and thrust it toward the sky where the American planes had been.
Is this Islamic State? Is this Islamic State? he bellowed.
Such graphic images often disappeared from YouTube or Facebook, so it fell to Haddad and her colleagues to archive them. Back then, she imagined that the United Nations, the media or human rights groups would be interested in the information.
Lately, though, one of the most eager consumers of Airwars work has been the U.S. military. Last fall, Airwars officials offered to share all of the data it had amassed on civilian casualty allegations. We had this huge public database, and they werent using it, Woods said of the Pentagon. It was kind of laid out on a platter for them.
Since then, the U.S. military has reviewed nearly 350 Airwars allegations dating to November and determined that close to 80 of them require a fuller assessment. In the other instances, military officials said they could not find records of potentially corroborating strikes in the area at the time of the allegation.
Now Airwars sends the military more allegations to review each month. Military officials, in some instances, have given Airwars precise bomb geo-coordinates to ensure they arent double-counting attacks.
I guess it is unusual, but I dont think it is odd, Col. Joe Scrocca, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad, said of the partnership. We admit that there is probably evidence in these cases that we dont have. Were not able to interview every single victim out there or their families. We dont have people on the ground for that.
Despite the cooperation, the relationship remains tense. Even as military officials concede that their civilian casualty figures are probably low, they insist that the Airwars estimates are too high and sometimes built on unreliable evidence. Airwars doesnt have access to classified surveillance video and U.S. military strike logs that are critical to determining the credibility of an allegation. They are taking allegations at face value, Scrocca said.
Airwars workers, such as Haddad, counter that the military is too quick to dismiss on-the-scene evidence from Iraqis and Syrians that contradicts their grainy surveillance video.
They only trust what their cameras show, she said, and quite frankly, thats insane.
A Syria left behind
Hanging over Haddads desk is an image from another Syria. In the 1970s-era black-and-white photo, Haddad and her sister sit between her Syrian father and her Armenian-Dutch mother.
My mom wanted us to move before we grew up, married and stayed there, Haddad said of the country where she spent her childhood and teenage years. She didnt want us living in a dictatorship. She asked The Washington Post not to identify the English village where she lives for security reasons.
Haddad last visited Syria in 2011 to see her father, who had retired and moved home after many years abroad. Only a few days into their vacation, the uprising against the Assad regime began in their home town of Latakia. You couldnt leave the house, she said. The kids were small, so I thought, whats the point? She left three days into the trip.
Several months later, her father died. Haddads husband urged her not to make the dangerous trip back for the funeral, and she reluctantly agreed. Its a decision she now regrets.
I should have just put my foot down and gone, she said.
Since then, she has experienced Syria almost entirely through the often-confusing fragments she sees online.
Two years ago, she was researching the death of a man in his 20s who was reported killed in a U.S. airstrike near Idlib. It was a small incident just one civilian death in a war that seemed to be growing more cruel with each passing day. Haddad plugged his name into a few online search engines and discovered a video from February 2013 of the man, clad in a gray sweatshirt that said New York, singing resistance songs. Muslims and Christians, they are all cursing Bashar, he sang in the short cellphone video that received only 163 views. We wont give up on our revolution until the butcher is condemned to death.
In a video made 18 months later, the man has a full beard and is singing a plaintive ballad in praise of Islamic State martyrs. Haddad wondered how she should classify him: Was he a civilian or a combatant? A victim or a terrorist?
Now she sees him as something of an omen. The videos show how the revolution began and where it has gone, she said. It shows where Syria has gone.
Haddad spent the last part of her day, before her children returned from school, searching online for Amaq, the Islamic State affiliated news agency. Much of the site is devoted to Islamic State propaganda, but it can also be an important source of information, photos and video on civilian casualties in places, such as Raqqa, where the Islamic States brutal clampdown has made it exceedingly dangerous for Syrians to communicate with the outside world.
Amazingly, they dont exaggerate civilian casualties, she said. In fact, you get some higher numbers elsewhere. Maybe they dont want people to think theyre losing? Maybe they want to project strength?
Lately, though, Amaq has been hard for her to find. Anti-Islamic State activists will break the sites links, taking it off the Internet for several days before it emerges under a new Web address.
Haddads search for the site led her to a group focused on keeping it offline. If you find an #ISIS site let us know and we will SMASH it!!! the group boasted on Twitter.
Oh, this is annoying, she complained. I need to tell whoever is pulling it down that it is quite useful.
She was still looking for Amaq 30 minutes later when her children came home from school and flipped on cartoons in the next room.
Did you feed the cat? her daughter asked. Haddad told her to open some canned food and returned to her computer.
I often think thats it. I cant do it anymore, she said of her job with Airwars. Then it gets busy and I think that I cant stop.
She glanced at the clock on her computer screen and realized it was time for her daughters ballet lesson.
Coats, coats, she called out as she herded her children toward the door. A few minutes later they were buckled into the family station wagon, hurtling through the English countryside.
Read more:
Trump and his America First philosophy face first moral quandary in Syria
To understand how the U.S. approaches airstrikes in Mosul, look to Russias war in Chechnya
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday during the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
Russia has yet to collect much of what it hoped for from the Trump administration, including the lifting of U.S. sanctions and recognition of its annexation of Crimea.
But the Kremlin has collected a different return on its effort to help elect Trump in last years election: chaos in Washington.
The presidents decision to fire FBI Director James B. Comey last week was the latest destabilizing jolt to a core institution of the U.S. government. The nations top law enforcement agency joined a list of entities that Trump has targeted, including federal judges, U.S. spy services, news organizations and military alliances.
The instability, although driven by Trump, has in some ways extended and amplified the effect Russia sought to achieve with its unprecedented campaign to undermine the 2016 presidential race.
In a declassified report released this year, U.S. spy agencies described destabilization as one of Russian President Vladimir Putins objectives.
(Jason Aldag,Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)
The Kremlin sought to advance its longstanding desire to undermine the U.S.-led liberal democratic order, it said.
[Read the report on Russian interference]
Russias active measures campaign ended with the election last year. But Comeys firing on Tuesday triggered a new wave of Russia-related turbulence.
His removal was perceived as a blow to the independence of the bureaus ongoing investigation of possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia. Current and former U.S. officials said that even if that probe remains on track, Comeys ouster serves broader Russian interests.
They feel pretty good overall because thats a further sign that our political system is in a real crisis, said Eugene Rumer, a former State Department official who served as the top intelligence officer on Russia issues from 2010 to 2014. The firing of Comey only aggravates this crisis. Its now certain to be more protracted and more painful, and thats okay with them.
James R. Clapper Jr., the former director of national intelligence, offered a similar assessment in Senate testimony last week, even before Comey was dismissed, saying that Moscow must look on the election and its aftermath with a great deal of satisfaction.
The Russians have to be celebrating the success of . . . what they set out do with rather minimal resource expenditure, Clapper said. The first objective was to sow discord and dissension, which they certainly did.
Clapper went further in interviews on Sunday, saying that U.S. institutions are under assault from Trump and that Russia must see the firing of Comey as another victory on the scoreboard for them.
Even Trump alluded to Russias presumed glee at the post-Comey turmoil, although he blamed Democrats. Russia must be laughing up their sleeves watching as the U.S. tears itself apart over a Democrat EXCUSE for losing the election, Trump said in Twitter post on Thursday.
If Russias most specific priorities have proved elusive, it may be partly because Moscow overachieved in its effort to cultivate ties to Trump.
Former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who shared many of Trumps pro-Russia positions, was forced to resign in February after it was revealed that he had misled other White House officials about his post-election conversations with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States.
In a late December phone call that was intercepted by U.S. intelligence, Flynn assured Kislyak that Trump planned to revisit the sanctions issue shortly after taking office. Trump has so far not followed through on that front, largely because the Flynn controversy and multiple Russia probes have made it politically unfeasible.
[Flynn was warned by Trump transition officials about contacts with Russian ambassador]
Trumps policies toward Russia have also taken a harder line in part because of the rising influence of senior members of his administration, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and CIA Director Mike Pompeo, who are critics of Moscow.
Even so, Trump himself continues to send pro-Russia signals, sometimes at the expense of agencies that report to him. Trump recently signaled, again, that he remains unconvinced that Russia was behind the hack of the 2016 election and release of tens of thousands of emails that damaged Hillary Clintons campaign. His position is a rejection of the consensus view of U.S. intelligence agencies.
Trump has provided a steady stream of material for Russian propaganda platforms.
One day after firing Comey, Trump welcomed Russias foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, to the White House. U.S. news agencies were barred from attending, but a photographer for Russias state-run Tass news agency was granted access to the Oval Office.
Photos released later in the day showed Trump warmly welcoming his guests, including a shot that showed Trump smiling and shaking hands with Kislyak, the ambassador embroiled in the controversy with Flynn.
[Presence of Russian photographer in Oval Office raises alarms]
Russian officials have denied the country meddled in the U.S. election. In brief public appearances last week, Lavrov joked about Comeys dismissal Was he fired? Youre kidding! and mocked claims of Moscow interference.
We are monitoring what is going on here concerning Russia and its alleged decisive role in your domestic policy, Lavrov said in a quote reported by Tass.
Trumps defenders acknowledge that he seeks improved relations with Moscow but insist that his goals are designed entirely to advance U.S. interests.
They point to sharp criticism of Moscow by senior administration officials, strained diplomatic relations on key issues and Trumps decision to order a missile strike on an air base in Syria where Russian military operatives were based as part of Moscows support to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The assertion that the Trump administration has been advantageous to Moscow is laughable, said James Carafano, the vice president of foreign and defense policy at the Heritage Foundation, who served as an adviser to the Trump transition team. The president has actually stiff-armed them on a number of occasions.
But critics argue that many of Trumps foreign policy positions undercut U.S. influence overseas and, as a result, strengthen Moscow his effective endorsement of nationalist candidates including Marine Le Pen in France; his effort to impose an immigration ban on Muslim-majority countries; and his threats, since softened, to restructure NATO.
[On Russia, Trump and his top national security aides seem to be at odds]
Trump has repeatedly dismissed allegations of ties between his campaign and Russia as fake news. The White House insisted that Comeys firing was based solely on his handling of the investigation of Clintons emails.
But Trumps own later statements made clear the decision was linked to his frustration that the Russia inquiry was expanding under Comey, a director whom Trump viewed as disloyal.
Trump had telegraphed the move a day earlier on Twitter, saying: The Russia-Trump collusion story is a total hoax, when will this taxpayer funded charade end?
The implication that the FBI would perpetuate an unwarranted investigation out of political animus echoes other instances in which Trump has disparaged U.S. institutions or principles.
U.S. intelligence officials said such comments bolster the case that Putin makes against Western democracies.
It plays into the idea that we are as corrupt as anybody else, that what the United States is exporting isnt something you want, said a former senior U.S. intelligence official involved in tracking the Russian election hack and its aftermath. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the issue.
With sanctions still in place, Russia may think that the election interference didnt pan out the way they expected, the official said. But what theyre getting now is more positive than what they had under [President Barack] Obama and what they feared under Clinton. Its not pro-Russia, but its certainly not anti-Russia. Its more a kind of chaos. And that does benefit them.
Read more:
U.S. squabbles and lies keeping Trump away from a meeting, Putin says
Comeys removal sparks fears about future of Russia probe
Expectations of a new U.S.-Russia relationship were tanking even before the Syria missile strike
North Korea fired a ballistic missile early Sunday, sending it from a launch site near its border with China some 450 miles into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.
It was launched from the same site where North Korea fired two mystery missiles that some analysts thought could have been intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the mainland United States.
But the U.S. military said that the flight pattern was not consistent with an ICBM and did not threaten the United States.
Regardless, the apparent success of the launch and the steady pace of firings will only heighten tensions in the region.
Sundays launch is the first since Moon Jae-in, a liberal who is promoting engagement with North Korea, took office as South Koreas new president Wednesday. Moon immediately convened an emergency meeting of his national security council to discuss the launch.
(The Washington Post)
It also comes after repeated warnings from President Trump to North Korea to stop and China to crack down on its errant neighbor. Trump will likely urge Beijing to use its leverage over Pyongyang to punish it for this latest provocation.
In a statement late Saturday, the White House said, North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long...Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea.
The statement also noted the missiles proximity to Russia: With the missile impacting so close to Russian soil in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased.
[ North Korea fires another ballistic missile, the 75th of Kim Jong Uns tenure ]
Analysts were still working to identify the kind of missile launched Sunday morning local time.
U.S. Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, said it had detected and assessed the missile, and the flight was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile. However, it did not state what kind of missile it appeared to be.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command determined the missile launch from North Korea did not pose a threat to North America, Pacific Command spokesman Rob Shuford said in a statement.
South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said that the missile was fired shortly after 5 a.m. North Korea time, from Kusong, an area not far from the border with China.
In Tokyo, the Japanese government said that the missile flew for 30 minutes. It strongly condemned the absolutely unacceptable behavior.
These repeated missile launches by North Korea are a grave threat to our country and are in clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters.
North Korea has been testing missiles at a rapid rate over the past year, apparently working toward leader Kim Jong Uns ambition to develop an ICBM that can reach the United States.
The two most recent launches last month were deemed to have failed, as they exploded within seconds. However, Sundays missile appears to have been successful.
The site of the latest launches is raising suspicions.
North Korea launched two missiles in October last year from an air base in Kusong on North Koreas west coast, on the other side of the country from the usual intermediate-range Musudan test site near Wonsan, on the east coast.
U.S. Strategic Command said they were presumed to be Musudans, which are technically capable of flying as far as 2,400 miles, putting Guam within range and almost reaching Alaska.
But Jeffrey Lewis, director of the East Asia nonproliferation program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California, said at the time that there was an even chance that they were intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
[ U.S. starts swiftly installing controversial antimissile battery in South Korea ]
At a huge military parade that Kim presided over last month, North Korea displayed two of its newest model missiles, including the submarine-launched ballistic type it successfully fired last year and the land-based version it launched last month.
One of the missiles looked similar to the KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missile that North Korea had included in previous parades. This missile has a theoretical range of about 7,500 miles, which is enough to reach all of the United States from North Korea.
It also put two ICBM canisters, which protect solid-fueled missiles from the effects of the environment, on the trucks that had carried the ICBMs previously. One may have been a KN-14, another missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, although it has a slightly shorter range.
Although there are still plenty of technical hurdles to be overcome, many analysts believe North Korea will eventually achieve Kims stated goal of developing an ICBM that can reach the mainland United States.
Read more:
On first day in office, South Korean president talks about going to North
North Korea fires another ballistic missile, the 75th of Kim Jong Uns tenure
North Korea puts out video showing the White House in crosshairs and carriers exploding
Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
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100 Harley-Davidson Models in 10 Years: Keeping Track
Not too long ago, the folks at Harley-Davidson started making some pretty bold statements about the companys future, promising to deliver 100 new models over the next 10 years.
That is a lot of bikes. A lot. Its hard to imagine what Harleys presently 37-model line-up will look like in 2027. Wed expect to see an electric bike or two; and it seems likely the company will continue its efforts to expand its appeal in markets outside the United States most notably, Europe with bikes like the Street Rod.
Dont expect big V-twins to go anywhere, though. This is Harley, after all, and it seems certain that as long as V-twin bikes are allowed on the planet Earth, the MoCo will be making them.
To help us follow Harleys progress over the next decade, weve decided to keep track via the list below. Well be updating it every time Harley-Davidson announces a new model, so be sure to bookmark this page. Were excited to see what the future holds.
A Florida man in his 20s is facing charges after authorities say he disguised himself as a senior citizen to rob two banks.
Abraham Maghen, of Hollywood, allegedly held up two banks one week apart in South Florida this month, bagging some $50,000 in cash.
Watch: You'll Never Guess Where These Bank Robbers Used To Work
The first time, cops allege Maghen, 26, stole $10,000 from a Chase bank in Pembroke Pines, where the FBI said he was wearing an old man disguise when he pulled out a gun and demanded cash.
Agents believe he spent most of the money the following day at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, according to WSVN.
Then, this past Tuesday, the FBI says Maghen struck again when he allegedly held up a TD Bank in Boca Raton.
He allegedly told the teller: My grandson is sick. I need $40,000 now. Hurry up, hes going to die.
A tracking device led investigators to a house where Maghen was renting a room, according to the FBI.
The owner of the Hollywood home where Maghen was living told reporters her tenant had recently been fired from his job as a loan officer for being constantly late to work.
Read: Woman Robbed at Gunpoint by Man She Had Sex With After Meeting on Dating Site: Cops
Maghen recently relocated to South Florida from New York, according to the homeowner.
He is due in court next week.
Watch: Babysitter Robs Bank While Watching 2 Little Kids, Police Say
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An Ohio police chief and two nursing home employees were killed Friday after a gunman opened fire in Kirkersville. The chief was identified as Steven Eric Disario.
The incident happened at Pine Kirk Care Center, where gunman Thomas Hartless took two passers-by hostage and shot dead 36-year-old Disario. After shooting Disario, Hartless barged into the nursing home and fatally shot his 46-year-old ex-girlfriend Marlina Medrano and Cindy Krantz, 48, a nurse aide, the Columbus Dispatch reported. The hostages were unharmed and police found Hartless dead in the center.
"When the shooter got close to the nursing home, he apparently was in very small woods back there and actually took two passersby as hostage," Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said. "It was in that vicinity, very close to that, that the chief of police was in fact shot and was killed."
Twenty three residents were in the building when the shooting occurred, but were evacuated. Residents in other nearby houses were directed to remain inside until the situation was under control. Students heading to Kirkersville Elementary School, which is close to the nursing home, were diverted to Watkins Middle School, reports said. The elementary school was placed on lockdown.
Disario reported in his final communication that the suspect was in his sights. He was found unresponsive by deputies who arrived at the scene.
"It's a real hard day for all of us," Licking County Sheriff Randy Thorp said. "The deputies who pulled him to safety, if you will, are having a real hard time."
Disario was a father of six and a baby "on the way," Thorp said.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich offered his condolences to Disarios family.
"Ohio mourns the loss of Kirkersville Chief Eric Disario, who died in the line of duty. Join me in praying for his family, friends and colleagues, and for the others injured in this tragedy, Kasich said.
The suspect Hartless had a lengthy criminal history. In court documents filed a week ago, Medrano said she feared for her life, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
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I no longer feel that my support can help Tom with his issues, Medrano wrote in a May 5 petition for a civil protection order, according to the report. I am afraid to be alone with him, that he will hurt me for good.
In a December 2016 report, she told police that Hartless doesnt like police, has a handgun and threatens that if she ever filed charges on him he would make her pay for it.
Thomas has even drove her out SR 79 north past the Wooden Nickel, beat her and then showed her a hole that he dug, advising her that he would put her in it if she did not stay with him, an officer wrote in the filing. She stated that he is always threatening that he will hunt her down and kill her if they are not together.
"We had two cases with him about six or seven years back," Knox County Prosecutor Chip McConville told NBC News in a phone interview.
Knox County is located in south of Licking County.
Hartless also spent time behind the bars for domestic violence and criminal damaging/endangering charges. Prior to this, Hartless completed 15 months jail time for aggravated assault and aggravated menacing, NBC News reported. He also fulfilled a three-year stint on probation in 2014, McConville told the news outlet.
"I remember this guy. He wasn't one of our frequent fliers," McConville said. The prosecutor said the abduction case involved Hartless allegedly holding a woman against her will inside a vehicle during county fair week.
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Aric Almirola suffered a compression fracture in his back in a scary crash at Kansas.
Almirola was involved in a three-car accident on lap 200 of Saturday nights Cup Series race. He slammed into the crashing cars of Joey Logano and Danica Patrick so violently that the rear wheels of his car were lifted off the ground.
Safety workers had to peel the top off Almirolas car to remove him from the vehicle and he was transported to a local hospital.
The team said Sunday morning that Almirola had been released from a local hospital and was diagnosed with a compression fracture to his T5 vertebra.
He is scheduled to fly home to North Carolina on Sunday and will visit with doctors there. No timeline on a potential absence from the cockpit was given.
Almirola came into Kansas on the heels of a fourth-place finish at Talladega, though his car failed inspection after the race. His team was penalized 35 points and crew chief Drew Blickensderfer was suspended three races.
Nick Bromberg is the editor of Dr. Saturday and From the Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Today in 5 Lines
President Trump suggested on Twitter that there might be tapes of his private conversations with former FBI Director James Comey. When asked about the tweet, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer repeatedly refused to answer whether or not the president is recording conversations in the Oval Office. Senator Mark Warner, the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Comey declined an invitation to testify before the panel in a closed session on Tuesday. The White House released a letter from the presidents lawyers that said Trumps tax returns do not reflect any income of any type from Russian sources, with a few exceptions. In a major shift away from Obama-era policies on low-level drug offenses, Attorney General Jeff Sessions directed federal prosecutors to charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense against defendants.
Recommended: Five Reasons Why the Comey Affair Is Worse Than Watergate
Today on The Atlantic
Not Looking Good: James Fallows, who covered the fall of Richard Nixon 45 years ago, offers five reasons why President Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey is worse than Watergate.
Update on the Cyber: Ransomware attacks, like the one that happened Friday, have become a kind of lucrative cottage industry, Adrienne LaFrance reports. In recent years, the rate of similar attacks has increased by more than 500 percent.
Self-Incriminating?: While President Trumps recent comments about firing Comey dont prove he was attempting to thwart an FBI investigation, they do expose clear White House obfuscations, offer circumstantial evidence for interference, and open up Trump to a possible obstruction of justice investigation. (Conor Friedersdorf)
Follow stories throughout the day with our Politics & Policy portal.
Snapshot
First Lady Melania Trump listens to a performance by United States Army Chorus during a "celebration of military mothers" event at the White House. Yuri Gripas / Reuters
Recommended: Two Dead Canaries in the Coal Mine
What Were Reading
The Short List: President Trump is looking for a new FBI director to replace James Comey. Here are the candidates he is reportedly considering to fill the post. (Maggie Haberman and Jeremy W. Peters, The New York Times)
Story continues
No Special Counsel, Please: The United States needs to get to the bottom of Donald Trumps potential ties to Russia, Jonathan S. Tobin writes, but Americas history should prove that hiring a special prosecutor is the wrong way to go. (National Review)
A Different Kind of Democrat: In order to win back their majority in Congress, Democrats have to win over voters in Trump territory. To do that, strategists say the party should be studying Illinois Representative Cheri Bustos. (Michael Kruse, Politico)
Not the Whole Story: Donald Trump continues to use a 2014 research paper as the foundation for his claim that voter fraud is rampant in the United States. But Trump gets the data wrong, Maggie Koerth-Baker points out, and leaves out important context behind the study. (FiveThirtyEight)
Dying in Childbirth: The death of Lauren Bloomstein, a neonatal nurse, highlights a shocking trend in the U.S. health system: As infant mortality numbers have dropped to historic lows, the maternal death rate is increasingand is higher than in any other developed country. (ProPublica and NPR)
Visualized
Confused?: If youre having trouble following the Trump-Comey saga, this timeline could help clear a few things up. (Eric Levenson, CNN)
Recommended: Trump Wants Goddamned Steam, Not Digital Catapults on Aircraft Carriers
Celebrity Crossword: Try your hand at this puzzle, created by former President Bill Clinton and his friend, Arkansas Judge Victor Fleming. (The New York Times)
Question of the Week
Donald Trump is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican during his first foreign trip as president later this month. This week, we asked which countries are the most important for Trump to visit. Here are a few responses:
Doug Barde-MacNamara thought Trump should make a point to visit South Korea to meet the countrys new leader and learn more about the region, and to visit Germany because Angela Merkel knows, firsthand, the myriad of problems facing our NATO allies in Europe.
Dirk Bloemendaal offered two other suggestions: Canada, because theyre our number-one trading partner, and Mexico, to better understand the source of many immigration challenges.
Thanks to everyone who submitted responses, and stay tuned for next weeks Question of the Week.
-Written by Elaine Godfrey (@elainejgodfrey)
Read more from The Atlantic:
This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
It's an unusual dilemma that tourists in Berlin have to grapple with -- will getting into a hostel bunk bed help finance North Korea's nuclear ambitions?
Backpackers staying at the Cityhostel found themselves struggling with precisely this question after learning that Pyongyang owns the property and is making money from it.
"Oh no, we're funding the North Korean embassy! We're sorry. Very sorry," said British tourist Alex Smith.
"We didn't realise we were funding North Korea."
By booking a room in the Soviet-style building, "my friend made a big mistake", he said, turning to his travel companion and calling him a "silly, silly boy".
Cityhostel found itself at the centre of a storm after German media reported Tuesday that the North Korean embassy was not just the guesthouse's neighbour but also the owner of the prime real estate.
Rented out since 2004, the property brings in about 38,000 euros ($41,000) a month in rent for Pyongyang, the public broadcaster ARD reported.
The German government said Wednesday that it would shut down the hostel because the site had been leased by Pyongyang in violation of UN rules.
Tougher sanctions implemented last November require UN member states to only allow "North Korean foreign representations to carry out diplomatic and consular activities".
"Any kind of commercial activity on the site of the embassy or in relation to the embassy is prohibited," said German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer.
"Cityhostel in Berlin constitutes neither a diplomatic nor consular activity of a North Korean foreign representation," Schaefer said, adding that Germany would "shut down the financial source to the North Korean regime as quickly as possible".
- 'Taken hostage' -
Over the past 11 years, the UN Security Council has imposed six sets of sanctions on Pyongyang -- two adopted last year -- to ramp up pressure and deny the regime hard currency to fund its rocket and atomic programmes.
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Cityhostel's employees told AFP they were unaware of the North Korean link, but would not say more.
The hostel's management, a Berlin company registered as GBI, said in a statement that it "regrets having been taken hostage by international politics".
It had "frozen rental payments" until further clarification, it said.
Within walking distance of major tourist sites like Checkpoint Charlie and the Brandenburg Gate, Cityhostel Berlin offers dorm beds for as little as 16 euros ($17) a night.
The hulking grey building that serves as the hostel is separated from the gated North Korean compound by a metal fence.
Canadian traveller Alexandra Brosseau said that "we don't have a lot of money so we decided to go there, but if we had known, we wouldn't have come here".
"It should be written somewhere, like on reviews or something."
Italian backpacker Emmanuel Giorno, 28, agreed: "Spending money on the North Korean regime really isn't great."
Others, like Swiss tourist Diana Vukovic, had a laugh about it.
Nothing in the hostel hinted at its North Korean link, she said, though she conceded that inside, it did feel "a little bit like a prison".
By Gul Yusufzai QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate on Friday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan, killing at least 25 people, officials said. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the bombing. The group's Amaq news agency said a bomber wearing an explosive vest carried out the attack, which was condemned by a former local Islamic State affiliate. At least 35 people were wounded in the blast near the town of Mastung, 50 km (30 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. Television footage showed a vehicle mangled by the blast. Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, told Reuters minutes after the explosion he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries. "There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy," he said by telephone. Haideri is a member of Jamiat e Ulema Islam, a right-wing Sunni Islamist political party that is part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's coalition government. District health official Sher Ahmed Satakzai said the death toll had risen to 25 and 10 were in critical condition in hospital. Security in Pakistan has improved since a crackdown on militancy began in 2014, but a fresh wave of attacks that left more than 100 people dead in February has increased pressure on Sharif's government. Mastung police official Ghazanfar Ali Shah said the convoy appeared to have been hit by a suicide bomber, adding Haideri's driver was among those killed. The senator, who is being treated in hospital, was on his way back to Quetta after distributing graduation certificates to students from a madrassa, or religious academy. Militant group Lashkar-e-Jangvi Al Alami, which has jointly carried out attacks with Islamic State in the past, including a bombing at a shrine in Baluchistan in November, condemned Friday's suicide attack, spokesman Ali Bin Sufyan told Reuters. Sufyan said the two groups have now split due to "policy changes", but did not elaborate on what changes had taken place. Separatist militants in Baluchistan have waged a campaign against the central government for decades, demanding a greater share of the gas-rich province's resources. Taliban and other Islamist militants also operate in the province, which shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran. A U.S. drone strike killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour last year in Baluchistan. The province was rocked by a series of attacks late last year that claimed over 180 lives and raised concerns about a growing militant presence. A judicial report released after an attack on the province's lawyers left more than 70 dead criticised security provisions in the region and called for increased clampdowns on extremists. (Additional reporting by Saud Mehsud in Dera Ismial Khan; Writing by Saad Sayeed; Editing by Nick Macfie and Toby Davis)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China defended its military relationship with Sri Lanka as good for regional peace and stability after Sri Lanka rejected a request from China to dock one of its submarines in Colombo this month. Sri Lanka last allowed a Chinese submarine to dock in the capital of Colombo in October 2014, a move that triggered fierce opposition from its northern neighbor India, which worries about growing Chinese activity in a country it has long viewed as part of its area of influence. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Sri Lanka on Thursday for a two-day official visit. China's Defence Ministry, in a statement sent to Reuters, did not directly mention the rejected request for the submarine visit, but said its submarines needed a place to resupply on their way to anti-piracy missions. "The stopping to resupply of our military's submarines that are on their way to the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters for protection missions is an internationally accepted practice," the ministry said. In recent years, the Chinese and Sri Lankan militaries had had fruitful and effective cooperation in areas like mutual visits and training, it added. "The cooperation between the Chinese and Sri Lankan militaries is beneficial to regional peace and stability, is not aimed at any third party and should not be interfered in by a third party," the ministry said, without elaborating. The timing of the incident is awkward as Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected in Beijing this weekend to attend a summit on China's new Silk Road plan. A senior Sri Lankan government official said China's request to dock one of its submarines in Colombo this month had been rejected. He said Sri Lanka was "unlikely" to agree to China's request to dock the submarine at any time, given India's concerns. A second official, at the defense ministry, also said China's request to dock this month had been rejected but that a decision on a further docking had been postponed. China has invested heavily in Sri Lanka in recent years, funding airports, roads, railways and ports, unsettling India, traditionally the closest economic partner of the island nation of 21 million people. More than 70 percent of the trans-shipment in Colombo port comes from India. Sri Lanka is finalizing a plan to lease 80 percent of its loss-making Hambantota port to China for 99 years, but the deal has been delayed because of opposition from trade unions. A 1987 accord between India and Sri Lanka provides that their territories not be used for activities deemed prejudicial to each other's unity, integrity and security. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Nick Macfie)
China was basking in praise Monday for its new Silk Road even as some countries raised concerns over the project seen as boosting Beijing's global clout on trade and geopolitics.
Almost 30 world leaders are attending a two-day summit promoting China's One Belt, One Road initiative that Beijing hopes will revive ancient trade routes from Asia to Europe and Africa -- and breathe new life into its own economy.
At the opening of the meeting on Sunday, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to pump an extra $124 billion into the China-bankrolled project, which involves a huge network of ports, railways, roads and industrial parks.
A number of leaders including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan applauded the initiative, which Xi unveiled in 2013 and hailed as "a project of the century".
"In these times, when the temptation is great to respond to the crisis of globalisation by increasing isolation, and by raising walls, this initiative highlights a vision of connectivity, cooperation and dialogue across Europe and Asia but also other parts of the world," Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said.
British finance minister Philip Hammond said London was "ready to work with all Belt and Road partner countries to make a success of this initiative".
But some officials expressed caution.
German Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries called for transparency to ensure that the calls for investment bids are "non-discriminatory".
Some Belt and Road projects are already raising concerns in certain countries.
India has voiced displeasure at the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a Belt and Road project aimed at linking northwestern China to the Arabian Sea.
Others at the summit warned sustainable lending practices were needed to ensure countries hosting the hundreds of projects were not saddled with unsustainable debts.
"Unprofitable investments are not good for anybody," said Andras Vertes, chairman of GKI Economic Research.
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The initiative, which is Xi's signature foreign policy, spans some 65 countries representing 60 percent of the world population and around a third of global gross domestic product.
The China Development Bank has earmarked $890 billion for some 900 projects.
While the summit has been given almost non-stop coverage on Chinese state-run television, attention at the event was distracted by North Korea's latest missile test on Sunday.
Xi did not mention the North during his speech, but it was discussed at his bilateral meeting with Putin.
"Both parties expressed their concern over the escalation of tensions" on the Korean peninsula, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
The Chinese foreign ministry also issued a statement saying it opposed such missile tests and called for restraint from all parties.
The delegates from both Koreas held a brief meeting at the summit on Sunday, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.
The summit will resume on Monday at Yanqi Lake in a Beijing suburb near the Great Wall.
By Brenda Goh and Yawen Chen BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $124 billion on Sunday for his new Silk Road plan to forge a path of peace, inclusiveness and free trade, and called for the abandonment of old models based on rivalry and diplomatic power games. Xi used a summit on the initiative, attended by leaders and top officials from around the world, to bolster China's global leadership ambitions as U.S. President Donald Trump promotes "America First" and questions existing global free trade deals. "We should build an open platform of cooperation and uphold and grow an open world economy," Xi told the opening of the two-day gathering in Beijing. China has touted what it formally calls the Belt and Road initiative as a new way to boost global development since Xi unveiled the plan in 2013, aiming to expand links between Asia, Africa, Europe and beyond underpinned by billions of dollars in infrastructure investment. Xi said the world must create conditions that promote open development and encourage the building of systems of "fair, reasonable and transparent global trade and investment rules". Hours before the summit opened, North Korea launched another ballistic missile, further testing the patience of China, its chief ally. The United States had complained to China on Friday over the inclusion of a North Korean delegation at the event. MASSIVE FUNDING BOOST Xi pledged a major funding boost to the new Silk Road, including an extra 100 billion yuan ($14.50 billion) into the existing Silk Road Fund, 380 billion yuan in loans from two policy banks and 60 billion yuan in aid to developing countries and international bodies in countries along the new trade routes. In addition, Xi said China would encourage financial institutions to expand their overseas yuan fund businesses to the tune of 300 billion yuan. Xi did not give a time frame for the new loans, aid and funding pledged on Sunday. Leaders from 29 countries attended the forum, as well as the heads of the United Nations, International Monetary Fund and World Bank. Britain's finance minister told the summit his country was a "natural partner" in the new Silk Road, while the prime minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, a close Chinese ally, praised China's "vision and ingenuity". "Such a broad sweep and scale of interlocking economic partnerships and investments is unprecedented in history," Sharif said. White House adviser Matt Pottinger said the United States welcomed efforts by China to promote infrastructure connectivity as part of its Belt and Road initiative, and U.S. companies could offer top value services. India refused to send an official delegation to Beijing, reflecting displeasure with China for developing a $57 billion trade corridor through Pakistan that also crosses the disputed territory of Kashmir. "No country can accept a project that ignores its core concerns on sovereignty and territorial integrity," said Indian foreign ministry spokesman Gopal Baglay, adding that there were concerns about host countries taking on "unsustainable debt." China plans to import $2 trillion of products from countries participating in its Belt and Road initiative over the next five years, Commerce Minister Zhong Shan said. UNEASE OVER SUMMIT But some Western diplomats have expressed unease about both the summit and the plan as a whole, seeing it as an attempt to promote Chinese influence globally. They are also concerned about transparency and access for foreign firms to the scheme. Australian Trade Minister Steven Ciobo said Canberra was receptive to exploring commercial opportunities China's new Silk Road presented, but any decisions would remain incumbent on national interest. "China is willing to share its development experience with all countries," Xi said. "We will not interfere in other countries' internal affairs. We will not export our system of society and development model, and even more will not impose our views on others." "In advancing the Belt and Road, we will not re-tread the old path of games between foes. Instead we will create a new model of cooperation and mutual benefit," Xi said. North Korea, which considers China its sole major diplomatic ally and economic benefactor, raised eyebrows when it decided to send a delegation to the summit. The North Korean delegation largely kept a low profile at the summit, and there was no evidence that its presence had affected participation despite U.S. misgivings. FINANCIAL INCLUSIVENESS Xi said the new Silk Road would be open to all, including Africa and the Americas, which are not situated on the traditional Silk Road. "No matter if they are from Asia and Europe, or Africa or the Americas, they are all cooperative partners in building the Belt and Road." The idea of cooperation and inclusiveness extends to funding projects and investments along the new trade routes, which are being developed both on land and at sea. "We need joint effort among Belt and Road countries to boost financing cooperation," Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of China's central bank, said. To sustain the projects, Belt and Road nations should allow companies to play a key role, as government resources are limited, Zhou said. The active use of local currencies will also help to mobilize local savings, lower remittance and exchange costs, and safeguard financial stability, he said. At the forum, finance ministries from 27 countries, including China, approved a set of principles that will guide project financing along the new Silk Road. Germany, which was not among the countries that approved the financing guidelines, said its firms were willing to support the Belt and Road initiative, but more transparency was needed. Some of China's close allies and partners were at the forum, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. There were also several European leaders attending, including the prime ministers of Spain, Italy, Greece and Hungary. Chinese state-run media has spared no effort in its coverage of the summit, including broadcasting an awkwardly-named English-language music video "The Belt and Road is How" sung by children from countries on the new Silk Road. ($1 = 6.8972 Chinese yuan) (Additional reporting by Elias Glenn, Kevin Yao, Thomas Peter, Michael Martina and Sue-Lin Wong; Writing by Ben Blanchard and Ryan Woo; Editing by Randy Fabi and Jane Merriman)
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping offered the prime minister of deeply indebted Greece strong support on Saturday, saying the two countries should expand cooperation in infrastructure, energy and telecommunications. Xi told Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras that Greece was an important part in China's new Silk Road strategy. "At present, China and Greece's traditional friendship and cooperation continues to glow with new dynamism," China's Foreign Ministry cited Xi as saying. Cooperation in infrastructure, energy and telecommunications should be "deep and solid", Xi added, without giving details. Tsipras is in Beijing to attend a summit to promote Xi's vision of expanding links between Asia, Africa and Europe underpinned by billions of dollars in infrastructure investment called the Belt and Road initiative. Greek infrastructure development group Copelouzos has signed a deal with China's Shenhua Group [SHGRP.UL] to cooperate in green energy projects and the upgrade of power plants in Greece and other countries, the Greek company said on Friday. The deal will involve total investment of 3 billion euros ($3.28 billion), Copelouzos said in a statement, without providing further details. China has been investing heavily in Greece in recent years. Its biggest shipping company, COSCO Shipping, bought a majority stake in Piraeus Port Authority last year under a plan to turn Greece into a transhipment hub for rapidly growing trade between Asia and Eastern Europe. Xi said China and Greece should focus their efforts on turning the Piraeus port into an important international transhipment hub and key part of the new Silk Road, the Chinese ministry said. China State Grid [STGRD.UL] also agreed last year to buy a 24 percent stake in power grid operator ADMIE for 320 million euros. Greek government borrowing costs hit their lowest level in more than five years this week as the troubled euro zone state looks close to clinching a deal with its creditors to release new loans to it. After six months of tense talks, Athens and its international lenders - the European Union and International Monetary Fund - reached a provisional deal last week on the reforms needed to release new loans. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Washington (AFP) - US Republicans struggling to pass a health care overhaul and tax reform this year have seen their path narrow, as Congress reels from fallout over President Donald Trump's firing of his FBI director.
The shock dismissal of James Comey -- and the White House's bungling of the aftermath -- has triggered distress on Capitol Hill, with Democrats and Republicans increasingly preoccupied with how Trump's action affects investigations into his team's possible collusion with Russia.
The resulting chaos has antagonized some moderate Republicans, who had hoped to move on from the cycles of controversy that have marked the administration's first four months and forge consensus on legislative priorities.
Trump campaigned heavily on pledges to repeal and replace Obamacare and reform the tax code.
Both are monumental tasks, and while Congress can act with due speed when it wishes, its chambers are paralyzed by gridlock. Seamless bipartisan cooperation is a fantasy on Capitol Hill in 2017, and some say the Comey hue and cry will only make it more difficult to cooperate on big-ticket legislation.
"Certainly there is a case to be made that it will be more polarizing and more partisan, not less," Republican Senator Tim Scott said Thursday as he contemplated prospects for getting a controversial Obamacare repeal bill through the Senate.
Even staunch conservatives acknowledged that the latest political uproar -- parts of which have unfolded like a spy novel, including subpoenas of Trump's former national security advisor Michael Flynn and hints of clandestine White House recordings -- is cutting into congressional efforts to move forward.
"I'd say it's a distraction," warned Orrin Hatch, the Senate's longest-serving Republican.
Complicating the schedule in coming months is a series of fiscal deadlines, including passing a spending bill by September 30 and negotiating a raise of the debt ceiling, that could suck up weeks if not months of valuable Washington legislative time.
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With Comey's departure, another hiccup to the already tight timing: a potentially protracted Senate confirmation process for a new FBI director.
- 'Walk and chew gum' -
House Speaker Paul Ryan stressed that Congress can move forward with its 2017 legislative priorities despite three full congressional Russia-related investigations and the Comey disaster.
"We can walk and chew gum at the same time," he told Fox News.
"We've got a full plate of things that we think are necessary, not only to fulfill our promises, but making sure that we get the economy growing."
The top Republican in Congress said Tuesday the US Senate could pass a health care bill before the August recess, and that lawmakers would finish tax reform by year end, but the calendar window is narrowing.
After the House passed controversial legislation last week that repeals large chunks of the Affordable Care Act, the Senate signalled it will start from scratch on its own bill.
There are deep divisions within Trump's Republican Party over the House bill. GOP senators bristle at provisions that slash Medicaid funding by $800 billion.
They also worry that people with pre-existing conditions would be forced to pay higher insurance premiums under the House legislation, potentially leaving millions unable to afford care.
Some analysts say the ongoing turmoil is complicating efforts to achieve Trump's goal of passing health and tax reform in 2017.
"The firing was impulsive and poorly handled by the White House and it diminishes our confidence in the administration's ability to tackle large, complex issues, like tax reform," analyst Brian Gardner of Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, an investment bank, wrote in a note to investors.
"These methods create chaos and make it more difficult to build the political support necessary to pass major legislation."
Democrats could throw up their own hurdles, including obstructing the confirmation of Trump's new FBI nominee, unless Republicans back their call for appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate the Russia connections.
With a time crunch looming, Republican leaders distanced themselves from Ryan's optimistic predictions.
"The Senate needs to control it's own schedule -- no arbitrary deadlines," number two Senate Republican John Cornyn told AFP.
Senate Democrat Dick Durbin said Ryan's Senate health care timeline was "wishful thinking."
Congress must also pass a new spending bill by September 30, the end of the fiscal year, or risk a crippling government shutdown.
While Trump will be pushing hard to include funding for his Mexico border wall, Republicans will need to make nice with Democrats, as at least eight Senate Democrats will be required to pass a spending bill.
We all forget things sometimes, whether it's our car keys or the words to a song. As we age, changes in memory are normal, but we also become more susceptible to memory loss linked to dementia. Now, researchers at the University of Bonn in Germany, suggest a daily dose of THC in marijuana can strengthen brain connections to reverse the effects of aging in the elderly.
In the study, published in Nature Medicine, German researchers found THC to have a "very robust and profound effect" in reversing brain aging and restoring learning and memory in mice in four weeks. The research team simulated the endocannabinoid system with THC involved in balancing bodies' response to stress in older mice as a potential way to improve brain function. THC affects us by imitating similar molecules in this system, which fulfill important functions in the brain.
With increasing age, the quantity of the cannabinoids naturally formed in the brain reduces, said Professor Andreas Zimmer, from the Institute of Molecular Psychiatry at the University of Bonn and member of the Cluster of Excellence ImmunoSensation, in a statement. When the activity of the cannabinoid system declines, we find rapid ageing in the brain.
Previous research on young adults and frequent marijuana use has found THC leads to a decline in cognitive function, but little is known about its effect on the older population. For example, teens who smoked pot every day for about three years performed worse on long-term memory assessments. Moreover, the hippocampus the brain region associated with long-term memory looked abnormal in an MRI.
This prompted Zimmer and his colleagues to test the effects of THC on the aging brain of mice. The team gave the mice a small dose of THC at age two, 12, and 18 months over a period of four weeks. The amount administered was too small to give them psychoactive effects. After four weeks, the researchers tested the mice's ability to perform cognitive tasks, such as finding their way through mazes and the recognition of other mice.
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The findings revealed older mice given THC performed as well as the young mice in the control group. However, aging mice given the placebo showed learning and memory loss, which is commonly associated with aging. In other words, the brain aged much faster when mice did not possess any functional receptors for THC.
Meanwhile, further studies showed THC increased the number of connections between brain cells in the hippocampus. This means memory is strengthened in older mice, which could potentially open up new options when it comes to treating dementia.
"Although there is a long path from mice to humans, I feel extremely positive about the prospect that THC could be used to treat dementia, for instance," said Svenja Schulze, the North Rhine-Westphalia science minister, in a statement.
Previous research has shown THC appears to remove the amyloid clumps the Alzheimer's hallmark from nerve cells grown in the lab. However, no studies or trials have looked into the effects of marijuana or its components on the causes of Alzheimer's diseases in people. Studies like Zimmer's do show some promise, but more research is needed to understand the wider effects of these components before coming to any conclusions.
Zimmer and his colleagues are now planning human trials to see whether older people can benefit from low doses of THC, and if so, from what age can they see benefits. There is no formula that can equate mouse months into human years. The trial will use purified THC rather than weed so the dosage can be controlled, possibly cia mouth spray.
In a climate where only only 29 states and Washington, D.C. have laws in place medical marijuana, it's unlikely doctors will prescribe THC as a means to prevent cognitive decline in the elderly. However, it's exciting to see scientists trying to find a fountain of youth, even if it's through THC. What a time to be alive.
Source: Gorzo-Bilkei A, Albayram O, Draffehn A et al. A chronic low dose of 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) restores cognitive function in old mice. Nature Medicine. 2017.
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Contents of the letter by former Tennessee teacher Tad Cummins to his wife just before absconding with his teen student Elizabeth Thomas, were released during a court hearing Friday. The letter was taken as evidence during the hearing.
Cummins, 50, and 15-year-old Elizabeth were on the run for more than a month after disappearing March 13. Law enforcement officials in Tennessee launched a manhunt for the former teacher, who they believed kidnapped the teen. The two were found April 20 in northern Californias Siskiyou County. Cummins was arrested and taken to Tennessee for sex crime related charges. He made his second appearance in a federal court Friday, where new details about the case emerged.
Prior to his disappearance, Cummins wrote a letter to his now-estranged wife Jill Cummins. At the time authorities said the letter was meant to mislead probe. However, Friday the contents of the letter were revealed. In the note, Cummins expressed frustration over Maury Countys Culleoka Unit Schools investigation over his inappropriate relationship with Elizabeth. He taught health science and the teen was his student.
Jill, I am so sorry! I am on my way to Virginia Beach or maybe D.C. just to think and clear my mind of all this crap, the letter read. I am not running away. Ill be back. Dont call the police, theyll think I ran cause Im guilty and Im not!
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During the hearing, federal Judge Barbara Holmes ruled Cummins to remain in jail before his trial starts. She cited the letter calling him a flight risk and a danger to the community.
FBI agent Utley Noble, in his testimony, said Cummins had sex with Elizabeth on most nights when they were on the run. Their first sexual relationship began on the first night following their disappearance, according to Noble.
Here, the evidence of danger is substantial, she said.
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Cummins is likely to face additional charges of statutory rape and prosecutors are planning to obtain recordings between him and Jill, who filed for divorce from him a few days after he went missing.
Benjamin Galloway, Cummins' public defender in California previously said his client had no history of violence and no criminal history whatsoever, and that he did not force or threaten Elizabeth. However, Elizabeths family attorney Jason Whatley said the indication of the teen willingly going with Cummins was amazingly absurd.
This is classic grooming and manipulation, Whatley reportedly said. And I predict this case will be studied years in the future about how authority figures like Tad Cummins can mess up young children who believe their lies and are manipulated into doing things they would never do.
Cummins is also facing charges on taking a minor across state lines with intent to engage in sexual activity. The penalties include a minimum 10 years of jail and fines of about $250,000, the Tennessean reported quoting Holmes.
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Donald Trump, frustrated with leaks from his communications team, is now possibly looking to replace them with producers and a host from television station Fox News.
The channel, owned by Mr Trump's close friend Rupert Murdoch, has been an ardent supporter of the president and his aides.
The murmurs of replacing the communications staff began when Mr Trump kept them in the dark about the firing of FBI Director James Comey. It left the team charged with explaining the decision to the American people with just an hour's notice and no real discussion with Mr Trump himself.
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Donald Trump says he wants to do press briefings instead of Spicer
Their message that Mr Trump decided to fire Mr Comey after reading a memo from the Department of Justice was reversed by Mr Trump himself the next day.
He said in an interview with NBC News he had already decided to sack Mr Comey by the time Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's memo came to him.
He then went on Twitter to say that James Comey better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!
For a White House accustomed to bouts of chaos, Mr Trump's handling of Mr Comey's firing could have serious and long-lasting implications.
Already Mr Trump's decision appears to have emboldened the Senate intelligence committee investigating Russia's election interference and the president's associates, with lawmakers announcing a subpoena for former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
He leans heavily on daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as Hope Hicks, his trusted campaign spokeswoman and Keith Schiller, his longtime bodyguard.
Mr Schiller was among those Trump consulted about Mr Comey and was entrusted by the president to deliver a letter informing the director of his firing.
He has viewed even senior advisers suspiciously, including Steve Bannon and Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, when stories about internal White House in-fighting make it to the media.
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He increasingly sees himself as the White House's only effective spokesman and has even floated the idea of ending press briefings entirely in a move that has worried even Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, usually a vocal supporter of the president.
As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy!.... Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017
...Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future "press briefings" and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy??? Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017
Mr Spicer was absent from nearly all press briefings in the days following the Comey firing. Instead deputy Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the rounds on morning news programs and conducted daily news briefings.
The White House said Mr Spicer was called up to reserve duty for the Navy for those days. He serves as a public affairs officer at the Pentagon.
However, the time away fueled rumours that Mr Spicer would be replaced by Fox News' "Take Five" host Kimberly Guilfoyle.
Mr Spicer returned at the end of the week for a briefing to a barrage of questions about Mr Trump's erratic tweets and one reporter to asked if the president was out of control.
That's, frankly, offensive, Mr Spicer said.
A professor of history who predicted Donald Trump would win the race to the White House, has claimed the firing of James Comey as FBI Director is sufficient to see the President impeached.
Allan Lichtman, who has correctly guessed the outcome of every presidential election since 1984, claimed Mr Trumps firing of Mr Comey was more serious than Watergate.
He arguably could be impeached now, Mr Lichtman toldNewsweek. Arguably hes already obstructed justice and already violated the emoluments clause [regarding receiving gifts from foreign governments]. Im not saying we should impeach him now, Im calling for an impeachment investigation.
@Impeach_D_Trump They should stand up to him for no other reason than it's the right thing to do. Mom (@IM4NY) May 14, 2017
Mr Lichtman may have reason for making such claims; he is promoting his latest book, The Case for Impeachment.
We see credible reporting that he may well be guilty of obstructing justice in the FBI investigation, first by demanding loyalty to him personally from the man investigating him, he said.
Thats pretty blatant obstruction of justice. And then by firing director Comey and then in effect lying initially, or having his team lie in his direction, about the reasons for the firing.
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In the aftermath of last weeks firing of Mr Comey, the White House scrambled to provide an explanation for Mr Trumps actions. Officials sought to protect the President from accusations by Democrats and others, that he had fired him because he was heading the investigation into the possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russias alleged efforts to influence the presidential election.
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White House spokespersons claimed he had been fired because of the way he handled the investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server. The administration cited memos from Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, which recommended getting rid of him.
Yet it rapidly became clear, those memos had been hastily provided to provide cover for Mr Trump, who had decided last week to get rid of Mr Comey, Indeed, the President admitted as much himself in an interview with NBC News.
When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story, its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they shouldve won, he said.
allan-lichtman.jpg
Allan Lichtman (Getty)
He called Mr Comey a showboat and a grandstander.
Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey, Mr Trump said.
The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that, I know that, everyone knows that.
Mr Trump also claimed Mr Comey assured him on three separate occasions, including once over dinner and on another occasion over a phone call, that he was not personally under investigation.
It has been reported that Mr Trump sought repeated oaths of loyalty from Mr Comey, despite the fact that his role is supposed to be independent and non-partisan. The White House has denied such demands were made.
Sources close to Mr Comey have denied the Presidents version of events.
Only two presidents have been impeached by the House of Representatives Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton. No president has seen their impeachment approved by the Senate. For Mr Trump to be impeached, Republicans in the House would have to decide to turn on him. Alternatively, if the Republicans lost control of the house in the 2018 midterms, Democrats could lead such a move.
A senior Republican senator has urged Donald Trump to back off and stop tweeting about the ongoing investigation into his campaigns alleged collusion with Russias purported efforts to interfere in the 2016 election.
Days after Mr Trump fired James Comey as FBI Director, Senator Lindsey Graham said it was essential to get to the bottom of what was said between the President and the former top federal investigator. He urged Mr Comey to take up an invitation to testify under oath before the senate.
Mr Graham spoke after Mr Trump claimed Mr Comey had told him on three occasions once over dinner that he was not personally under investigation. Mr Trump also appeared to suggest, in what was widely seen as a threat to Mr Comey, that there existed recordings of those conversations.
GOP's Lindsey Graham to Trump:
1/ Give us the tapes
2/ Give us your tax returns
3/ Stop tweetinghttps://t.co/rO4oD6cYei Neil McMahon (@NeilMcMahon) May 14, 2017
I think we need Comey to come before the senate and explain what happened at that dinner, he said on NBC. If there are any tapes, they need to be handed over. We cant be cute about tapes.
Mr Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, was asked whether he thought it was appropriate for Mr Trump to have said on Twitter: James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press. The South Carolina senator said he thought the Presidents comments were not appropriate.
Right now, I do not believe President Trump is a target or a subject of any investigation regarding collusion with the Russians. That's what I believe, he said.
I would advise the President not to tweet or comment about the investigation as we go forward. He needs to back off.
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Donald Trump says James Comey told him multiple times he was not under investigation
Mr Graham spoke as the White House was still scrambling to clean up the fallout of Mr Trumps decision last week to fire Mr Comey. Initially, White House officials said the decision had been taken because of Mr Comeys handling of the investigation into Hillary Clintons use of a private email server.
Yet, amid claims from Democrats and others that the President had axed Mr Comey because of his role in leading the investigation into alleged links to Russia, Mr Trump admitted the probe had been a factor. He also said he had taken the decision before receiving a recommendation from officials in his Justice Department.
When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they shouldve won, he told NBC, saying that Mr Comey was a showboat and a grandstander.
Regardless of recommendation, I was going to fire Comey. The FBI has been in turmoil. You know that, I know that, everyone knows that.
Mr Trump, who at the weekend delivered a commencement address at the US's biggest Christian college, also claimed Mr Comey assured him on three separate occasions, including once over dinner and on another occasion over a phone call, that he was not personally under investigation.
It has been reported that Mr Trump sought repeated oaths of loyalty from Mr Comey, despite the fact that his role is supposed to be independent and non-partisan. The White House has denied such demands were made. Sources close to Mr Comey have denied the Presidents version of events.
Mr Comey has yet to publicly comment on the claims. Over the weekend, it was reported that the former director of the FBI might accept an invitation to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee, if the hearing were to be held in public.
London (AFP) - The European Union could end up paying a Brexit bill to Britain instead of the other way round, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told The Daily Telegraph in an interview on Saturday.
Asked if he believed that Britain might end up receiving a payment, Johnson replied: "I do, I think there are very good arguments".
"There are assets that we share, that we have paid for over the years and there will need to be a proper computation of the value of those assets," said Johnson, one of the leading lights in last year's Brexit referendum campaign.
Johnson dismissed as "absurd" the various estimates for the exit fee that would have to be paid by Britain, which some reports have said could be as high as 100 billion euros ($109 billion).
"They are going to try to bleed this country white with their bill," he said, threatening that Britain could "definitely" walk away from the negotiations without paying anything.
The payments that London must make to settle financial commitments made when it was a member are considered one of the most difficult Brexit issues and are a top priority for the talks.
A report in the Telegraph earlier this week said British officials estimated that Britain was entitled to A9 billion ($11.6 billion, 10.6 billion euros) in funds held by the European Investment Bank and A14 billion of other EU assets including property and cash.
Johnson also criticised the "shameful" leaking of details of a meeting in Downing Street last month between Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker.
"Brussels is ruthless in its negotiating techniques. They are going to play dirty. We have got to be very wary and intellectually very firm," the former London mayor said.
Quoting the famous Eagles hit, he added: "Jean-Claude Juncker thinks it's the Hotel California where you can check out but you can never leave. He is wrong."
Tensions between Brussels and London have risen in the run-up to Britain's general election on June 8, with the government accusing EU officials of "meddling" in the election campaign.
Cameron Burke and his wife and two children were ejected from a JetBlue flight due to a conflict over a birthday cake. (Photo: Twitter)
In yet another story shedding light on the seeming continuous tension between travelers and flight crew, a New Jersey family is claiming JetBlue forced them off a plane at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York City over a dispute over a birthday cake.
According to the family, the incident took place earlier this month, when Cameron Burke traveled with his two children, Cameron Jr., 7, and Camille, 9, and his wife, Minta, to celebrate her 40th birthday in Las Vegas on May 3. After bringing the cake onboard and reportedly receiving unclear instructions about how and where to store the cake, a disagreement ensued between flight crew and the Burke family.
Video of portions of the incident were recorded by Cameron Burke and released via ABC 7 News.
Jersey City family kicked off flight over a cake. @JetBlue says passenger was agitated/security risk. Video appears to tell different story. pic.twitter.com/q0zQzNbHoa CeFaan Kim (@CeFaanKim) May 14, 2017
JetBlue has pointed blame squarely on the Burkes. According to a spokesperson from the airline, the family stored the cake in a compartment reserved for emergency equipment. The customers became agitated, cursed and yelled at the crew and made false accusations about a crew members fitness to fly, stated JetBlue spokesman Doug McGraw.
Burke sees things a little differently, claiming no one in his family raised their voices and they were never told why they had to leave the plane. As Burke described to ABC 7, it appears the situation escalated when the flight crew couldnt agree on what to do with the cake.
You could see the gestures then she was pointing to her, did you tell him he couldnt put anything in the overhead compartment? Burke explained. I had approached them, and I said everything was fine, and she said, Sir, this does not involve you. When she told me I had been noncompliant, then I said maam, had you been drinking? because her behavior was not normal.
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Even after airport police were called in and decided no wrongdoing had occurred, the JetBlue crew ordered all passengers to exit the plane.
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Tad Cummins, the man accused of kidnapping 15-year-old Elizabeth Thomas, had sex with the girl most nights while the two were missing, according to an FBI agents testimony. FBI Agent Utley Noble also said 50-year-old Cummins, who was formerly Elizabeths high school teacher, said the two began having a sexual relationship March 13, the day they disappeared.
A federal judge ruled Friday that Cummins was to be held until his trial on the grounds that he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes cited Cummins abuse of his position of authority and his past attempts to evade police in issuing the decision.
Here, the evidence of danger is substantial, she said.
Read: Tad Cummins' Daughter Breaks Silence About Alleged Kidnapping
An amber alert was issued for Elizabeth March 13 after she left her Tennessee home to attend a local restaurant and never returned. Police immediately suspected Cummins, a former teacher at Culleoka Unit School in Maury County, who was being investigated by school officials and local police for having an inappropriate relationship with Elizabeth. Surveillance footage caught Cummins filling up his car at a gas station near the restaurant.
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Investigators at the time were quick to caution that this could not be a consensual, romantic relationship.
She is 15, a child. He is 50, a grown man, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation director Mark Gwynn told reporters shortly after the two went missing. Shes a high school freshman. Hes a former teacher. This is, and was, not a romance. This was manipulation solely to benefit Tad Cummins. This is not a fairy tale. This is a case of kidnapping.
After the pair vanished, they were spotted only once, when TBI officials confirmed a sighting of them on security footage from a Walmart in Oklahoma City.
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The two were missing for 38 days before finally being located in Siskiyou County, a remote area of Northern California. Cummins was immediately arrested at the scene.
Cummins could face additional charges of statutory rape and prosecutors sought to obtain recordings between him and his soon-to-be ex wife, Jill. She filed for divorce from Cummins shortly after he disappeared.
Read: Everything We Know About Elizabeth Thomas And Tad Cummins
I asked, Well, did you sleep with her? and he said, Yes I did, and I didnt want any details, Jill told Inside Edition of a conversation she had with her husband while he was at a federal detention center in California.
Jill said she planned to have no relationship with her husband and was conspicuously absent from his first appearance in court. One of his daughters, however, said the past months events had not changed her opinion of her father.
He was the definition of what a good father should be and still is, Ashley Cummins, 26, told Inside Edition. I believe that. He needs to at least know that everybodys not against him.
Cummins faces both federal and state charges and could receive life in prison if convicted. A date for his trial hasn't been set.
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Paris (AFP) - French president-elect Emmanuel Macron met party supporters Saturday on the eve of his inauguration and told candidates contesting key parliamentary elections next month that they had an "immense responsibility".
The 39-year-old, who beat far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in a second round vote last week, was received "triumphantly" according to tweets by those attending the meeting.
"You are the new faces of French politics," they quoted him as saying. "You have an immense responsibility."
Macron has promised to refresh France's parliament and his party -- La Republique En Marche (REM, Republic on the Move) -- unveiled 428 out of its 577 candidates this week.
Half of them have never held elected office, including a retired female bullfighter and a star mathematician, and half of them are women.
The pro-Europe centrist had pledged to bring about a "revolution" in French politics that will inject fresh faces into the stale political landscape and end the pattern of power alternating between traditional parties.
A former economy minister to outgoing President Francois Hollande, Macron is due to take oath on Sunday morning in a ceremony that starts at 10:00 am (0800 GMT).
Around 1,500 police officers will be deployed near the presidential palace located in the heart of Paris and the nearby Champs Elysees and other roads will be blocked off.
Macron won after one of the most unpredictable elections in modern history marked by scandal, repeated surprises and a last-minute hacking attack on his campaign.
Hundreds of thousands of emails and documents stolen from his campaign were dumped online, leading Macron to call it an attempt at "democratic destabilisation".
The election saw voters eject establishment figures, including one-time conservative favourite Francois Fillon.
Unpopular Hollande was the first to bow to the rebellious mood in December as he became the first sitting president not to seek re-election in the French fifth republic, founded in 1958.
Tabqa (Syria) (AFP) - When Dalal Ahmad heard that the fighters who expelled the Islamic State group from the Syrian town of Tabqa were distributing food, she began to run, desperate for any scraps.
After more than a month of heavy fighting, and a siege that left the city in Raqa province cut off from supplies, Ahmad and others like her in Tabqa are hungry, exhausted and afraid.
The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of Kurdish and Arab fighters, seized the town of Tabqa and the nearby dam on Wednesday after fierce fighting.
The city has been ravaged by the clashes, and trash and dead bodies were visible on the streets 48 hours after the SDF announced Tabqa's capture.
So when one of her neighbours told Ahmad that the SDF was distributing food in Tabqa's central market, she rushed over as fast as she could.
But on her arrival, she found the "distribution" was nothing more than a few SDF fighters sharing their meals with local residents.
"We're so fed up and disgusted with ourselves," she told AFP, her disappointment clear in her voice.
"There's no water to wash or to clean with. Everything has been cut off: water, electricity, food," she said.
"We want humanitarian groups to help us out before we die of hunger and disease."
Nearby, a woman combed through the remains of an SDF meal, gathering discarded sandwiches and placing them in a box.
"The situation in the town is very difficult, particularly because of the major food shortage caused by the fighting and the severing of supply routes after the town was surrounded by the SDF," said Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor.
- 'Flies and dirt' -
On another street, residents waited to fill bottles at a water tank, their supply cut by the fighting for the nearby Tabqa dam.
Around them was evidence of the fight for the town, including damaged buildings and the body of a suspected IS fighter lying in the street.
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Uncollected rubbish sat in small piles along the road, attracting clouds of flies.
In the market, shopkeepers worked to clean the street in front of their businesses.
"There is a lot of illness spreading because of the bodies that are still scattered about, which are starting to smell," said 40-year-old Abdel Rahman Shakrushi.
"There are flies and dirt everywhere, which is affecting our health."
Abdel Rahman said hundreds of people were still missing in the town, with the bodies of many people killed in air strikes still believed to be under rubble.
IS jihadists seized Tabqa in 2014, and the town was a key prize for the SDF as they press an operation to recapture the extremist group's Syrian bastion of Raqa, 55 kilometres (35 miles) to the east.
The SDF operation was backed by heavy air strikes from the US-led coalition, and civilians trapped in the fighting were terrified.
Some were able to escape, and made their way towards the SDF fighters, but others like 20-year-old Muhannad Haj Omar moved around the town looking for safety.
"We were going from place to place, from house to house. We didn't even know where we were any more," he said.
- 'They destroyed our lives' -
Even with IS expelled, and facing a final assault on their stronghold, fear of the group remains strong in Tabqa.
Ahmad was still wearing the all-enveloping black robes and face veil that IS required of all women living under its rule.
"We're still afraid that they could come back and attack the city. We're afraid for our children," she said.
"I don't want to remove the face veil, even though I didn't wear it before Daesh came," she added, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
In the middle of the market was a signpost with two horizontal crossbars that residents said IS fighters used to display the bodies of those killed for violating its harsh rules.
One resident told AFP on condition on anonymity that his son, a pharmacist, was hung from the post after being executed on accusations of "dealing with the infidels".
"They left him there for three days, and I came every day to guard his body so the dogs wouldn't tear into it," he said with tears in his eyes.
He refused to give his name or be filmed, saying he too remained afraid that IS could return and take revenge.
Omar shook his head as he recalled the terror IS brought to the town.
"They made us hate living and life," he said.
"They destroyed our lives."
2 injured as Chand Maoist cadres clash with police in Kalikot
Two persons were injured when the Netra Bikram Chand-led CPN Maoist cadres clashed with police personnel in Malkot Village Council in Kalikot district on Sunday.
Former national intelligence director hammers the presidents actions, calling James Comeys firing another victory for Russia
James Clapper testifies on Capitol Hill, during the Senate judiciary subcommittee hearing on Russian interference in the 2016 election. Photograph: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP
James Clapper, the former director of national intelligence, has accused Donald Trump of placing American democratic institutions under assault following the sacking of James Comey and cautioned that the former FBI directors removal is another victory for Russia.
The forceful criticism comes as the Department of Justice began screening candidates for Comeys replacement and Democrats renewed calls for a special prosecutor to oversee an investigation into Russias interference in the 2016 election.
I think in many ways our institutions are under assault, Clapper told CNNs State of the Union on Sunday. Both externally, and thats the big news here, is Russian interference in our election system. And I think as well our institutions are under assault internally.
When asked to clarify if the internal assault came from the president directly, the former spy chief added: Exactly.
In a later interview on ABC news, Clapper added that the Russians have to consider this [Comeys sacking] as another victory on the scoreboard for them.
The bleak assessment came days after Trump claimed on Twitter that Clapper had determined there is no collusion with reference to his presidential campaign and Russia, a characterization that Clapper has refuted.
The former national intelligence director, who served under the Obama administration from 2010 until Trumps inauguration, said during a March interview that he had no knowledge of any collusion between the Republicans campaign and Russian operatives. He has since clarified that during his time in office he was also unaware of an FBI investigation into such collusion, adding on Sunday: I dont know if there was collusion. And I dont know of any evidence to it so I cant refute it and I cant confirm it.
An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll released on Sunday found only 29% of Americans approved of Comeys firing, while 78% supported an independent commission or special prosecutor to investigate Russias interference in the election.
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Donald Trump has said he hopes finding a replacement for James Comey will go quickly. Photograph: Mary F. Calvert/Reuters
The result is likely to bolster Democrats. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer renewed calls for a special prosecutor, and raised questions over whether US attorney general Jeff Sessions had violated the terms of his recusal from the Russia investigation by recommending the removal of Comey.
Sessions recused himself after it emerged he had failed to disclose contacts between himself and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 campaign.
The actions of the last week make all the more reason that he should not be attorney general, Schumer told CNN on Sunday.
Senate Democrats are discussing the possibility of blocking Trumps eventual nominee to replace Comey until a special prosecutor is appointed. Schumer on Sunday indicated he was supportive of such a move.
Comey has rejected an invitation to testify in a closed door Senate committee hearing next week, but has reportedly expressed a desire to testify in public at a later date. Clapper said on Sunday he had been in contact with the former FBI director by email, but declined to characterize the nature of their conversation.
Comey has made no public comment since he was sacked on Tuesday, but was spotted on Saturday at a matinee performance of the Broadway musical Fun Home, which is currently on tour in Washington DC.
On Saturday at least eight candidates for the vacant FBI position met Sessions and deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein at the justice department. The list included the acting FBI director Andrew McCabe, Alice Fisher, a high-ranking justice department official in the George W Bush administration, Texas Republican senator John Cornyn, and former Republican congressman Mike Rogers, who is also a former FBI agent.
Rogers has won the endorsement of the FBI agents association, which represents 13,000 former and current agents and has ties to Trump surrogate and former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Saturday that he predicted the selection and nomination process is going to go quickly.
Almost all of them are very well-known, Trump said before taking off for Lynchburg, Virginia, where he gave the commencement address at Liberty University. Theyve been vetted over their lifetime, essentially, but very well-known, highly respected, really talented people. And thats what we want for the FBI.
Schumer, on Sunday, argued that the eventual nominee should not be a partisan politician and should be someone with courage to stand up to attempted interference with the Russia investigation.
Schumers call was echoed by at least one Republican senator on Sunday, as Lindsey Graham told NBCs Meet the Press he believed the new FBI director should be someone who comes from within the ranks or has such a reputation that has no political backgrounds at all, that can go into the job on day one.
Graham added of the ongoing investigation into Russias interference in the election: The president needs to back off here and let the investigation go forward.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- The Latest on North Korea's missile launch (all times local):
12:30 p.m.
Australia's prime minister has called on China to use its leverage over North Korea to end the regime's missile testing.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in Sydney on Monday that North Korea's conduct was "reckless," ''provocative" and "unlawful." Australia will work with the United States and other countries to impose sanctions on Pyongyang.
"The greatest responsibility for bringing North Korea to its senses ... lies with China," Turnbull says.
"They have the overwhelming dominant economic relationship with North Korea and because they have the greatest leverage, they have the greatest responsibility," he added.
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9:10 a.m. Monday
North Korea says the medium long-range strategic missile it tested over the weekend can carry a nuclear warhead.
The country's official Korean Central News Agency says the missile fired Sunday Korea time was a Hwasong-12 "capable of carrying a large-size heavy nuclear warhead."
The South Korean, Japanese and U.S. militaries say the missile flew for half an hour and reached an unusually high altitude before landing in the Sea of Japan. Tokyo says the flight pattern could indicate a new type of missile.
Japanese officials say the missile flew for about 30 minutes, traveling about 800 kilometers (500 miles) and reaching an altitude of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).
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11:25 p.m.
The Trump administration seems to be throwing cold water for now on the idea of talks with North Korea.
A top North Korean diplomat had said on Saturday a day before the latest missile test from the North that her country would be willing to meet with the Trump administration for negotiations "if the conditions are set."
And earlier this month, President Donald Trump seemed to open the door to talks when he said he'd be "honored" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
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But Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told ABC's "This Week" on Sunday that "having a missile test is not the way to sit down with the president, because he's absolutely not going to do it."
Haley said that Kim "can sit there and say all the conditions he wants. Until he meets our conditions, we're not sitting down with him."
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8 p.m.
Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni says the G-7 summit his country is hosting later this month will discuss how to deal with the risk North Korea's missile launchings pose to global security.
Gentiloni, who is visiting China and Russia this week, recommended a response of "firmness," which he suggested should be "predominantly economic." He urged an approach of diplomacy, noting that Italy could play a role since it heads the U.N. sanctions committee.
Referring to North Korea's latest ballistic missile test, conducted on Sunday, Gentiloni said in Beijing that "you must not consider these things as local bizarreness or strangeness."
The Italian leader said that "it's a serious problem for global stability and security, and I'm convinced that the upcoming G-7, in friendship, will contribute to resolving this issue."
The summit, in Sicily, is May 26-27.
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3:35 p.m.
China's foreign ministry has expressed opposition to North Korea's test-launch of a ballistic missile and called on all sides to exercise restraint.
A Ministry spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, said in a statement Sunday faxed to The Associated Press that the situation on the Korean peninsula is "complex and sensitive."
Hua says countries "should not do things that further escalate tensions in the region."
In Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that their countries are both playing an "important role as a balancing power" in world affairs by seeking a peaceful way out for of the crises in Syria and the Korean Peninsula.
China, North Korea's most important ally and key provider of food and fuel aid, has sought to cool tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, repeatedly calling for dialogue.
Shen Dingli, a professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai, says North Korea conducted the test to show its "determination to develop nuclear weapons and missiles remains unchanged."
___
1:15 p.m.
Japan's Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida says he and his South Korean counterpart have agreed that dialogue for dialogue's sake with North Korea is meaningless in the wake of Pyongyang's latest missile test.
Kishida says he and South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se shared the view that dialogue is important for resolving the North Korean tensions. They also acknowledged the importance of the role China is playing in its dealings with its North Korean ally.
Kishida says the international community should prioritize efforts to implement the existing U.N. Security Council resolutions barring North Korea's missile and nuclear technology more thoroughly. He says Japan and the U.S. also started discussing the sanctions on North Korea, but did not elaborate.
Experts have said the sanctions have been largely ineffective because North Korea still has trade and investment with China and Russia.
Kishida says: "We need to keep studying what could be the most effective while monitoring how North Korea would respond."
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12:30 p.m.
Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he and South Korean President Moon Jae-in discussed by phone North Korea's latest missile test, while his top national security adviser also spoke with his U.S. counterpart.
Abe says "Japan is closely cooperating with the U.S. and South Korea and analyzing the situation as we firmly respond to the development."
It was his second appearance before reporters Sunday after North Korea fired the missile that Japanese officials say may have been a new type given its flight time and unusually high altitude.
Abe added that the three countries also seek to cooperate with China and Russia to pressure North Korea to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions to stop further missile and nuclear tests.
___
Noon
The White House says President Donald Trump "cannot imagine that Russia is pleased" with North Korea's latest missile test because the missile landed so close to Russian soil.
In a statement issued Saturday night, the White House press secretary points out that the missile landed closer to Russia than to Japan.
The White House says North Korea has been "a flagrant menace for far too long." And it says South Korea and Japan have been watching this situation closely with the U.S.
The statement says the U.S. maintains its "ironclad commitment" to stand with its allies in the face of the serious threat posed by North Korea. And the White House says the latest "provocation" should serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against the North.
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10:50 a.m.
Japan's defense minister says the missile test-fired by North Korea might have been a new type given the altitude and duration of its flight.
Defense Minister Tomomi Inada told reporters there is a possibility that it was a new type of ballistic missile, saying it flew Sunday for about 30 minutes and an altitude exceeding 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles). She says more analysis was needed.
Earlier, Japanese officials said the missile landed in the Sea of Japan but outside the country's exclusive economic zone.
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has strongly condemned the launch, saying there was still the possibility of dialogue with North Korea but that Seoul would deal sternly with any such provocations.
___
10:20 a.m.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in has strongly condemned rival North Korea's missile test-launch as a "clear" violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and a "serious challenge" to international peace and security.
According to senior presidential secretary Yoon Young-chan, Moon expressed "deep regret" over the fact this "provocation" occurred just days after a new government was sworn in in South Korea.
Yoon quoted Moon as saying South Korea is "leaving open the possibility of dialogue with North Korea, but we should sternly deal with a provocation to prevent North Korea from miscalculating."
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9:35 a.m.
Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga says the missile test-fired by North Korea flew 800 kilometers (500 miles) for about 30 minutes and landed in the Sea of Japan, but not inside Japan's exclusive economic zone.
He says there are no reports indicating there was any safety impact on aircraft and ship transport.
He says the missile was not flying toward Japan and that the country did not launch a safety alert system.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Sunday that the launch, which is banned by the United Nations, is "absolutely unacceptable" and that Japan will respond resolutely.
He says officials are studying possible implications of the launch that came days after South Korea's new president took office and an international conference is being hosted by China.
Japan also lodged protest to North Korea over the missile launch through the Japanese Embassy in Beijing.
Paris (AFP) - Emmanuel Macron became France's youngest ever president on Sunday, promising at his inauguration to restore the country's lost confidence and relaunch the flagging European Union.
Macron, a 39-year-old centrist, took the reins of power from Socialist Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace a week after his resounding victory over far-right leader Marine Le Pen in an election that was watched worldwide.
After a private meeting with his former mentor Hollande and his first speech as president, Macron headed up the rainy Champs Elysees in an army vehicle, waving to small crowds of wellwishers who gathered along the famed avenue.
Macron said his first priority would be "to give back to the French people the confidence that for too long has been flagging".
"I will convince our compatriots that France's power is not in decline, but that we are at the dawn of an extraordinary renaissance because we have all the qualities which will make... the great powers of the 21st century," he said.
While France's place was in the European Union "which protects us and enables us to project our values in the world," the 28-member bloc needed to be "reformed and relaunched", the president said.
Macron also suggested he would press on with his ambitious agenda to reform France's rigid labour market and modernise the social security system despite the fierce resistance he is likely to meet.
Some analysts and opponents have questioned the strength of Macron's mandate after he won just 24.01 percent in the first round of the presidential election on April 23 before his landslide victory over Le Pen in the second.
His rivals on the far-right and far-left, opposed to the EU and major economic reforms, won around 50 percent of the first-round vote.
- A man of his time? -
The former investment banker was proclaimed president by Laurent Fabius, president of the Constitutional Council, at the 18th-century presidential palace in central Paris where Macron and his wife Brigitte will now live.
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Brigitte, a 64-year-old who was his high school drama teacher, wore a light blue Louis Vuitton outfit for the ceremony.
Her three children from her previous marriage were also present along with VIPs from France's political scene and the young team of advisors behind Macron's sensational rise.
Security was tight, with around 1,500 police officers deployed near the presidential palace and on the Champs Elysees, and surrounding roads blocked off.
At the end of the formalities, a 21-gun salute rang out from the Invalides military hospital on the other side of the River Seine.
Macron then headed to a hospital outside Paris where soldiers wounded in military operations are treated.
He later visited the capital's town hall for the traditional visit made by each new president to his "host city".
There he promised to "campaign fully" in the bid by Paris to host the 2024 Olympics, which he said was exactly the kind of event to boost national optimism.
"The challenge of the next five years will be to prevent our country from falling apart," he said.
The new president faces a host of daunting challenges including tackling stubbornly high unemployment, fighting Islamist-inspired violence and healing divisions exposed by an often vicious election campaign.
Hollande's five years in power were plagued by a sluggish economy and bloody terror attacks that killed more than 230 people. He leaves office after a single term.
- Prime minister, then Merkel -
Macron's first week will be busy. On Monday, he will name his prime minister, rumoured to be Edouard Philippe, a conservative MP and mayor of the northern port city of Le Havre.
Macron will then fly to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel, maintaining a French presidential tradition of making the first European trip to the other half of the EU's power couple.
The new French leader wants to push for closer cooperation to help the bloc overcome the imminent departure of Britain.
He also intends to press for the creation of a parliament and budget for the eurozone.
Merkel welcomed Macron's victory over Le Pen, saying he carried "the hopes of millions of French people and also many in Germany and across Europe".
Further ahead, Macron will need to win a majority in parliamentary elections in June to enact his ambitious reform agenda.
His 13-month-old political movement "Republique en Marche" (Republic on the Move, REM) intends to field candidates in virtually every constituency in the country.
It unveiled 428 of its 577 candidates this week. Half have never held elected office, including a retired female bullfighter and a star mathematician, and half are women.
A Tennessee man died after setting himself on fire on Facebook Live, police said.
Police said they arrived at Murphy's Bar in midtown Memphis on Saturday night and discovered the man severely burned.
Read: Mother Streams Beating of Her Daughter on Facebook Live: 'I'm Gonna Need Y'All to Send This Viral'
The man, whom Fox 13 identified as Jared McLemore, 33, reportedly doused himself with kerosene while recording live and then ran into the bar.
McLemore allegedly erupted in flames in front of horrified patrons, including his ex-girlfriend who works at the establishment.
This gentleman comes running into the room on fire screaming incomprehensibly, one witness told Fox 8.
Witnesses said some initially thought it was a joke while others tried to help put him out, throwing t-shirts and jackets on him to no avail.
McLemore was taken to the hospital where he later died.
Another man, who was reportedly trying to help, suffered burns when he tried to take McLemores lighter away.
Read: Teen Girl Rescued by Sheriff's Deputies After Attempting Suicide on Facebook Live
He was also taken to the hospital in non-critical condition, according to reports.
McLemores ex-girlfriend, Alyssa Moore, told Fox 13 that he had a history of domestic violence and threatening to kill her.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Moore in the aftermath of McLemore's death.
Facebook has taken the video down.
Watch: 26-Year-Old Mom Streams Her Death on Facebook While Holding 1-Year-Old Son
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Protesters gather at Lee Park in Charlottesville, Va., on Saturday. (Allison Wrabel/The Daily Progress via ABC News)
The mayor of Charlottesville, Va., condemned Saturday nights demonstration by a large group of torch-bearing white nationalists who were protesting the removal of statues honoring Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson.
This event involving torches at night in Lee Park was either profoundly ignorant or was designed to instill fear in our minority populations in a way that hearkens back to the days of the KKK, Charlottesville Mayor Mike Signer said in a statement. Either way, as mayor of this city, I want everyone to know this: We reject this intimidation. We are a welcoming city, but such intolerance is not welcome here.
I think its horrific, Signer told ABC News. Were a city that proudly values our diversity.
According to the Daily Progress, a local newspaper, several dozen protesters gathered in the park around 9 p.m. carrying torches and chanting, You will not replace us, Blood and soil and Russia is our friend.
A spokesman for the Charlottesville Police Department told Yahoo News that the first responding officer on the scene observed 100 to 150 people in the park, many of whom were carrying tiki-style torches. The officer said that several members of the large group were arguing with single male who was yelling at them to leave my town. The officer began telling the group to leave the park, and as additional units arrived, all parties involved began to leave the park without incident.
No assaults, injuries or damage to the park were reported, and no arrests were made, the spokesman said.
Last month, the Charlottesville City Council voted to sell the Lee statue, but a judge later issued an injunction preventing the city from doing so for six months. In February, Signer signaled his support of a plan not to move the statues but instead design new monuments that add to history and challenge and transform the Jim Crow legacy that some believe the statues represent. The City Council is expected to meet again Monday to discuss the issue.
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Richard Spencer noted white nationalist and leader of the so-called alt-right was among the torch-carrying protesters.
What brings us together is that we are white, we are a people, we will not be replaced, Spencer said in a video he posted using Periscope.
Tom Perriello, a Virginia gubernatorial candidate, lashed out at Spencer on Twitter.
Get your white supremacist hate out of my hometown, Perriello wrote.
Get your white supremacist hate out of my hometown. https://t.co/KfkxHImvze Tom Perriello (@tomperriello) May 13, 2017
We won, you lost, little Tommy, Spencer shot back.
We won, you lost, little Tommy. https://t.co/M7qAAJ4VGa Richard ???? Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) May 13, 2017
Actually, you lost. In 1865, Perriello replied. 150 years later, youre still not over it.
Actually, you lost. In 1865. 150 years later, you're still not over it. https://t.co/pVLyn3gAjB Tom Perriello (@tomperriello) May 13, 2017
Meanwhile, Signer spent part of his weekend publicly responding to hate-filled Twitter messages.
Some especially high-quality trolls out tonight. https://t.co/kSVtuRscrZ Mike Signer (@MikeSigner) May 14, 2017
I'm not an expert, but I love how all these anonymous trolls try and use tropes of machismo to attack actual leaders. #profileincourage. https://t.co/yBvYKl7FOw Mike Signer (@MikeSigner) May 14, 2017
Always good to sample a little good old anonymous Trump-era trolling to learn the true incoherence we're facing. Also, no daughters here. https://t.co/4bAdI5yV1w Mike Signer (@MikeSigner) May 13, 2017
Read more from Yahoo News:
Dusseldorf (Germany) (AFP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel dealt a devastating blow to her main rival on Sunday, four months before national elections, when early results showed her party securing a strong win in a regional vote in Germany's biggest state.
Her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) clinched 34.3 percent of the vote in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), first results showed, snatching control of the sprawling industrial region which has been a Social Democratic Party (SPD) stronghold for decades.
The SPD only managed to garner 30.6 percent, its worst score in history in the state and sharply down from its 2012 showing of 39.1 percent, in a serious hit to confidence ahead of general elections in September.
SPD leader Martin Schulz admitted that the loss in his home state marked a "difficult day for the SPD" and for him personally, but urged supporters to battle on.
"We received a body blow, but we are still striving in the ring... now we're going into the next round, the deciding round. At the end, when we look to the judge, it's going to be the voters who raise the winner's arms," he said.
The former European Parliament president turned to France for courage.
"My friend Emmanuel Macron was at the bottom five months ago, and now, he is president," said Schulz of the new French leader who took office on Sunday.
But Germany's best-selling daily Bild noted that "with the clear state election failures, it would be very difficult for the SPD to win the general elections in September."
Likewise, Spiegel Online said: "Martin Schulz now needs a miracle."
- High stakes -
With a fifth of Germans -- 13.1 million -- eligible to vote in North Rhine-Westphalia, an election in the western state is always closely watched.
It carries even higher stakes this year, being the last regional vote before national polls and having a direct impact on whether the SPD can close a nationwide gap of around 10 percentage points with the CDU.
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"We are going into the national elections with a lot of confidence," said lawmaker Michael Grosse-Broemer, who heads the CDU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, noting that the latest win gave the party further "tailwind".
The SPD had already suffered two setbacks since Schulz took over, with the CDU scoring strong victories in the small states of Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein.
Sunday's humiliating result in its stronghold may raise serious questions on the centre-left party's strategy.
Schulz had hoped that his push for "social justice" would resonate in NRW, which has lagged behind western Germany economically.
He argued that many people are struggling in temporary or low-paid jobs even though the country as a whole is growing richer.
But Merkel, who had also gone all out to sway the state of 18 million people, including 4.2 million of migrant origin, took aim at Schulz's arguments.
Her party, she said, offered "justice in the sense of jobs, strong budgets, funds for local communities."
She had urged voters to look at her government's economic record, noting that with 7.5 percent unemployment, the state fares worse than the national rate of 5.8 percent.
- Security problem -
The state's SPD-led governing coalition has also been under fire over security failures, and junior partner Greens also suffered a setback Sunday with polling reaching 6.0 percent, just above half of the 2012 score of 11.3 percent.
State interior minister Ralf Jaeger has faced criticism for failing to detain Anis Amri, the Tunisian asylum seeker suspected in the deadly Berlin Christmas market rampage last year.
Amri had lived in the state and was deemed a threat by intelligence officials, but Jaeger argued that there was insufficient evidence to lock him up.
On Jaeger's watch, Cologne also became the scene of mass sexual assaults by groups of mostly North African men on New Year's Eve of 2015-2016, inflaming the debate over the 890,000 asylum seekers Germany welcomed in 2015.
The populist AfD (Alternative for Germany), which has railed against the migration influx, on Sunday secured its first seats in NRW, which would see it represented in 13 of 16 state parliaments.
Liberal party FDP saw a revival, polling at 12 percent in the state, after being consigned to political wilderness when it failed to cross the five-percent hurdle in national election in 2013.
25-42 pc votes cast so far: EC [UPDATE]
The average voting has reached 20 percent by 10.15am in 32 districts, according to EC.
By Wa Lone YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar police have arrested two radical Buddhist nationalists and are seeking several more after they clashed with Muslims in the country's commercial capital Yangon, underscoring the authorities' growing concern over rising religious tensions. The arrests came after nationalists led by the Patriotic Monks Union (PMU) raided flats on Tuesday in a Yangon district with a large Muslim population, igniting scuffles that were only broken up when police fired shots into the air. Two weeks ago, the same people had forced the closure of two Muslim schools. "We have arrested two people since yesterday evening, and are still looking for the rest of them," said Police Major Khin Maung Oo, in charge the police station in Yangon's Mingalar Taung Nyunt district, where this week's scuffles took place. Tensions between majority Buddhists and Myanmar's Muslim minority have simmered since scores were killed and tens of thousands displaced in intercommunal clashes accompanying the onset of the country's democratic transition in 2012 and 2013. Mutual distrust has deepened since October, when attacks by Rohingya Muslim insurgents in northwestern Rakhine state provoked a massive military counter-offensive, causing around 75,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh. The 13-month-old administration of Aung San Suu Kyi had made tentative moves against nationalist hardliners, but the arrests mark a significant step-up in the government's efforts, highlighting official concerns over a potential outbreak of violence in the country's main city, which has a substantial Muslim population. Brigadier General Mya Win, the commander of Yangon's regional police security command, said extra security forces had been deployed and the police were on high alert to prevent communal violence. "We are patrolling around Muslim areas and have taken security measures around places of worship," he told Reuters. Leaders of the nationalist PMU said they were acting independently of the Ma Ba Tha, a larger radical Buddhist and anti-Muslim organization that counts among its leaders the firebrand monk Wirathu, who once called himself "Myanmar's Bin Laden". Ma Ba Tha holds its nationwide congress in Yangon, a city of more than 5 million that has been a focus of foreign investment since a former military government ceded power in 2012, in two weeks and is expecting about 10,000 monks to attend. TARGETING MUSLIMS In both incidents, PMU monks and lay sympathizers targeted Muslim areas after attending a trial of fellow nationalists facing charges of inciting violence during a protest in front of the United States embassy in Yangon last year. "We didn't want any confrontation with the nationalists so we allowed them to shut down our schools," said Tin Shwe, the chairman of the Muslim schools, referring to an incident on April 28. Tin Shwe, and a lawmaker from the ruling National League for Democracy, told Reuters the nationalists came to the schools with local administrators and policemen. On Tuesday the group, again accompanied by local authorities and police, searched a building in a different part of Yangon shortly before midnight, claiming some Rohingya Muslims were staying there illegally. Local residents confronted the nationalists, gathered in front of the building, prompting police officers to fire warning shots to break up the crowd. A Yangon court issued the arrest warrant against seven people, including two monks, charging them with inciting communal violence, which carries a penalty of up to two years in prison. At a news conference on Tuesday, organized shortly before the arrest warrants were issued, the nationalists vowed to keep fighting Muslim influence in the country, citing government reluctance to "protect race and religion" in Myanmar. "We are protecting our people because government authorities are reluctant to do that. Even though many people hate us, we are not creating problems," U Thuseikta, a monk and a senior official of the PMU, told reporters. Tin Shwe, the Muslim community leader, said: "We want to get equal treatment and be protected by the government - we voted for them with our hands." (Reporting by Wa Lone; Editing by Antoni Slodkowski and Alex Richardson)
North Korea launched an unidentified projectile early Saturday morning, the South Korean military confirmed to Reuters. While the objects exact nature remained unknown, it was likely a ballistic missile.
If the launch was, in fact, a ballistic missile, it would be the first the North fired in the two weeks since its last missile test, which failed a mere two minutes into its flight. North Korea has launched four unsuccessful missile tests over the past two months. Despite the tests ultimate failure, the North likely gleaned significant technical knowledge from the launches, according to Reuters.
Its unclear what the launch means for the already tenuous relationship between the United States and North Korea. Both regions have warned each other against taking military action in recent months. President Donald Trump and senior officials in his administration have said that no action is off the table.
Read: How Far Can North Korea's Nuclear Missiles Reach?
There is a chance that we could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea, the president told Reuters in April. Wed love to solve things diplomatically by its very difficult.
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Photo: Getty Images
Vice President Mike Pence reiterated the point during a visit to the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea the same month. Pence essentially ushered in a new era of relations between the U.S. and North Korea, saying the policy of strategic patience was no longer adequate.
Since 1992, the United States and our allies have stood together for a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, Pence said. We hope to achieve this objective through peaceable means, but all options are on the table.
For more news videos visit Yahoo View, available on iOS and Android.
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The U.S. began installation of its missile defense system, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system (THAAD), in South Korea in April. The system would, ideally, decimate North Korean missiles before they had a chance to successfully hit their targets. The North, as well as protesters in South Korea, denounced the move by saying it created even more tension in an already strained relationship.
By relentlessly bringing in a number of strategic nuclear assets to the Korean peninsula, the U.S. is gravely threatening the peace and safety and driving the situation to the brink of nuclear war, North Korean officials said in a statement. This has created a dangerous situation in which thermo-nuclear war may break out at any moment.
Read: North Korea Accuses U.S. Of Trying To Assassinate Kim Jong Un
The secretive nature of North Korean military operations makes it near-impossible to discern the exact capabilities of its existing missiles. Military officials have said recently that while the North likely does not yet have the ability to fire long-range missiles that would reach places like the U.S., theyre not far off from the technology. Estimates still vary about the exact distance the missiles might currently be able to reach. Some suggest they could make it as far as 4,000 km, allowing the country to reach targets like U.S. military bases in Guam.
Outside nations have urged North Korea and the U.S. to de-escalate the situation before it spirals out of control.
The United States and North Korea are engaging in tit for tat, Chinas foreign ministry, Wang Yi, said in April. We call on all parties to refrain from provoking and threatening each other, whether words or actions, and not let the situation get to an irreversible and unmanageable stage. Force cannot solve the problem, dialogue can be the only channel to resolve the problem.
GettyImages-664650762
Photo: Getty Images
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North Korea would agree to meet with Trump administration officials if the conditions are set, a senior North Korean diplomat has said amid ongoing concerns about the rogue states development of nuclear weapons and intercontinental missile technology.
Choi Sun-hee, who handles relations with the US, did not explain what conditions would be necessary as she spoke to an Associated Press reporter and other journalists in Beijing after arriving back from an informal meeting with US experts in Norway.
The US and North Korea last held face-to-face talks in 2008, when international negotiations over the latters nuclear weapons collapsed.
President Donald Trump said earlier this month he would be honoured to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
South Koreas Yonhap news agency reported Ms Choe met Suzanne DiMaggio, director of the US think tank New America, Thomas Pickering, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, and Robert Einhorn, a former special adviser on arms control to the US State Department, in Oslo.
And Ms Choe confirmed: I met with Pickering and I will discuss it when given the opportunity in the future.
Read more
North Korea could be preparing to strike US from space, claims expert
When asked if the North was also planning talks with South Korea, she added: We will observe the situation.
A US State Department official said the track-two talks in Norway did not have official recognition.
Track-two meetings are routinely held on a variety of topics around the world and occur independent of US government involvement, a State Department official said.
A North Korean defector recently warned that Mr Kim would launch a nuclear weapon if he believed his regime was under threat.
He would wage nuclear war even if he knew it would mean finishing himself and harming the North Korean people because he is young and ambitious and doesnt care about the lives of North Koreans, the defector told The Independent. He also doesnt know anything about their lives.
A registered sex offender was arrested for allegedly chopping a womans hair off without her knowledge as she rode public transportation in Oregon, police said.
The woman was riding a TriMet bus when a man approached her, pulled out a scissor and cut a clump of her hair off before fleeing on May 1, Portland police said.
Authorities released footage of the man, who they identified as 30-year-old Jared Walter, a sex offender with three previous convictions for similar behavior targeting women of all ages, cops said.
Police on Wednesday released images of Walter, who previously had been sent to jail for cutting and masturbating in womens hair as they rode TriMet buses, and announced a $1,000 reward in an effort to take him into custody after the most recent incident.
Read: Women Reveal What It's Like to Be in a Relationship With a Sex Offender and Why They Stay
We will not tolerate this type of behavior on our transit system," Harry Saporta, TriMet's executive director of safety and security, said in a statement. "As this individual has clearly shown he will continue to re-offend despite repercussions, we will work closely with transit police and the district attorney's office to find this individual and seek the harshest penalty possible.
Hours after his photo was released, a resident spotted Walter at a Walmart, followed him and held him until police arrived to make their arrest, officials said.
Walter was charged with two counts of harassment and two counts of interfering with public transportation.
Read: Sex Offender Arrested After Arranging to Have Sex With 13-Year-Old Girl, but Meets Her Dad Instead: Cops
He pleaded not guilty when he appeared in court Thursday and a judge set bail at $100,000.
While straphangers can only be banned from the transit system for a maximum of six months, authorities are investigating the possibility of banning Walter for a longer period, Saporta said.
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We, along with transit police, are dedicated to assuring a safe system for all of our riders, he said.
Walter is due back in court in June.
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The question of whether a God exists is heating up in the 21st century. According to a Pew survey, the percentage of Americans having no religious affiliation reached 23 percent in 2014. Among such nones, 33 percent said that they do not believe in God an 11 percent increase since only 2007.
Such trends have ironically been taking place even as the rational probabilities for the existence of a supernatural God have been rising. In my 2015 book, God? Very Probably, I explore five rational reasons why it is very probable that such a God exists.
Laws of math
In 1960, the Princeton physicist and subsequent Nobel Prize winner Eugene Wigner raised a fundamental question: Why did the natural world always so far as we know obey laws of mathematics?
Most working mathematicians today believe that mathematics exists independent of physical reality. It is the job of mathematicians to discover the realities of this separate world of mathematical laws and concepts. Physicists then put the mathematics to use according to the rules of prediction and confirmed observation of the scientific method.
But modern mathematics generally is formulated before any natural observations are made and many mathematical laws today have no known existing physical analogues.
Einsteins 1915 general theory of relativity, for example, was based on theoretical mathematics developed 50 years earlier by the great German mathematician Bernhard Riemann that did not have any known practical applications at the time of its intellectual creation.
In some cases, the physicist also discovers the mathematics. Isaac Newton was considered among the greatest mathematicians as well as physicists of the 17th century. Other physicists sought his help in finding a mathematics that would predict the workings of the solar system. He found it in the mathematical law of gravity, based in part on his discovery of calculus.
At the time, however, many people initially resisted Newtons conclusions because they seemed to be occult.
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How could two distant objects in the solar system be drawn toward one another, acting according to a precise mathematical law? Indeed, Newton made strenuous efforts over his lifetime to find a natural explanation but in the end he conceded failure. He could say only that it is the will of God.
Despite the many other enormous advances of modern physics, little has changed in this regard. As Wigner wrote, The enormous usefulness of mathematics in the natural sciences is something bordering on the mysterious and there is no rational explanation for it.
In other words, as something supernatural, it takes the existence of some kind of a God to make the mathematical underpinnings of the universe comprehensible.
Math and other worlds
Other leading physicists and mathematicians have since offered similar views.
The great British physicist Roger Penrose in 2004 put forward a vision of a universe composed of three independently existing worlds mathematics, the material world and human consciousness. As Penrose acknowledged, it was a complete puzzle to him, how the three interacted with one another outside the ability of any scientific or other conventionally rational model to explain.
How can physical atoms and molecules, for example, create something that exists in a separate domain that has no physical existence, human consciousness?
It is a mystery that lies beyond science.
This mystery is the same one that existed in the Greek world view of Plato, who believed that abstract ideas (above all mathematical) first existed outside any physical reality. The material world that we experience as part of our human existence is an imperfect reflection of these prior formal ideals. For Plato, the realm of such ideals is the realm of God.
Indeed, in 2014 the MIT physicist Max Tegmark argued in Our Mathematical Universe that mathematics is the fundamental world reality that acting in a God-like fashion drives the universe.
The mystery of human consciousness
The workings of human consciousness are similarly miraculous. Like the laws of mathematics, consciousness has no physical presence in the world; the images and thoughts in our consciousness have no measurable dimensions.
Yet, our nonphysical thoughts somehow mysteriously guide the actions of our physical human bodies. This is no more scientifically explicable than the mysterious ability of nonphysical mathematical constructions to determine the workings of a separate physical world.
Until recently, the scientifically unfathomable quality of human consciousness inhibited the very scholarly discussion of the subject. Since the 1970s, however, it has become a leading area of inquiry among philosophers.
Recognizing that he could not reconcile his own scientific materialism with the existence of a nonphysical world of human consciousness, a leading atheist, Daniel Dennett, in 1991 took the radical step of denying that consciousness even exists.
Finding this altogether implausible, as most people do, another leading philosopher, Thomas Nagel, wrote in 2012 that, given the scientifically inexplicable the intractable character of human consciousness, We will have to leave [scientific] materialism behind as a complete basis for understanding the world of human existence.
The supernatural character of the workings of human consciousness offers a second strong rational grounds for raising the probability of the existence of a supernatural God.
Looking beyond Darwinism
Darwins theory of evolution in 1859 offered a theoretical explanation for a strictly physical mechanism by which the current plant and animal kingdoms might have come into existence, and assumed their current forms, without any necessary role for a God.
In recent years, however, traditional Darwinism and later revised accounts of neo-Darwinism have themselves come under increasingly strong scientific challenge. From the 1970s onwards, the Harvard evolutionary biologist Steven Jay Gould, for example, complained that little evidence could be found in the fossil record of the slow and gradual evolution of species as theorized by Darwin.
In 2011, the University of Chicago evolutionary biologist James Shapiro explained that, remarkably enough, many micro-evolutionary processes worked as though guided by a purposeful sentience of the evolving plant and animal organisms themselves a concept far removed from the random selection processes of Darwinism.
With these developments bringing standard evolutionary understandings into growing question, the probability of a God existing has increased correspondingly.
Miraculous ideas at the same time?
For the past 10,000 years at a minimum, the most important changes in human existence have been driven by cultural developments occurring in the realm of human ideas.
In the Axial Age (commonly dated from 800 to 200 B.C.), world-transforming ideas such as Buddhism, Confucianism, the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle, and the Hebrew Old Testament almost miraculously appeared at about the same time in India, China, ancient Greece and among the Jews in the Middle East these peoples then having little interaction with one another.
The development of the scientific method in the 17th century in Europe and its modern further advances have had at least as great a set of world-transforming consequences. There have been many historical theories, but none capable of explaining as fundamentally transformational a set of events as the rise of the modern world. It was a revolution in human thought, operating outside any explanations grounded in scientific materialism, that drove the process.
That all these astonishing things, verging on miracles, happened within the conscious workings of human minds, functioning outside physical reality, offers further rational evidence in my view for the conclusion that human beings may well be made in the image of [a] God.
Different forms of worship
In his commencement address to Kenyon College in 2005, the American novelist and essayist David Foster Wallace said that Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship.
Even though Karl Marx, for example, condemned the illusion of religion, his followers, ironically, worshiped Marxism. The American philosopher Alasdair MacIntyre thus wrote that for much of the 20th century Marxism was the historical successor of Christianity, claiming to show the faithful the one correct path to a new heaven on Earth.
In several of my books, I have explored how Marxism and other such economic religions were characteristic of much of the modern age. So Christianity, I would argue, did not disappear as much as it reappeared in many such disguised forms of secular religion.
That the Christian essence, as arose out of Judaism, showed such great staying power amidst the extraordinary political, economic, intellectual and other radical changes of the modern age is a fifth rational reason for thinking combined with the other four that the existence of a God is very probable.
Robert H. Nelson, Professor of Public Policy, University of Maryland
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
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By Christine Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - Russia's President Vladimir Putin told his newly elected South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, in a phone call on Friday that he is ready to play a "constructive role" in resolving North Korea's nuclear threat, the South's presidential office said. Putin made the comment after Moon said the foremost task to boost cooperation between the two countries was to strengthen strategic bilateral communication to find a solution to curb North Korea's nuclear threat, the Blue House said in a statement. "We hope for Russia to play a constructive role in order for North Korea to stop with its nuclear provocations and go the way of denuclearization," Moon was citing as saying to Putin in the 20-minute conversation. "I, too, aim to find a way to begin talks quickly between North and South Korea as well as the six-party talks," Moon said, referring to talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea involving the United States, China, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas. The talks collapsed in 2008 after North Korea launched a rocket. Tension has been high for months on the Korean peninsula over North Korea's nuclear and missile development and fears it will conduct a sixth nuclear test or test another ballistic missile in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions. Moon is a liberal who advocates a more conciliatory approach to North Korea compared with his conservative predecessor. Moon also expressed hopes the two countries would be able to cooperate in developing East Asia, including extending a natural gas pipeline from Siberia to South Korea, the Blue House said. Putin said he was ready to help in all of the matters they discussed and the two leaders invited each other for state visits, the Blue House added. Moon said he would send a special envoy to Russia soon and Putin said he would welcome the envoy. The two leaders said they looked forward to meeting at the Group of 20 summit meeting in Germany in July. Earlier in the day, Moon spoke with British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the Blue House said. He asked them to help in curbing North Korea's nuclear program and both promised to. (Reporting by Christine Kim; Additional reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Robert Birsel)
The White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer may be the next in line to be fired by Donald Trump, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday, citing officials. If this happens, Spicer would join the long list of White House officials he fired since assuming office in January.
Trump is considering replacing Sean Spicer, who has had his share of embarrassing slip-ups as the press secretary, with Fox New host Kimberly Guilfoyle, the Times reported, citing six West Wing officials. The president decided to make changes to the communication team because of his dissatisfaction with several top authorities, mainly Spicer.
The 70-year-old has also become "increasingly dissatisfied" with the performance of his Chief Of Staff Reince Priebus and Communications Director Michael Dubke, the Times noted. On the whole, Trump was unhappy with the communications team for failing to manage controversy after he fired James Comey from the FBI director post Tuesday, according to the Journal.
Several news outlets and Democrats questioned whether Comeys firing had to do anything with the fact that he led an investigation into Russias ties with Trumps associates during 2016 presidential election. Most top White House officials and Vice President Pence stated that the president dismissed Comey following the Justice Department's recommendation. However, Trump refuted that saying the decision to remove Comey was solely made by him and would have done so irrespective of the recommendation.
Moreover, the Trump administration was looking for a quiet week, but it turned the other way round following Comeys dismissal, the Journal reported, citing a source.
They all thought this was going to be a relatively quiet week, the source told the newspaper. The repeated lesson the White House has learned is there is no quiet day or week. With this president, there will always be something dramatic.
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Republican strategist Ford OConnell said, according to the Associated Press, that Trump is responsible for the mixed messaging.
President Trump definitely views the Comey firing as a communication failure. This all revolves around what happened over the past week, OConnell said.
The president himself also decided to improvise, which compounded some of the problems, OConnell said. But as weve seen in the past, Trump is definitely more than willing to shake things up. He had three campaign managers in 16 months.
OConnell told the news agency that the overall strategy is to be blamed instead of the communications officials.
The folks he has right now are good, OConnell said. What he needs are more folks with more defined roles ... youre going to have issues that keep coming up like Russia, like health care, like North Korea and he needs some specialty communicators who can tackle the issues of the day alongside his press secretary.
On Friday, the president also threatened to rid of press briefings in an apparent jibe at Spicer.
The Fake Media is working overtime today! Trump wrote on Twitter. As a very active President with lots of things happening, it is not possible for my surrogates to stand at podium with perfect accuracy! Maybe the best thing to do would be to cancel all future "press briefings" and hand out written responses for the sake of accuracy.
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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa plans to sign new, more transparent nuclear power agreements with five foreign countries after a high court blocked a deal with Russia due to a lack of oversight, the energy ministry said on Saturday. South Africa signed intergovernmental agreements with Russia, France, China, South Korea and the United States in 2014 as part of plans to build a fleet of nuclear power plants at a cost of between $30 billion and $70 billion. Many investors view the scale of the nuclear plan as unaffordable and a major risk to South Africa's financial stability, while opponents of President Jacob Zuma say the deal will be used as a conduit for corruption. Zuma denies allegations of wrongdoing. State energy firm Eskom says nuclear power should play a role in South Africa's energy mix and will help reduce reliance on coal. The Western Cape High Court found last month that the agreement with Russia lacked transparency and offered Moscow favourable tax rules while placing heavy financial obligations on South Africa. The energy ministry said it had "major concerns" about the court judgement but would not appeal the ruling. It will continue with nuclear energy plans adhering to stricter procedural guidelines, including consulting parliament. "There is no intention to table the current agreements but (we) will embark to sign new agreements with all five countries and table them within reasonable time to parliament," the ministry said in a statement. Eskom on Friday reinstated its former chief executive Brian Molefe, a Zuma ally who has supported the nuclear power plan. Molefe stepped down five months ago after being implicated in a report by the country's anti-graft watchdog into alleged influence-peddling. He denied any wrongdoing. Some analysts say former finance minister Pravin Gordhan was fired partly because he resisted pressures from a political faction allied to Zuma to back nuclear expansion. New Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba has said nuclear expansion will only be pursued if it is affordable. (Reporting by Joe Brock; Editing by Mark Potter)
60pc votes cast in Mustang
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NAIROBI (Reuters) - South Sudan's President Salva Kiir said on Friday the army chief he sacked was "in a fighting mood", raising the prospect of further turmoil more than three years into an ethnically-charged civil war. Kiir told reporters that Paul Malong had not obeyed orders to return from his home state to the capital to hand over to his replacement, and suggested unnamed foreigners were backing the general. Kiir dismissed Malong - the man who has led his campaign against rebels - this week without spelling out his reasons. The general left Juba with a convoy of vehicles for Aweil in the northwest on Tuesday, raising speculation over his next move. Several other senior officers have left the army in recent months, accusing the military of rights abuses and ethnic bias. One, Thomas Cirillo Swaka, has announced the formation of his own rebel force and threatened to topple Kiir. "When I talked to him (Malong) last, he was not in a good mood, he was in a fighting mood ... I tried to calm him down, but he was rather wild," Kiir told reporters without going into details on what they had discussed or when. Malong was not immediately available for comment. Kiir said Malong needed to return to the capital to formally thank him for his years in the top military job and to hand over the position. "I have assured him (Malong) of his safety as soon as he arrives in Juba," Kiir said. "Nobody wants ... Malong to run into such unplanned problems. There are so many foreign hands that are now being seen behind General Paul," the president added. He did not specify who he thought was backing Malong. Presidential spokesperson Ateny Wek Ateny said Malong had refused to get on a plane sent to collect him, unless all his bodyguards accompanied him. Regulations mean he was only allowed four bodyguards, Ateny said. South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 but plunged into civil war in 2013 after Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fired his deputy, Machar, a member of the Nuer ethnic group. Forces loyal to Kiir clashed with Nuer in the capital, triggering retaliatory attacks across the impoverished nation. Malong is also a Dinka. The conflict has pitched parts of the oil-producing country into famine, paralysed public services and forced a quarter of the population - 3 million people - to flee their homes. A senior U.N. rights official said in December parts of the conflict involved ethnic cleansing. Last month, Britain said some of the violence in the oil-producing state amounted to genocide. On Thursday night, Kiir promoted Marial Chanuong and another general to lieutenant general, officials said. Chanuong led Kiir's presidential guard, known as the Tiger Battalion, and is under U.N. Security Council sanctions for his alleged role in massacres of hundreds of Nuer in 2013. (Editing by Aaron Maasho; Editing by Jeremy Gaunt and Andrew Heavens)
Attendees at the Eagle Scout Porter Buckle flag presentation near the CSI Refugee Center in Twin Falls, Idaho. (Photo: Drew Nash/Times-News)
On a sunny and serene May evening, the city of Twin Falls, Idaho, gathered to dedicate a new flagpole.
It was the project of a local boy scout, whose troop was on hand to present the colors and lead the crowd of approximately 100 in the Pledge of Allegiance. Refreshments were served and the national anthem was sung, a brief ceremony that featured prayers and thank-yous to those who had donated time or money to the project.
Seated among the crowd of native-born Idahoans was a family from Sudan that had immigrated to the United States only a few days earlier from a refugee camp in Chad. Sitting next to them was a family who had fled the Democratic Republic of Congo. The flagpole had been installed outside the College of Southern Idaho Refugee Center, a ceremony that was the second act in as many days from a community that sought to affirm its position on refugees after months of headlines that resulted in, as the mayor put it in a recent speech, a community painted with a brush by artists who are not in Twin Falls.
The night before the flagpole was christened, citizens gathered into the crammed city council chamber, where weeks of debate and public input came to a close with a 5-2 vote: Twin Falls would be known as a neighborly city. It was a resolution that changed no policy but felt necessary to show the world as one council member put it thats not who we are.
Eagle Scout Porter Buckley during a prayer at his troops flag presentation, May 9, 2017, at the CSI Refugee Center in Twin Falls, Idaho. (Photo: Drew Nash/Times-News)
The actions were in response to more than a year of controversy and negative stories in right-wing media and assorted comments sections, a trying time for a city thats accepted refugees for decades but found its image sullied and citizens threatened. Its an example of how the worst elements on the Internet can bleed into everyday life, and a cautionary tale of how the charged politics of immigration can play out in a community that believed it was doing the right thing by welcoming families displaced by conflicts in distant countries. After three Muslim refugees all children were charged in a sexual assault on a 5-year-old girl, right-wing media conjured up a lurid crime wave among the Muslim immigrants in the community. Breitbart embedded a reporter in Twin Falls to look for stories that [dont] fit the narrative about the benefits of diversity that the media and politicians try to spin.
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Twin Falls weathered sensationalized charges, grotesque threats and a militia groups anti-immigrant demonstration. And the community has become the venue for a defamation lawsuit by yogurt maker Chobani, one of the areas largest employers, against conspiracy monger Alex Jones, for stories with headlines such as Idaho Yogurt Maker Caught Importing Migrant Rapists.
After a long two years, Twin Falls residents didnt recognize the city that was being portrayed in the media so they decided to do something about it.
~
Perrine Bridge in Twin Falls, Idaho. (Photo: Chris Wilson/Yahoo News)
Twin Falls is the hub of the Magic Valley, sitting two hours southeast of Boise. It was founded in 1904 by I.B. Perrine, a local rancher who helped spearhead the irrigation system that made farming possible across the region. Its population is more than 90 percent white, with a large Mormon contingent, and until the recent spate of attention the area was probably most famous for stunt motorcyclist Evel Knievels aborted plan to jump over the Snake River Canyon in 1974. The myriad reports about parts of Middle America crumbling do not apply to Twin Falls. The town is booming, with a population creeping toward 50,000 and 3 percent unemployment, its economy buoyed by the local dairy industry and massive new factories at Chobani and Clif Bar. When you roll into town from the north crossing the same river that Knievel had hoped to jump you immediately travel through an expanse of shopping plazas with nearly every conceivable store and restaurant. As you approach downtown, you cant avoid the construction, as entire streets are shut down for revitalization projects.
The city is one of two in Idaho the other being Boise to accept refugees for resettlement, a tradition that began in the early 1980s with immigrants from Southeast Asia. Eastern Europeans began making their way from the former Soviet bloc a few years later, and the 1990s saw a surge from those escaping the Bosnian civil war. Over the years, the community began to resettle those from camps in Africa and the Middle East, averaging around 300 migrants per year. The refugees were for the most part professionally successful, with adults taking jobs in local businesses like dairy farms and children fitting in with the school district, which had adapted to the stream of multilingual new students by opening a newcomer center. Jobs were plentiful, the cost of living was low and it was an ideal place for displaced immigrants to settle.
In 2015 things started to shift. There were heightened tensions from the presidential election and from the announcement from the refugee center that there would likely be Syrians in the next wave of migrants. The fear that terrorists would infiltrate the refugee process were raised nationwide, and Twin Falls was not excluded from those concerns. There were calls from a representative in the Idaho state legislature for a special session on refugees, protests from a militia group and attacks on minorities in the community: An Islamic center in town was vandalized, with Hunt Camp spray-painted outside of it, a reference to a nearby area that was used to intern Japanese-Americans during World War II.
Headlines from Brietbart, infowars and the Geller Report. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News)
What had been a local story went national in June 2016, when the headline Idaho: Muslim Migrants RAPE 5-year-old, hold KNIFE to her throat, strip her naked, rape, and urinate on her appeared on the website of Pamela Geller. Geller is described by the extremist-group monitor Southern Poverty Law Center as the anti-Muslim movements most visible and flamboyant figurehead, and her pushing of the story immediately spread it to right-wing and antirefugee outlets. On the conspiracy site Infowars, the headline initially read Report: Three Syrian refugees rape little girl at knifepoint in Idaho with the subhead Furious residents accuse council of coverup. Breitbart embedded a reporter in the city, producing a series of stories on the case and painting the area as a crime-infested wasteland.
The problem with the coverage was that there was no rape, no knife, no Syrians and no coverup. There was a horrific incident: On June 2, three refugees from Eritrea and Iraq, ages 7, 10 and 14, sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl at a Twin Falls apartment complex. The boys eventually pleaded guilty to multiple charges and the records were sealed because those involved were minors. Some members of the community said the case was mishandled, but Twin Falls Police Chief Craig Kingsbury told the Times-News last month that Ive always felt that we followed proper protocol and procedure. Both Kingsbury and the prosecutor, Grant Loebs, spoke publicly during the process.
Refugees that resettle in Twin Falls go through the vigorous federal vetting process that has nearly two dozen total steps, with Syrians undergoing additional screening. The narrative pushed by some outlets that the refugees presence was causing a crime wave was rebutted by Kingsbury, who told Yahoo News it was inaccurate to say the refugee community was causing his force problems. Recent studies have shown that a higher refugee population often correlates with lower crime rates.
An improbable flashpoint in the controversy was the Chobani plant the largest in the world, the company claims which opened in 2012 and now has about 1,000 workers. The companys founder and CEO, Hamdi Ulukaya, an immigrant from Turkey of Kurdish descent, has found himself a consistent target of right-wing attacks, in part because of his companys policy of hiring immigrants in the words of Breitbart, a scheme to replace American job-seekers with cheap, compliant labor.
Alex Jones found the Chobani angle irresistible as well, and his website Infowars began to promote the story with headlines like MSM [mainstream media] Covers for Globalists Refugee Import Program After Child Rape Case and Idaho Yogurt Maker Caught Importing Migrant Rapists, while accusing the company of bringing crime and disease to Twin Falls.
Chobani responded by suing Jones and Infowars for defamation. Jones claims to have the ear of President Trump and interviewed him as a candidate in December 2015, where Trump told Jones his reputation was amazing and that he would not let him down.
Im choosing this as a battle, said Jones last month in response to the suit. On this I will stand, I will win, or I will die.
Im going to be going to Idaho, added Jones. Im going to go on that local radio station. Im going to bring investigative crews there. I am going to show what the locals are doing. I am going to show the Islamicists getting off of the planes. You want a fight? You better believe, baby, youve got one.
Infowars did not respond to inquiries about when Jones would be traveling to Idaho.
The publicity quickly embroiled the community in a controversy for which it was unprepared. Mayor Shawn Barigar, his wife, city council members and College of Southern Idaho staff members received a slew of angry emails and voicemails, some containing threats so violent they were forwarded to the police and FBI for investigation.
Have you any idea how many Americans are hoping and wishing your daughter, wife, mother, sister, aunt, or niece gets gang raped by those [expletive] piece of [expletive] sand [expletive] youre so [expletive] enamoured [sic] with? wrote the anonymous sender of one email, according to the Times-News. The message was one of those forwarded to the FBI because of another, even more threatening comment in it.
Barigar told Yahoo News things never reached the level it did surrounding the Pizzagate conspiracy in which an armed man fired shots in a Washington, D.C., restaurant as he investigated claims that it was a front for a pedophile ring but there were plenty from outside the community voicing their thoughts at the weekly council meetings. Many of the threats also came from outsiders.
But as the town suffered through the onslaught of headlines and fear-mongering, there was a bright spot: Donations to the refugee center surged, according to its executive director Zeze Rwasama, and so far they havent slowed down. Rwasama understands the hardships suffered by those hes helping to resettle. He grew up in Congo but fled to Rwanda in the mid-1990s to avoid death squads in his home country. He lived in a United Nations refugee camp there for six years before immigrating to Salt Lake City in 2001, eventually moving to Twin Falls to begin work at the refugee center in July of 2014. The center now has a storage area full of supplies, along with volunteers who have come forward to help with everything from mentoring new arrivals to assisting with one-on-one English language lessons.
Zeze Rwasama, executive director of the College of Southern Idaho Refugee Center. (Photo: Chris Wilson/Yahoo News)
In addition to their time and money, the people of Twin Falls also demonstrated their strong support of the refugees. Multiple Twin Falls residents used the term silent majority when discussing the program, stating that many in the community had thought quietly helping out the migrants was enough, but realized that with all the negative attention they needed to speak out. The city councils consideration of the neighborly city resolution provided them an opportunity.
I think that as we have gone through this discussion [about refugees] over the course of the last year, said Mayor Barigar in an interview with Yahoo News last week, theres probably been disproportionate attention paid to the opponents of refugee resettlement sort of the squeaky wheel syndrome, where they tended to be the ones who were showing up to council meetings. But over the course of the last few months and especially the last month, with this request from the Boy Scouts specific to a resolution weve certainly seen more local supporters of not only the refugee center itself but refugees and the resettling program.
Barigar was referring to an April proposal from two scouts to make Twin Falls a welcoming city, following the actions of Boise and Ketchum, a city 80 miles north. The measure evolved into classifying Twin Falls as a neighborly city, a minor semantic departure from the welcoming resolution that didnt contain the word immigrant or refugee but emphasized parts of a 2012 strategic plan that urged citizens, businesses and organizations to build a community where all residents are welcomed, accepted and given the opportunity to connect with each other without bias in pursuit of common goals. There was concern expressed by some citizens that the measure might prove a stepping stone to status as a sanctuary city, one that shields undocumented immigrants from deportation. But council member Greg Lanting, who adamantly supported the measure as necessary to counter some portrayals of the town in the media, was just as vocal about how he would never vote to make Twin Falls a sanctuary city.
The city council meets in downtown Twin Falls, Idaho, on May 8, 2017. (Photo: Drew Nash/The Times-News via AP)
More than 75 percent of those who spoke at the public hearings supported the resolution, with many residents telling their own families immigrant histories or about the humbling experience of working with refugees who came to the United States with nothing. But Vice Mayor Suzanne Hawkins one of the two no votes said during the hearing Monday night that 80 percent of the feedback she had received was against the resolution, with citizens fearful of coming forward and being targeted by supporters. Hawkins declined to elaborate when asked by Yahoo News about specifics of those concerns, but those who voiced opposition during the hearings did so for a variety of reasons. There were the concerns about taking a step toward sanctuary city status and a belief the councils time could be better spent but also more conspiratorial worries, such as accusing the Boy Scouts of a liberal agenda and warning of a broader treason by contract being committed by businesses in the area.
The council chose not to take any more public input on the night of the vote, but roughly two dozen residents had signed up to discuss the resolution, most of whom planned to speak in support of the measure. When the vote went final, there was loud applause in the room before much of the crowd filed out into the spring evening, smiling and shaking hands outside.
While the resolution was largely ceremonial, those in the refugee community still appreciated it.
A Muslim refugee named Ado, 29, immigrated to Twin Falls with his mother and sister after his father was executed in a prison camp during the Bosnian civil war. They arrived on September 9, 2001, and in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks he dealt with bullying and racism that was so intense he faked illnesses in order to avoid school until his English improved. Ado is now married to a fellow Bosnian immigrant, and the couple has a 6-month-old daughter.
City manager Travis Rothweiler speaks during the city council meeting in Twin Falls, Idaho, May 8, 2017. (Photo: Drew Nash/The Times-News via AP)
Its like a weight lifted off your shoulders, said Ado of the resolution. It was a great feeling knowing theres people here that support us and they wanted to make it a welcoming city, but I was also nervous because theres a lot of tension out there. I didnt want something to happen something stupid that escalates into a huge blow-up.
Ados mosque was one of those vandalized over the past two years, and while he said he enjoyed growing up in Twin Falls, hes still careful about discussing his faith.
Rwasama was also pleased with the resolution passing.
With the negative coverage, said Rwasama, people might think Twin Falls doesnt welcome diversity. This resolution shows that simply isnt true. This is a great place to settle and a great place to succeed.
Bill Colley, a local conservative radio host, spent his show the morning after the vote mocking the resolution as [smacking] of political correctness and taking calls from angry community members. But even Colley had admitted concern about some of the fringe elements in the area, writing in April that it was time for Republicans to disown the extremists in Twin Falls.
The process of funding Twin Falls newest flagpole engendered further positive response, according to the scout who spearheaded the fundraising. Porter Buckley, 13, told Yahoo News that he wanted to help the refugee center in some way and settled on the pole installation after it was suggested by officials there.
Lots of people thought it was a great idea, said Buckley, when asked about the reception he got while soliciting donations.
Rick Martin, head of the Committee to End the College of Southern Idahos Refugee Center, gathers petition signatures in Twin Falls in 2015. (Photo: Otto Kitsinger/AP)
One sign of community sentiment came last year when Rick Martin, a conservative activist and opponent of the resettlement program who lives outside the city, began collecting signatures for a county ballot measure on banning refugee centers in Twin Falls County. He needed 3,843 signatures from the population of approximately 80,000 to gain access to the ballot. He managed to collect just 894, falling well short of the necessary total.
After a tumultuous two years, the biggest threat to the refugee program in Twin Falls now is likely the White House. The immigration executive orders issued earlier this year both blocked by judges sought to cut the total number of annual refugees accepted from 110,000 to 50,000. Jan Reeves, director of the Idaho Office of Refugees based in Boise, told Yahoo News that there is uncertainty among resettlement organizations about the future, as the number of refugees being halved would also result in funding cuts and a likely reduction in services. One office in Boise is already set to close, part of a national organization shuttering half a dozen offices across the country.
The executive order implementation didnt come with instructions so people would know exactly what to do, said Rwasama. Seems like decision makers didnt think about that when all of a sudden they want us to reduce our budgets by half. I would say that many agencies did incredible jobs to try and keep their doors open planning for next year.
As resettlement organizations and the displaced people they aim to help await clarity on their fate, Twin Falls is setting an example of the determination of ordinary Americans to protect refugees from Islamophobes, from conspiracy theorists, from right-wing media and from a president who came to power riding all three.
MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Three senior Mexican officials will visit Washington next week to meet U.S. counterparts, Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told reporters on Friday, as the two countries warm up to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement. Videgaray said Mexico's finance, economy and interior ministers will make the trip to the U.S. capital, just days after the U.S. Senate confirmed Robert Lighthizer as U.S. Trade Representative, bringing the negotiations a step closer. In a sign of the friction in the U.S.-Mexico's relationship since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, the minister added that Mexico wanted to deepen and grow its ties to China and that a series of meetings with Chinese officials have been planned to that end through this year. (Reporting by Ana Isabel Martinez)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump on Saturday is set to deliver the commencement address - his first as president - to Liberty University, the nation's largest Christian college, where he is expected to find to a friendly audience after a week of turmoil in Washington. Trump has been closeted in the White House all week, making only a few, brief public appearances after he took the highly unusual and fraught step of abruptly firing James Comey as FBI director on Tuesday. Dismissing the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at a time when the agency probes alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 election has sparked criticism of presidential overreach and overshadowed Trump's push to boost jobs through tax reform and a massive infrastructure program. On Saturday, Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One that he wants to move quickly to nominate a new FBI director to replace Comey, saying he may be able to make his decision before he leaves for his first foreign trip later next week. The college in Lynchburg, Virginia should provide a receptive crowd for Trump. He campaigned there during his run for office and was bolstered by the endorsement of its president, Jerry Falwell Jr., who helped secure support from religious conservatives. "He's going to tell them what he wants to do to make their careers run more smoothly and make it easier for them to raise families," Falwell told WDBJ7, a CBS television affiliate in Roanoke, Virginia, about Trump's message to graduates. "I've been working with his speech writers and I think he's going to deliver a wonderful speech that will be personal to Liberty," Falwell said in the interview. Trump has expressed frustration that the Russia probe has loomed over his presidency. He insisted this week that he fired Comey over his performance, not because of the investigation, but the timing of the dismissal and his comments afterward have raised alarms with his critics. Trump, who has been preparing for his first foreign trip to the Middle East and Europe late next week, also will deliver the commencement address to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut, on Wednesday. "To young Americans at both schools, I will be bringing a message of hope and optimism about our nations bright future," Trump said in his weekly address to the nation. Trump will encourage students to "be a force for good in the world by standing up for the values that Liberty has taught them," White House spokesman Sean Spicer said. Liberty University said it expects more than 7,000 of its 18,000 graduates to participate in the ceremonies, most of whom earned their degree online. Past commencements have attracted as many as 40,000 people, the college said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Bill Trott and Alistair Bell)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A unit of the U.S. Treasury Department that fights money laundering will provide financial records to an investigation by the Senate into possible ties between Russia and President Donald Trump and his associates, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Senate Intelligence Committee asked for the records from the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, late last month, the Journal cited the people as saying. (http://on.wsj.com/2qbNL7K) One person said the records were needed to decide whether there was collusion between Trump associates and Russia during the 2016 campaign, the Journal said. Representatives for FinCEN and Republican Senator Richard Burr, the intelligence committee chairman, declined to comment, the Journal said. The Senate probe took on added significance after Trump dismissed FBI Director James Comey earlier this week amid an agency investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and possible Moscow ties to the Trump presidential campaign. The House of Representatives intelligence panel is conducting a similar probe. (Reporting by Eric Walsh; Editing by Sandra Maler)
If President Trump secretly recorded his conversations with fired FBI Director James Comey, the top Democrats in the House and Senate investigations on Russian interference in the 2016 election want those tapes.
We have got to make sure that these tapes, if they exist, dont mysteriously disappear, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on ABCs This Week With George Stephanopoulos on Sunday. So I have asked, others have asked, to make sure the tapes are preserved if they exist.
If they exist, Congress needs to get them, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said on CBS Face the Nation. If they are not provided willingly, Congress should subpoena them. And if theyre not in existence if this was another fabrication by the president he needs to come clean about it.
Related: White House wont say if Trump secretly recorded Comey
If there are tapes, the president should turn them over immediately, of course, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on CNNs State of the Union. To destroy them would be a violation of law. But he should turn them over to Congress and to the investigators. If there are no tapes, he should apologize to both Jim Comey and the American people for misleading them.
Those calls came two days after Trump seemed to threaten the ousted FBI director on Twitter.
James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 12, 2017
James Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press! the president tweeted Friday morning, following a report that Trump had asked Comey at a private January dinner to pledge loyalty to him and that Comey had declined.
On Friday afternoon, the White House refused to say whether Trump recorded his conversations with Comey or whether he regularly records exchanges in the Oval Office or his residence.
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Ive talked to the president, press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters at his daily briefing. The president has nothing further to add on that.
Are there recording devices in the Oval Office or the presidential residence? a reporter asked.
There is nothing further to add on that, Spicer replied.
The latest firestorm for Trumps White House began Tuesday, when Comey, who had been overseeing the FBIs investigation into whether the Trump campaign had ties to Russia, was unceremoniously fired by the president. In his letter to Comey, Trump claimed that the FBI director had informed him on three separate occasions that he was not under investigation by the FBI. Yet in an interview with NBC News Lester Holt on Thursday, Trump said that the investigation was on his mind when he decided to fire Comey.
When I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said, You know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made-up story. Its an excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they shouldve won,' Trump said.
On Saturday, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that the White House was seeking to make a fast decision on a new FBI director and that a nominee could be announced by the end of this week. According to the New York Times, the White House conducted interviews with eight candidates including acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas; New York Appeals Court Judge Michael Garcia; and former Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher this weekend.
Any nominee, though, will have to be approved by the Senate. And Schumer said Sunday that Democrats would consider refusing to vote on a new FBI director until a special prosecutor is named to investigate Trumps potential ties to Moscow.
To have that special prosecutor, people would breathe a sigh of relief, because then there would be a real independent person overlooking the FBI director, Schumer said.
But Schumer admitted he would need the help of Republicans to actually block a nominee in the GOP-controlled Senate.
The key is getting some of our Republican colleagues to join us, Schumer said.
Read more from Yahoo News:
Two scientists who advised the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have resigned over Donald Trumps environmental policies.
Dr Carlos Martin, a senior research associate at the Urban Institute, and Dr Peter Meyer, President and Chief Economist of The EP Systems Group, both resigned citing political reasons.
Read more
US says it will take 'right decision for US', not world, on climate
As Mr Martin told The Independent, he simply could not be a future prop for bad science".
Mr Martin posted their joint resignation letter on Twitter, and in it the pair said they felt the EPA was watering down credible science by putting politics where it did not belong.
On several occasions, Mr Trump has called climate a "hoax" perpetrated by the Chinese and is considering withdrawing the US from the global Paris Agreement on climate change. The US is one of the world's top emitters of carbon dioxide.
Mr Meyer and Mr Martin were members of the Sustainable and Healthy Communities subcommittee of the Board of Scientific Counselors (BOSC) at EPA. The board, including all subcommittees, advises EPA scientists on various topics.
In the letter they detail the reasons for their immediate resignation, prompted by non-renewal of two BOSC members who served as co-chairs of their subcommittee.
Just resigned from EPA subcommittee to protest removal of @ecotrope & Courtney Flint. Painful professional decision. #standupforscience pic.twitter.com/Zz09bD0vnj Carlos Martin (@carlosonhousing) May 12, 2017
On 5 May Dr Robert Richardson, a professor at Michigan State took to Twitter with an announcement. He had been trumped from his position.
Dr Courtney Flint, a professor at Utah State University also received notice that her term on BOSC would not be renewed.
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Today, I was Trumped. I have had the pleasure of serving on the EPA Board of Scientific Counselors, and my appointment was terminated today. Robert Richardson (@ecotrope) May 5, 2017
An EPA spokesperson said they would be replaced by those in industry "who understand the impact of regulations on the regulated community".
Mr Meyer told The Independent that non-renewal is just a polite way of saying fired.
BOSC and subcommittee members are nominated by peers if they have significant scientific endeavours and have done research in the environmental field. Once approved, they normally serve two three-year terms.
Ms Flint and Mr Richardsons first term expired on 27 April, but they were expecting to be renewed. They were not political appointees under the previous Obama administration, but chosen for their scientific and research expertise.
As chairs of the subcommittee, they would coordinate recommendations and reports written by Mr Meyer and Mr Martin and present them to EPA scientists.
The decision to not renew their contracts was likely not financial despite Mr Trumps 28 per cent proposed budget cuts to EPA, Mr Meyer said.
The Office of Research and Development within EPA, to whom BOSC reports, would likely suffer a 40 per cent budget cut should Mr Trump's budget get approved.
Mr Meyer is an economist and Mr Martin is an engineer by trade, so BOSC and their subcommittee in particular are multidisciplinary in order to best serve EPA scientists holistically in making science serve you more cost effectively, as Mr Meyer explained.
He explained that subcommittee and BOSC members made approximately $50 (38) per hour for their consulting. They met for two to three days a year and worked some hours remotely in order to provide recommendations but Mr Meyer said it did not add up to significant dollars.
The only reason for new leadership is to undermine what we're doing, he said.
Mr Martin said the decision to resign rather than let their terms expire was because they felt a sense of confusion and lack of clarity about our future.
In addition to Mr Richardson and Ms Flint, seven other BOSC members contracts have ended that covered topics like air quality, fracking, and chemical safety.
Mr Meyers assumption is that agency administrators will get rid of all of us since many peoples terms are expiring.
Given that EPA head Scott Pruitt does not believe that humans cause climate change and Mr Trump's promise to bring back the coal industry, the question remains who will be nominated to take over on BOSC and the subcommittees.
Mr Meyer and Mr Martin both said they were only able to guess but do not doubt that the new members will be somewhat politically motivated nominations.
You can find another PhD in economics...their credentials on paper may be the same, but they may not have my independence, said Mr Meyers, adding that EPA administrators could nominate someone for the oil and gas industry.
Washington (AFP) - Criminal charges were filed Friday against a US passenger train driver for the 2015 derailment in Philadelphia that killed eight people and injured more than 200.
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro said charges were filed against Brandon Bostian, the engineer, or driver, of the Amtrak 188 train involved in the deadly May 12, 2015 incident.
Bostian faces eight counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count of causing or risking a catastrophe, "and numerous counts of reckless endangerment," Shapiro said in a brief statement.
Amtrak 188 was carrying 243 people from Washington to New York on May 12 when it hurtled off the track in Philadelphia.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators said the train was traveling at 105 miles (170 kilometers) an hour, twice the speed limit, when the driver slammed on the emergency brakes just before the crash.
Bostian suffered a blow to the head in the crash, which his lawyer said affected his memory of the event.
If found guilty Bostian faces time in prison.
"Bostian was an experienced engineer who was aware of the route and the fact that there were speed limits throughout the route," reads the police criminal complaint filed by Shapiro's office.
When the train approached a curve at the Frankford Junction the speed limit dropped to 50 miles per hour -- but instead of decelerating, "Bostian accelerated the train's movement to a speed of 106 miles per hour.
"As a direct result of the violation of the lawful speed limit, at approximately 9:20 p.m., the train was unable to navigate the curve, 'jumped' the tracks, and derailed," leading to the deaths and injuries.
Shapiro congratulated the team from his office that worked on the case "to pursue justice on behalf of the victims of this deadly crash."
The northeastern rail corridor connecting Washington and New York -- which passes through Philadelphia -- is one of the country's busiest, a popular route among professionals and tourists alike.
Investigators found no evidence that Bostian had been on his phone at the time of the crash, or that a bullet had been fired as first reported.
Caracas (AFP) - Venezuelans in cars and on motorcycles, bikes and even horseback clogged roads and police fired tear gas at them in another day of protest against President Nicolas Maduro.
Security forces also used tear gas to disperse protesters in the northern city of Valencia and soldiers blocked the procession from reaching its intended destination.
In the capital Caracas, protesters' goal was to fill 25 kilometers (16 miles) of a key highway leading to the coastal state of Vargas.
About two hours after the caravan got under way, police on motorcycles fired tear gas to block the procession. The road eventually cleared.
Venezuela is mired in an economic crisis that has caused shortages of food, medicine and other basics in the oil-rich country. Protesters blame Maduro.
A total of 38 people have died in street unrest since protests first broke out on April 1. Hundreds more have been injured.
Elected in 2013, Maduro, the handpicked successor of the late long-time leftist firebrand Hugo Chavez, is resisting pressure for an early vote, calling the crisis the result of a US-backed conspiracy. His opponents have branded him a dictator.
Protesters also oppose his plans to elect an assembly -- and do it sidestepping the country's political parties -- to overhaul the constitution, dismissing it as a way to put off elections.
"You have to keep finding ways to protest," said Rafael Galvis, 46, as he drove a truck carrying a dozen protesters waving the red, blue and yellow Venezuelan flag and banners with slogans criticizing Maduro.
"We are going to stay in the street, building a way out of the crisis," opposition lawmaker Freddy Guevara told AFP as the Caracas rally got under way Saturday.
In the central state of Cojedes, groups of people riding horses joined the procession of protest.
- 'Just waiting for the day' -
Pro-government people rallied in downtown Caracas to show support for the proposed 500 member constituent assembly that would rewrite the constitution.
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Maduro stood by his plans in a speech Saturday.
"I am just waiting for the day that the National Electoral Council sets the date for electing the national constituent assembly so people can come out and do justice with their votes," Maduro said in a speech carried on state run TV.
He confirmed that at least half of the members would be chosen not by popular vote but rather by social sectors like blue collar workers and farmers -- which are heavily pro-government.
On Friday, demonstrators in the western city of San Cristobal held two police officers for 10 hours -- first encircling them at a rally and then keeping them in a house -- to demand the release of detained colleagues, citizens' ombudsman Tarek William Saab said.
He said they were released after he himself intervened.
The latest protests in Venezuela broke out when the Supreme Court issued rulings that stripped the opposition controlled National Assembly of its powers.
The court later backtracked amid an international outcry but protests resumed after Maduro called May 1 for creating a body to rewrite of the constitution.
Age and physical disabilities are no bar to cast your vote
The Kathmandu Post has compiled some photos showing age and physical disabilities are no bar to exercise ones voting rights.
Adylkuzz is believed to have infected more computers than WannaCry, using the same vulnerabilities (AFP Photo/Damien MEYER)
Washington (AFP) - Security researchers investigating the massive cyberattack campaign that sparked havoc in computer systems worldwide have reported signs of a possible North Korean link, but Europe's cross-border police agency said Tuesday it was "too early" to draw a connection.
After days of disruptions affecting networks worldwide, a top US official said the number of computers affected had reached 300,000, but that infection rates had slowed.
In the first clues of the origin of the massive ransomware attacks, Google researcher Neel Mehta posted computer code that showed similarities between the "WannaCry" malware and a vast hacking effort widely attributed to Pyongyang.
The code used in the latest attack shared many similarities with past hacks blamed on the North, including the targeting of Sony Pictures, said Simon Choi, director of Seoul internet security firm Hauri.
"I saw signs last year that the North was preparing ransomware attacks or even already beginning to do so, targeting some South Korean companies," he told AFP.
Isolated, nuclear-armed North Korea is known to operate an army of thousands of hackers operating in both the North, and apparently China, and has been blamed for a number of major cyberattacks.
But police agency Europol said Tuesday the investigation is ongoing, warning against a rush to judgement.
"We are open to investigate in all directions, but we don't speculate and we cannot confirm this. It's still too early to say anything," said senior agency spokesman, Jan Op Gen Oorth.
"It could come from everywhere, it could come from any country."
In November 2014, Sony Pictures Entertainment became the target of the biggest cyberattack in US corporate history, linked to its release of North Korea satire "The Interview".
More attacks were possible, Choi said, "especially given that, unlike missile or nuclear tests, they can deny their involvement in attacks in cyberspace and get away with it".
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Israeli-based security firm Intezer Labs said it agreed with the North Korea attribution.
The group's chief executive Itai Tevet said in a tweet: "@IntezerLabs confirms attribution to North Korea for #WannaCry, not only because of the function from Lazarus. More info to come."
- Finger pointing -
Europol said the situation was "stable" after attacks that struck computers in British hospital wards, European car factories and Russian banks.
But according to Michel Van Den Berghe, director of telecom group Orange's cyber security arm, a "second wave" is to be expected.
Russia, China and India have blamed the United States government for developing the original code.
Tom Bossert, President Donald Trump's top cyber and homeland security adviser, brushed aside suggestions that the attack stemmed from a flaw discovered by the US National Security Agency and later leaked.
"This was not a tool developed by the NSA to hold ransom data," he said, noting that no US government systems had been hit.
"This is a global attack," he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier had suggested the United States bore responsibility.
"A genie let out of a bottle of this kind, especially created by secret services, can then cause damage to its authors and creators," the Russian leader said on the sidelines of a summit in Beijing.
Russia has recently been accused of cyber meddling in several countries, but Putin said his country had nothing to do with the attack.
- Telecoms and carmaking hit -
US package delivery giant FedEx, Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica and Germany's Deutsche Bahn rail network were among those hit. The attackers demanded money to unblock their computers.
In China, 66 of the country's universities were affected by the global ransomware attack, authorities said.
The attack blocks computers and puts up images on victims' screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in the virtual currency Bitcoin, saying: "Ooops, your files have been encrypted!"
Bossert said that paying the ransom provided no guarantee files would be unlocked.
He told a news conference that "it appears that less than $70,000 has been paid in ransoms and we are not aware of payments that have led to any data recovery."
Dutch spy chief Rob Bertholee meanwhile said Tuesday that digital threats "are not imaginary, they are everywhere around us".
Sabotage of critical infrastructure "is the kind of thing that might keep you awake at night," he told a timely cyber security conference in The Hague.
"In my opinion, we might be closer to a serious act of digital sabotage than a lot of people can imagine," he told hundreds of experts and officials at the conference, organised by the Dutch government.
burs-jm/mt
For all of Androids strengths, theres one area where it has dramatically lagged behind iOS: updates. Fragmentation is arguably Androids biggest problem, but in a post on the Android Developers Blog this Friday, Google revealed a new feature in Android O that will supposedly make it easier, faster and less costly for manufacturers to update devices to a new version of Android.
Don't Miss: You cant stop people from calling you on your Amazon Echo
Google says that the new feature, dubbed Project Treble, represents the biggest change to the low-level system architecture of Android to date. As it stands, a lot of code has to be rewritten across Android before a given vendor can update its devices to the latest version of the software.
With Project Treble, vendors will be able to roll out Android updates without having to wait for chip manufacturers such as Qualcomm to modify the code to work with their chips. The entire process will be streamlined so that vendors can get Android 8.0 (and beyond) in the hands of consumers more quickly than theyve been able to in the past. Thats what Google is promising, anyway.
Google has not been blind to the fragmentation issue over the past several years. The company has ensured Android users on multiple occasions that its working on solutions, but considering that just 7.1% of users are on Android 7.0 Nougat while nearly 20% are still on Android 4.4 KitKat, the success on this front has clearly been limited up to this point.
Google says that Project Treble is already running on the Android O Developer Preview for Pixel phones, but well have to wait until the new version of Android begins rolling out to judge its efficacy.
See the original version of this article on BGR.com
A global ransomware attack of an unprecedented scale took place Friday, affecting healthcare services, banks and tech companies. The attack was reported by the CCN-CERT, the Spanish Governments Computer Security Incident Response Team at 12:26 p.m. EDT, Friday.
An alert has been issued for a massive attack of ransomware that affects Windows systems, blocking the access to the files (in their hard disks as in the units of a network to which they are connected). The special criticality of this campaign is caused by exploiting the vulnerability described in bulletin MS17-010 using EternalBlue / DoublePulsar, which can infect other connected Windows systems on the same network that are not properly updated. Infection of a single computer can end up compromising the entire corporate network, the organization said in its press release. (Translated from Spanish)
Read: Americans Leading Target Of Ransomware
According to antivirus company Avast, 75,000 attacks had been reported in 75 countries, at the time of writing.
The ransomware used in the attack is called WanaCrypt0r 2.0 or WanaCry and is available in 28 different languages ranging from Bulgarian to Vietnamese. The ransomware changes the affected file extension to.WNCRY. Once the ransomware has taken control of the computer, it then drops ransom notes in a text file, demanding $300 payment in the form of Bitcoins. The ransom note ends with a peculiar reassurance for victims, saying: "Dont worry about decryption. We will surely decrypt your files because nobody will trust us if we cheat users."
Read: Telefonica WannaCry Ransomware: One Of Spain's Largest Telecom Companies Hit By Cyberattack
The most interesting aspect of the attack is the malware used, might have been originally written by the National Security Agency. It was dumped by hacking group Shadow Brokers in April. The group had discovered the tools in 2016 and had tried to sell them online. After not being able to sell, it dumped them. NSA had not commented on the leak then, but security firms had warned of an attack at the time, and it turns out their prediction turned out to be accurate.
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"This is quite possibly the most damaging thing I've seen in the last several years. This puts a powerful nation-state-level attack tool in the hands of anyone who wants to download it to start targeting servers. "The individual consumer is a little less at risk, as these kinds of tools are targeted at enterprise and business environments," said Matthew Hickey, founder of security firm Hacker House, at the time.
The fact that cyber criminals could use NSA tools for large-scale attacks has raised eyebrows. Los Angeles Representative Ted. W. Lie, issued a statement on the attack, saying The massive malware attack that hit multiple countries has caused chaos and has shut down vital institutions such as hospitals. It is deeply disturbing the National Security Agency likely wrote the original malware. I have been working on legislation with industry stakeholders and partners in the Senate to address this problem.. Todays worldwide ransomware attack shows what can happen when the NSA or CIA write malware instead of disclosing the vulnerability to the software manufacturer.. The time is now for Congress to seriously address cybersecurity issues."
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said some Bank of America's systems were impacted. A representative for the company said Bank of Americas systems are operating normally and with no interruptions.
Related Articles
Microsoft is holding its annual Build conference in Seattle and has revealed that it will be releasing the Fall Creators Update later this year. The update will be bring in some new features and improvements to the companys operating system.
Cross-Device Experience
Unlike the recently released Creators Update for Windows 10 this past April, the Fall Creators Update will have more impact on average users. The upcoming improvements to Windows 10 focus more on cross-device experiences.
This means that a user can start working on something on their Windows 10 PC and immediately transfer that work to another device, regardless of whether its an iPhone running iOS or a smartphone running Android. This feature will work with file transfers, activities and other content.
Cortana, Microsofts digital assistant, will ask users if they want to resume where they left off when they switch between devices, according to The Verge. Windows 10 will also provide a Timeline so that users can keep track of all their apps and devices.
Universal Clipboard
Like with Apples MacOS and iOS, Microsofts Windows 10 Fall Creators Update will add a universal clipboard. The new feature will be cloud-powered and will let users copy-paste content form one Windows 10 machine to another, according to CNET. Users will also be able to copy-paste content from a Windows 10 machine to an Android or iOS device.
The cloud-powered universal clipboard is also integrated to Microsofts Office apps. This means that users will easily be able to switch between their mobile device and Windows 10 PC and continue working seamlessly.
Fluent Design System
With the Fall creators Update for Windows 10, Microsoft is also adding its new Fluent Design System. This will deliver subtle changes to how the Windows 10 user interface will look including added effects like blurring, depth and layering. Animations are also improved by having smoother and sophisticated motion.
This type of UI design is similar to one thats found on Windows Vista. Fluent Design System will also be replacing Microsofts current Metro UI, and will be applied across Microsofts other apps and services on Windows, Android and iOS.
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New Video Editing Tool
Microsoft will be including a new app called Story Remix, a new video editing tool. The Story Remix app has been described as Windows Movie Maker on steroids. Like Microsofts previous video editing tool, Story Remix allows users to edit their footage with tools for adding soundtracks, annotations, transitions and special effects, according to The Next Web.
Story Remix also has support for importing 3D images. Users whove created 3D images on Paint 3D would actually be able to import their artwork on whatever video theyre editing on the Story Remix app.
Another cool feature is that the Story Remix app allows collaborative editing. This means that multiple users can start contributing footage to an ongoing edit. In keeping with Microsofts focus with cross-device experiences, Story Remix app will also be available for Android and iOS.
A Faster Edge Experience
Microsofts Edge web browser is far from being the sluggish Internet Explorer. However, it does still lag when users ope and close tabs, or when they start typing a URL in the search box.
Microsoft says that the Edge web browser will have improved responsiveness in the upcoming Fall creators Update. With the new Fluent Design System, users should also expect some minor changes to the Edge web browsers look and some of its animations, according to Windows Central.
The Fall Creators Update for Windows 10 is expected to arrive sometime in September.
Windows 10
Photo: REUTERS/Mike Segar
Related Articles
- A gas explosion last Tuesday left over 100 people injured, with over 70 of them now discharged
- Zen Petroleum donated items to the four hospitals housing the victims to assist in their treatment
- An investigation into the cause of the explosion was launched last week
YEN.com.gh brings you the latest news in Ghana
On Tuesday, May 11, a gas explosion at the OLAM Oil depot left over a 100 people injured along the Sekondi-Takoradi highway, including some fire fighters injured during their attempt to fight the blaze from the explosion.
Representatives from Zen Petroleum handing over their donation
READ ALSO: Court dismisses Ibrahim Mahama's case
The injured were rushed to the Effia Nkwanta regional hospital to receive treatment, with about 70 persons now discharged.
Currently, 19 people have still remain at the hospital, receiving treatment for various degrees of injuries from the explosion.
On Friday, May 12 however, representatives from Zen Oil donated some items worth GH C11,000 to the recuperating victims to assist in their treatment.
Zen Petroleum supports Takoradi explosion victims
The donation, according to a report by Graphic Online, was delivered to four hospitals including the Takoradi Hospital, the New Takoradi Hospital and Effia Nkwanta Hospital.
A cheque of GHC 5,000 was also donated to the Ghana National Fire Service to aid in the treatment of the fire fighters injured during their job.
There have been calls for safety measures to be strictly enforced at gas stations and filling stations across the country, following the recent spike in explosions such as these.
Zen Petroleum donates to Fire Service
The most recent incident was in December 2016, when a gas tanker malfunction during its offload ad exploded near the La Trade Fair center.
READ ALSO: I've never dated President Mahama- Actress
Want to be featured on YEN.com.gh? Send your stories, photos and videos to info@yen com.gh or drop us a line via our Facebook page.
Source: YEN.com.gh
Ballot boxes robbed from Naraharinath Village Council in Kalikot
An unidentified group has robbed the ballot boxes at Naraharinath Village Council in Kalikot district on Sunday.
Bomb blasts near Panchase booth in Nuwakot
A bomb blasted near the Panchase Secondary School Dandakharka polling centre of Belkotgadhi Municipality ward 4 while Nepal Army disposed another suspicious material lying unattended nearby.
Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years.
Dolakha incident: 11 injured airlifted to Kathmandu
As many as 11 persons, who were injured during a clash at a polling centre in Pawati of Dolakha district, have been airlifted to Kathmandu on Sunday.
Local level election: Voting commences at 6642 polling stations in 3 provinces
The voting of the first phase of the much awaited local level elections taking place for the first time after Nepal became a federal democratic republic commenced at 7 am.
Man dies in Dolakha police firing
A man died in police firing at Powati booth in Melung Village Council of Dolakha district.
Mayoral candidates vote in local polls [in photo]
Candidates vying in the first phase of local elections are casting their votes at various polling stations in province 3, 4 and 6 on Sunday.
NC's official and rebel candidates supporters clash in Humla
Situation at a election center in Kharpunath Village Council-5 of Humla district became tense for a while when supporters of Nepali Congress official and rebel candidates clashed during local bodies election on Sunday.
Not quite half the sky
Nepal is on the verge of making history with the first local election in 20 years that is taking place today. As many as 19,332 women are taking part in the polls being held under the federal set-up, and 5,196 among them are assured posts as per the Local Level Election Act 2017,
Nuwakot's 115 year old casts his vote
A centenarian from the Kakani Village Council 8, cast his vote in the local level elections underway here in the district on Sunday.
PM Dahal casts vote from Bharatpur Metropolitan City [with video]
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has cast his votes at Lanku school polling centre in Bharatpur Metropolis-4 of Chitwan district this morning. He is the first one to cast the votes.
Return to direct democracy
Local elections have been heralded as a return to genuine democracy and a more accountable system of decision-making that can deliver better, more inclusive and more transparent public services and infrastructure for the benefit of the general population.
Silence period in voting
The above news headline struck me as a metaphor of the election that is underway. The metaphorical meaning is that there are many unanswered questions, many quirks and silences not revealed fully in this election.
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.
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By Damali Mukhaye.
The Uganda National Teachers Union has raised concerns of the District Chief Executive Officers, diverting the money meant for teachers salaries into other district activities.
According to the Secretary General of the union James Tweheyo, after a number of different teachers in different district complaining about the delays in getting their salaries, the union established that the problem was not the ministry of finance.
He notes that most CAOs are found of diverting the salary money to daily running of their districts arguing the ministry of education to step up since most teachers instead of teaching; they waste a lot of time moving from one office to another chasing their salaries.
Three Trine University education majors have been named Outstanding Future Educators by the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. From left are honorees Nicklaus Lang, James Washington III and Kaitlyn Swick and Anthony Kline, dean of the Franks School of Education.
DODGEVILLE Before Jerome Griffith was tapped to be the new CEO of apparel and home goods retailer Lands End, he had never stepped foot in Wisconsin.
An ardent traveler and Harley-Davidson rider who has visited 79 countries, Griffith had been to every state except Wisconsin and Alaska.
When he got here, though, it felt like home for Griffith, who grew up on a dairy farm in Pennsylvanias Amish country and milked 150 head of Holsteins, every morning, every afternoon.
Seeing the rural landscape around Lands Ends Dodgeville headquarters, with the rolling hills, barns and silos and cows, it looked a lot like home, he said.
Griffith took over as chief executive of Lands End on March 6 and addressed his first shareholders meeting on Thursday. Though the company has struggled with sales declines for the past 10 quarters and has written down the non-cash value of Lands Ends brand for the past two years, Griffith was upbeat about its prospects.
Griffith told about 60 company leaders and stockholders gathered at the Comer Center recreation complex named after Lands End founder Gary Comer he is extremely excited about Lands Ends future. The elements of success are here, he said.
He called Lands End a heritage brand with a great value proposition and said he will deliver products that are brand appropriate.
Stockholders Nicholas and Mary Dominick, of Brookfield, said they were pleased with what they heard.
It looks like hes going to change things around, go back to what Lands End stands for, Nicholas Dominick said.
Griffith seems very confident, added Mary Dominick. Seems like hes going in the right direction.
Griffith, 59, was an executive with fashion brands Esprit and Tommy Hilfiger, and most recently, served as CEO for Tumi Holdings, a high-end luggage company bought by Samsonite International for $1.8 billion in 2016.
His message, though, differed from that of Federica Marchionni, the former president of Dolce & Gabbana USA who tried to turn Lands Ends clothing more fashion-forward and youthful in her 19 months as CEO that ended last September. Executive vice presidents Joseph Boitano and James Gooch followed as interim co-CEOs until Griffith took the helm.
While Marchionni worked primarily from New York, Griffith and his wife, Elke, have moved to Madison. They bought a condo near the Hilldale Shopping Center and are living in an apartment nearby until it is ready. The couple have two adult daughters.
In an interview after the shareholders meeting, Griffith talked about his plans for Lands End.
Q. Lands End is an iconic company for southwest Wisconsin and economically, its a huge presence. With all of the changes over the past few years, including splitting from Sears Holdings its parent company from 2002 to 2014 does this company have a future?
A. If I didnt think it did, I wouldnt have come. When Tumi was sold, I was retiring. On my second day on the job at Tumi, there was a cash call from a bank (requesting payment); the company was valued at, literally, nothing. Almost eight years later, the company sold for $1.8 billion.
I like Lands End; its a great brand name, and I knew David Dyer (Lands End CEO from 1998 to 2003). I read about Gary Comer, read about the business principles ... and I came here and met some of the people.
Financially, the company has not performed well over the last several years. I think that may be due to mixed leadership, changing direction constantly, and not embracing who our customer is.
Since the last CEO left, (company leaders have) banded together. Theyve started to grow the customer file, theyve done a good job managing the cash. The company (does) over $1 billion in e-commerce (a year). Many, many retailers out there would love to have a company like that. Im pretty excited and bullish about what direction we can take the company in. But its not going to go very far away from what its known for: great quality, very good value and service-oriented.
Q. What problems do you see?
A. I think the issue with the company is that its living in the 1990s. The company has failed to evolve properly to meet the requirements of todays retail world. Our industry is being incredibly disrupted because many customers have been changing where they shop. The losers have been regional malls and department stores. The winners are the e-commerce companies. Well, were an e-commerce company. Hey, why arent we winning? We have not been embracing our customer like we should.
The first thing is to put together a brand vision and the pillars of the foundation. The thing we need to think about is: What innovation do we bring to our customer? Not some other customer that we dont have.
Our customer service is in personally handling phone calls. Thats important. But so is one-click checkout. So is having a responsive, mobile website. So is ease of returning merchandise. Things that are important today the company hasnt jumped ahead and embraced that. Weve got to run and catch up, and then move forward.
Q. Who is the Lands End customer?
A. In many cases, its everyone. They are normal people, they like casual living. They like to be stylish but are not trend-setters. They love to relax, they love family and the outdoors. We need to make products that appeal to that customer.
Were an American brand were a casual, relaxed, lifestyle brand.
Q. In your conference call with analysts for the last fiscal quarter, you talked about possibly opening more stores.
A. I think thats extremely important.
Q. Thats an interesting concept because so many clothing retailers are closing stores. But here in Wisconsin, Duluth Trading is opening stores all over the place.
A. Well, take a look at your e-commerce companies. Amazon wants to open stores. Warby Parker (an eyeglasses retailer) is opening stores.
We have a double challenge: We need to continue to grow our e-commerce business 87 percent of everything we sell is done by clicking. And we have a $200 million-a-year retail business, mostly in Sears but many Sears stores are closing. Our customer likes to shop. The customer that shops online and in the store buys (more than) only online.
We have 11 stores that we own and operate, and we make money on them. So I believe we have an opportunity to open stores in the appropriate places where customers already are. Were putting together a strategy now. Well start testing this in 2018, probably.
Q. Duluth Trading is opening stores very quickly, 10 to 12 this fiscal year. Could Lands End do that?
A. Anything is possible.
Q. Jobs here are a major factor. Where do you see that going?
A. If I can get the company going in the right direction, I see us being able to maintain our status as a large employer in the state of Wisconsin. I think its important for us to maintain our employer of choice status, which I think weve lost a bit. We have great things for our employees, including the Comer Center thats open to families and the local population, but you know what employees really want? They want to work for a successful company.
Were in the Forbes Top 50 Best Midsize Employers list that just came out. Thats great but maybe we could be in the top 10, because at a point in time, we were.
We have to keep our technology up-to-date, go back to being a market innovator, and being a company with a bright future. I believe the way that we treat people here is as good, if not better, than much of our competition. Its a nice place to work with nice people.
Dry Creek in northern Sonoma, Calif., is celebrating its 45th year of making wine in the classic French Sancerre-style. Fume blanc is a French term for sauvignon blanc.
This is Dry Creeks flagship wine, which stays true to the crisp, fresh and herbaceous style that marks the wines of the Loire Valley in France.
The grapes are fermented in stainless steel at cool temperatures to accentuate the zesty citrus and tropical fruit flavors.
Tart, fresh and clean, this wine would pair well with smoked salmon or fresh grilled asparagus.
Sherry: A bouquet of pear, medium-bodied with semi-tart flavors of grapefruit, lime and pear on the finish. (3 stars out of 5)
Chris: A nose of lime with elegant flavors of pear, grapefruit and tangerine. (3.5 stars out of 5)
Available from $10 to $13.
Coming next week: Kendall-Jackson Vintners Reserve Zinfandel
WISCONSIN DELLS U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson said Saturday that it would be troubling if President Donald Trump recorded his conversations with fired FBI director James Comey.
Talking to reporters at the state Republican convention, Johnson declined to say whether there should an investigation into the possibility of there being tapes of the conversations, saying it was a hypothetical.
Trump tweeted Friday Comey better hope that there are no tapes of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!
Johnson said he interpreted the tweet as referring to Comey having a tape, though the White House has declined to say whether it has a recording.
Johnson said hes hoping the Senate Intelligence Committee can complete its investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 election. He said its too early to say if a special prosecutor should be appointed.
Regarding the House GOP health care bill, Johnson said half of the premium increases under the Affordable Care Act are related to the requirement that pre-existing conditions are covered.
He said the focus of the U.S. Senate as it takes up the House bill is to bring down premiums, which would reduce the subsidy payments the federal government makes to those who receive coverage.
He said those with pre-existing conditions could be covered by high-risk pools as they were before Obamacare took effect.
He also said he wouldnt vote on a bill unless it had been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, though he defended the House not doing so, saying the bill they passed hadnt changed much from an earlier version, which would have resulted in 24 million fewer people being insured and higher premiums for older adults.
We dont want to pull the rug out from anyone, Johnson said. You can cover people with pre-existing conditions without collapsing the insurance markets.
Johnson also said he remains committed to his campaign pledge that he wont run for re-election in 2022.
Summer in La Crosse means enjoying our parks and restaurants along the Mississippi River. For many of us there is also a certain thrill in spotting majestic barges quietly floating downstream, deep in the water, full of cargo. There is a lot to love about barges. They are eco-friendly and cost-effective. But a closer look at the relationship between barge transportation and crop production reveals a compelling example of how climate change can cause extensive economic hardship in our area.
Barges on the Upper Mississippi River carry more than 60 percent of our grain harvest, which is shipped to countries throughout the world from ports on the Gulf of Mexico. While trains and trucks transport these commodities to the river from cities and small towns, barges are used for the greater part of the journey to the Gulf because of their cost effectiveness.
Lets look at the average distance a ton of cargo can travel using a gallon of fuel: 59 miles by truck, 202 miles by train, and a whopping 514 miles by barge. While mileage for newer trucks and trains is better than this average, the fuel efficiency for barges remains superior by any measure because they have far greater load capacity. Using much less fuel, towboats pushing barges produce far less air pollution than trucks or trains. Noise pollution is minimized by using towboats. There are ongoing urban planning problems related to land use for highways and railways, while river traffic poses no such problem. In short, our access to barge transportation is a godsend.
Of course, infrastructure maintenance is an issue for all modes of transportation, no less so for barges. A system of locks and dams along the Upper Mississippi River was constructed in the 1930s to facilitate commercial navigation, which now consists primarily of towboats pushing barges. By law, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers maintains and administers this system, providing full consideration to fish, wildlife and habitat conservation.
There are significant challenges. Weather affects not only crop production but also the cost of infrastructure maintenance for all modes of transportation. Extreme weather, predictably, increases the cost of using and maintaining the Mississippi waterway. With heavy rain and flooding along the Upper Mississippi, the Corps has to close locks to keep water from going over the walls. Barge traffic is forced to come to a halt, while ships at the Gulf of Mexico ports are required to wait for their cargo. All of this is at considerable expense to farmers. Also with flooding, sediment builds up in the river. When a year of drought follows, this sediment build-up can ground barges, stalling river commerce yet again. According to ClimateNexus, in 2012 an extreme dry spell contributed to a severe drought in the upper Midwest that cost the region $35 billion, becoming the second most expensive disaster worldwide that year. The 2012 drought caused water levels to plummet to near-record lows, slowing river traffic and transport of goods along the nations busiest waterway.
The Corps does its best to maintain the channel in the Mississippi at over nine feet deep. There is no viable alternative to keeping this channel open for commercial traffic since we do not have enough trucks and trains to carry the immense loads of cargo regularly carried by barges. The Army Corps of Engineers continuous oversight of the locks and dams on the Mississippi is central to our economic vitality.
Of note, we are seeing an increase in the kinds of extreme weather events that impede barge traffic. According to the assessment of over 97 percent of climate scientists, the frequency of these extreme weather events is a characteristic of human-caused climate change. This phenomenon contributes to the increasing challenges and costs the Corps faces for waterway maintenance. It also contributes to greater costs for barge transportation. It affects the economic viability of agricultural exports, potentially threatening our world trade partnerships. Our economy in the Upper Midwest depends on the Mississippi River in countless ways, not just for grain transportation. We ignore at our own peril the ways that climate change affects our river and our economy.
Watch the barges this summer. Consider their fuel efficiency, their quiet presence, and their precious cargo. Concern yourself with the economic repercussions of barge delays due to floods and droughts. Then remind yourself, yet again, why climate change matters.
WASHINGTON This was always the main question: Would Donald Trump move beyond mere Twitter abuse and move against institutions that limit his power?
By any reasonable standard, we now have an answer.
Trumps official rationale for firing FBI Director James Comey that the president was suddenly seized with outrage at the shocking treatment of Hillary Clinton by the FBI during the election is false in a typically Trump-like way. It requires his supporters to demonstrate their loyalty by defending the indefensible. This is apparently the manner in which Trump identifies true believers. They must be willing, when instructed, to say that 2+2=5. On cable television.
In fact, according to media accounts, Trump has been in a spittle-flinging rage since Comeys March 20 testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, in which he confirmed the existence of an investigation of Russian influence on Trumps inner circle. On May 2, Trump tweeted that the Trump/Russia story is phony. On May 9, Trump fired Comey. The president removed a perceived threat, threw an active FBI investigation into chaos and raised the prospect of a Trump stooge being appointed in Comeys place. (The correct answer is 4.)
All this is consistent with even mandated by Trumps contempt for institutions. He has called the FBI investigation process rigged. If the system is dirty, only a fool would not play by the same rules. This is the logic of conspiratorial disdain for government. An independent, nonpolitical FBI? What a joke. It is all political. And politics is power. And power is making people do what you want, or destroying those who get in your way. The Gospel according to Nixon.
It is dangerous to have a leader with disdain for the law. It is also dangerous to have a leader who believes that anything legal is permissible. Trumps firing of Comey was legal. It also violated a democratic norm a proper presidential deference for an ongoing investigation and the independence of law enforcement. There is no evidence that such considerations even occur to Trump. In their place: What kind of sucker would not press all his advantages?
Republicans often talk of judicial restraint; less, recently, of presidential restraint. Presidential limits are often found in norms, not laws what Lord Moulton called obedience to the unenforceable.
But Trump seems to take pleasure in throwing acid into the face of convention. In his calls to lock up his electoral opponent; in his wink and a nod toward violence at his rallies; in his groundless accusations of being spied upon by his predecessor; in his Twitter taunting of congressional leaders; in his bold and obvious lies; in his dehumanization of migrants and refugees. Grace, dignity, empathy, integrity and kindness are stripped away, leaving the emperor naked but incapable of shame. Trump is the spendthrift of our public character, squandering an inheritance he does not understand or value.
There is a certain power in shamelessness. It is amazing what our democracy has, so far, allowed Trump to get away with, giving only a grimace, a laugh or a shrug. But this tolerance is about to be tested.
If Trump selects a political crony of the Rudy Giuliani or Chris Christie variety to head the FBI, the integrity of federal law enforcement and the rule of law will be under direct assault. Such a nomination, again, would not be illegal. But such a bold, banana-republic-style power play by the president which could only be interpreted as an attempt to quash the Russian influence investigation would be properly viewed as a constitutional crisis. And the historical spotlight would burn hot on Republican legislators.
Leadership is unlikely to emerge among House Republicans, given the example of sycophancy toward Trump set by Speaker Paul Ryan. The Senate is where the nomination battle and the battle for the rule of law will take place. So far, many GOP senators have taken a wait and see attitude toward preserving the integrity of federal law enforcement. A largely partisan vote to confirm a Trump loyalist would open the city gates to the ruthless, the shameless and the lawless.
Historical parallels to the Nixon era can be strained. But it is worth listening to Richard Nixon in a reflective moment: So you are lean and mean and resourceful and you continue to walk on the edge of the precipice, because over the years you have become fascinated by how close you can walk without losing your balance.
Donald Trump is dancing along the precipice. But his balance is precarious.
Last week I listened to an engineer describe a water project in Africa. He and his team had designed and installed a well in a remote village. It provided clean and accessible water for hundreds of people. It meant the villagers would have access to clean water for drinking and washing, it would reduce disease from water-borne contaminants, the women and children would not have to walk three miles every day to fetch water, and children would be free to go to school.
It sounded like a great success story. Except, the engineer said, the women in the village all hated me. It turned out that the daily journey to fetch water was the only time the women were allowed to leave their homes. In their strictly male-dominated society, womens roles were confined to domestic tasks; after the well was built, they no longer had any opportunity to socialize with their friends and neighbors.
The fourth part of Rotarys Four-Way Test is: Will it be beneficial to all concerned? It seems like a straightforward question, but it turns out that human beings are not very good at evaluating consequences for others. Actually, we are not even very good at evaluating consequences for ourselves. But that doesnt mean we shouldnt try; it just means we have to be more deliberate in our decision-making.
In the 18th century Jeremy Bentham proposed that all ethical decisions be based on what he called the greatest happiness principle. Bentham was disturbed by the fact that so many laws and social policies seemed to be based either on tradition (the way weve always done it) or power (the narrow interests of a few). He argued that morality should be scientific and impersonal. By systematically calculating the relative amount of pleasure and pain that would be produced by different courses of action, and choosing whatever promised the greatest overall benefit, much needless suffering could be eliminated in the world.
To a great extent, Benthams moral and political reforms were successful. Western societies today have largely adopted his consequentialist approach to decision making. Pay attention to any of our contemporary political debates and you will find that the overwhelming focus is on the consequences of proposed laws or policies for some group or other. The problem is, we rarely give equal weight to the consequences for everyone affected.
That is particularly true when it comes to water.
Our bodies are comprised of about 60 percent water; daily access to clean water is therefore necessary for health and survival. Our economy is also dependent upon copious amounts of water for agriculture, transportation and recreation. That sets up a potential for conflict whenever supplies of clean water are limited.
Water cannot be regarded as a typical commodity. It defies our efforts at control. Streams and rivers cross township, county, state and national borders. It is a universal solvent, so it absorbs substances with which it comes into contact, depositing those substances into people, plants, insects, reptiles, fish and birds. It flows into and out of our lives, our bodies, our properties Eventually, wrote Norman Maclean, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.
To a great extent, we are what we drink. Unfortunately, what we are drinking is increasingly laden with the waste by-products of highly mechanized, industrial society. Those who are benefiting from the production of those wastes are often not the same ones who are suffering the consequences of consuming them.
Here are a few facts indicating how poorly we do at considering the consequences for all when making water policy decisions:
Ten communities in Wisconsin have higher rates of children tested positive for lead poisoning than in Flint, Michigan.
Pharmaceutical compounds are showing up in lakes and rivers in higher amounts every year, yet there is no regular testing of those compounds in drinking water.
Drinking water contamination in private wells is exacerbated by large withdrawals from aquifers. Yet the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources does not look at the cumulative impact of high-capacity wells when reviewing permits.
The so-called dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, caused largely by nutrient runoff from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa, expanded to record size last summer.
As our population continues to grow and technology becomes more advanced, we will face problems of increasing complexity and scope. And that means we need to be more intentional about how we make policy decisions affecting large numbers of people in different ways. Whether we are talking about energy, health care, national security or water, we need to take into account all the people who are affected by our decisions.
But there is one other step we have to take if we are to avoid unnecessary conflict and turmoil, and that is to continually ask ourselves the question: What is needful for a rich and flourishing life? When we do that, we may find that pursuit of material acquisition and the measurement of societal health by its rate of production and consumption is deeply misguided.
Consequences matter. Some consequences matter more than others. But what matters most is that the consequences for all get the same consideration.
Consider: that site is 25,000 square feet, and a site in Downtown Brooklyn little more than half that just was sold for $68 million. As YIMBY reported two days ago, in Mixed-Use Development Site Expanded at 625 Fulton Street, Downtown Brooklyn , the 12,415-square-feet three story commercial building at 635 Fulton Street and Rockwell Place now expands the development site owned by Rabsky Group.
Rabsky, which bought 625 Fulton--adjacent to 80 DeKalb Avenue--from Forest City Ratner for $158 million, might build either a residential or office tower, with a significant 150,000 square feet of retail space, the Real Deal reported. Rabsky is being advised by Tucker Reed, former president of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership.
In either' case, the market for residential and office space is in flux right now.
Last September, I wrote about the low-ball offer of $15.1 million that Empire State Development (ESD), the state authority overseeing/shepherding Atlantic Yards, made in February to P.C. Richard, which owns one of the two buildings at Site 5, across Flatbush Avenue from the Barclays Center.That's well below the value of stated development rights, much less what is currently permitted (or might be permitted in the future) on the property. Of course, as I wrote, in New York eminent domain cases, the condemnor often low-balls owners of the subject property as a way to nudge them into negotiation and a presumably higher payment.
A 23-year-old Camp Douglas man was referred to the district attorney on multiple charges after allegedly assaulting a woman in the town of Byron.
The Monroe County Sheriffs Department was called to the emergency room at Tomah Memorial Hospital May 7, where a woman told police she was hit, strangled and threatened by Michael Anthony Youngs.
The woman said the assault started around 11 a.m., when Youngs told the woman he wanted her to lie down with him. She refused and said Youngs became upset. As she started to leave the bedroom, she said Youngs shut the door and prevented her from leaving and then grabbed her by her sweater and pulled her back onto the bed. She said Youngs held her down by applying pressure to her ribs with his elbows. She said he later put his forearm across her neck.
The woman said she banged on the wall and yelled for another person to come into the room, at which point Youngs covered her face with a pillow and began hitting her. The woman said Youngs hit her at least 10 times. She said she didnt fight back because that would have made it worse.
After the woman finally pushed Youngs away, she said Youngs grabbed a 9 mm handgun from under the bed and pointed it toward her. At that point, another person came into the room and led the woman from the residence.
The report says the womans nose was black and blue from being struck and that her right eye was swollen. She also had fresh bruises on her left arm.
Police interviewed Youngs the following day. He said the woman was swinging her arms, which led him to believe she was going to hit him. Youngs admitted punching her, according to the report. He told police he suffers from PTSD due to an abusive childhood and sometimes blacks out. He denied using a gun and said his firearms had been missing for the past week.
Youngs was referred for disorderly conduct, battery, strangulation/suffocation, false imprisonment and endangering safety with a weapon.
Back in early March, I got a text from an old college friend I don't see too often these days. He was planning a day trip to Massachusetts with two of his friends whom I'd only met once or twice and he asked me if I wanted the fourth seat in the car. They were leaving Camillus at 5:30 a.m. And this was on a Thursday, so I'd have to take a vacation day to tag along.
I was being asked, then, if I would take one of my vacation days to get up at 4 a.m., sit in a car for five hours to Massachusetts, continue sitting in a car driving around the state all day, then sit in a car for another five hours returning home all with one friend and two guys I barely knew.
I said "yes" immediately.
Why? Beer. Our destinations in Massachusetts were Trillium Brewing Co. in Canton, Jack's Abby Craft Lagers in Framingham and Tree House Brewing Co. in Monson. All three are world-class breweries and, in the case of Trillium and Tree House, their beers are only available in take-home form at the breweries. Buying some from Tree House even means standing in line for an hour.
Craft beer fans are surely familiar with my experience, my compulsion to go so far out of my way to spend an exorbitant sum of money on beer. It's called beer tourism. And according to the Brewers Association, it's something several million people do yearly. It's something I'll do again in June, when my wife and I visit Vermont and some of its many breweries on a two-day trip.
So yes, beer tourism is most certainly a thing. But beyond those of us who'd wait in line for Other Half or drive for hours to Hill Farmstead, there are people who give craft beer much shorter economic and cultural shrift. There are people who think it's no different than Bud Lite, no better than an addictive vice. And some of those people are in Cayuga County.
At The Citizen, we've seen some of those people respond to our reporting on Cayuga County's burgeoning craft beer scene. You name a positive of craft beer, they question it: the community it builds, the tourist dollars it attracts, the jobs it creates. After I reported on Prison City Pub & Brewery's announcement that it will open a production facility that will employ up to 25 people full-time, I was baffled to read one response saying, dismissively, that Auburn instead needs factories and manufacturing jobs. As if that's not a factory, and those aren't manufacturing jobs?
As Prison City, The Good Shepherds Brewing Co., Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co. and Aurora Ale & Lager Co. continue growing, there could come a day when someone in Massachusetts is asked to make the same arduous day trip that I did. And if Cayuga County attracts enough of those visitors, maybe then those critics will come around on the value of craft beer.
What's on tap
Prison City Pub & Brewery
With American Craft Beer Week from May 15 to 21, the 28 State St. brewpub has events planned every day. Highlights include beer trivia from 7 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 16, and Pinfest, a tapping of a few house cask beers, on Saturday, May 20. Prison City will also team with Good Shepherds and the Thirsty Pug Craft Beer Market to present the BeerMuda Triangle from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 18 though that may be a misnomer now, as the Copper Pig BBQ & Taproom will join the three sites this month to offer food and specialty beer flights at the monthly event. The Copper Pig will also host daily American Craft Beer Week events. For full details on the events, visit prisoncitybrewing.com or facebook.com/copperpig.
Lunkenheimer Craft Brewing Co.
Fresh off attending the Tap NY 2017 Craft Beer and Food Festival in Hunter Mountain along with Prison City, the Weedsport brewery will celebrate American Craft Beer Week by breaking out its randall. Brewers can load the double-chamber filter with ingredients, attach it to a tap and run the beer through it, infusing it with new flavors. Brewers Derric Slocum and Kristen Lunkenheimer-Slocum's plan includes "something with citrus and vanilla," they said, but they haven't finalized it yet. New on tap at the North Seneca Street brewery is Kold Brew Kolsch, featuring coffee from Simple Roast Coffee in Sennett. Lunkenheimer is also collaborating with Roscoe Beer Co. and Seneca Lake Brewing Co., brewing at their facilities, and talking about hosting another collaboration with Cayuga County's own Aurora Ale & Lager Co.
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."
SENECA FALLS Fleur De Lis Brew Works, opening Saturday, is putting the "farm" in farm brewery.
Owned and operated by the Partee family, Seneca County's seventh craft brewery sits around the corner from the family's 350-acre beef cattle farm. The brewery itself, located off Route 414, is a 15-acre property that's been in the family for three generations now. And the Partees plan to source most of the ingredients in Fleur De Lis' beer from that heirloom soil.
For instance, the brewery's flagships, a bier de garde (a French farmhouse-style strong pale ale) and bier de mars (a lighter version of bier de garde), will eventually be made with locally grown strisselspalt hops. Fleur De Lis brewer Jon Paul Partee is working with a Utica greenhouse and the USDA's National Clean Plant Network to import cultures of the varietal from France so the Partees can plant it on a 2-acre field in the brewery's front yard. They've had practice with the flavoring flower: Jon Paul started a 10-variety hop farm four years ago on the other side of Seneca Falls.
An electrical engineer, Jon Paul's interest in craft beer began bubbling about a decade ago when his wife, Beth, gave him a home-brewing kit for Christmas. Years later he planted the hop farm, and shortly after that the seed of Fleur De Lis Brew Works. The brewery takes its classically French name and logo from the Partee family's coat of arms.
Partnering with Jon Paul in operating the brewery are not only Beth, who will manage its rustic barn-style beer parlour, but his brother, Craig, and his wife, Jennifer. Their interest in craft beer grew in parallel to Jon Paul and Beth's: First wine enthusiasts, Craig and Jennifer converted to craft beer eight years ago when they moved to Florida, which he described as a desert for oenophiles. Many years of traveling to breweries across the country later, Craig will manage Fleur De Lis's overall operations and Jennifer will handle its social media and marketing.
Craig and Jennifer live part-time in the house adjoining the brewery, he said, and part-time in Florida. They were motivated to partner with Jon Paul and Beth in Fleur De Lis not just by mutual love of craft beer, but mutual desire to honor their family's agricultural heritage. This generation will just be trading black angus cattle for beer ingredients, Craig said naturally filtered limestone well water, homegrown hops and flavor agents like cardamom, walnuts and pumpkins harvested from the Partees' land or that of their neighboring farmers, then processed on site.
"Everything is fresh, fresh, fresh. The fresher the better," Jon Paul said. "That's what beer was meant to be."
The Fleur De Lis beer parlour will eventually feature 12 taps, Jon Paul said. Though French farmhouse styles will be the brewery's signatures, it will also make India pale ales, a wit (Belgian ale), a roggenbier (German rye), a barleywine (a strong ale around 10 percent alcohol by volume) and more, all distinguished by an assertive malt presence. A version of the roggenbier aged in whiskey barrels from a local distiller will be available at Fleur De Lis' opening, and Jon Paul would like to make a "beer champagne" a bier de garde fermented with champagne yeast and corked as such.
The brewery's current seven-barrel system could produce a ceiling of about 1,000 barrels a year, Jon Paul said. Any distribution Fleur De Lis does will be more for marketing than sales: The Partees would like to expose new drinkers to their beer via taps at area bars and, they hope, impress them enough that they visit the brewery for the full experience, such as a flight or a growler fill. Securing a Crowler (32-ounce can) machine is in the works, Jon Paul said, and a small bottling line for special high-gravity beer releases is also a possibility.
Another component of the Fleur De Lis experience is the Seneca Falls countryside, which visitors will be able to enjoy at the brewery's outdoor area. Its driveway corridor of trees leads to a backyard with a cobblestone walkway, fountain and creek, where guests can play life-size lawn games or just drink in the scenery. The brewery's license covers all 15 acres, Craig said.
As a farm brewery, Fleur De Lis must also make its beer with a percentage of New York state ingredients that escalates by the year. The Partees anticipate that requirement 60 percent by 2019, 90 by 2024 will pose more of a problem when it comes to grains than hops. However Fleur De Lis meets the mark, it invites everyone to be part of the process. Wanting to "bring people into farming," the new brewery may one day welcome customers to help strip a hop bine or drop hop strings into the processor, Jon Paul said.
"People can feel like they're part of the farming community and get a sense of what they go through day to day," he said. "Come out and enjoy what life is like here in the country."
Muslim men are usually separated from women during religious services in mosques throughout the world.
But one mosque in northern California has opened up to let men and women pray side-by-side.
The religious center is called QalBu Maryam, which means Heart of Mary in Arabic.
Rabia Keeble set up the new QalBu Maryam mosque in Berkeley, California. She was a Christian until about 10 years ago, when she accepted Islam.
It has long been a tradition that Muslim men and women pray separately. They sometimes pray in different parts of the same room. In some areas, they meet in different rooms or are divided by a barrier.
As a new Muslim, Rabia Keeble says, she could not imagine women praying in the same room with men.
I think at first - like most new Muslims - I accepted everything because I felt that was my role. I felt that thats what God wanted, was for me to accept what already was happening. But I think as an intelligent thinking person, after a while I began to see that there seemed to be an imbalance in that approach.
Keeble accepted Islams teachings and customs. But she wanted to see the clergyman during religious services, and not be in a separate room.
She eventually found a way to bring males and females together and give women the chance to see the person leading the service.
Hussam Mousa was born in Egypt. He says he stopped attending religious services after the birth of his daughter 11 years ago. But he likes the idea of the new mosque and wants to bring his daughter.
Show her a new model that can kind of point out to her, like you can retain your religious heritage and retain your religious culture in a space and environment where you are equal.
Keeble says some people oppose her idea of having men and women in the same room.
Ive had some backlash from Muslim men. But I was determined from the beginning that if I get threats, or if theres language, or something doesnt feel good about it, I would just ignore it.
Some women say the separation of men and women in mosques is an important tradition they never had a problem with.
Thats how I was raised, said Saleemah Jones, a lifelong Muslim. She now attends the QalBu Maryam mosque in Berkeley. Now, for the first time, Jones prays with men and also gets the chance to lead prayers herself.
I had never been to a mosque where a woman led a prayer so much as where I would ever think that I would actually lead the prayer as well. So it gives you an empowering feeling. You know you can pretty much go out and do anything.
Rabia Keeble says her goal is to create a space where all people feel welcome.
And if someone wants to join me, male or female, Shia, Sunni, whatever you are, whatever color you are, wherever you come from in the world, then you join me here - and that would be very lovely.
The mosque is the second woman-led Islamic religious center in California. The Womens Mosque in Los Angeles opened its doors in 2015. That mosque holds worship services specifically for women and children.
Im Bryan Lynn.
Michelle Quinn reported on this story for VOA News. Bryan Lynn adapted the report, with additional material from Reuters. George Grow 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
worship v. to show respect for god by praying or attending religious services
approach - n. way of doing something
retain v. continue to have or use
heritage n. traditions and beliefs that are part of the history of a group or nation
backlash n. strong public reaction to something
determined adj. having strong feelings about doing something
mosque n. an Islamic religious center
Welcome to Auburn, New York: Historys Hometown! Take an hour or spend a few days visiting Auburns historical and cultural sites, and youll see why we are called Historys Hometown.
See where iconic American heroes Harriet Tubman and William H. Seward lived while helping lead slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad. View outstanding examples of Tiffany glass at the Willard Memorial Chapel, Cayuga Museum of History & Art and Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Visit the birthplace of talking films at the Case Research Lab and take in a contemporary art exhibit or quilt show at the Schweinfurth Art Center. Top off your day with a comedy act, play or even a dance performance at Auburn Public Theater.
You will not be short of things to see and do and everything is within a 5-mile radius of downtown Auburn. And, of course, we cant leave out the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival.
The words above in quotation marks come from historyshometown.com. I would like to suggest that another piece of history be added to Historys Hometown: the completely restored historic 1890 Carl Barckhoff pipe organ residing in the gallery of St. Marys Church in downtown Auburn.
Although St. Marys Parish was founded in 1868 and will be observing its 150th anniversary next year, the church building dates from 1874 and the pipe organ itself from 1890. For 127 years without interruption, the mighty Barckhoff has been providing organ music for church services. It was only in June 2016 that the organ was removed from the church and brought to Parsons Pipe Organ Builders in Canandaigua for a complete overhaul and restoration.
The organ was brought back to St. Marys in February and was played for the first time on Easter. Since then, the organ has been rigorously exercised by our music director, Dr. Aaron James, to make sure all the mechanical parts are working correctly. The formal dedication of this instrument will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 21, and the whole community is invited.
This instrument is significant because it is the largest extant pipe organ built by Carl Barckhoff, whose company was in Salem, Ohio. And even more significant is the fact that this organ was never altered, mutilated or damaged. It is as Carl Barckhoff built it. Even the recent restoration, for the most part, sought to do everything in a way that honored the historic integrity of the instrument.
At the dedication next Sunday, besides some glorious organ and choral music expressing the full range of the restored pipe organ, there will be a word from Mr. Ric Parsons, president of Parsons Pipe Organ Builders. He will give some insight on what went into the restoration process.
Mayor Michael Quill, representing the city of Auburn, will be present along with Mr. Bill Czelusniak, representing the Organ Historical Society of the United States. Mr. David Fedor, who has known this organ since his days in St. Marys grammar school, will share his over 60 years' association with it. Also present will be Mr. Joel Morehouse, past music director, who recognized this gem residing in the middle of Auburn and was instrumental in inaugurating the restoration process.
A special tribute will be paid to Mrs. Muriel Hickey, who will be retiring as parish organist at the end of the summer after 46 years at the organ console (having begun in 1971). Finally, Dr. Aaron James, the current music director and the concert organist for this occasion, will remind us of the importance that music and art play in our Sunday worship, and indeed in our cultural lives.
I hope you will be able to join us for this significant event in the life of St. Marys Church, the city of Auburn and all of central New York state. We have a one-of-a-kind musical treasure in our Historys Hometown.
In June, two special musical events will take place at St. Marys Church. On Friday, June 2, Musica Spei, an a capella singing group from Rochester specializing in medieval and Renaissance choral music, will present a concert at 7:30 pm. And on Saturday, June 24, the Land of Lakes Choirboys of Minnesota will give a concert at 7:30 pm. Both events are free and open to the public.
Founded in 1991, the Cayuga County Habitat for Humanity is presently renovating a home at 6 Adams St. in Auburn. This renovation joins a growing list of successfully completed community projects that include renovations and the building of a new house.
Because of former president Jimmy Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, many people are aware of Habitats work. The roots of the organization date back to 1976 and its founders, Millard and Linda Fuller. Today, the organization works in some 1,400 U.S. communities and in nearly 70 countries. Habitat follows a proven model of working with local organizations, businesses and individuals in the community to help those in need build or improve a place they can call home.
Kip Coerper is the current co-president and volunteer coordinator for the organization. He and his wife, Becky, moved to this area about seven years ago from Charleston, South Carolina. It was somewhat of a homecoming, as his wife is originally from New York. While in South Carolina, he applied for a volunteer construction supervisor position and helped start the Habitat program there.
When he came to central New York, he worked for a bit in Syracuse with the Habitat there and when that position ended, he became a volunteer locally.
Until recently, the Cayuga County Habitat had been a totally volunteer-led and -run organization. Through a grant from the Allyn Foundation, it just hired its first paid program administrator. Kip said that Habitat needed this position to move to the next level. It hopes to generate additional awareness and revenue to continue renovating and building homes locally.
Kip said that he loves what the brand is all about: creating an opportunity to make a difference for someone and the community. By establishing partnerships, helping people move into safe and secure housing, and growing a cadre of volunteers, the organization continues to make a tangible difference. And there continues to be a need for quality, safe homes for people. Kip said that his work with Habitat has shown him that one person can truly make a difference. That difference is multiplied when many people are involved.
Before a house is chosen, there must first be a family in place. The individual or individuals go through a rigorous selection process. Applicants must be Cayuga County residents, not currently own their own home, meet specific income guidelines, and agree to put at least 250 hours of their own time and effort into the project. Families are selected based on need and their ability to pay a mortgage.
Applicants are responsible for paying the mortgage on what it costs to build or renovate the home. Cayuga County Habitat currently has about 10 mortgages in its system. There is no set time frame for when families may apply, as it depends on the projects available.
The group is actively seeking additional volunteers. Were all about the volunteer experience, Kip said. You dont need any particular skills, as we can teach you what you need to know. He also noted that Habitat is very safety conscious. Right now, it is working on the Adams Street house from 8 a.m. to noon almost every Friday and Saturday. Work at this house has included reconfiguring the kitchen, replacing plaster walls with sheet rock, installing insulation and replacing the siding. Individuals, groups and corporate volunteers are welcome to help. Kip adds that Habitat is also open to accepting new board members.
Later this month, Kip is leading a Habitat Global Village work trip for about eight others to El Salvador. And this is not the first time he has traveled outside the United States to work with a Habitat project: "For me, its part of Gods call. Plus, it pleases me greatly that I can make such a positive difference here and in the larger world."
Kip noted that we dont often realize how privileged we are to be living where we do. He truly enjoys the sense of camaraderie that develops on the Habitat projects and the joy of helping to create a safe home for a family.
Looking for more information on Cayuga County Habitat for Humanity? Check out its website, cayugahabitat.org. There you will find updates on its current and past projects, as well as ways to become involved. You may also send an email to cayugahabitat@cayugahabitat.org.
In 1996, National Geographic made Baby Louie into a 66-million-year-old child star.
The magazines May cover featured a model dinosaur embryo tucked within a replica eggwhich, at 18 inches long, looked less like a supermarket egg than a squashed baguette. The sculptor based the model on Baby Louie, a fossilized infant dinosaur that died among unhatched siblings. The cover was striking: The top of the loaf-egg was sliced away to show Louie inside, curled up like a napping cat. This fleshed-out representation of a pebbly brown reptile, though, was a guess. Nobody knew what species Baby Louie belonged to.
Publicly identifying Baby Louie took two decades. Scientists were reluctant to publish research about the fossil while, controversially, it remained in private hands outside its home country of China.
A new paper published Tuesday in the journal Nature finally gives Baby Louie a species name and a place in the dinosaur family tree. This specimen represents the youngest individual known and the earliest growth stage of a giant oviraptorosaur, said Darla Zelenitsky, a dinosaur researcher at the University of Calgary in Canada and a co-author of the new study. Zelenitsky and an international team of scientists named the new dinosaur species Beibeilong sinensis, meaning Chinese baby dragon.
In late 1992 or early 1993, during a boom in dino egg excavation, a group of farmers in Henan Province dug up a fossilized nest. A chunk of the nest made its way to the United States.
Zelenitsky could not say if these fossil eggs had been poached. We dont really know the legality of the specimen as the fossil laws in China were apparently gray at the time, she said. I honestly dont know what the laws were. Smuggled or not, Baby Louie wound up in private hands.
Even a whiff of impropriety was enough to deter scientists. The lengthy time of the fossils residence outside China certainly slowed down our research on the project, Zelenitsky said, as we wanted to see it returned to China before publication.
A Colorado-based fossil seller named Charles Magovern had purchased the eggs and uncovered an infant skeleton amid the clutch. He invited several experts to look at the bones. One paleontologist who viewed the infant in 1995 said he thought Baby Louie was a therizinosaur, a bizarrely shaped dino with giant claws. Another expert disagreed. Without a scientific name to go on, Magovern nicknamed the fossil after Louie Psihoyos, the National Geographic photographer who later directed the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove.
In the early 1990s, dinosaur embryos were exceedingly rare, Zelenitsky said. Baby Louie was thus a very unique and unusual fossil. Not only were the fossil eggs in its nest hugemore than twice the length of a modern ostrich eggcomplete skeletons of baby dinosaurs are quite hard to come by.
By the end of the 1990s, Zelenitsky and her colleagues determined that Baby Louie was an oviraptorosaur, a type of two-legged dinosaur found guarding its nests. (In the 1920s, paleontologists theorized that oviraptors wanted to eat the nearby eggs. More recent studies absolved them of robberythe oviraptor appears to be parental, like brooding birds.)
Baby Louie died, probably during a flood, in ring-shaped nest of the type kept by oviraptorosaurs. Also like oviraptorosaurs, Baby Louie lacked teeth in its lower jaw.
Determining what an adult animal looked like from an infant can be tricky business. If you took a newborn human and scaled it up to an adult it would look like an alien, Gregory Erickson, a Florida State University paleontologist who was not involved with this study, told The Washington Post. In the Nature study, the researchers based their work on skeletal features that are fairly constant during maturation, like the toothless bottom jaw. Their evidence is compelling, he said, to place Beibeilong among the oviraptorosaurs.
Everything about Baby Louie was supersize. The nest would have been about three yards across. Its egg probably weighed eight to 10 pounds.
But before they could advance their work, the scientists had to wait for Baby Louie to scoot on home. In 2001, the Indianapolis Childrens Museum put the fossil on public display. Still the paleontologists waited. Finally, in 2013, the childrens museum gave the fossil to the Henan Geological Museum in Zhengzhou, where it remains.
Im glad to see it repatriated, Erickson said. Had it just showed up on somebodys coffee table we never would have learned anything. (Many private fossils do not end up repatriated. There are likely thousands of interesting specimens that are never going to see the light of science, he said. Theyre intellectual treasures. Theyre not art pieces.)
Two additional discoveries bolstered Baby Louies oviraptorosaur identification. In February 2015, five paleontologists accompanied one of the farmers to western Henan Province, to examine the original excavation site. There they found additional oviraptorosaur egg fragments.
Whats more, in 2007 a separate team of Chinese paleontologists discovered an adult specimen belonging to a new, massive species of oviraptorosaur: Gigantoraptor. Before this finding, Zelenitsky had calculated that whatever birthed Beibeilong probably weighed at least 3,300 poundsright around the low range for the Gigantoraptor adult.
Baby Louie represents only the third recorded skeleton from this group of giant oviraptorosaurs, Zelenitsky said. Its a very significant specimen. Many fossils collected illegallyhypothetically speakingtend to disappear, she said. This was nice. It was a happy ending for sure.
TWIN FALLS Without the right documents, its hard to prove you finished high school.
Twin Falls resident Amie Saunders graduated more than 20 years ago in the Philippines, but doesnt have the paperwork showing she did. She was told it would cost $2,500 to $3,000 to get the records.
Saunders decided to pursue another option: earning a high school equivalency certificate through the College of Southern Idaho.
She thought it would be easy, but it turned into two-year process.
The single mom who works three jobs was the student speaker during CSIs GED graduation ceremony Saturday.
Saunders plans to continue her education this summer in CSIs Bridge to Success program, where shell start her general education college classes. Shes interested in pursuing a degree in business administration.
Amie is kind of a model student for us, said Jennifer Hall, director of adult basic education. She was very motivated and understood what her goal was and what she could do with it.
More than 200 students earned a high school equivalency certificate at CSI this year. About half participated in Saturdays graduation ceremony.
Idahos Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Burdick was the keynote speaker during the event. Each student who participated in the ceremony will receive a $390 voucher to use toward either academic or technical classes at CSI this summer or fall.
The new, harder GED
Under nationwide changes that took effect in 2014, students are taking more rigorous General Educational Development tests that align with Common Core Standards.
The new GED tests reasoning through language arts, social studies, mathematical reasoning and science require more writing and critical thinking.
Saunders is known as being a cheerleader for others going through the process.
She will round up any friends and fellow students who need encouragement, said Julie Jones, CSIs GED chief examiner.
Saunders contagious smile and go-to attitude extend to her studies, too.
I dont like boring stuff, she said. If its hard, I make it fun.
I always wanted to go back to school
Saunders graduated in 1992 from high school in the Philippines after skipping two grade levels.
She came to the United States in 1997. Saunders always wanted to live in the U.S., ever since she saw American missionaries as a child in the Philippines.
And she wanted to further her education. Ive always wanted to go back to school, she said.
Saunders found out earning a high school equivalency certificate in the U.S. would be cheaper than getting a transcript from the Philippines.
I thought, why not? she said. It would be a good refresher for me.
Saunders juggled classes while working and as a single mother. She has twin daughters, both juniors at Twin Falls High School.
Saunders said her daughters are very understanding of her work and class schedule.
Its kind of sad sometimes, she said, because she wants to spend time with her daughters over the weekends, but has to work.
Saunders has three jobs: as a cashier at Dollar Tree, at a hotel front desk and doing landscaping work.
Im tired of working for minimum wages, she said.
We learned a lot together
To prepare for GED tests, Saunders took adult basic education classes in math and language arts. She also used an online program to study.
I got stuck on the (language arts test) because its not my first language, Saunders said, and the essay writing portion was particularly challenging.
The reasoning through language arts test has three parts, including 45 minutes to write an analytical essay.
They will be given a couple of selections to read on two sides of an issue, and theyll have to analyze who has given a better argument and why, Jones said.
Despite the challenges, the best part of the GED experience was being in a tutoring room with classmates, Saunders said. We learned a lot together.
Finding someone you can relate to is wonderful, she said, adding its important to surround yourself with positive people. And shes thankful for CSI employees who helped her along the way.
During Saturdays GED graduation, Saunders planned to talk about her life experiences and why she decided to pursue a high school equivalency certificate.
As she talked Wednesday to the Times-News, she used an analogy of an inch worm slowly making its way up a hill.
Im like that worm, you know? she said.
Saunders wants to recruit and encourage other people to complete their high school equivalency certificate. I want them to know if I can do it, they can do it.
TWIN FALLS Isaiah Palomo, 20, remembers it was scary and very emotional to enter the foster care system.
He and his siblings were removed from their home when he was 13 due to an unhealthy spouse my mom was with at the time, he said. During that time, my mom had to fight for us back. It wasnt due to anything with her. It was due to her spouse.
Palomo, the oldest of five children, remembers being in a van with his siblings and watching them be dropped off at different foster homes. He didnt have any information about where they were taken.
Over the next few years, hed live in five places.
For the first two weeks, Palomo and a brother stayed at The Safe House, a Twin Falls group home primarily for youth in crisis.
For two weeks, we had no idea what was happening, Palomo said. They finally met with a caseworker, who told them legal proceedings would begin.
Palomo spent one month with his biological father in Heyburn he advocated leaving there because he didnt feel safe then was in three foster homes before being reunited with his mother at 16.
Palomo shared his first foster home with two of his brothers. The foster parents, he said, had a lot of miscommunication and arguments.
Palomo said the couple talked down to him and his siblings but not to their biological children. And once, he said, the parents threw one of his brothers into a refrigerator.
Looking back on that foster home, he said: I realize that it wasnt all just them being bad.
Palomo said he had his own behaviors and trauma he was working through, but the foster family didnt make it easy. Palomo talked with his caseworker and asked to be placed in a different home.
Meanwhile, he knew a girl at school whose parents took in foster children. He wrote them a handwritten note explaining his story.
After getting approval, Palomo and his brothers moved in. He said it was his good home and he still communicates with the family. They showed me what good, healthy values are.
His third foster home was in Twin Falls with a person hes related to through a family members marriage. He lived there with two brothers and his sister.
We were closer to being all together, he said.
But the woman was stressed out after taking on four children at once, Palomo said. She felt bombarded toward the end.
HAILEY The worst of the flooding on the Big Wood River could be yet to come.
The river last crested on May 8 at 7.8 feet at a flow of 5,950 cubic feet per second, Vernon Preston, with the National Weather Service in Pocatello, told a crowd at a town hall meeting at the Blaine County Community Campus.
But, he said, most of the snowpack hasnt yet melted. For example, Mount Vienna had a 57-inch snowpack and is down to 52 inches now, while the Lost-Wood snowpack is about half-melted now with 23 inches left, and Dollarhide Mountain had 52 inches of snow and is down to 40 inches now.
Weve basically just started to melt that snow, Preston said.
The next week or two is expected to be cooler, which means the river will likely recede somewhat but also means delaying the snowmelt. Preston said he expects the river to peak between May 28 and June 9.
We have only just begun to fight this fight, said Brad Richy, deputy chief of the Idaho Office of Emergency Management.
Communities in Blaine County have been dealing with flooding for the past week. Forty houses in Hailey near the Big Wood River on West Cedar Street, Della Vista Drive and other nearby streets are under a mandatory evacuation order. Almost half of them had to be evacuated on Friday, with the rest being evacuated earlier in the week. Closer to the river, the streets are covered with water, with some houses surrounded by water too.
That area is pretty much impassable by road, Fire Chief Craig Aberbach said.
The evacuees have mostly been staying with family and friends, Hailey City Administrator Heather Dawson said.
We had a shelter situation prepared but no one has asked for it yet, she said.
A couple of dozen homes along Warm Springs Creek near Ketchum, another area that has been particularly hard-hit, have also been evacuated.
Groundwater levels were already high before the flooding started, said Hailey city spokeswoman Anne Jeffery.
Before this even started the ground was saturated, she said.
According to Idaho Power, 120 people in the Ketchum and Hailey areas dont have electricity. The flooding has claimed one life Mike Wirth, a landscaper who drowned in Ketchum after getting trapped in a flooded basement.
Our condolences go out to his family, said Gov. C.L. Butch Otter, who was in Hailey with other state and local officials Saturday morning to answer peoples questions about the flooding.
Otter said he plans to ask for a federal disaster declaration for the area, which will determine much about how much aid is going to be available to rebuild. Another federal declaration has already been approved for the Magic Valley and some other southern Idaho counties due to flooding in February.
This is a crisis, Otter said. This is a time when we need to recognize were not simply neighbors. Were family.
Hailey resident Holly Wheeler said she has been running three pumps in her home all day, at a cost of more than $150 a day, to try to save her home. She said she doesnt feel like she and others in her situation have gotten enough help or guidance as to what to do.
I really dont feel that its trickling down to us individual homeowners as best as it could be, she said.
Aberbach said the government agencies involved plan to set up an information center next week, which as well as helping people keep up on whats happening could also serve as a point where people in need can make requests or others who want to help can see what is needed. People have already stepped up to help fill sandbags at the stations the city has set up.
County Commissioner Angenie McCleary thanked the emergency personnel and others who have been busy this week, and the ordinary people who volunteered to help fill sandbags to protect their neighbors homes.
At times like this Im reminded what a strong and wonderful and compassionate community we really are, she said.
Otter and the others all urged people to stay off the water. As well as the more immediate physical danger of getting swept away, Jeffery said some of the flooding is in areas where there are septic tanks, which could contaminate the river.
It is extremely important that people stay out of the water, even downstream, she said.
Richy said the rivers are extremely dangerous.
Just understand what jeopardy youre putting the first responders in too, he said.
GOODING Kelsey Peterson and her husband talked about fostering children even before they married in 2011. The young couple was finally licensed to foster in May 2015, allowed to take in two children between newborn and 3 years old.
But the first call was a social worker begging them to take a 15-year-old.
We had the option to say yes or no, but it was kind of a desperate plea, Peterson remembered. Like, Weve called everywhere else, no one has room, can you guys take her?
The couple relented but soon regretted it.
It ended up being a lot more than we ever thought, Peterson said.
The 15-year-old girl had obvious and understandable emotional trauma despite the social workers assurances to the contrary. But there were bigger issues, too.
I was 22 at the time and never had kids of my own before, Peterson said. And here I am parenting a 15-year-old? It was definitely an eye-opener.
It was just the beginning of the Petersons fraught relationship with Idahos foster care system: In just two years, theyve been asked to take in seven children at once, have had thriving children taken away for what they consider bureaucratic reasons and have had a social worker give their personal contact information to a foster childs parents without their permission.
The Petersons experience isnt an exception to the foster-parenting rule.
Rather, its a fairly typical example of issues that plague the system and its foster children, foster families and social workers. And the Petersons story highlights the four problem areas identified in a February report by the Idaho Legislatures Office of Performance Evaluations:
Idaho doesnt have enough foster placements. Social workers and safety assessors work more cases than they can handle. A culture of compromise within Child and Family Services excuses poor performance. And the foster care system has no consistent oversight for all stakeholders.
These problems arent unique to Idaho, the OPE report pointed out, and as a result 35 states have had class-action lawsuits filed against child welfare agencies.
I think every state struggles with the same issues, said Miren Unsworth, Idahos deputy administrator over child welfare. There is nobody who has the magic bullet.
But while there are no easy answers to the foster systems problems, ideas are beginning to take shape in Idaho that can help the system improve. Now, its up to Child and Family Services to identify specific ways to fix the system, and the Legislature to approve bigger budgets and more staff.
And quickly.
Its as urgent as an abused childs need for a safe place to sleep tonight.
Overworked
foster parents
While fostering the 15-year-old girl in their tiny two-bedroom house, Nick and Kelsey Peterson also took in three sisters ages 12, 4 and 2.
The Petersons are still licensed for just two children even after moving into a larger home, and after their daughters birth occupied one of those slots but are almost always on waivers to take in more. Once they had seven children in the home.
Weve had 19 placements in the two years that weve had our house open, Kelsey Peterson said in the office of the Wendell day care she runs. Outside the office, an employee held Petersons infant daughter while two of her foster children played with the other kids cooking fake meals in a plastic oven and rolling cars around a toy track.
Some of them were just one night, Peterson said. Some of them were two weeks.
In April, she had five children at home: Her own infant, three siblings ages 1 to 5 and another young boy. All four of the foster children are long-term placements.
They called us to just take two of (the siblings), Peterson said. They were going to place us with the two boys and put the little girl in a different home because there wasnt a home that could take them all. You cant separate three little kids at that age, so we took them all.
The Petersons situation highlights one of the biggest issues with Idahos foster care system: There simply arent enough foster families to take in all the children without overburdening certain families. This is especially true in the Magic Valley, where available foster beds are in the shortest supply.
Without beds readily available, children are placed farther from their biological parents, making visitation and an eventual reunification more difficult like the twin baby girls being fostered by Terri Mortensen of Jerome and her husband.
The girls have been with the Mortensens since they were 6 weeks old and will soon celebrate their first birthday, and their mother typically visits twice a week despite living in a different town.
We want her to see them, Mortensen said. Most of the time she can. Its harder in the winter because she lives 45 minutes to an hour away.
Part of the solution is straightforward: recruiting new foster families.
The authors of the OPE report recommended that Child and Family services strengthen its recruitment plan by determining how many foster parents are needed in each region and what additional resources will be needed to recruit them.
But just as important, if not more, is retaining foster parents who are already licensed. When the stress gets too great, many foster families quit.
At its core, this is about relationships and communication, Unsworth said.
Strengthening bonds between foster families and social workers would ensure more families stay in the program. This will require the department to give them better support and resources, Unsworth said, particularly for children with special needs.
The OPE report recommended Child and Family Services develop a robust retention plan that includes improving communication and relationships between foster families and social workers, and identifying ways to provide improved, consistent support for foster parents.
One factor that will help is giving families more money; when the OPE study was conducted, maintenance payments to families covered just 50 to 60 percent of room and board expenses per child.
The 2017 Idaho Legislature approved a 20 percent payment increase for each child in a familys care. But Sen. Abby Lee, R-Fruitland, who co-chairs the interim legislative committee on foster care, said that will mean little to prospective foster families.
Not one foster parent has ever said its about the money, said Lee, who became a foster parent herself when her niece from another state needed care.
Other ideas are in the works that could improve the fostering experience. One is a pilot program set to begin this summer in the Treasure Valley that will make a liaison available to foster families by phone.
Child and Family Services hired two new employees the first week of May who will act in a customer-service role to triage for foster families to get immediate needs met, Unsworth said.
Social workers there can now focus on bigger tasks without worrying about basic chores.
So when a parent calls and says, I need a voucher for diapers, that doesnt need to go to a social worker, Unsworth said. Or if they say, I need Johnnys immunization records, that liaison can chase that down instead of a social worker.
Tasks like those simple but time-consuming, and often requiring immediate attention can free up social workers, Unsworth said, to better communicate with foster families on the important things like a child, his needs and working a case plan.
The newly hired liaisons will be asked to track data such as what types of calls they receive and Child and Family Services plans to assess the program for about six months before deciding if its helpful and can be expanded statewide.
Overworked case managers
Safety assessors and social workers are handling more cases than they can manage, the authors of the OPE report found after interviewing about a third of Child and Family Services employees and surveying all of them.
Safety assessors, the survey found, estimated they could handle 11 cases but instead are handling about 15 each. Social workers also estimated they could handle 11 but are tasked with about 14 each. The report called these unmanageable workloads.
This doesnt go unnoticed by foster parents.
Turnover is huge, said Kate Allred of Jerome, who quit fostering in July. When we were there, there were social workers going through revolving doors. Their workload is too heavy. They are stretched too thin, and it makes them cranky and fuzzy thinkers. Its not the social workers fault. They are overworked.
An unnamed chief of social work told an OPE interviewer that social workers must settle for C-grade work because of resource constraints.
The problem, the chief said, is that there is an expectation for A-grade results.
A judge interviewed for the OPE report also said Idaho foster-care social workers would get a C grade.
I believe that most health and welfare workers want to do a good job and are good people, the judge said. I also believe that their caseloads are too big and their resources are too small. Because they are overwhelmed, they are only capable of doing an average job.
An obvious solution is adding more staff. A workload analysis conducted by Child and Family Services in 2007 found a need for 36 percent more staff, but it has been able to add just 10 percent more caseworkers since then. The 2017 Legislature added six support staff and two social worker positions, but the state knows it needs more.
Hiring more caseworkers, though, is just one element of addressing the workload problem, Unsworth said. We have to figure out: What other efficiencies can we create to help support workload management?
The liaison program could help shift menial responsibilities away from caseworkers. Another solution in the works is overhauling the cumbersome data management system.
Our staff is working for the system rather than the system working for them, Unsworth said.
Child and Family Services requested money from the Legislature this winter to help fix the system, and the Legislature came through, allocating just over a million dollars for the project.
Things like this on the technology and business side can help improve efficiency, Unsworth said. We need to improve and ensure folks are only doing necessary tasks.
Another contribution to streamlining efficiency among caseworkers is a pilot program that began last fall in Ada County; it allows social workers to attend certain court hearings via video. This cuts down on travel time and precious work time thats wasted outside courtroom doors while waiting for oft-delayed hearings to start.
Its still in an assessment period, Unsworth said. There have been conversations among some of the judges who have piloted it that there might be potential to implement it in other parts of the state.
The program would be especially beneficial in rural areas, Unsworth said. The next step, though, is figuring out the technology likely to be the most difficult in rural areas where its needed the most.
Organizational culture
Addressing the issues of overworked foster families and case managers is relatively simple compared with the issue of organizational culture. More families willing to foster, more money and more staff can alleviate placement shortages and workload problems but how do you change the mindset and work culture of overworked and often criticized case managers and safety assessors?
The OPE report authors found that on one hand, Child and Family Services employees are committed to improving the lives of the children and families they work with; on the other hand, difficult demands, limited resources and strained relationships with foster families and other stakeholders has created a culture of compromise with a conflicted sense of efficacy.
There is a permeating belief among staff that more is demanded of them than they can do, the evaluators found. Because of this belief, each aspect of the organizational culture is undercut by a need to address the constant feeling of crisis.
The OPE report also exposed a growing rift between social workers and the foster families they work with.
Fifty-five percent of foster parents surveyed said they disagreed that Child and Family Services deeply understands their wants and needs. Only 17 percent said they agreed, while 28 percent were neutral.
There is no set standard for cases, an unnamed parent told the OPE report authors. The biggest thing said to foster parents, when we ask about how things go, is Its a case-by-case basis. This removes all liability and accountability of the department.
Social workers, on the other hand, feel like they face constant criticism from foster parents, judges and Court Appointed Special Advocates volunteers.
It is hard to feel like you are always being scrutinized or criticized from every angle, a chief of social work told the OPE. The workers here feel like they are constantly having to defend themselves to everyone.
This belief among Child and Family Services workers that they cant meet requirements and expectations of quality has led to a culture of compromise. Poor performance is explainable, excusable and expected, the OPE report found, resulting in a severe lack of accountability.
This type of culture is unacceptable, Unsworth said, and folks need to be held accountable. Addressing workload will help, she said, though the problem runs deeper than just overworked case managers.
This is tough, its not easy, Unsworth said. I think we acknowledge it and see it as an ongoing process.
Any issues with organizational cultural must be addressed at the leadership level, Unsworth said.
To begin fixing this problem, Child and Family Services will hold a conference this summer for managers and supervisors. Its aim: help the department figure out how to address its poor organizational culture.
Lee, the state senator from Fruitland who fostered her niece, said she doesnt believe any Child and Family Services employees approach their jobs with anything but the best intentions. But the system has become bogged down in part by poor policies that are not controlled by state statutes.
I think were looking through the lens of whats in the best interest for (biological) parents, Lee said. We have to consider family first, which is our policy in Idaho.
But this sometimes stands in the way of making decisions that are in the best interest of children, she said such as when a child who is with a foster family since birth is taken away and placed with a family member of her biological parents.
What does that do to a child? Lee asked. Were hearing from a lot of foster parents that this is traumatic for children.
But this policy of always favoring a placement with biological family or fictive kin is just that a policy created by Child and Family Services, not by state statute, and a policy thats adhered to even when it goes against the best interests of a child.
Thats why we need the interim committee, Lee said of the legislative committee she co-chairs.
In June, that committee will meet with representatives from Child and Family Services to determine how theyre addressing certain policies. The biggest questions will be: How can the department start acting in the best interest of the children, what does that mean, and how does Idaho compare with other states?
But looking past this summer, the committee could have an even bigger role in helping to fix Idahos broken foster system.
Systemwide oversight
Child and Family Services plays the biggest role in the states broken foster care system, but many stakeholders play critical roles: other agencies, community partners, lawmakers, law enforcement and the court system.
Each entity has built-in mechanisms of oversight, but who polices and holds the entire system accountable?
Right now, the answer is nobody. There is no formal oversight body, and the OPE report made it clear this is one of the biggest problems with the system.
We recommend the formation of a formal, system-wide oversight entity with authority to ensure ongoing accountability, visibility, and accessibility for all child welfare partners and stakeholders, the OPE authors wrote.
Lee said its unheard of for the states performance evaluators to make such a recommendation.
Thats the strongest language ever, the state senator said. They have never made a recommendation to create a completely new oversight committee.
The recommendation speaks to the foster care systems dire situation.
The report suggested creating a permanent legislative committee dedicated to overseeing the foster care system, though already there are skeptics of that solution. Lee said the Legislature might balk at adding another standing committee, while the administrative director from the Idaho Supreme Court questioned whether the Legislature could oversee the judiciary without violating the state Constitution.
There is always that tension the separation of government, Lee said. But other states have done this. We need to figure out if we need a top-down oversight or a more collaborative approach.
For now, the interim legislative committee created last year and approved to continue this year will provide the oversight. Beyond that, there is only uncertainty.
Failure to address oversight could render all other changes moot.
What good is recruiting more foster families if overworked social workers are unable to build relationships and retain those families? What good is hiring more social workers if theyll be burdened with too many cases and accept their own poor performance? What good is fixing a culture of excuses and compromise among social workers if the departments poor policies arent changed?
Whatever the solution whether a permanent legislative committee or something else the state must take action. Without that oversight, Idahos broken system will continue to hemorrhage foster families even solid ones like Nick and Kelsey Peterson, the young couple who planned to foster before their marriage and even moved to a bigger house so they could take in more children.
Its hard to imagine a couple being more proactive about wanting to foster, about creating an environment in which they can help children and help families. Yet their poor experience with the system has pushed them to the brink of quitting.
My husband is definitely at that point; his leading phrase anymore is, Were not taking any more kids, Kelsey Peterson said. Hes pretty much fed up and its not the kids at all, its the system. He hates the system.
TWIN FALLS Bailey and Lilly McGrath battled for the perfect position on their mothers lap.
Bailey, dressed in pink, pushed her sister, Lilly, until she cried and clutched their mother Mindy McGraths side. Lillys face was red and tear-streaked while Bailey smiled gleefully sitting between her mothers legs.
She a little fighter, Mindy said. Shes our little badass, our little tough girl.
Ever since she was born, 15-month-old Bailey has been fighting. Nowadays she fights her sister. When she just months old, she was fighting for her life.
Bailey was born with a heart murmur and required open heart surgery at 5 months old.
Jon and Mindy McGrath didnt know Bailey had a heart murmur. She passed the congenital heart defect test, but as soon as Bailey was born the heart murmur was detected. And the murmur kept getting louder and louder.
Bailey had a big hole in the bottom two chambers of her heart. Her chest would vibrate because the blood was going where it shouldnt, and her ribs would dig into her sides. She would often turn blue quickly when she cried or drank a bottle.
One night Mindy woke up to feed the babies and Baileys lips were blue. Mindy, a labor and delivery nurse, grabbed her stethoscope to listen to her heart.
I know enough not to freak out over little things, she said. But I knew enough that something could go wrong.
Mindy said she handled the news a little better than her husband, Jon. Hed stay up all night watching videos of open heart surgeries. As a paramedic, hes witnessed open heart surgeries, and like his wife, knew things could go wrong.
The sign of life
When Mindy told Jon she wanted to have more children, he reluctantly agreed to one more. They have a three-year-old son named Chance.
When Mindy became pregnant with twin girls, he was scared. There is no history of twins on either side of their families.
Ive never raised a daughter before, he said. I know what boys are like and how to teach a boy.
But Jon was petrified when he found out Bailey need open heart surgery. Before Baileys surgery, Mindy said Jon would check on Bailey and listen to her heart.
How do I put that into words? Petrified and scared beyond belief, Jon said. Anybody who has a child and finds out something is going to require major surgery, its a pretty gut wrenching experience.
Bailey had open heart surgery on June 30 at Primary Childrens Hospital in Salt Lake City. On the day of the surgery, Bailey wore an outfit that said Little warrior. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Bailey puked all over her shirt.
It was difficult watching her baby leave with the anesthesiologist, Mindy said. The surgery would take six to eight hours.
We were just crying, Mindy said. It was heartbreaking.
They had a pager that would give them updates. Jon paced the hospital by himself and Mindy tried to distract herself by taking care of Lilly. They got the notice that she was on bypass or when doctors stop her heart.
Its almost like your baby is dead because her heart has stopped, Mindy said.
Then they got the call they could see Bailey in the intensive care unit.
That was the best moment ever, Mindy said. Nothing can describe it and youre just waiting for that moment. Its like when you go in for that first ultrasound and you want to see that heart beat because thats the sign of life.
Bailey was discharged on July 4.
Those two little girls are my heart and have me wrapped around their fingers, Jon said.
Stubborn and strong
Even though Bailey is the youngest, shes described as the strongest.
While Lilly stuck close to her mothers side outside on the trampoline between their familys house, Bailey ventured to its edges.
I think the best way to describe her (Bailey) is she is my hero, Jon said. Her personality is stubborn and strong and independent and loving. Shes a beautiful little girl.
Mindy had to work on Mothers Day, but Jon said thats normal. Last year was the first time he got to spend Christmas with his family in years. The two juggle strange work hours to take care of their children. When one is home with the children, the other is at work. Jon said they will probably celebrate Mothers Day before or after Sunday.
Ive always been so maternal and want to love on everything, Mindy said. Im so fascinated that our bodies can make people.
And on Mothers Day she got to celebrate her two healthy twin girls.
Delean DeDe Crown passed away on April 13th, 2017.
DeDe was born in Sioux City Iowa, to Delano and Eva Rice. She had two siblings, her older sister Reata and younger brother Richard. DeDe grew up in Mountain View California and graduated from Mountain View High School before moving to Twin Falls, Idaho where she met her husband Wayne Crown. Wayne was drafted into the United States Army during the Viet Nam War and was stationed in Newport News Virginia. Shortly after being discharged from the Army, DeDe and Wayne moved to Colorado Springs. Their eldest son Michael was born in Colorado in 1965. The family moved to Spokane WA where their youngest son Steven was born.
In 1971, the family moved to Filer Idaho where Wayne took over the family farm and started his masonry business. DeDe was a stay-at-home mother until both boys entered school. Dede went to work at Crystal Springs Fish Hatchery and helped run the family hog farm. DeDe loved animals and had fond memories of all the animals she had owned while living on the farm.
In 1982, DeDe and Wayne purchased Red's Beverage & Sporting Goods, a small convenience store and restaurant located in Filer. DeDe was the backbone of the business doing everything from being the cook to doing the books.
After the death of her husband in 1998, DeDe moved to Wenatchee Washington to be closer to her sons and their families. After selling the farm and store, DeDe was able to travel to many exotic places around the world and always had a sense of adventure. She traveled to Aruba, Panama Canal, Mexico, New Zealand, China, Greece, Tibet, Ireland, Taiwan, and the island of Bonaire. She always enjoyed taking road trips with friends and family around the United States. Her traveling buddies are too numerous to list, but most would say there was never a dull moment when DeDe was around.
In retirement, DeDe volunteered as a guardian ad litem for children, ombudsman for vulnerable adults and served as a cook at senior centers.
DeDe loved being a grandmother to her grandkids and step-grandkids. She leaves behind countless endearing friends and those that loved her the most and called her sister, G-ma, Gramma D, grandma Crown, Auntie Dee, and mom.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 20, 2017 at Telford's Chapel of the Valley, 711 Grant Road in East Wenatchee, Washington. Memorial donations may be made to the Wenatchee Valley Senior Center. Arrangements are by Telford's Chapel of the Valley.
May 14, 1962
Students from East High School and Moravia Central School participated in a "Student Nurse Recruitment Day" Thursday at Auburn Memorial Hospital.
Faculty Members of Auburn Memorial Hospital School of Nursing and members of the Student Nurse Association were hostesses for the program, which included tours of the hospital and School of Nursing classrooms and libraries.
East High School representatives were members of the newly organized Health Careers Club and were accompanied by Miss Esther Sevier, school nurse teacher; Mrs. Jean Lewis, supervising school nurse teacher, Auburn schools; and Herbert W. Sackett, guidance counselor at East High School. Moravia students were accompanied by Mrs. David Hungerford, school nurse teacher, and J. Stanley Young, guidance counselor at Moravia Central School.
A series of eight "Student Nurse Recruitment Days" is being held during May to provide an opportunity for qualified young women to obtain first hand information about nursing requirements and opportunities. Other area schools to participate in the program are: Cato-Meridian Central School; Port Byron Central School; Phelps Central School; Skaneateles Central School; Mynderse Academy; Seneca Falls; and Central High School, Auburn.
Miss Ann F. Falvey, Memorial Hospital director of nursing, stated today that the Auburn Memorial Hospital School of Nursing was organized in 1887 and this June will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the school. The School of Nursing is approved by the New York State Board of Regents and provides a three year basic course in professional nursing. Graduates of the school are qualified to take New York State licensing examinations for registered professional nurses.
The school is presently affiliated with Auburn Community College, where student nurses receive instruction in the basic sciences, social sciences and humanities. The nurses receive a total of 28 college credits during the college affiliation.
The School of Nursing is also affiliated with Utica State Hospital where each student receives 12 weeks specialized experience in psychiatric nursing. The students also spend four weeks during the senior year at Mount Morris State Tuberculosis Hospital for instruction and care of patients with tuberculosis and allied diseases.
Thursday's program was held in conjunction with Auburn Memorial Hospital's observance of National Hospital Week.
Monday, Oct. 22, 1973, was the observance of Veterans Day in Washington, so most congressional offices were closed. However, Sen. Charles McC. Mathias Jr., R-Md., and his top aides, including yours truly, gathered that day at his office to review the unprecedented events that had rocked the city 48 hours earlier.
Washington had never witnessed a Saturday night like that.
President Richard Nixon had ordered special prosecutor Archibald Cox fired for refusing to back off his pursuit of the White House Watergate tapes. The same evening, Nixon had accepted the resignations of Attorney General Elliot Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William Ruckelshaus, both of whom refused to discharge Cox. Nixon directed Solicitor General Robert Bork, as the newly installed acting attorney general, to carry out the order, which he did.
That very night, Nixon also abolished the special prosecutors office and had the FBI seal the Justice Department offices of Richardson and Ruckelshaus, as well as Coxs office on K Street NW.
The Saturday Night Massacre ignited a firestorm. Just how much of one became apparent as soon as we entered the office that Monday.
We had to be there: Mathias, considered a political maverick, had made the enemies list at the Nixon White House.
Telephones were jumping off the hook. The receptionists and clerical staff had the day off, so some of us stepped in, taking turns answering the phones.
The messages streaming in from Marylands politically conservative Eastern Shore and Western Maryland and more liberal Montgomery County and Baltimore were remarkably similar.
Outraged constituents wanted their senator to know they thought Nixon had gone too farthat what he had done on Saturday night was simply wrong. More than 50,000 telegrams in protest reportedly arrived on Capitol Hill in one day.
The circumstances surrounding Nixons treatment of Cox, Richardson and Ruckelshaus differed, to be sure, from the factors that led to President Donald Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey.
Coxs firing 44 years ago and this weeks treatment of Comey, however, have one common feature: Both Nixon and Trump moved to quash a federal investigation into activities associated with their presidential campaigns by firing the top officials overseeing the probe.
It didnt work then. Will it work now?
The 73 electorate had come to realize that Nixon crossed the line and that presidential power had been abused.
Many of the callers couldnt cite laws that Nixon might have broken or the constitutional rights he might have violated. But there was collectively a gut feeling in the country that Nixonliked and supported by manyhad gone too far.
And Congress, prodded by a fearless press, including this newspaper, stepped up.
What feelings about Trump exist today across the fruited plain? Is the dismay limited to Democrats in Congress and a few Republican outliers annoyed by Trumps smackdown of Comey?
Because count on it, Trump is not going to hold still for deepening probes into possible ties between the Kremlin and his presidential campaign. That is what Comeys firing was all about.
But can Trump get away with misusing the powers of his office to obstruct the FBIs probe of Russias campaign to influence the 2016 presidential election?
Whats next?
Look for a full-throated Trump campaign to deceive the country into believing that theres no reason to probe whether anyone on his team has been involved in misconduct with the Kremlin.
Watch as he and his minions attempt to interfere with the conduct of investigations by the Senate and House intelligence committees by seeking to discredit key members.
The last thing Trump wants is a spotlight shining on the money trail that flowed from Russian enterprises connected to the Kremlin to activities and individuals associated over the years with Trump personally, the Trump Organization and his business, family and political allies. Does Russia, because of money, have its hooks into Trump?
Thus keep a close eye on former national security adviser Michael Flynn, who was just issued a Senate subpoena for documents related to the Russian meddling and possible Trump campaign/Kremlin ties.
It may well be that Flynn regarded Vice President Mike Pence and White House press secretary Sean Spicer as useful idiots who would blithely peddle his lie that he didnt discuss the removal of sanctions with the Russian ambassador before Trump took office. But would Flynn, Army to the core, dare overstep his bounds with the commanderinchief? That Flynn, close campaign adviser, representative of President-elect Trumps transition team and Trumps handpicked national security adviser, would have had communications with the Russians without Trumps knowledge is almost beyond belief.
So back to the beginning: Are phones jumping off the hook, and emails flying, because Trump has gone too far? Is Congress going to examine whether Trump hasthrough his behavior as candidate and presidentprejudiced the cause of law and justice? Or will the country, and a cowardly Republican Congress, just roll over and play dead?
Over the coming month, thousands of Idaho high school seniors will graduate and face a life-altering decision: whether to pursue higher education. Idahos education stakeholders, elected officials, and leaders should be applauded for their continued work to increase the number of young people who go on. A recent study by the University of Idahos McClure Center indicated that these efforts are rightly focused on the most significant barriers, and that their efforts make a difference.
However, the McClure Center study and other recent news stories have demonstrated that financial concerns loom large for many families and students. When faced with the costs of college, the prospects of taking on debt at a young age, and the allure of a paying job, young people may often conclude that the math doesnt work out. Why invest in education, taking on debt, when they can start earning a living now at a wage that seems decent? The choice is understandable, even though Idahos institutions offer some of the highest-value education in the country. Students who take on sizable debt can end up with monthly payments that impact their lives for decades.
At IDeal, Idahos 529 College Savings Program, we believe that a key element of addressing financial barriers is getting more families to plan ahead by saving. Over eighteen years, a family that invests just $25 a month for a child can potentially make a sizable dent in the cost of higher education. Idaho taxpaying families can also lighten the load by using Idahos generous state tax deduction for account contributions and by asking other family members to give the gift of college savings for special occasions. By saving, families create a pro-higher education culture that makes it easier for their children to see the investment in college penciling out.
We also believe that its important to talk about the value of higher education in terms that go beyond dollars and cents. Last fall, IDeal spoke with a few dozen of our programs biggest fans to determine why families who save for college do so. The parents and grandparents we spoke to, regardless of financial background or educational attainment, believed that having a college degree isnt just about making more money. While they save ahead to reduce their childrens future financial burdens, these families also tell their children that the real value of higher education is that it offers the tools to choose your own path, to have a career in the pursuit of something greater than paying the bills.
Understandably, discussions in the public sphere about the value of higher education revolve around community and business concerns. The future of our economy depends on developing a highly skilled workforce. While we elevate these important concerns, lets also keep in mind that higher education is about more than earning a living; its about cultivating a wider range of options in life. In addition to asking teenagers how much money they want to make, we should also keep asking, What is your passion? and, What do you want to be when you grow up? Saving for college ultimately promotes freedom by giving our young people access to a much broader range of life choices and sources of happiness and satisfaction.
SHERIDAN, Wyo.(AP) Joe Wesnitzers goal of year-round growing has taken his farming off a horizontal plane to new heights.
Behind his house, Wesnitzer constructed a greenhouse filled with more than 1,000 plants, most of which dont root themselves in soil, but out of a vertical system instead.
University of Wyoming extension horticulture specialist Karen Panter, Ph.D., said vertical systems have been available for about 20 to 30 years but recently gained popularity. She said while some older systems use peat moss, the latest technology is a hydroponic system, which forgoes soil and grows vegetables in a nutrient solution.
Though homemade, Wesnitzers system is no exception. He said he erected the greenhouse last year. He finished it in August and started planting in January, after the cold spell of December passed.
Wesnitzer said he used about two pallets of 4-inch sewer pipe for the towers, which he then cut strips out of and sanded for planting. Each tower is connected to pipe at the top and the bottom.
The pipes are then connected to a nutrient tank that contains a mixture of water and lettuce formula fertilizer for hydroponic farming. The water is pumped to the top pipe, fed down through the tubes of plants by gravity, and then through the bottom pipe and back into the tank to be reused.
Inside the tubes, Wesnitzer uses long strips of pond filter material to sandwich plants and a wicking fabric between before sliding it all into the tube, plants protruding from his cut strips. He said the fabric ensures that roots get nutrients and moisture.
Wesnitzer will reuse the pond material with more plantings. He said after about three to four plantings the pond material will be saturated with root mass which will do the job of the wicking fabric.
Wesnitzer said he grows mostly greens kale, arugula, chard and basil but is also trying to grow cilantro in the vertical system.
But Wesnitzers quick success is not the norm. Panter said shes seen many people get too deep too quickly.
What I worry about is that people dont really understand what theyre getting into, Panter said. She later added, Theres this mystique about hydroponics and growing vertically and all this other stuff which is fine, but its also an easy way to lose your shirt virtually overnight. Theres a lot of room for error in a hydroponic system like these.
She said in hydroponics the grower has to supply everything the plant needs because its not in soil. This includes proper nutrient type and amount along with lighting, which she said isnt usually a problem in a greenhouse but growing popularity of farming in old warehouses and other enclosed structures cause plants to rely on artificial lighting.
Its harder to grow hydroponically, Panter said, and when you add the vertical system to it, the learning curve is pretty steep. So for someone that is a novice, its the hardest way to grow plants.
She said the other thing people fail to consider is technical glitches. The system needs electricity to pump water through, and even more if its using artificial light. So when weather causes power outages, while plants may be sheltered, unless theres a backup generator theyre still in trouble.
She said the best plants for vertical systems are smaller plants with a quick turnaround, like lettuce, spinach and other salad greens along with some herbs. She said anything that has a three-dimensional growth pattern, like tomatoes and cucumbers, dont work well in a vertical system.
There is, however, disagreement as to whether hydroponically grown vegetables are as healthy as soil-based vegetables. Its a dispute that has triggered numerous studies, but resulted in only broad conclusions.
For example, a 2015 study done by Chenin Treftz and Stanley T. Omayne for the University of Nevada, Reno, examined the nutritional difference between hydroponically grown strawberries and raspberries with those grown in soil.
The experiment concluded that soilless strawberries yielded a higher amount of Vitamin C, Vitamin E and polyphenol compounds by 74 percent, 53 percent and 22 percent, respectively.
The study found the opposite for the raspberries, yielding higher Vitamin C and polyphenolic compounds in the soil-based plants by 83 percent and 67 percent respectively.
Panter said she doesnt think theres a difference in the final product.
From a scientific viewpoint as long as the fertilization and everything for the plant is optimum, theres no difference, Panter said.
Despite the hurdles of vertical systems and the debates of hydroponic growing, for those who master the method, the vertical system does have its benefits.
The most obvious benefit is that vertical systems allow the grower to make maximum use of space. Panter said, as an example, a horizontal plane may have one lettuce plant per square foot. A vertical system would also have one plant per square foot in the tower leading to eight to 10 plants per square foot of floor space.
Again, there are conflicting studies on which method uses more energy and is more environmentally efficient.
A 2015 study from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, which compared land, water and energy requirements of hydroponically grown lettuce to soil grown lettuce, found hydroponics to require less water but more energy and therefore not be a sustainable alternative to conventional lettuce farming.
But the study also said the technique and technology are promising. It said hydroponic growing uses land and water more efficiently than conventional farming and as time reveals how scarce these resources may become, the system could become more appealing to city planners.
Panter said the technology regarding water usage as well as fertilization has drastically advanced in the past decade or so. While she said the Dutch are leaders in the technology, Wyoming is home to one vertical farming equipment company that she knows of, Bright Agrotech.
She said though she doesnt know for sure what the impetus is behind the vertical movement, as shes received numerous calls about it, she thinks its the local foods movement. And while she admits there are many benefits, she wants people to know what theyre getting into.
Wesnitzer is part of the local foods movement and sell his greens at Landons Greenhouse and Nurserys farmers markets, but said the reasons he decided to grow vertically were bigger than that. He said he wanted to maximize space, conserve water and extend the growing season. He said he uses about 50 gallons of water a day for about 1,000 plants and thinks he can grow year round.
If people really understood greenhouse crop production they would realize this is one of the toughest ways to grow plants there is, Panter said. Just growing in a greenhouse in a normal situation is very rewarding and its a lot of fun but theres a lot to it a lot more than meets the eye.
AUBURN A sculpture of William Seward famous Auburn resident and secretary of state under President Abraham Lincoln was unveiled in Auburn May 13 in honor of Seward's negotiation for the purchase of Alaska.
The sculpture was presented in front of over 100 people at the Seward House Museum the same Auburn location where the former state governor and his family resided for the "A Most Fortunate Folly: Alaska at 150" event.
The event commemorated Seward's negotiation for the purchase of Alaska in 1867. Some saw the 150-year-old purchase of the territory from Russia as a mistake at the time, famously referring to it as "Seward's folly."
The sculpture, which was transferred from Washington, will be embarking for various locations by railroad before going to its permanent location at the state capitol in Juneau, Alaska in July.
Siblings David Rubin who lives in Ketchikan, Alaska and his sister Judith Rubin who lives in Boston created the sculpture over the course of three years. They were chosen for the honor by a committee in Juneau.
David said he was thrilled to be involved in the former New York governor's narrative.
"We feel like a part of the story now, Seward's story," David said.
Judith said she was overwhelmed by her involvement in the event.
"You drop out of reality for something so special," Judith said.
The Auburn Civic Band, led by James Best, performed various patriotic songs at the event.
Billye Chabot, the museum's executive director, state Sen. John DeFrancisco, Assemblyman Gary Finch, Cayuga County legislator Tim Lattimore and Auburn Mayor Michael Quill all spoke before the unveiling, praising Seward's achievements and the long-term positive effects that buying Alaska has had for the country.
DeFrancisco said that although Seward was called a "fool" for the Alaska purchase at the time, history has shown he made the right choice.
"So on behalf of all of the fools that are here including the elected officials maybe some day our actions will be seen to have been justified," DeFrancisco said.
Many were skeptical, even afraid, that President Dutertes announcement of an independent foreign policy would spell doom for the economy, and may even trigger political problems for the new president.
One year after his astounding victory in the 2016 elections, it does not seem that way. Even his approval and trust ratings from the people have remained high. Two months from now, he will deliver his second State of the Nation Address to Congress and the people, and there will be so much to report, so many changes to show. Changes are happening quite fast.
From the very beginning, Duterte simply said what he, as a Filipino, felt about a supra-subservient foreign policy that assumed America could do no wrong by us. Through words and actions, he threw out what the president inaugurated after the Second World War established as doctrine: That the Philippines would always be guided by the benevolent protection of the United States of America.
Duterte bristled at the way leaders of the US and even Europe hectored him on the conduct of the countrys war on drugs on account of alleged human rights violations. And he gave colorful retorts that made many wince.
He would wean the country away from being a clone of the West in Asia. He would make us think and act like the Orientals that we truly are.
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He went overdrive on his rekindling of relations with our nearest neighbor to our northwest, China. Where leaders before him made it a point to visit the US of A after the Asean, Duterte did the opposite. He visited China. And for appropriate balance, Japan as well, where his independence was much appreciated.
In the Asean Summit in Vientianne, Laos, he did not seek a one-on-one with POTUS, then Barack Obama. He even spewed epithets against the outgoing American leader, undiplomatic to many observers, but Duterte matter-of-factly said what he felt about the interventionist stance of our former colonial master.
And in China on his first visit, he embraced friendship with the dragon, relegating to the back-burner what many flag-waving patriots wanted him to use as weapon against the insistence of the other country on its supposed historical claims over the South China Sea.
Duterte was being practical. It may be good optics for him as our new leader to thump our chest on the UN arbitral courts decision, but then what? Could we assert our claims and defend it with weapons we do not have? Could we rely on the great US of A to fight for us?
Knowing that neither were in the realm of the probable, and knowing further that our big neighbor to the West was willing to assist us by way of massive investments and economic assistance, he wisely declared to the whole world his turning back on previous foreign policy to embrace a truly independent one where the Philippines would be enemy of none and friend to all.
Our newly appointed foreign affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, told me that in his talks with officials of other countries, whether in the Asean or the Middle East, one common thread was admiration for Duterte being able to say on the international stage what they themselves feel but could not publicly express.
Now in Beijing for the forum on the Belt and Road Initiative, Duterte will have bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang to firm up previous agreements that would greatly spur the Build, Build, Build infrastructure program of his government.
Filipinos so used to groveling for pittance from US-sponsored grants will be awed at the magnitude of what China, Japan and other countries will soon give, all because Dutertes credibility as a no-nonsense leader and his independent foreign policy is precisely what we need to start moving forward with purpose and determination.
Ambitious though it is, the One-Belt, One-Road initiative of China seeks to link Europe with Asia and Africa by land and sea routes reminiscent of the ancient Silk Road. And the Philippines which would have been an isolated island in the midst of these developments, will now become a major participant.
Funding assistance for two new bridges spanning the Pasig River in order to help alleviate the traffic, the railroad modernization from Manila to Calamba, and expansion all the way to Bicol, the Kaliwa Dam for new fresh water sources, as well as the Chico Dam for irrigation expansion are part of some thirteen projects already approved in principle. With a frenetic pace that Duterte has directed his economic managers and implementing agencies to pursue, finally we may be able to catch up with our more advanced neighbors in Southeast Asia.
Duterte has likewise demonstrated his determination to stamp out corruption in government by swift action and not mere words. The kind of corruption that has delayed and worse, thrown into the waste-bin significant big-ticket projects under previous governments will now be a thing of the past.
Yes Virginia, independence pays. But you need a strong-willed and fully determined leader to make sure it does pay.
I recall how President Corazon Aquino towards the end of her term, rued how the noble houses of finance, referring to the World Bank, the IMF, and all the multi-lateral institutions and a slew of foreign banks to which Marcos had earlier pawned our future would teach her, and us, the painful lesson that democracy pays no dividends.
Duterte fully understands that, and is intent on ensuring that an independent foreign policy would allow the country to cash in on opportunities brought about by a changing and evolving world economic order.
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BUILDING THE LA RAZA 'The Race' WELFARE STATE ON MIDDLE AMERICAS' BACKS: Months ago, the Biden administration publicly defended their proposal to begin providing federal identification cards to border crossers and illegal aliens who they plan to release into American communities. The goal of the proposal is to make securing public benefits easier.
For picture posts from 2010 and earlier, see the Earlier Picture Posts Page
Just 12 school districts across New York state will be asking voters to approve a 2017-18 budget that exceeds the state-imposed property tax cap and none of them are in the Cayuga County area.
Voters in the districts that make up the Cayuga Onondaga BOCES region will decide on spending plans with tax levies that range from no increase (Cato-Meridian and Jordan-Elbridge central school districts) to a 3.98-percent increase (Auburn Enlarged City School District). All of the budgets are at or below the tax cap, meaning a simple majority of "yes" votes are needed for approval. Districts that exceed the cap require a 60-percent approval level.
According to the New York Sate School Boards Association, the average tax levy increase this year in New York is 1.48 percent.
The average spending increase is 2.15 percent statewide. Locally, overall budget changes range from flat spending (Union Springs Central School District) to a 4.12-percent increase (Jordan-Elbridge).
In addition to deciding on budgets, voters will also choose candidates for open seats on local boards of education. Only three districts in the Cayuga County-area this year have contested races.
Several districts also have special ballot propositions, such as measures seeking approval for school bus purchases, establishing capital project reserve accounts and local library budgets.
One of the wonderful things about Montana is the ability of residents to meet face-to-face with the candidates hoping to represent their interests in Congress.
Montanas million-or-so residents, including nearly 700,000 registered voters, are scattered throughout every corner of the states 147,040 square miles, making it a challenge for congressional hopefuls to reach them all during a typical campaign cycle. Its even more of a challenge during the compressed timeline of a special election.
But the real work of listening to and serving all these many Montanans of every party affiliation and of no political persuasion begins after the election is won.
Gov. Steve Bullock announced on March 1 that the special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke, now the head of the U.S. Department of the Interior, would be set for May 25, leaving less than three months for the candidates to win over voters.
Last week, the Missoulian editorial board sat down with four contenders for Montanas sole seat in the U.S. House in separate hour-long meetings. Independent Doug Campbell, Libertarian Mark Wicks, Democrat Rob Quist and Republican Greg Gianforte have each earned our sincere appreciation for entering this relatively short, heated race, and for providing Montanans with a true choice in this election.
Wicks and Campbell are both outlier candidates, not only because they bear the flag of smaller parties but because their views are outside the mainstream, and thus do not represent the majority of Montanans on most of the major national issues.
***
Its unfortunate that none of these four candidates for this important federal office has won an election or held an official public post previously. The learning curve in Congress would be extremely steep for any one of them, and they will be starting at the very bottom of the ladder.
Given some of the reckless proposals and sweeping changes happening under the Trump administration, Montanas new representative will not have the luxury of taking time to learn the ropes and earning more influential assignments. Indeed, Montana has already lost precious ground as important discussions and votes regarding health care reform took place in the House, discussion in which Montana had no vote and no voice.
Montanas only seat in the 435-member House must be held by someone who can immediately dive into the complex challenges facing our country health care, foreign policy, national security and public lands management among them to fight for whats right for Montana in legislative policy.
The candidate who is best prepared to take on this enormous challenge right away is Greg Gianforte. He has the education, experience, brains and abilities to be successful in Congress. But only if he holds firm to his promise to set aside his own personal ideology whenever necessary in order to uphold Montana values.
Last week, Gianforte repeatedly assured the Missoulian editorial board that he can and will do just that. The people of Montana must hold him to that pledge.
Gianforte says he is running for Congress to serve Montanans. He says he has traveled nearly 79,000 miles of Montana over the past 18 months to hear from as many Montanans as possible, in order to better carry their voices to Congress.
***
Gianfortes plan to stay connected and keep his feet in Montana is to commute from D.C., returning to his home state as often as possible.
Ive made the commitment not to move to D.C., he said last week. Congress is in session two out of three weeks. Ive committed that that third week, I will travel the state, and Ill get to every county every year.
That commitment shows that Gianforte understands the importance of listening to the people he will be representing. Its the only way he could hope to know the wishes of Montanans in the high-stakes, high-pressure U.S. House.
Gianforte believes that government serves four main purposes: to defend the country, to make and enforce laws, to provide certain infrastructure and to ensure a social safety net.
He will doubtless be tempted to veer into other policy areas, but so long as he focuses on those four areas, Gianforte will be on solid ground with most Montanans.
For his part, Quists strongest assets are his ability to connect with people from all walks of life and build networks. However, nowhere in his career has it been demonstrated that he can use these strengths to achieve measurable results. He does not yet have a deep enough understanding of complex policy matters, and therefore, he offers only general ideas of how to address them. In any case, no matter how practical his suggestions, they are unlikely to be heard by those writing the bills.
With time, Quist may be able to build the sort of coalitions necessary to provide a small-population state some clout. But we dont have that kind of time. Montana needs more than a no vote; it needs a hand in crafting the legislation that passes.
The U.S. House, Senate and presidency are currently controlled by Republicans. Gianfortes position as a member of the majority party makes it more likely his suggestions will be heard and considered by those calling the shots. He already has in place strong relationships with Montana Sen. Steve Daines, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke and certain members of the Trump family. And Gianforte has a proven record of successful negotiation.
Most voters have heard the story of how he, with his wife, built a software company from the ground up from his home in Bozeman. He sold that company, RightNow Technologies, to a larger corporation for $1.5 billion in 2011.
An engineer and an entrepreneur, Gianforte has also been a philanthropist through the Gianforte Family Foundation, donating to causes that further employment, education and entrepreneurship, as well as arts and culture, family programs and Christian outreach.
A heart of faith and the mind of an entrepreneurial engineer is an appealing combination in a representative. Gianfortes faith, he says, tells him that the purpose of any work is to serve others. Let it also remind him to be compassionate, because the powerful are not the ones who need protecting.
Meanwhile, his engineering background gives him good practice in untangling complex matters, drilling down to the root causes of those problems and implementing practical solutions at a detailed level.
***
Unfortunately, Gianforte has a concerning tendency to sometimes lose sight of the big picture. And on certain critical issues, he appears to be completely blinded by his private religious tenets.
For example, when asked whether he agrees with the scientific consensus on evolution and the approximate age of the Earth, his answer was I cant honestly say because I wasnt there. That answer, coming from an engineer, is revealing and deeply troubling. He absolutely must not allow his ideology to drive his public votes on things like science funding.
Gianfortes views on womens issues are similarly troubling. He would de-fund Planned Parenthood without any acknowledgement of the life-saving and quality-of-life-improving work done by this organization, or any plan to provide that care to women who would be left without a provider if Planned Parenthood were gone. He needs to understand that nearly half of Montanans are women, and he must represent their interests and not just his own.
Should he win election, Gianforte must set aside his own personal convictions every day that he is in Congress, in order to ensure that he serving the will of the people of Montana.
This wont be a problem so long as he continues to immerse himself in Montana and listen.
BILLINGS In a letter to Secretary of Interior Ryan Zinke, Montana Sen. Jon Tester has urged the former Montana congressman to give his home states wildlife agency some funding certainty.
Zinke has delayed distribution of excise taxes collected from hunters, anglers and boaters that are held in trust by the federal government and distributed to states through grants by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Tester suggested Zinke provide states a timeline and create a waiver or expedited process for time-sensitive projects.
Many of the local land managers you have worked to empower count on access to reliable funding from the Department to hire staff and execute land management decisions, Tester wrote.
National letter
Testers letter came on the heels of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks revelation that distribution of almost $20 million in federal funding to the agency, largely from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will be delayed. The federal dollars represent almost half of the funding for fisheries and wildlife staff, according to an FWP memo.
Last week Nick Wiley, the president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies which represents state groups like FWP in Washington, also drafted a letter to Zinke pointing to specific state programs across the nation including payroll that could suffer serious consequences.
In particular we anticipate harmful effects on the operation and maintenance of the states wildlife management areas, hatcheries, research programs, boat access and other grants that provide for public access and use of facilities by hunters, anglers, boaters and recreational shooters, Wiley wrote.
The letter goes on to cite programs in states such as Utah, Colorado, Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and Puerto Rico that are awaiting the federal grants for projects ranging from striped bass monitoring in North Carolina to hunter education in Colorado.
No updates
An email request to Zinkes staff for comment on the Tester letter and any possible timeline for when the reviews might be completed was not received by press time. As of Wednesday, May 10, Zinke had not replied to Testers letter, which was dated May 3, according to the senators spokeswoman.
Weve heard absolutely zero from either the (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) or from the secretarys office in D.C., said Adam Brooks, who oversees the federal grants for FWP. So were just continuing in limbo here. We have 21 grants and two grant amendments that have been with the Service for some time, and we dont know how long it will be before they get a response from the DOI.
An official at the regional U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Denver, which oversees Montana FWPs grants, said there had been no update about the Interior department review since Zinke issued the order in April.
The impacts of this additional review has the potential to undermine numerous initiatives managed by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, Tester wrote.
Land sale
In Montana, one such deal that may be in jeopardy depending on the length of the stoppage is the purchase of 425 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to the Grant Marsh Wildlife Management Area along the Bighorn River, just north of Hardin. Seventy-five percent of the $1.57 million purchase price was being paid for with federal money thats now stalled.
Grant Marsh is still on hold until we can get the go-ahead from Washington, D.C., said Darlene Edge, who is overseeing the deal for FWP.
Darell Tunnicliff, owner of the 425 acres along with his wife, Robin, said the decision by Zinke caught FWP and him by surprise in a process that has already taken more than a year to work its way through the system.
I will do everything I can to facilitate the project, Tunnicliff said. I think it would be a very nice asset for the public. For a smaller acreage it has a very diverse ecosystem.
Tunnicliff vowed to remain optimistic until he heard otherwise, but also noted that a lengthy postponement could jeopardize the deal.
Im committed to public access, he said, noting that he was raised in Montana at a time when knocking on a landowners door and asking permission to trespass was often granted.
We as a culture need these open spaces, he said, adding that such a property within 45 minutes of Billings and so close to Hardin and the Bighorn River are rare and special.
Memo
The slowdown in distribution of federal funds was sparked by Zinkes April 12 order that all Department of Interior grants of more than $100,000 be reviewed by his deputy secretary, James Cason, as a means for Zinke to understand the immense impact grants and cooperative agreements have on the Interior. The department annually distributes $5.5 billion in grants and cooperative agreements, the memo said.
Although sharing Zinkes interest in responsible management of DOI, Tester encouraged the secretary to provide more details on what is being investigated in this final step that has not otherwise been covered by existing application requirements.
The move by Zinke seems contradictory to what he told Glacier National Park employees during a visit near his hometown in March. Back then he touted local control.
If you dont know the difference between the Potomac and the Yellowstone and the Middle Fork (of the Flathead) rivers, you shouldnt be making decisions about them, Zinke said. That has come to an end. Im going to push a lot of authority to you on the front line.
Zinke was elected Montanas lone congressman in 2014 using some advertisements that touted his interest in hunting and fishing. He was nominated 52nd Secretary of the Interior by President Donald Trump late last year. The U.S. Senate confirmed Zinke in March.
The U.S. Department of the Interior website features a photo of Zinke fly fishing and notes that while in Congress he championed sportsmens access, conservation, regulatory relief, forest management, responsible energy development, and smart management of federal lands."
Burton Kinyon was a mechanic by trade, an outdoorsman at heart, and frugal by nature.
He lived many of his 86 years in a small house in Butte with his wife, Etta, even though they had money to go big. He was a quiet but savvy investor who liked to play the stock market.
He and Etta deeply wanted children but could not have them. So in his will, after distributions to family members, he bequeathed what turned out to be an astonishing $1.86 million to three causes, two of them dedicated to kids.
The Shriners Hospital for Children in Spokane received one third, or $622,612, as did Camp Mak-A-Dream, which gives children with cancer and their families cost-free stays on a working ranch in Montana.
Brian Garrett, a longtime friend of Kinyon's who was named a co-representative of his estate, says those recipients have been gracious, thankful, and in touch since getting the money after Kinyon died in 2010.
That has not been the case, Garrett and fellow Butte resident Joe Shoemaker say, with the third recipient of $622,612 the Salvation Army. Kinyon's will said the money was given "for use in the Butte, Montana area."
But the funds have been controlled completely by a regional Salvation Army office in Denver, they say, even though a letter from a law firm representing the estate specified that the bequest was to be managed by a local board.
"If this is not the case, do not negotiate the check and contact our office to discuss," attorney Sean Johnson, who was with Corette Pohlman & Kebe law firm in Butte at the time, wrote in a Nov. 5, 2010, letter to the charity's Denver office.
The check was cashed, but the local board never managed a dime, and its suggestions to use some of the money to buy a building so the Salvation Army could expand and provide more services in Butte were brushed aside, says Shoemaker, who served on the board.
He said the board was given conflicting answers on how the money could be used something letters and documents appear to confirm and all suggestions were only given "lip service" before members gave up in frustration in 2012 and the local board quit meeting.
"We never even got a thank you from the Salvation Army for the donation," Shoemaker said.
"Nope," Garrett added. "They never even acknowledged it."
They believe the money could now make a big impact on a homeless problem that's gotten worse since the Butte Rescue Mission closed in April. It could aid recent attempts to buy the empty RedZone building on Montana Street and establish a soup kitchen, for example.
They have little hope that Denver officials will listen. If they don't, Garrett said, he will likely file a lawsuit seeking to get the money back from the Salvation Army so it can make an impact his late friend would want.
"Even if I have to pay for it out of my pocket, because it isn't right," he said.
Army response
Salvation Army officials in Denver say a final decision was made in March 2011 to put the money into an endowment with 100 percent of the interest allocated to the organization in Butte so the community would benefit "for years to come."
According to Tahreem Pasha-Glen, public relations and special events director for the Salvation Army in Denver, $114,454 in interest has accrued and been distributed in Butte for such services as rent and utility assistance, school supplies, and Christmas gifts.
Clair Little, a former Salvation Army envoy in Butte who still volunteers for the organization through its service center off of Harrison Avenue, said that is indeed how the money has been used.
"It is making a difference every month," he said. "We got so much funds every month, so we can carry this on as long as we possibly can, and we help as many people as possible."
Pasha-Glen said late Friday that she had not been able to confirm that the original principal amount was completely intact but pledged to find out.
Pasha-Glen, in earlier written responses to questions from The Montana Standard, noted that Kinyon's will said the money was for "use in the Butte, Montana area."
"Mr. Kinyon did not specify how it was to be used beyond that," she wrote.
When the Salvation Army is first notified about available estate money, leadership explores various strategic investment options that would best benefit the community for years to come, she said in her written response.
The money was placed in an endowment on recommendations of a divisional commander and approved by the Territorial Headquarters Legacy Council comprised of Salvation Army officers and financial and legal advisers, Pasha-Glen said.
Recommendations by local advisory committees "are always shared and reviewed" with the legacy council overseeing the money, she wrote.
"The Salvation Army throughout the nation relies on the advice and guidance from our boards and committees," she wrote. "These committees perform (an) advisory role and not a governing one. We value each (member's) expertise and consider all recommendations. The final decision lies with the Salvation Army and the directions from the donor."
Initial instructions
But what the will did not specify, Garrett and Shoemaker say, initial instructions to the Salvation Army did. They point to these sentences in the Nov. 5, 2010, letter the law firm sent along with the $622,612 check.
"It is our understanding that the funds will be put in an account which will be specifically earmarked for use in the Butte area. It is also our understanding that the local Salvation Army Board is the entity that will be managing the bequest on how the funds will be used.
"If this is not the case, do not negotiate the check and contact our office to discuss."
It could not be stated more directly or plainly, Garrett said.
"They were agreeing to that if they cashed the check," he said.
Shoemaker served on the board with numerous others, including Pat Cooney, who was chairman; Bob Brooks; Claudia Hague; Helen Maichel; Carol Johnson; Barry Kippen; Lauren Kippen; Bob McCarthy; and Mary Shoemaker, Joe's wife.
He said they suggested several possible uses for the money but got conflicting answers from local and regional Salvation Army officials on how it could be used.
They discussed several possible programs to help the needy during an April 2011 board meeting. That was one month after March 2011, the time the Salvation Army now says a final decision was made to put the money in an endowment.
According to minutes of that meeting, Salvation Army Capt. Sylvan Young, who split his time between Butte and Bozeman, said the money was in a capital investment fund and could not be used for small projects.
He also told the group they should develop a plan for using the money and submit it to the Denver office for approval.
"He stated that it is easier to buy land and a building than to use the money for smaller projects," the minutes say.
Members then turned their sights on possibly buying a vacant, one-story brick building on Montana Street. It had been a store, among other things, in earlier years.
An old church on Granite Street, where the Salvation Army had operated a soup kitchen, had been vacated years ago, and another building on Main Street was in horrible shape and should be torn down, members said.
The Montana Street building could house the Salvation Army's remaining social services office, which is still on Harrison Avenue, members said. And it was big enough to offer additional programs that could re-establish and enhance the organization's presence and reputation in Butte.
It was still entertained as a possibility during a meeting in February 2012, this one attended by Denver officials. They included Capt. Grady Brown, divisional secretary of the Intermountain Division office in Denver, according to minutes.
Also at that meeting were Sean Johnson, the attorney for Kinyon's estate, and Kinyon's brother, R.H. Kinyon, who along with Garrett was a co-representative of the estate.
Capt. Brown, according to minutes, said the money was currently earning interest and would only be used for Butte. He also said he would support buying the Montana Street building if it would be financially feasible.
R.H. Kinyon said questions about his brother's donated funds should be settled that year, and he agreed that buying and developing the Montana Street property was a proper use, the minutes say.
The board then approved a motion to use a portion of the estate money to buy the building, and later that day, Shoemaker says, Brown and other Salvation Army officials visited the site. Cooney sent a letter to Brown in July 2012 saying they still wanted to buy it.
Finally, later that month, Brown sent Cooney a letter saying he had taken that request to the finance committee and the business department in Denver and the donation had been deemed a program endowment, not a capital reserve fund.
"As an endowment, the Butte operations will receive a designated interest amount each year without endangering the principle donation," Brown wrote in the letter. "The good news is this donation will continue to help Butte citizens for many years."
Local frustration
Shoemaker, during several meetings, indicated frustration with Denver officials that he still has today.
If the Denver office had already decided in March 2011 that it was an interest-only endowment, why did they bother entertaining other suggestions and tour the Montana Street building with him?
"At one point, we thought it could be used for a structure, and then we were told it had to be for programs, and then it wasn't for programs," he said.
Says Garrett: "They have all these meetings, and you know damn well they were just going through the motions."
Regardless of what the board was finally told, Garrett says, he and attorneys for his friend's estate asked for quarterly reports on how the money was being used and never got them.
The law firm sent the Denver office a letter in December 2011 months after it now says a final decision had been made saying previous letters of inquiry had been ignored. Garrett says he never has seen an update on the funds.
Shoemaker says the board never got one either.
"The assumption was they could do anything they wanted with the money, and they have paid us lip service, as far as I'm concerned," he said.
When asked why the Salvation Army had not provided the estate with periodic accountings of the money, Pasha-Glen wrote, "Mr. Kinyon's estate has been addressed on several occasions with Salvation Army committee members."
After the frustrations, Shoemaker says, the board stopped meeting in 2012. Despite years of volunteering, raising money, and ringing bells in freezing weather during the holidays, members were never asked to continue involvement, he said. He doesn't recall ever being informed by Denver officials that the board was actually defunct.
Cooney, who was chairman of the local board in 2012, said he does remember being told by a Salvation Army official perhaps one locally that an advisory board was no longer needed because the organization's presence had shrunk so much.
Part of that downsizing, Cooney said, was because the Salvation Army here like so many charities across the country suffered big hits on funding during the "Great Recession" that started in 2007-2008 and lingered long afterwards.
The Denver office said the service center on Harrison Avenue is operating without an advisory board but indicated another board could be established.
"When a committee is assembled their recommendations will be assessed to ensure that the use of the funds align with The Salvation Army's mission and Mr. Kinyon's wishes," Pasha-Glen wrote.
Given the size of operations now and past advice that wasn't followed, Cooney questions whether such a board could do anything. But he understands Garrett's and Shoemaker's frustrations.
"I think we were the noisy wheel that needed to be greased," he said. "I think they (Denver officials) were really trying to placate us and string us along."
Johnson, the previous attorney for the estate who now lives in Spokane, Washington, said he doesn't recall all the specifics about the situation in Butte.
He said there might be some legal weight to the statement he made in the November 2010 letter saying the money was to be managed by a local board.
"They need to try to live up to the wishes of the person with the money," he said.
But as an attorney who has represented scores of estates, he said, precise wording in the will usually carries the day. The will only says the money is to be used in the Butte area, and charities often have internal controls on how donations are used, he said.
Johnson, like Cooney, understands the frustrations. The Butte board had plans to use the money, and Garrett was Kinyon's close friend and is trying to do right by him, Johnson said.
Garrett said that was indeed the case, and like Shoemaker, he believes the money could be used to make a bigger impact in Butte now instead of being dribbled out here and there.
"They could use $300,000 of it and still have $300,000 to collect interest," Garrett said.
Interest reignited
Shoemaker said the recent closing of the rescue mission in Butte reignited his interest in the estate money as well as his dismay with the Salvation Army. He says he will never donate a dime to them again.
"You can legally say, 'We can do whatever we want,' but morally, as a Christian organization, they should look and see what would be in the best interests of Butte and abide by Mr. Kinyon's wishes," Shoemaker said.
Garrett said he knew his friend well and his wishes deserve to be honored.
"He loved this country, and he loved Montana, and he loved the outdoors," he said. "He was really frugal and smart in investments, and he did well. But he always wanted to do something for the kids and the town."
Evan Barretts guest column in the Standard on May 2 attacks Republican congressional candidate Greg Gianforte based on his success and on false accusations.
Barrett writes that if Gianforte is elected, for the first time in Montanas 128-year history, two (Sen. Steve Daines and Gianforte) of Montanas three Congress members would come from the same county, same city, same industry, and same company. While not identical, Gov. Steve Bullock and Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney were just elected to the states highest offices, while coming from the same county, city, and industry/employer (State of Montana).
Similarly, all of Barretts allegations against Gianforte can be rebuked, including restricting stream access, opposing legal protection from discrimination, and being a science denier.
Barrett cites Gianfortes record of using the courts to restrict public access to the East Gallatin River. This is a politically motivated exaggeration. The dispute wasnt about the publics access right. It was about fixing a boundary from an erroneously granted easement. Upon a site visit, Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) agreed with the Gianfortes. An agreement was successfully reached, and all along the Gianfortes have helped ensure public access to the river.
These types of access issues happen all the time. For example the Willow Creek Water Users Association, owners of Harrison Lake, is negotiating with FWP and others to settle property boundaries at the reservoir. Recent surveys show access to water at certain levels is in question, and state campground restrooms are built on association property. Does the association want to deny recreational access to the reservoir? No. It needs boundaries and access settled to have clean title for financing dam maintenance.
Barrett supposedly thinks socialist-leaning Rob Quists values are Montanan. As a 5th generation Montanan, let me tell you that the real value in this race is the experience and skill set that Greg Gianforte will bring in service to Montana when we elect him as our next Congressman. Greg will defend our way of life against federal overreach and work with President Trump to return prosperity not only to Montana but to America.
Quist reminds me of some of my cowboy hat-wearing uncles. They can talk a good line of bull and theyll say whatever it takes to get what they want. Like Quist, theyd be more at home joining the party with the swamp creatures in Washington D.C. than theyd be fighting to pull the plug.
Montana deserves a Congressman wholl look us in the eye and tell us the truth. Greg Gianforte is that man; Quist is not. Like my uncles, hell be dishonest whenever it serves his personal interest. Quist was once accused of fraud and deceit by a fellow band mate in a lawsuit over royalties. And, lets not overlook the constantly growing list of his financial misrepresentations, the latest of which were underpaying property taxes on rental property for years and under-reporting his income by over $50,000. Now get this. Last year, Quists income was in the top 5 percent of wage earners nationwide; yet, he had defaulted on a $10,000 Wells Fargo loan.
Many have moved to Montana for what they consider a better life and a chance at opportunity. Just like Rob Quist moved to explore opportunities in both New York City and Nashville. It didnt work out for him so he returned home. It did work out for Greg, so he stayed and made Montana home. With his wife, he raised four children in Montana and hes hardly unaware of daily challenges that face Montanans; he lived them and overcame them. Gianforte is a successful Montanan who calls Big Sky home.
-- Suzzann Nordwick, of Butte, is the current V.P. of the Montana Federation of Republican Women, finance chair of the Butte-Sliver Bow Republican Central Committee, and past Republican candidate for State Senate District 39.
So it wasn't exactly "Law and Order," but it was a kind of people's court on Monday.
There were no cameras (because cameras aren't allowed in federal court) and there weren't any impassioned soliloquies, but U.S. District Court Judge Susan Watters made a small but significant ruling in the higher profile case of Angela Corson Smith who will be sent back to federal prison for 10 months because of 13 probation violations, including that she established a GoFundMe online fund-raiser after her son was born premature, and posed as an Air Force Medic wanting to leave an abusive marriage.
At around 6:50 a.m. Monday, less than three hours before the start of the hearing on the probation violations, Corson Smith's attorney, Marvin McCann, filed a hastily written motion to close the hearing. In other words, shut the public out of knowing what's happening to his client, even though there have been many of Corson Smith's victims in the public.
This last-minute motion could have gone through, but The Billings Gazette noticed and was prepared to object to closure.
Luckily, that was not necessary because Watters made the important and correct decision: Shutting the people out of a United States courtroom (let's repeat that: United States courtroom) was a bad idea. Furthermore, the defense had presented absolutely no basis for closing the hearing, and Watters pointed out criminal court proceedings often have information about medical, mental and personal information. That's the nature of court itself.
We appreciate Watters' decision because it didn't deprive the public from knowing what is happening with Corson Smith who, since her release from the federal Bureau of Prisons, took $250 from her employer in Great Falls before quitting, started an unauthorized GoFundMe campaign, and posed as a former Air Force medic. In other words, the federal judge did not shut out the public when clearly the public was at risk by Corson Smith's freedom.
Kicking the people out would have been incredibly heavy-handed and without merit. After sitting through the court proceedings, we didn't hear information that sounds different from so many other court proceedings. The only reason for closing the court hearing would have been to avoid some of the publicity around this very public case. It appears that it is just another attempt at manipulation by Corson Smith to avoid the public embarrassment of this case. Watters told Corson Smith that she tries to manipulate everyone else, but it will not work with the federal court.
Closing the door would have been to also miss the opportunity to point out that Corson Smith still has restitution of more than $140,000 -- and that means there are people in the area still living with the consequences of her actions who deserve to know what's going on. They were able to know about it because the doors of the court remained open.
We appreciate that our judges -- both at the local and federal level -- have continued to fight to keep the courts open to the public. Moreover, we believe our judges also know that in order for people to have faith in the system, they must see it in action.
We came to court not wanting to fight but being prepared to do so. Instead, the court had already come to the wise conclusion that the bar to closing the court is set by law and precedent extremely high; and, nothing was too special about Corson Smith's circumstances to warrant clearing the court.
For all the flag emblem lapel pins out there and as much as everyone loves talking about the importance of freedom, Watters did the real work of the Constitution when she invoked the First Amendment and said the people of the United States have a place in the courts of the United States, too.
The Billings Gazette
MUSCATINE Residents still have time to order a tree from a Muscatine organization that is helping the town recover from damage done by the March 6 tornado.
The Muscatine Branching Out tree sale was rescheduled to Saturday, May 20, and residents may still place orders this week.
Club Secretary Phyllis Avesing said the group is selling five types of trees this year, including Oak, Sweetgum, Redbud, Birch and Crabapple. Residents may purchase trees for $25 or a donation of their choice, or can receive a tree for free if their property was damaged by the tornado.
"That helps cover the cost of the tree, and it just seems like every year it's getting harder and harder to find good trees," Avesing said. "We've been really lucky and everyone has been happy with the quality of trees we've gotten in the past."
Avesing said finding a variety of trees in Muscatine is difficult because of the invasive species, emerald ash borer, which attacks and kills ash species.
"We've been trying to offer different stuff to get diversity back because Muscatine was heavily ash and maple at one time," Avesing said. "Now we're pushing the other trees we can get."
She said residents with ash trees should "enjoy the tree while you can, but put something new in its place."
"There's been a few people who have planted ahead, and if you do that, especially if you have an ash tree or something, and know it's going to go, you can have them treated," she said. "The thing is you can't ever stop, and if you do it for 10 or 15 years, that's got to be costly."
Avesing said the emerald ash borer invasion has made it difficult to find any trees in the area.
"People are grabbing whatever they can get," she said.
Muscatine Branching Out, a local branch of Trees Forever, works to enhance the local treescape. It has also been working to plant trees around town, especially in areas that were hit hard by the tornado.
The group has planted 10 trees at Franklin Elementary School and is working to plant trees at the courthouse and the Muscatine Power & Water facility on Cedar Street.
"Power & Water has been our big supporter, and where we get a lot of our funds," she said. "This year was our 25th year with them, and we'd like to plant a couple of trees from them just as a thank you."
Avesing said Muscatine Branching Out only sells trees native to Iowa, and provides customers with a description of the tree and how to care for it.
Residents who place an order can pick up the trees on May 20, from 9-11 a.m., at the County Parking Lot at 4th Street and Mulberry Avenue.
MUSCATINE Customers still wander into the old Lincoln School building on Park Avenue, looking for Muskie Music, the music store that was housed on the first floor for more than 40 years.
Now, Muscatine resident, Mike Ritchie is offering those customers a place to go. Last week, he opened a new music store in the same building, called Ritchie Sound & Lights.
"A lot of the tenants were telling me they get four or five people, and the (jewelry store) gets up to 10 or 20 people a week, walking into the building, wandering around looking for the music store," Ritchie said. "So there's already some built-in business for a place that wasn't even here."
Ritchie, who has run a live production company for eight years, said the location of his new store is "great," because people are familiar with Muskie Music.
"Really the idea for the store came from is that bands and musicians rent the second floor of the building for rehearsals and instructions to give lessons," Ritchie said. "So after talking to those guys, I realized there's no music store in town, and it gave me an idea."
Before leasing the storefront, Ritchie sold music equipment out of his garage for two months. When he opened the store, with the help of his wife Allison, his plan was to start small.
"The plan was I would sell simple stuff, like strings and sticks, to be a convenience for people in town," he said. "It just took a life of its own so fast."
Ritchie realized he could be a real service to musicians, as well as the school system.
"The local school doesn't have any outlet in town to get anything, or for the students and their parents," he said. "The people I've communicated with seem very positive about having something in town."
Ritchie will offer reeds, strings and other equipment students may need, and hopes to eventually order instruments for schools.
His main goal, though, is to be a convenience for local musicians, many of whom he has already worked with through his production company.
"The inventory just keeps growing," Ritchie said. "And I'm basing a lot of the inventory off of suggestions from people, rather than me picking what I think they should have or should be buying. I'd rather get input from people on what they want to be buying."
While chain music stores and online shopping has made it difficult for independent music stores to thrive, Ritchie said local musicians will hopefully realize the benefit of shopping in town.
"It's tough because a lot of people are so used to knowing they can buy anything they want with what they carry around in their pocket," he said. "It's changing people's buying habits too. A lot of guys I've talked to, that's what they've been trained to do, instead of just running downstairs and grabbing what they need."
Ritchie said musicians are already realizing the convenience of having his store nearby, but he also will sell products on the store's website, ritchiesound.com.
NEW YORK Katz's Delicatessen has been urging customers to "send a salami to your boy in the Army" for generations. Now, the New York City restaurant, where everyone's favorite scene from "When Harry Met Sally" was shot, is expanding its shipping capacity so it can send perishable delicacies like pastrami and corned beef around the globe.
The plan to offer a taste of authentic, old New York by mail is part of an ongoing effort by Katz's young owner to modernize a business that hasn't changed much since it was founded on Manhattan's Lower East Side in 1888.
"I can't necessarily replicate the entire experience for you, wherever you are at home," said Jake Dell, 29. "But I can give you the food. I can bring it a little bit closer to you."
A granddaddy of New York City's vanishing Jewish delis, Katz's has become a draw in recent years for tourists looking for bits of the old, immigrant experience in a gentrifying neighborhood where gleaming condo towers are replacing old tenements.
And unlike some New York City eateries packed with tourists, it is as popular with foodies as it is with the masses of out-of-towners.
Visitors and locals filled the 300-seat restaurant Thursday, polishing off 6-inch high sandwiches under the gaze of the celebrities whose photos line the walls. Waiters threaded their way through the packed dining room amid the clatter of tables being cleared. A sign hanging from the ceiling indicated the spot where Meg Ryan was sitting when she acted out a fake orgasm in the 1989 film about Harry and Sally.
Dell represents the third generation of his family to run Katz's. He celebrated his bar mitzvah there. And as owner, he's balancing tradition with some gentle changes.
A new 30,000-square-foot shipping facility in Hackensack, New Jersey, will open sometime in the next year. Katz's is also opening a takeout-only outpost in Brooklyn's new DeKalb Market Hall next month. Katz's, lucky to own its building in a city where rent increases have a habit of putting even iconic spots out of business, also recently gave itself a financial cushion by selling off adjoining properties and air rights to a condominium developer.
"We're looking at ways of connecting to people that want this food," Dell said. "There's really no limit to the amount of pastramis I can send to people."
Katz's began encouraging customers to "Send a Salami to Your Boy in the Army" during World War II and the business still ships salami overseas. But cured meats that require refrigeration are shipped only within the United States. A triple classic sandwich combo includes a pound each of sliced brisket, pastrami and corned beef, a loaf of rye bread, 1 pound of mustard and 2 quarts of pickles.
Dell isn't sure exactly when the expanded delivery service will start or which countries he'll market to first.
"Canada seems to be the easiest first step," he said. "South America has a strong passion for cured meats. The UK and Australia have been clawing out to us and just craving this food. But it's difficult and navigating those customs waters has been an eye-opening experience. I hope to get there soon."
Customers leaving the restaurant said they'd be in favor of global expansion.
"The food is delicious. Why not let everybody enjoy it?" said Christine McGee, of Indianapolis.
"Each time I'm in New York I have to visit at least once," said Yaakov Sabbagh, of Jerusalem.
Les emplois a Rennes sont abondants et varies. Il y a quelque chose pour tout le monde. Que vous soyez a la recherche dun emploi []
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
NEW YORK For the first time since an Oval Office taping system was removed by President Richard Nixon's chief of staff nearly 44 years ago, a president has hinted that White House conversations might again be secretly recorded. If so, President Donald Trump is following a problematic precedent.
While several presidents secretly recorded conversations without problems, the practice is most associated with Nixon. His recordings became prime evidence during the Watergate investigation that ultimately led to his resignation. Sooner or later, recordings are likely to become public.
"The lesson for presidents since Nixon was, do not tape your Oval Office conversations," said Timothy Naftali, a professor at New York University and the first federal director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California. "It can only get you in trouble."
Trump tweeted Friday that former FBI Director James Comey "better hope that there are no 'tapes' of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press."
The extraordinary if ambiguous tweet came three days after Trump fired Comey, who was overseeing the bureau's investigation into Russian meddling in the presidential election and whether anyone in Trump's campaign was involved.
Trump has rejected the probe as "fake news," and claimed Comey assured him at a dinner and in two phone calls that he wasn't under investigation. Comey hasn't spoken publicly since he was fired, but an associate said Trump's claims are puzzling, adding that Trump sought a loyalty pledge from Comey during the Jan. 27 White House dinner, which the ex-director declined to give.
That and similar reports apparently led to Trump's tweet.
White House spokesman Sean Spicer didn't comment when asked whether Trump recorded Comey or if recording equipment exists in the Oval Office.
Under a post-Watergate law, the Presidential Records Act, recordings made by presidents belong to the people and can eventually be made public. Destroying them would be a crime. The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, has already seized on the tweet and asked that Trump give Congress any recordings of conversations with Comey.
Federal law allows the secret recording of conversations so long at least one person in the conversation is aware of the recording. Trump's home state, New York, has a similar law. But in Florida, where Trump has his Mar-a-Lago estate, both parties must consent to any recording.
There is a rich history of secret presidential recordings since Franklin D. Roosevelt. Tapes of John F. Kennedy in the Oval Office helped cement his reputation as a strong leader during multiple crises. Lyndon Johnson also recorded conversations.
But Nixon's recordings are the most famous. His dismissal of a special prosecutor, Archibald Cox, who subpoenaed the White House for the president's tapes marked the beginning of the end of his presidency. Nixon chief of staff Alexander Haig had the recording system complete with five listening devices in the president's desk in the Oval Office removed on July 16, 1973, but it was already too late. Nixon resigned a year later.
Trump "is emulating some of the worst aspects of Richard Nixon and for those of us watching from the outside, we have to ask why," said Naftali. "Why would he bring up the taping system? Why? I'm not saying he has one, but why would any president after Nixon even jest about a taping system?"
Trump worried about recorded conversations and recording his own conversations well before he got into politics, according to former Trump Organization executives.
After Trump tweeted in March that President Barack Obama had ordered a wiretap on his phones in Trump Tower, three ex-employees told The Associated Press that as a businessman, Trump not only worried about possible listening devices in his phones and office but had also occasionally taped his own phone conversations. Trump once denied doing so.
And at his New York office during the campaign, workers believed Trump had a system set up to record phone calls.
"I would note that New York is a one-party consent state and President Trump has always abided by the law," said Sam Nunberg, a former campaign aide, referring to the law that permits taping conversations without the knowledge of one of the participants.
Can a lemon be used as a power source? How salty does water have to be for an egg to float? Do pricey designer nail polishes last longer than the cheap ones?
Curious Napa County students put their questions to the test at the Napa County Office of Educations annual Science Fair on Saturday.
Every year the projects get more interesting and complex, said Seana Wagner, Napa County Office of Education director of special projects. Im always amazed at what the students come up with.
Students in grades fifth through eighth have been working on their projects for months conducting investigations and experiments to test the scientific method.
Raquel Stevens, a sixth-grader at Blue Oak School in Napa, had trouble deciding on a project. First she thought about doing a project about bacteria, but then she switched gears and thought shed do her presentation about optical illusions. But ultimately, she chose slime.
Slime is easier to make than you might think. All you need is white glue, borax and water. Raquel had made it at home just for fun, but she started to wonder what she could add to her basic slime recipe to improve the texture and durability. A science fair project was born.
Slime is fun to make and play with, but I wanted to know how I could change the chemistry to make a better, stretchier slime, Raquel said.
Through her tests, she discovered adding more water only made the slime stickier. Add too much borax and the slime because tough and less malleable. Shaving cream helped make the slime fluffier.
With each incarnation of slime, Raquel conducted strength and gravity tests to better understand the composition of her creations. She made nearly a dozen variations before she came up with her ideal concoction.
Raquel also decided to test ways to color the slime. She tried food coloring, but found that the color came off on her hands as she molded the slime. Through her tests, she found a few drops of acrylic paint added color without the messy hands.
This project was a lot of fun, Raquel said. Science is a lot of fun. You have an idea and then you test it. If it doesnt work, you test it again. You dont know what little changes will make a difference until you try it. It keeps you guessing.
Collin Durfee, a sixth-grader at Redwood Middle School, decided to take on a more practical project. He wanted to know if name-brand sunscreen is more effective than store-brand lotions. As an athlete who loves outdoor sports, Collin has experienced his share of sunburns, so he decided to make his science fair project personal.
For his experiment, Collin applied three types of sunscreen on strips of plastic wrap and took the strips outside. He used a UV ray detector that he bought online to measure the UV index from underneath the strips.
I figured the expensive sunscreens must have some special ingredient that makes them better and more expensive, but the store brand was just as effective and it cost way less, Collin said.
After determining that the store brand was consistently just as effective as the more expensive options, Collin conducted a second round of tests to see if SPF 50 was indeed stronger than SPF 30 in the store brand sunscreen.
Collin concluded that the SPF 50 did offer more sun protection and it also had an economic benefit.
The SPF 50 lotion was only 20 cents more, so thats the one I would recommend.
Talia Roche and Aribella Farrel, sixth-graders at Robert Louis Stevenson Middle School in St. Helena, also decided to take on a real-world science project. The duo decided to investigate if organic fertilizer would help their parsley plants grow more or less than store-bought fertilizer.
We wanted to know what fertilizer would be better to use if we wanted to grow our own food, said Aribella.
As a control test, they used only water on one plant. In the other pots, the girls used coffee grounds, worm juice fertilizer and a popular name-brand liquid fertilizer. Just as they hypothesized, Aribella and Talia had most success with the organic worm juice.
The plant with the worm castings grew taller and greener than our other plants, Talia said.
The plant with coffee grounds mixed in the soil had the biggest leaves, but the plant with the name brand fertilizer didnt survive the testing period.
We added the drops and figured it would help a little not as good as the organic materials but within two days the leaves turned yellow and it died, Talia said. I wasnt expecting that.
Retired educators and engineers went from project to project on display in the Napa Boys and Girls Club gymnasium Saturday to judge and rank the projects produced by 75 students. The judges selected first-, second-, and third-place winners in the scientific method and engineering categories divided by grade. Winners were given a gift certificate to Scientifics Direct. All participants received a certificate of participation as well as a medal.
Grand prize winners Shane McGrath (First Christian School, Napa), Wyntress Mehelis (First Christian School, Napa) and Eva Wendel (Blue Oak School, Napa) were each awarded a Kindle Fire for their scientific efforts.
While the judges deliberated, Napa Countys future scientists and their families hung out at the Makers Fair also held at the Napa Boys and Girls Club where they could build with Legos, program robots and have other science-fueled fun.
The launch of a new ballistic missile test by North Korea this morning (14 May 2017) is a new flagrant breach of a series of United Nations Security Council Resolutions, constituting a threat to international peace and security.
This is a time when de-escalation is needed, not provocation. North Korea should comply with its international obligations, cease all activities related to its ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, abandon all existing weapons of mass destruction programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner, and engage in a credible dialogue with the international community.
After deciding to pause its operations last month because of financial difficulties, the Second Chance Center for Animals is taking the first steps to reopen its doors with a new model that allows the nonprofit to be self-sufficient in the long run.
Its first steps will be to meet with the county later this month regarding opportunities for the animal shelter, explore options to provide veterinary clinic services and continue to operate training out of its building, said Rick Bitzer, Second Chances business director.
This agency is doing its best to come back. Were looking at all avenues to make this thing work, Bitzer said.
The immediate plan doesnt, however, include what members of the communitys local animal welfare task force have been advocating: a partnership between Second Chance and the Coconino Humane Association, the nearly 50-year-old nonprofit that holds the city and county animal control and shelter contracts. Members of the Flagstaff Animal Welfare Task Force say such a partnership could ensure Second Chances facility, measuring 20,000 square feet and built less than 15 years ago, is put to good use while Coconino Humane could retire or expand beyond its current smaller facility that dates back to the 1970s.
The Greater Flagstaff community needs the Coconino Humane Association, the designated and tax-supported community animal welfare institution, to open their eyes and their hearts to the opportunity of using this now-closed state-of-the-art facility. This change would allow the caring staff of workers and volunteers to take better care of the unwanted animals who are suffering and dying unnecessarily in our community, Ken Lamm, one of the task forces founding members, wrote in an email.
The euthanasia rate at the county shelter was below 10 percent last year, its lowest level ever, thanks in part to Second Chance accepting 400 hard-to-place animals (see related story, page A7.)
Collaboration also is probably the only way for both organizations to survive in a smaller community like Flagstaff that has limited potential funding sources, said Sean Hawkins, who stepped down as Second Chances executive director on May 1.
It doesn't take a mathematician or a genius to figure out that there are not enough donor dollars to fully support two agencies, he said.
NOT SO SIMPLE
The two organizations, however, indicate there is still a long way to go between current reality and the task forces vision.
For its part, the Coconino Humane Association is resistant to taking on the financial commitment of Second Chances building, the president of the nonprofits board of directors said.
Quite frankly as of now we don't see that we are in a position ourselves to assume additional financial or fiscal responsibilities in the operation and maintenance of another facility, Board President Nick Gabriel said.
Coconino Humanes Executive Director Michelle Ryan estimated that the monthly costs to maintain and operate the building alone average $5,000, while Bitzer estimated Second Chances run $7,000 to $8,000 per month.
Gabriel also said the location of the Second Chance building about five miles outside Flagstaff in Doney Park makes it inconvenient for the public, animal control officers and the shelters other partners.
While the two organizations have spoken for about the past six months about some sort of partnership moving forward, the ideas have been scattered and have left certain questions unanswered, Gabriel said. He said the board needs to see more concrete ideas of what Second Chance wants to go and what they want to do, before it would take any further action.
For its part, Second Chance is turning its immediate focus to the need to develop a sustainable operating model, Bitzer said.
We are looking at this as we need to stop being dependent on just donor money, still being a nonprofit but being self-sufficient and that is what were working on right now, he said.
Bitzer said he is still working on a letter encouraging the animal welfare organizations in the community to come together to improve their relationship, but said no letter or other official proposal is yet etched in stone.
EACH WITH STRUGGLES
Both organizations also have their own sets of challenges.
For Coconino Humane, a major one is operating in a building built in the 1970s that has required multiple modifications and expansions over the years. A custom-built shed houses sick cats, for example, because there was no more room in the main shelter building, Ryan said. Additionally, the Coconino County health department reported that it has received complaints about the treatment of animals at Coconino Humane this year, including that staff arent trained in proper euthanasia techniques and cats are not given proper medical attention.
In response, the department did its own investigation and then conducted two spot checks. The most serious issues were animals lacking identification cards, a gap in an animal's medication record and the cat isolation room being found in disarray.
While operating in a newer, more spacious facility, Second Chance is faced with reviving an operation that had struggled to sustain itself without major infusions of financial support from the nonprofits founders Dick and Jean Wilson and without contracts with the city and the county that help support Coconino Humane. Bitzer said he knows of many instances when Dick Wilson walked in checks to cover payroll and other expenses and said the Wilsons made many major donations that helped keep the kennel afloat.
But after Dick Wilson's death in 2011, the financial support started to decline, said the Wilsons' daughter, Winnie Hanseth, who is also the secretary and treasurer of Second Chance's board. Her father left oil and gas royalties to Second Chance in his will, but when fossil fuel prices dropped, the money going to the nonprofit dwindled too, Hanseth said.
At the end of last year, Second Chance put out a press release announcing it had received its final support from the Wilsons' foundation with the donation of the $2.1 million building and 10-acre property. Hanseth confirmed that the foundation has no money left to give.
Wilson's death two years after his wife's changed our financial picture, forcing the organization to regroup, Second Chances Board President Maggie Sacher said. With operations going more and more in the red, according to Hanseth, the board started thinking about how to reorganize Second Chance a number of months ago and began discussing pausing operations about a month ago, Sacher said.
In response to a question about how well Hawkins managed Second Chance, Sacher said, Its hard to say. We're closing. I don't have a comment on that at this time.
Diane Jarvis, founder and president of the nonprofit Paw Placement of Northern Arizona, has been working with Coconino Humane and Second Chance as a member of the Animal Welfare Task Force. In discussing the options available to both nonprofits moving forward, she echoed many others in saying she hoped everyone could work together to put animal welfare first instead of just making do.
10:57
The firm has told the apex court that it needs 12 weeks' time to implement the terms of settlement arrived at with the minister of state for information and broadcasting.
A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and M M Shantanagoudar adjourned the matter for further hearing in the first week of September after advocate Gopal Shankarnarain sought time for the implementation of settlement.
Rathore had earlier termed the flat given to him by the developer as uninhabitable, pointing out several deficiencies. A two-member committee of lawyers was appointed by the court to look into Rathore's allegations.
The apex court had on December 14 last year asked Rathore to sit with the representatives of the builder and settle the dispute amicably. It had also asked the realty firm to remove deficiencies in the flat as pointed out by Rathore and the SC-appointed panel, which had visited the site, and hand it over to the minister.
Rathore had booked the flat in 2006 by paying around Rs 70 lakh for it. The firm had promised to deliver the flat in 2008-09. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission had earlier directed the builder to refund the principal amount with interest and compensate Rathore.
The apex court had on October 21 last year directed Parsvnath Developers to hand over possession of the flat to Rathore in two days, saying he should not pay any additional amount to the builder.
Real estate firm Parsvnath Developers has informed the Supreme Court that it has arrived at a settlement with Union minister Rajyavardan Singh Rathore over the possession of his flat in the plush Exotica project in Gurugram.
Officials in Balochistan's Gwadar said that unidentified gunmen attacked labourers in two different locations on Saturday and killed at least 10 of them. Several others were injured. All the slain labourers belonged to Sindh province and were engaged in road construction.
No group has claimed responsibility. But provincial Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti blamed "agents of foreign hostile agencies" for the terrorist attack.
Local authorities said the gunmen fled on motorcycles after the incidents.
On Friday a suicide bomber struck a convoy of the Deputy Chairman of the Senate Abdul Ghafoor Haidery in Mastung area and killed 27 people and injured over 30 more. Haidery was injured in the attack that was later claimed by the Islamic State.
The military said that a high level security coordination conference was held in the military headquarters in Quetta, the provincial capital in which senior civil and military officials took review of security situation in the province.
"Participants discussed challenges and expressed their resolve to bring enduring peace and stability in the province through a comprehensive and coordinated joint response," an army statement said.
Meanwhile Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif strongly condemned the tragic incident of indiscriminate firing targeting innocent laborers working on a road in Gwadar, the prime minister's office said.
The Prime Minister said that all efforts will be made to maintain peace in the province at all cost.
"We will ensure all necessary measures to fully realize our dream of a developed and prosperous Baluchistan," he said.
--IANS ahm/
( 286 Words)
2017-05-14-02:00:10 (IANS)
The OBOR Forum, which is scheduled to be held in Beijing from May 14 to May 16, is being attended by 29 nations, including all South Asian nations, except India, as it has not sent representatives to the event.
"We are of firm belief that connectivity initiatives must be based on universally recognised international norms, good governance, rule of law, openness, transparency and equality," Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.
"Connectivity projects must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added.
Baglay said India has been urging China to engage in a meaningful dialogue on its connectivity initiative.
"We are awaiting a positive response from the Chinese side," he added.
India has been opposed to the inclusion of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under the OBOR initiative. It's reported that a part of the project passes through the Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The USD 51 billion CPEC project is a collection of infrastructure projects currently under construction throughout Pakistan. Several infrastructure projects would be undertaken in various provinces in Pakistan, including the Gilgit-Baltistan area, which falls in the PoK. (ANI)
His remarks came after Chowdhury was seen himself using red beacon after he had questioned Barkati on the same.
"Siddiqullah Chowdhury did not follow the Chief Minister's order, whereas I did and removed the red beacon," Barkati told ANI.
Barkati further said that he would write to Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind to remove Chowdhury from the post and accused him of disrupting communal harmony in the state.
"He tried to disrupt communal harmony in Bengal. He should be investigated and removed from the post," he added.
Earlier, Chowdhury had questioned Barkati for not following the Centre's order on the same.
"Barkati is Imam and I am a minister of the State Government. I will remove the red beacon as soon as the government orders for it," Chowdhury told ANI.
Meanwhile, Imam Barkati, who had initially refused to remove the red beacon from his car, finally agreed to follow the Centre's order.
On Friday, an FIR was lodged against Maulana Barkati after a BJP leader Suraj Kumar Singh registered a complaint against him for not complying with the Centre's ban on the use of the red beacon.
The Central Government imposed a ban on use of red beacon on vehicles attached to dignitaries with effect from May 1. (ANI)
"The massive haul included, 1010 ammunition of different caliber, 5100 detonators, Cordex wire-21,600 feet and explosives weighing around 200 kgs," the CRPF said in a statement.
Security Forces are continuing offensive operations against Naxals in Jharkhand and succeeding in recovery of arms and ammunition.
A number of important naxal cadres have also surrendered before forces in recent past.
Indian Government had stepped up action against Naxal insurgents, especially in the wake of the brutal Sukma attack in which 25 CRPF personnel were killed in an ambush. (ANI)
PHOENIX It might take a second for the computer to load, but then its there: a map of Southern Arizona nearly completely covered with red markers, so dense in some areas that its black.
Each marker indicates one migrant who died trying to cross the U.S./Mexico border into Arizona.
The Arizona OpenGIS Initiative for Deceased Migrants started in 2001 and is managed by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner and Humane Borders, Inc. One of the groups goals is for anyone to be able to search for documented dead migrants based on what they know about them their name, gender, year of death, the county in which they died, etc.
But if you leave the criteria blank and click search, the map will show every migrant whose death has been documented over the past 16 years. There is a total of 2,797 markers on the map as of the writing of this story.
Were not even looking for these people, said Humane Borders Executive Director Juanita Molina. Were just finding them.
The causes of death are listed in the results if they are known. Hyperthermia, heat stroke, and exposure to the elements are common listings. And the map serves a dual purpose for both organizations involved in developing it.
For Humane Borders, the map shows high-traffic areas where representatives can leave jugs of water for those crossing. Molina said its physically impossible to carry enough water for a safe journey through the Tucson corridor.
And for the Office of the Medical Examiner, the map helps officials piece together the remains of a single migrant, many of which the office discovers at different times because they are scattered by weather or animals.
Dr. Gregory Hess, chief medical examiner for Pima County, said each marker on the map represents the earliest remains of a person were found to more closely approximate when they died. Hess office examines all the remains, determines the cause and manner of death, and returns the remains to families, he said.
He also updates Humane Borders monthly with a list of new remains that have been found.
Gary Christopherson, a Humane Borders board member who oversees the map programming, said the remains are found by law enforcement officers, border patrol agents, and people hiking. He said there are groups that go out to look for bodies, though that isnt something Humane Borders does.
He said its difficult to determine when the person died based on their remains.
If there is still flesh on the bones, the medical examiner can give an approximate date of death, Christopherson said. If its just skeletal remains, its difficult to do that.
He said John Chamblee, a Humane Borders research director who wasnt available for comment, started and designed the map and secured funding for it over the years. He said other states are trying to do similar things with mapping, but he wishes there could be a coordinated mapping effort across the border.
He said the mapping involves a lot of money and a certain persistence. Because of that, its difficult to make that a priority in other counties, he said.
Christopherson said one of the reasons the map began was so families could try and track down their missing loved ones, which is easier to do when the remains are able to be identified. Out of 2,731 total remains found as of January of this year, Christopherson said 947 remains were unidentified.
Molina said migration has been down on all counts in general, but she refutes the notion that this is related to the election of Donald Trump. She said Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson took many measures to stop migration before it reached the United States, and that were now seeing the effects of his actions.
She said the number of people crossing fluctuates often, particularly with the changing seasons. But there are other trends have been documented since the map project began.
She said after 9/11, law enforcement officers focused on securing urban and popular areas first. A stronger law enforcement presence in urban areas caused migrant routes to shift to less populated and often more dangerous areas, she said. Arizona was especially dangerous in this situation, she said because much of the wilderness includes places with no water, food or cell phone signals. She said the map has shown that people are dying further from towns and roads.
The whole project began after 100 remains were found in a single year in the early 2000s. Molina said the question of intervention was raised among Humane Borders and other faith and humanitarian groups wanting to do something about it.
Despite the toll it takes on those documenting the dead, Molina said she feels comfort in being able to be of service in some way in this midst of this horrible crisis.
Its a spiritual practice to witness such horrors, Molina said. Were looking at a rate of death that is devastating to our community.
When Molina thinks about each red marker on the map representing a human being, she said she contemplates the generational footprint this leaves on all these people and their families.
Some will have resolutions, she said. But thousands more wont.
The Indian Army is retaliating to the unprovoked act strongly and effectively.
Islamabad violated ceasefire post 6:45 a.m. and more than 7 villages have been targeted.
At least two civilians including a minor girl were killed and nine people, including four soldiers were injured as Pakistan pounded 35 villages and Indian posts with mortars along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district yesterday.
In wake of the attacks a total of 193 families, comprising of 743 persons, took shelter in camps. As many as 609 border residents were evacuated late last evening.
In another development, as many as 51 schools of the Nowshera region, and 36 of Manjakote and Doongi zones have been closed for an indefinite period. (ANI)
Maharashtra public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam on Sunday said serious consequences would follow Pakistan if it fails to adhere to the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) verdict on former Indian naval officer Kulbhushan Jadahv's case. "It is very difficult for Pakistan to disown that they are not bound by the ICJ order, otherwise very serious consequences will follow," Nikam told ANI. Nikam said the ICJ had accepted Jadhav's case only after it found merit in India's contention that Pakistan deliberately violated Vienna convention by denying consular access to him. Nikam further informed that only one day has been given for a public hearing to India and Pakistan to present their case. "Two different timing slots have been allocated. One is given to India to present its details and another to Pakistan and only one day is given in the public hearing and I expect the ICJ will give its verdict only tomorrow," he added. India, in its appeal before the ICJ, accused Pakistan of "egregious" violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations. The plea stated that Jadhav was kidnapped from Iran, where he was involved in business activities after retiring after retiring from the Indian navy, but Pakistan claimed he was arrested from Balochistan on March 3,2016. Jadhav was sentenced to death by the Field General Court Martial (FGCM) last month for his alleged involvement in espionage and sabotage activities against Pakistan. (ANI)
As the Pakistan Army continued its unprovoked ceasefire violation in Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, as many as eight villages were seriously affected in the aftermath. Pakistan had originally targetted a total of 26 villages. A total of 193 families, comprising of 743 persons, took shelter in camps. As many as 609 border residents were evacuated late last evening. In another development, as many as 51 schools of the Nowshera region, and 36 of Manjakote and Doongi zones have been closed for an indefinite period. Earlier, two civilians were killed in the ceasefire violation, to which the Indian troops gave a befitting reply. "Pakistani Army initiated indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatics, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars from 0715 hours along the Line of Control (LC) in Naushera sector," said an official statement. Following this, the evacuation of villagers in the region was taken up by the State Government, with thousands of people being relocated to safer places after the heavy area came under mortar shelling from across the border. The government set up make shift tent camps and arranged food for the dislocated. "We don't want anything. We don't want to go anywhere, don't want to go back to our place. We just request the government to shoot us," said a resident in Nowshera. The Deputy Commissioner of Rajouri, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary said earlier that the government has established four relief camps and another 26 are being identified in case people are evacuated from the region. "Four relief camps have been established and 26 others are being identified in case more evacuation is needed. We have 30 relief camps and have provided them with all facilities. Around 100 officers are on duty," Choudhary told ANI. Choudhary said around 20-25 villages are affected, out of which heavy shelling has been reported in Nowshera. He also added that two people have been killed and three others are injured, one whose condition is critical has been referred to Jammu for further treatment. "Right now the kin of the deceased are being compensated with Rs. one lakh. Later on, as per norms, we will provide them with the remaining amount," he said. He said that it is a bit challenging to evacuate people from the region in the middle of heavy shelling, but, they would try to evacuate everyone till the evening. (ANI)
With the arrest of prime accused of the alleged murder of Tripura Women's Polytechnic Institute student Anaura Choudhury(19) - her maternal uncle a cadre of CPI(M) Noor Muhammad (42), the students stormed the street demanding arrest of the doctor who had issued certificate of her death due to cardiac arrest. Noor was sent to judicial custody for two days while the court asked police to submit case dairy for deciding the plea of police remand of the accused. In forensic report, it was appeared that Anaura died due to poison in her body but the post-mortem report did not trace it. To cease the tension, police made extra deployment across the city anticipating demonstration in Agartala Govt Medical College (AGMC) demanding the arrest of the doctor. According to report, Anaura was shifted to AGMC with severe abdomen pain on April 9 last and she was left unattended without treatment in the hospital that led to her death on April 10. The doctor on duty mentioned that Anaura died in cardiac arrest and his maternal uncle Noor and his family immediately buried her. "The neighbours and her friends saw fresh blood strains on her nose but when they asked about these to Noor, he was furious and stopped them the discussion. Hurriedly, body was buried as Islamic rituals. Immediately, we went to police station and requested to ensure post-mortem of the body and forensic test but we were thrown out by the police," alleged Manisha Roy, a college student joined the movement following social media campaign. She accused police and doctors of joining hand with Noor to manage the crime committed by him and his family. Two days after when the buried body had to unearth by the civil administration for post-mortem report that indicated the presence of poison in her body and sent for forensic test. However, Trinamool Chhatra Parisad (TCP) alleged that the left government had tried to manipulate the forensic test also but the scientists did not take the risk in the case what usually they do because of the pressure from the students' community. "We were monitoring each and every step of the investigation of the case when SFI state president Nilanjana Roy on April 14 last warned agitating students to be prepared for next action if the murder case was not probe. She requested police to take action against the agitators if their claim do not establish," alleged TCP president Viky Prasad. He demanded the police to register suo-motto case against Nilanjana Roy for making an attempt to influence the entire process of investigation of Anaura Choudhury murder case through her statement made on April 14 besides, action against the doctor and the police officers. In an unusual scene, police put women's police station of Agartala under lock and key from inside since yesterday appending any demonstration there. UNI BB AKM 1019 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-893027.Xml
The post-mortem report of the Rohtak gangrape victim states that the cause of her death was due to head injury as blunt force injuries and multiple wounds were found on her skull and scalp. The report said the victim's face, tongue, eye, ears was totally distorted, which made the face totally identifiable. What makes the brutality every more evident, is that her oesophagus was missing and gnawing effects were seen over chest of the victim. Meanwhile, Haryana Inspector general of police (IG) Inspector general of police informed that two accused have been arrested in connection with the case. "We cannot tell the investigation details. Two accused has been arrested till now. The investigation is underway," said IG. A case has been registered under the Indian Penal code (IPC) 376, 365, 302 against the accused. On May 9th, a woman was brutally gang-raped and murdered, wherein later her mutilated body was found in an empty plot in Haryana's Rohtak. The incident came to light when the victim's body was found in city's IMT area. The victim had allegedly refused a marriage proposal, following which the accused reached her home a week later with his friends. A heated argument broke out which resulted in the woman slapping him. In revenge, the accused along with his friends allegedly raped and murdered her. The family of the victim said that on May 9, at least five to six youth abducted her from the gate of a private company. After that the accused took her to a deserted place and gang-raped her. The victim's mother said that the accused have been pressurizing the woman for marriage for the past one year. The forensic reports suggested that the victim was mutilated with sharp-edged weapons. Later, the accused tried to run her over to hide her identity. "The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated after the gang rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people. Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated. The victim was living with her mother and brother and used to work in a private medicine company. The woman's parents had filed a missing complaint, based on which the police tracked her parents down. The parents were called to Rohtak to identify her body. The distraught parents have claimed that this ghastly attack was carried out by the girl's neighbour and have demanded capital punishment for the rapists. (ANI)
Mystery shrouds the recovery of body of a woman patient inside a private hospital premises under Kankarbagh police station area here today as relatives of the patient indulged in violence accusing the hospital management of throwing her body from the roof of the hospital. Police said here that the family members of the patient Puja Gupta (22) smashed glass and indulged in other unlawful activities by forcing their entry into various wards of Sai Hospital alleging that the hospital management threw her body from the roof after her death during treatment. Doctors and employees of the hospital fled from the spot in panic. The woman was admitted to the hospital a few days back, police added. The irate mob also misbehaved with the police which reached the spot on receipt of information. The police used mild force to disperse the mob and bring situation under control. The relatives of the patient are natives of Kansari village under Gaurichak police station area in the district and are living in their own house at Khemnichak locality in the state capital. Police arrested six people on the charge of causing disturbance in the discharge of official duty and indulging in vandalism.UNI DH AKM 1409 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0213-893282.Xml
The National Commission for Women (NCW) Chief Lalitha Kumaramangalam on Sunday took suo moto notice in the gruesome Rohtak gang-rape and Murder case. Kumaramangalam she said that first she will be sending a team to Sonipat, following which she will visit herself. Meanwhile, NCW member Rekha Sharma, who visited the grieving family of the victim condemned the brutality and urged for death sentence for the accused. "I am shocked the way all this happened. The torture she went through is horrifying. I cannot understand why men cannot take no from a women. Like Nirbhaya case I expect death sentence for these criminals," said Sharma. "We have formed an inquiry committee; I have come here to pressure on police to expedite the process. We will also see how they frame charges and will see that the filing of the case is done properly," she added. Two accused have been arrested in connection with the case. A case has been registered under the Indian Penal code (IPC) 376, 365, 302 against the accused. On May 9th, a woman was brutally gang-raped and murdered, wherein later her mutilated body was found in an empty plot in Haryana's Rohtak. The incident occurred on May 9 and came to light when the victim's body was found in city's IMT area. The victim had allegedly refused a marriage proposal, following which the accused reached her home a week later with his friends. A heated argument broke out which resulted in the woman slapping him. In revenge, the accused along with his friends allegedly raped and murdered her. The family of the victim said that on May 9, at least five to six youth abducted her from the gate of a private company. After that the accused took her to a deserted place and gang-raped her. The victim's mother said that the accused have been pressurizing the woman for marriage for the past one year. The forensic reports suggested that the victim was mutilated with sharp-edged weapons. Later, the accused tried to run her over to hide her identity. "The victim was tortured and her body was mutilated after the gang rape. She was killed after being raped involving at least seven people. Her skull was smashed in a way which indicates that she was run over by a vehicle in order to hide her identity," the forensic team has stated. The victim was living with her mother and brother and used to work in a private medicine company. The woman's parents had filed a missing complaint, based on which the police tracked her parents down. The parents were called to Rohtak to identify her body. The distraught parents have claimed that this ghastly attack was carried out by the girl's neighbour and have demanded capital punishment for the rapists. (ANI)
The Congress on Sunday urged the Centre to investigate all the companies and ministers exposed by sacked Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) rebel leader Kapil Mishra, adding that the Narendra Modi-led government should also gauge the issue underlining AAP accepting money from anti-national elements. "Kapil Mishra has levied grave charges on Arvind Kejriwal and these accusations come under theMoney Laundering Act. Even Mr. Neel who was with Kapil Mishra had raised matching concerns earlier as well. The agencies know about all this, why has an FIR not lodged till now," said Maken. " Anand Sharma ji had before also raised a point that the AAP is accepting fund from separatists groups. We urge the Government should investigate the foreign funding of AAP. And find out which anti-national elements are funding AAP. If needed a special audit should take place. All the companies and name of ministers which he had mentioned should be brought under scrutiny," he added. Mishra earlier in the day alleged corruption in the AAP funding while stating that facts were concealed from the Income Tax department. Mishra who is currently on a hunger strike to protest against corruption by AAP said, "For three continuous years, black money was converted into white and spent on foreign trips of AAP leaders. AAP did not inform about some of its fundings which it received from fake companies." Mishra further targeted Kejriwal and revealed that 16 shell companies added money worth crores in AAP's bank accounts. "These fake companies are registered in the name of AAP MLA from Moti Nagar, Shivcharan Goyal. These companies have given Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal at 12 a.m. The fund received from these companies were sent to same branch branch of Axis Bank where there were allegations of converting black money into white at the time of demonetisation," he added. AAP has its bank account at the Krishnanagar branch of Axis Bank and all the transactions happen from there. Mishra also shared a bank cheque without a date which has already been encashed. "I file case against Arvind Kejriwal in Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday in connection with conversion of black money to white," the AAP leader said. However, the press conference took a dramatic turn when Mishra openly threatened to drag Kejriwal 'by the collar' to Tihar jail and then promptly passed out and was carried to the hospital. Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Sunday sent a summons notice to the political advisor of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Vaibhav Kumar in connection with water tanker scam. Kumar will be interrogated by the ACB on May 17. Last Thursday, Mishra made "serious allegations" against senior Delhi government functionaries in relation to the water tanker scam, which is alleged to have caused a loss of an estimated ?400 crore to the State exchequer, in a detailed statement to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB). Earlier, Mishra submitted documents related to the tanker scam to the ACB, while saying that he also apprised the agency about the misuse of the money by the Delhi government. (ANI)
Claiming that the party's leadership faced similar allegations of corruption in the past, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday went all guns blazing at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and called to stop tampering Delhi Minister Arvind Kejriwal's image. Countering sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra's allegations, AAP's Spokesperson Raghav Chadha said, "BJP is raising the same questions from last two years which were raised by Kapil Mishra today. I think he is mentally unstable." Speaking on the accusations of foreign visits, Chadha claimed that even before joining the party, he use to travel abroad. Echoing similar views, AAP senior leader Sanjay Singh alleged that BJP and Kapil Mishra are hand-in-glove. "Neel is an agent of BJP. He has also worked with BJP. I would ask BJP to stop using 'Sanghi Formula'. Refuting Mishra's claims, Singh further stated that "We have followed all the rules while taking donations. BJP is totally involved in this." Condemning the language used by Mishra in his conference, another AAP leader Ashutosh said, "I invite you, Kapil Mishra to AAP's office. I will open the door and then will make Kejriwal stand infront you.. If you won't drag him by the collar then I will think that there is still humanity left in you." In a dramatic press conference that ended with sacked Delhi minister Kapil Mishra fainting, the former accused Kejriwal of corruption and warned him to resign by the evening. Mishra said, "Arvind Kejriwal, have some shame. If you don't resign by today evening, I will drag you from your office to Tihar Jail. I'm Kapil Mishra." Mishra further alleged that for three continuous years, black money was converted into white and spent on foreign trips of the AAP leaders. "AAP did not inform about some of its funding which it received from fake companies," he said. Mishra further targeted Kejriwal and revealed that 16 shell companies added money worth crores in AAP's bank accounts. "These fake companies are registered in the name of AAP MLA from Moti Nagar, Shivcharan Goyal. These companies have given Rs 2 crore to Kejriwal at 12 a.m. The fund received from these companies were sent to same branch branch of Axis Bank where there were allegations of converting black money into white at the time of demonetisation," he added. AAP has its bank account at the Krishnanagar branch of Axis Bank and all the transactions happen from there. Mishra also shared a bank cheque without a date which has already been encashed. "I will file a case against Arvind Kejriwal in the Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday in connection with conversion of black money to white," the AAP leader said. Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) sent a summons notice to the political advisor of Kejriwal , Vaibhav Kumar in connection with water tanker scam. Kumar will be interrogated by the ACB on May 17. Last Thursday, Mishra made "serious allegations" against senior Delhi government functionaries in relation to the water tanker scam, which is alleged to have caused a loss of an estimated Rs. 400 crore to the State exchequer, in a detailed statement to the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB). Earlier, Mishra submitted documents related to the tanker scam to the ACB, while saying that he also apprised the agency about the misuse of the money by the Delhi government. (ANI)
The 34-year old, identified as Naseer Ahmed aka Sadiq, was trained by the militants operating in Banhial and adjoining area of Jammu and Kashmir
He was involved in terrorist activities in Banihal area of Ramban district along with active group of HuM militants since 2002.
In the year 2003, he moved to Pakistan and joined the HuM.
He received physical and arms training from November 2003 to January 2004 at a place called Atak (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan) by HuM/ ISI and Pakistani Army instructors, with an aim of waging war against India and to fight with Indian Security Forces in Jammu and Kashmir.
Sadiq was trained to operate weapons such as AK-47, Ak-56, SLR, Rocket Launcher (RPG7), Assault Rifle (G3 and G2) and grenades during his stint.
Aiming to carry out a terrorist mission in India, Sadiq landed in Kathmandu on May 10 from Faisalabad (Pakistan) via Sharjah (UAE), along with his accomplice Mohd Shafi.
From Kathmandu, the two parted ways and Naseer Ahmed boarded the bus to reach the Indo-Nepal Border, with the intention to sneak into the Indian Territory.
Sadiq was nabbed by the SSB forces here while attempting to sneak into Indian frontiers through from Nepal, disguised as a vendor selling carpets and Kashmiri shawls.
Upon interrogation by the SSB officials and Maharajganj District Police, he was unable to produce any documents to prove his identity. Subsequently on physical search, a Pakistani passport and identity card having address of Village - Lala Musa, Tehsil - Kharian, District- Gujarat, State - Punjab, (Pakistan) were recovered from his possession. (ANI)
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On April Fools Day, 1997, artist Tina Mion and Allan Affeldt coasted into Winslow, Arizona, in a van packed with an old basset hound, rabbits and a single chair no joke.
Graduates of University of California-Irvine, Affeldt planned to advise a local non-profit on how to save the towns most iconic building. The couple quickly realized that to save famed architect Mary Colters Route 66 masterpiece, La Posada Hotel, theyd need to buy it themselves.
Soon, Winslows fortunes found an uptick along with residents desire to reclaim their artistic, affordable hub on the Mother Road.
Then and now
At the Navajo Nations edge, 58 miles east of Flagstaff, Winslow was a railroad headquarters founded in 1880, according to documents from Winslows Old Trails Museum.
La Posada, completed in 1930, brought increased travel as well as a cultural meeting place for Hopi and Navajo until hotel operations ceased in 1957. The current owners still host public and private ceremonies and dances.
Since Jackson Browne immortalized the town in lyrics, Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona folks line up to snap photos with his bronze statue at Standing on a Corner Park, established in the heart of the city in 1999, and visit souvenir shops.
Records show the largest job sector is the service industry in the town of 9,600 people. La Posadas growth has led to more than 60 employees a real trick for a private company in a rural community, Affeldt said.
Major employers continue to be the BNSF railroad with 500 employees and the Arizona State Prison Complex-Winslow, which employs 460, according to the Arizona Department of Corrections.
Mayor Robin R. Boyd knows the inside of the prison well as a dentist. Boyd has served on City Council since 1997 and was elected mayor in 2008.
Since moving to Winslow the year after the prison complex opened in 1986, he said he has seen the town change immensely, adding, The railroad has always been the backbone of Winslow.
The population has shifted since Winslows heyday, and current demographic data shows 26 percent of the city population claims Native American heritage on the census, 52 percent in the Winslow School District. After the 2016 fatal police-involved shooting of a Dine woman, Loreal Tsingine, the police department has initiated outreach programs, like Coffee with a Cop, to reconnect with residents who have expressed their concerns, especially within the Justice For Loreal movement. Separately, the WPD is hiring a new police chief who will be expected to reinforce these ties, and the city council has proposed some social and cultural initiatives to reconnect and offer resources to the community.
Winslow also straddles a kind of political dividing line in Navajo County. Precincts north of the city on the Navajo Nation, for example, voted solidly for Clinton last November, while precincts to the south in the White Mountains went heavily for Trump. In Winslow, the vote was 47.3 percent for Trump, 41.8 percent for Clinton.
Right house
Another draw is the areas rock-bottom home prices and historic brickwork architecture. Flagstaffs median price for a single-family detached house is $343,000. But Christine Henderson, a West U.S.A. associate broker, said sales of area single-family homes in the last six months are averaging $92,225 and most spend just one or two weeks on the market.
Some Winslow residents work in Flagstaff and commute the hour to and from home, noted Boyd.
Despite its affordability, Winslow combats what locals point to as the aftershock of being bypassed by Interstate 40: roadside blight, slow job growth, and a 9 percent unemployment rate compared to the states 5 percent average, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
When Mion and Affeldt moved in, the couple said downtown essentially had been abandoned.
[La Posadas revitalization] more than anything probably helped Winslow turn the corner as far as improving, Boyd said.
The couples friend, sculptor Dan Lutzick, moved to Winslow three years ahead of them. He and his wife, Old Trails Museum Director Ann-Mary Lutzick, eventually took on a crumbling department store, once a Babbitt Mercantile, and transformed the 7,000-square-foot footprint into Snowdrift Art Space. Their home and revolving gallery is named for a historic advertisement for food shortening painted on the side of the building.
Since then, artists have continued to thrive in those converted shops purchased at the right price. Semi-hidden gems like Paul Ruschas El Gran Garage and metalsmith John Suttmans soon-to-be-renovated home and gallery across the street from Snowdrift represent creative innovation in Winslow.
After a 2005 state grant for facade and infrastructure repairs flushed Winslow with cash, the low price of building materials during the Recession helped maximize dollar-for-dollar returns on capital investments that improved the citys look, said Boyd.
Conversely, he added, the economys high-tide has led to the reverse problem now.
To increase property values, Boyd noted the city draws contractors to voluntarily demolish abandoned buildings along the towns main roads. For speedier approval or denial, City Council is incentivizing development by clearing administrative hurdles in the building permitting processes.
BRIGHT FUTURE
Today, Winslow is still the gateway to indigenous landmarks: Little Colorado River, Homolovi, Petrified National Forest, and East Clear Creek an easy-to-access lake featuring cliff walls and petroglyphs.
Affeldt and Mion, while expanding La Posadas gallery space, are refurbishing the historic train depot on the south end of the building with matched grant dollars. Proceedings are winding through a governmental clog, but they expect ground broken on the Route 66 Museum later this year.
Overseen by the Winslow Arts Trust, a collective of Affeldt, Mion, Lutzick, Ruscha and James Turrell, the museum will showcase fine arts and artifacts, including the massive Hubbell Rug and a Turrell light installation.
Boyd also noted more industries have been eyeballing Winslow even Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk scouted the city for a Supercharging station.
The crux here, he added, is Winslow is changing for the better.
In furtherance of India's "Act East Policy", Indian Naval Ships -- Shivalik and Jyoti -- are on an overseas deployment to the South East Asia and Southern Indian Ocean to ensure good order in the maritime domain and to strengthen existing bonds between India and Malaysia.The ships would be on a port visit to Kuantan from May 14 to May 19, 2017.The visit of the Indian Naval ships seeks to underscore India's peaceful presence and solidarity with friendly and harmonious countries.India and Malaysia share a rich history and a strategic relationship. A number of bilateral agreements exist between the two countries in various spheres.During the stay in harbour, various activities such as official calls, formal reception on board ships, ships open to visitors, guided tours for Indian Naval personnel and professional interaction between Naval personnel of both the nations have been planned.In April this year, Malaysian Prime Minister, Najib Razak, visited India and held bilateral talks with PM Narendra Modi to enhance the partnership between the two countries.In July last year, Admiral Tan Sri Ahmad Kamarulazaman, the Chief of Royal Malaysia Navy, visited India to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two Navies which have witnessed a steady rise in their cooperation.NS Kora, an indigenously built corvette had recently participated in LIMA-17.Indian Naval assets have been increasingly deployed in recent times to address the main maritime concerns of the region. In addition, as part of the Indian Government's vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region), the Indian Navy has also been involved in assisting countries in the Indian Ocean Region with EEZ Surveillance, Search and Rescue, and other capacity-building and capability-enhancement activities. The current deployment will contribute towards the Indian Navy's efforts to consolidate inter-operability and forge strong bonds of friendship across the seas.Over the past few decades, India has made substantial advances in terms of designing and building warships indigenously and the visiting ships bear testimony to these capabilities. INS Shivalik, a multi-role stealth frigate is commanded by Captain R Vinod Kumar while INS Jyoti, the fleet replenishment tanker is commanded by Captain S Shyam Sundar. UNI SY SNU 1556 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0093-893357.Xml
"We'll continue with the proposed strike tomorrow over issues of payment of arrears of pension amounts and wages," Shanmugam in a press briefing here.
Earlier, the efforts to resolve the issue of minimum wages failed on Saturday as well as on Sunday.
Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar and Special Deputy Commissioner of Labour A. Yasmin Begum presided over Saturday's meeting which lasted two hours.
Where the government insisted on dropping the strike, the union leaders demanded a permanent solution for addressing the issues related to payment of sum unpaid of pension amount due to the employees. (ANI)
There is an instinct in a woman to love her child the most and an instinct to make any child who needs her love, her own. Indeed, Mother is above God. God can be felt, experienced but motherly love is divine. A love that isunexplainable.On Mother's Day, children in orphanages got the ''TasteOfMothersLove'' in the most touching and inspiring way. Mother's Recipe brought together several Mothers to celebrate Mothers Day with children in orphanages across Mumbai and Delhi.The premises of Bal Sahyog, Connaught Place and SOS Children's Village India, Faridabad came alive over excited conversations, bales of laughter, riveting music and dance, fun activities like, card making workshop, photo booth with props, cake cutting ceremony and a dance competition among others. The highlight of the celebration was the joy on the faces of the children when Mother's Recipe distributed gifts to each child and when the mothers fed all the children some delicious cake. It was a heartwarming moment of Maa ke haatho ka pyaar, an experience that mothers and children enjoyed equally.Undertaken every year on the occasion of Mother's Day, ''TasteOfMothersLove'' is a touching initiative by ''Mother's Recipe'' to introduce mothers' to the idea of sharing love and happiness with the wonderful little children living in orphanages, making it memorable and enriching for them all. Brainchild of Sanjana Desai, Head Business Development, Desai Brothers Ltd said, "Words cannot describe the unmatched energy and sea of emotions each one of us experienced today. The mothers had so much love to share and watching them embracing the children, feeding them and playing with them, was truly the greatest feeling. ''''The children are so talented and were very warm and welcoming. We are delighted with the response and more importantly overjoyed to have been able to make a difference to their lives. We have also donated proceeds to each orphanage and will be extending the initiative to all our consumers across the country by donating proceeds from the sales of our special Mothers Day Mixed Pickle Bottle, allowing them to make a difference to the children in these orphanages,'' she said."The ambitious campaign which started three years ago, at present has spread mother's love with more than 900 mothers to 950 children in 18 orphanages across India. We hope to have many more hands joining the cause in the years to come", she concludes. The day was culminated by distributing gifts and goodies to all the kids, thanking the caretakers and the mothers for their formidable support and for sharing their love.UNI SY SHK 2008 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0093-893744.Xml
North Korea's mission to the United Nations has appealed the member states to reconsider implementing sanctions on the communist regime. According to South Korea's Yonhap news agency the North's mission in a press statement also accused the United States of trying to intimidate countries into fully implementing U.N. sanctions by "openly threatening that they would be faced with 'strong measures of sanction' by the U.S." "The U.S. raises its voice before the member states, claiming that many countries are not fully engaged in implementation of the 'sanction resolutions' against the DPRK and even intimidating others into the implementation, openly threatening that member nations would be faced with 'strong measures of sanction' if they do not implement or show less interest in fulfilling their obligation to implement the 'sanction resolutions'," said the statement. The statement came after the U.N. Security Council's panel of experts on North Korea sanctions urged U.N. members to strengthen enforcement of the sanctions adopted in the Security Council Resolutions 2270 and 2321. The new Donald Trump led US administration has stepped up its pressure campaign against Pyongyang while urging China to use more of its influence to rein in the provocative regime. The mission also said its hysterical to sanction restaurant businesses run by the North. "It will be only a laughing stock of the international community that with hysteria about sanctions, the U.S. has mistaken even ordinary restaurants run by the DPRK abroad for nuke or ballistic rocket manufacturers," the statement said. North Korean restaurants in other countries are not directly subject to U.N. sanctions but are often considered a major source of finance for its weapons and nuclear programs. (ANI)
The South Korean military said in a statement that the missile took off from the northwestern city of Kusong and flew more than 430 miles, The New York Times reports.
Other data was still being analysed by the South to determine the type of missile.
This was the North's first missile test since April 29 failure, despite being banned from developing or testing ballistic missiles, under a series of United Nations Security Council resolutions.
Meanwhile, South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered an urgent meeting of top security officials to discuss the launch.
North Korea has been trying to build a reliable intermediate-range ballistic missile, which would be capable of reaching American military bases in the Pacific.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he would be "honoured" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un under the right circumstances. (ANI)
"We can make a fast decision," The Telegraph quoted Trump, as saying.
"I think the process is going to go quickly."
It's reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions began interviewing candidates for the role on Saturday.
Trump's comments came ahead of an address to students at Liberty University.
Trump has already suggested a new candidate for the FBI director, who would need to be confirmed by the senate. The candidate may be chosen as soon as this week, before Trump leaves on his first foreign trip since taking office.
The first candidate to meet Sessions was Alice Fisher, a 50-year-old white-collar Washington crime lawyer.
55-year-old Michael Garcia, an associate judge on New York's highest court, and John Cornyn, the second most senior Republican in the Senate are also said to be in the running.
Andrew McCabe, the acting director of the FBI since Comey was fired is also being considered. (ANI)
Trump urged the graduates to "embrace the label" of being an outsider and to not "swim downstream so easily with the current."
"No one has ever achieved anything significant without a chorus of critics standing on the sideline saying why it can't be done," he said.
"Nothing is easier or more pathetic than being a critic."
Trump, as he spoke before the Christian university, dubbed the criticism of his actions as a sign that he was "doing honourable work in remarks that touched upon religion but were not particularly imbued with religious overtones," CNN reports.
"You aren't going to let other people tell you what you believe, especially when you know that you're right," the President said.
"We don't need a lecture from Washington on how to lead our lives."
"Be totally unafraid to challenge entrenched interests and failed power structures," he said, adding, "Does that sound familiar, by the way?" (ANI)
Elections could not be held after 1997 due to the decade-long Maoist insurgency that has claimed more than 16,000 lives till now.
In the first round of elections for local bodies, around 50,000 contenders are vying for the 13,556 positions, the Anadolu Agency reports.
A vast majority of 15 million Nepalis who are eligible to vote will cast their ballot in 6,642 polling stations across the country, said Surya Prasad Sharma, an Election Commission spokesman.
As many as 46,000 civil servants have been deployed at the polling stations that will be guarded by about 75,000 security forces including over 20,000 temporary police recruit, according to the Election Commission.
The second round of elections is scheduled for mid-June.
However, doubts over the commencement of the second phase of the polls still dominate discussions in the political and public space.
The opposition is demanding that the second phase of polls be preponed, as the date for announcing the budget is prior to the date of the second phase and might influence voters.
Meanwhile, the political parties in Nepal reportedly reached an agreement to move ahead on the Constitution amendment process in Parliament on May 18. (ANI)
This is the first provocative move from North Korea since South Korea appointed Moon Jae-in as the country's new President on Wednesday.
"North Korea fired an unidentified missile at around 5.27 a.m. today (Sunday) from an area in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan province," Yonhap News Agency quoted the JCS as saying in a statement.
In response, President Moon has strongly condemned North Korea for the launch, describing it as a grave threat to regional security and a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
He also called on Pyongyang to reverse its course of provocations for the resumption of dialogue while warning that his administration would deal resolutely in order to ensure it would not "miscalculate" the situation.
"Even if dialogue is possible, (we) should show (to North Korea) that it's possible only in case of North Korea changing its attitude," Moon said, presiding over a session of the National Security Council.
The US Pacific Command, based in Hawaii, also announced that it detected and tracked the launch of the missile, which landed in the East Sea.
"The type of missile is being assessed, and the flight was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile," it said.
"The US Pacific Command is fully committed to working closely with our Republic of Korea and Japanese allies to maintain security."
The Japanese government said the North's missile flew for half an hour.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed Pyongyang for again violating the UN Security Council resolutions.
--IANS ksk
( 282 Words)
2017-05-14-08:24:09 (IANS)
The biggest ever collection of rare and unique objects from the Viking age found in Britain has been given a new permanent home at Scotland's national museum in Edinburgh. Queen Elizabeth's official representative in Scotland told National Museums Scotland (NMS) that it must make a payment within six months of 1.98 million pounds ($2.56 million) to the man who discovered the buried treasure, Xinhua news agency reported. Using a metal detector, he unearthed the treasure in the Dumfries and Galway area that had been buried for 1,000 years. Known as the Galloway Hoard, the collection was described by NMS as unparalleled find of Viking-age gold, silver and jewelled treasures. A spokesman for NMS said on Saturday: "The hoard, which brings together the richest collection of rare and unique Viking-age objects ever found in Britain or Ireland, is of international significance and will transform our understanding of this period of Scottish history." "The Galloway Hoard is of outstanding international significance. We now have six months to raise 1.98 million pounds to acquire this unique treasure for the nation and ensure it can be enjoyed by future generations both at home and abroad," said NMS Director Gordon Rintoul. Martin Goldberg, senior curator of Early Medieval and Viking Collections at NMS, said: "Nothing like this has ever been found in Scotland. The stories it can tell will expand our knowledge of the Viking Age." NMS, which runs the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, wants a selection of the find to be displayed at the Kirkcudbright Art Gallery, close to where it was discovered. The Viking Age is the period from the late 8th century to the mid-11th century in European history. --IANS ksk ( 293 Words) 2017-05-14-09:44:11 (IANS)
On paper, its a review and a listening tour.
But if, as many suspect, the Trump White House has already decided it wants to rescind more than two dozen national monuments dating back to the Clinton presidency, then charade is a more accurate term.
Why are some skeptical about just how objective the review by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke will be? For starters, there was the Trump hyperbole on the campaign trail about federal land grabs even though most of the new monuments were already managed by the Bureau of Land Management.
Then there is the statement by Zinke justifying his review as "the first ever formal public comment period for members of the public to officially weigh in on monument designations under the Antiquities Act of 1906."
But as Bill Hedden of the Grand Canyon Trust has pointed out, a highly public campaign addressing protection for Bears Ears began in 2011 with an effort by the Native American-led nonprofit Utah Dine Bikeyah. In 2015, an intertribal coalition began to develop a more formal proposal for a Bears Ears national monument. Then in both 2015 and 2016 Obama Administration officials made visits to the area, holding a public meeting last year that local news agencies reported was attended by more than 1,400 people.
6 YEARS VS. 15 DAYS
Yet what took six years of input Zinke wants to truncate now to 15 days thats the window for public comment he has set for Bears Ears.
In all, there are five national monuments in the Four Corners area covering 4.5 million acres that Zinke will be reviewing under Trumps April 27 executive order. If the White House and/or Congress act to rescind them, there will almost surely be a court battle that will take years. So Bears Ears and other monuments arent going away anytime soon.
But the review itself raises questions about just how much local citizens can count on the permanence of federal land use designations. Will this set a precedent for White House reviews and rescissions every four years? And will the states be expected to step in as land owners and administrators, even if they disagree with the decisions? The national parks and monuments in Arizona alone are a $995 million a year boon to local economies. There needs to be predictability beyond the four-year presidential campaign cycle.
FEW CHANGES
The irony about all of the grandstanding over monument designations for some BLM and Forest Service lands is that most of the dire predictions about ranchers kicked off grazing allotments and wrecked local economies simply havent come to pass. Vermilion Cliffs, Grand Canyon-Parashant and Grand Staircase-Escalante have seen little, if any, change in uses in the last two decades. The biggest change denying new uranium mining permits for 20 years in the Grand Canyon watershed hasnt occurred inside a national monument, and so far the Trump White House isnt talking about lifting that ban.
As we have noted in past editorials, collaboration among various stakeholders in setting proposed monument boundaries and uses is always better than unilateral executive action (Congressional action, all agree, is a lost cause.) The original proposed area for Bears Ears shrank considerably by the time President Obama issued his declaration, but well acknowledge that Grand Staircase-Escalante emerged from below radar at the last minute. And we suppose there is still room for designating parts of the new monuments for more intensive uses, with limited motorized travel corridors for forest restoration.
But on the whole, western monuments succeed because they can protect natural and cultural resources on a landscape level. Carving out corridors for highways, power lines and mining operations defeats the purpose of preserving the integrity and balance of natural areas.
TWO WORDS: 'GRAND CANYON'
To those who say national monuments were never intended for anything other than limited cultural sites and natural features, we have a two-word response: Grand Canyon. Teddy Roosevelt came and saw a natural wonder of the world under threat from mining and unbridled tourism. He unilaterally designated it a national monument, buying it time until Congress could declare it a national park in 1919. No one today has any regrets over Roosevelts action, and that is true 100 or even 50 years out from most decisions to protect wildlands from development and overuse.
If Ryan Zinke does his homework, he will find a legacy of federal stewardship of special lands in the West that, although imperfect, is far preferable to turning them over to private enterprise by way of the states. These are lands belonging to all U.S. citizens, and survey after survey shows the public wants them protected, especially in a region with rapid population growth and backcountry access. If Zinke has a better idea than monuments and national parks, let him spell him out in detail and defend it then conduct another listening tour that we hope lasts longer than 15 days.
The official told Efe news on Saturday that the civilians from al-Zanjili neighbourhood in western Mosul were executed after they were caught attempting to escape.
He pointed out that IS extremists hanged the bodies of the victims from electricity poles after declaring them apostates for trying to leave "the land of the caliphate".
Al-Bayati added that the civilians had also been accused of providing information to Iraqi security forces.
Iraqi government forces are now struggling to expel IS miliatts from the western part of Mosul, where some neighbourhoods are still controlled by the extremists.
The IS seized large swaths of northern Iraq in the summer of 2014 and proclaimed a caliphate in the territory under its control in that Arab country and neighbouring Syria.
It made the city of Mosul its main stronghold.
--IANS ksk
( 179 Words)
2017-05-14-09:44:12 (IANS)
North Korea on Sunday launched a ballistic missile which flew around 700 km, the South Korean Joints Chief of Staff (JCS) said. This is the first provocative move from North Korea since South Korea appointed Moon Jae-in as the country's new President on Wednesday. The US calculated that the missile landed in water 60 miles south of Russia's Vladivostok region, an American security official told CNN. Vladivostock is home to the Russian Pacific Fleet. The US called for repercussions from the international community. "Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea," White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said in a statement. "North Korea fired an unidentified missile at around 5.27 a.m. today (Sunday) from an area in the vicinity of Kusong, North Pyongan province," Yonhap News Agency quoted the JCS as saying in a statement. A US defence official confirmed that it flew that far, but said Washington was still investigating to determine the type of missile. In response, South Korean President Moon has strongly condemned North Korea for the launch, describing it as a grave threat to regional security and a clear violation of the UN Security Council resolutions. He also called on Pyongyang to reverse its course of provocations for the resumption of dialogue while warning that his administration would deal resolutely in order to ensure it would not "miscalculate" the situation. "Even if dialogue is possible, (we) should show (to North Korea) that it's possible only in case of North Korea changing its attitude," Moon said, presiding over a session of the National Security Council. Moon asked for a review of a missile system that is being developed to protect South Korea. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also slammed the launch, reports CNN. "Despite strong warning from the international community, North Korea launched a ballistic missile again," Abe said, adding "This is totally unacceptable and we strongly protest it. North Korea's missile launch is a serious threat to Japan and clearly violate against the UN resolution." The projectile launch comes two weeks after a ballistic missile test that South Korean and US officials said failed. That missile, launched on April 29, blew up over land in North Korean territory, according to a spokesman for the US Pacific Command. Though tensions between the United States and North Korea have been higher than usual over the past few months, a senior North Korean diplomat told Yonhap News Agency on Saturday that Pyongyang is open to talks with Washington "under the right conditions". --IANS ksk ( 434 Words) 2017-05-14-10:18:10 (IANS)
Baloch Republican Party (BRP) member from Germany, Ashraf Sherjan has advised countries joining China's the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, to first consider the situation in Balochistan before taking any step further. "I would request all other countries to consider the situation of Balochistan before joining the OBOR project," Sherjan said. Asserting that the OBOR initiative is almost linked with the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Sherjan said the people and leaders of Balochistan have already rejected the CPEC project. He further said that the CPEC is not in the interest of people of Balochistan but only for people of Punjab province and Pakistan. "We the people of Balochistan have even rejected Pakistan and China. So, we request to the countries that are joining this OBOR initiative, we want to inform them before they take any step forward for OBOR that please considered the situation in Balochistan and see what is happening in Balochistan. Just to make China happy due to the CPEC, Pakistan is already killing the people of Balochistan," he said. Sherjan added that a slow motion of Balochistan genocide is going on just because of the CPEC. "But in between interest of China and in interest of Pakistan and for the people of Balochistan, there is no benefit and no interest in this project," he said. He asserted that Baloch leaders in exile have been protesting against the CPEC and they will continue to do so against Pakistan and China. "So, I and the Baloch nation request to countries which are joining the OBOR that they will be on the losing side. So better don't waste your time, don't waste your energy and don't waste your money on the OBOR," he said. Sherjan also appreciated India for skipping the OBOR summit in Beijing beginning today. Baloch people and activists have been consistently protesting against the CPEC, alleging that Pakistan is only concerned about exploiting the resources of Balochistan for Beijing and its advantage. Considered to be a part of China's One Belt, One Road initiative, the USD 51 billion CPEC will cover significant parts of Balochistan, Sindh and the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). (ANI)
World Baloch Women's Forum president Naela Quadri Baloch has raised questions on the world leaders who are supporting and contributing to the One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative of China. At a time when the world leaders have congregated to attend the two-day ceremony One Belt One Road summit , Baloch Kurd liberation activist Naela Baloch asked "Why the world leaders are deciding about Balochistan in the name of development." Naela Baloch accused the Pakistani Army of carrying out brutal activities in Balochistan. She said thousands of women are kept in rape cells where they are confined and subjected to brutal sexual assault. She maintained that her struggle for liberation is not limited to women but extended to all quarters of Balochistan . "The Baloch lawyers, doctors and engineers are being kidnapped by the Pakistani army," she said. Stating that Pakistan is committing this genocide of the Baloch people with the full support of China as a form of "ethnic cleansing", Naela said, "The International Human Rights is silent despite the atrocities and the level of genocide going on in Balochistan by the Pakistan Army and the Pakistani establishment. " Accusing the Pakistan Army of having the licence to "kill, rape and torture Baloch people and to take out their organs to sell them", Naela has demanded that the United Nations - which has "turned blind and has closed its ears and mouth" - to wake up and listen what is going on in Balochistan. "So, the Baloch nation is going to be finished from the face of the earth and the U.N. is silent and the international community is silent, it's a very-very worrisome situation for us," she added. (ANI)
A spokesperson of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic service, noted in a statement that North Korea move seriously violated multiple UN Security Council resolutions.
"This and previous launches constitute a threat to international peace and security and further aggravate tensions in the region at a time when de-escalation is instead needed," the spokesperson said.
"North Korea must halt these launches and abandon its ballistic missiles programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner," the spokesperson stressed, adding "the same holds true for its nuclear, nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction programmes."
The spokesperson urged the Korean country to "engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue with the international community," proclaiming that the EU "is ready to support such a process for dialogue."
Pyongyang launched what believed to be a ballistic missile early Sunday, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.
The "unidentified missile" was fired early Sunday morning from a site near the city of Kusong in North Pyongan Province, the news agency quoted the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying.
The US Pacific Command confirmed that the missile , fired by the country Saturday, landed in the Sea of Japan.
--IANS ahm/
( 239 Words)
2017-05-15-01:40:09 (IANS)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-13 23:12:18|Editor: An
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Hong Kong, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chief Executive of China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Leung Chun-ying on Saturday left here for Beijing to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held on Sunday and Monday.
Speaking to the media at the airport, Leung said he will introduce Hong Kong's strengths to foreign heads of state and overseas and mainland businessmen during the forum.
Leung said Hong Kong, as a part of China, has not only the "one country" advantages, but also the privileges of "two systems" and can play a unique role in facilitating the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, was proposed by China in 2013 with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
Iranian President and presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani speaks while attending a campaign rally in the capital Tehran on May 13, 2017. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
TEHRAN, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Iranian pilgrims travelling to Saudi Arabia for this year's Hajj ceremonies will be kitted up with electronic bracelets to "avert possible problems," Tasnim news agency quoted an official as saying on Saturday.
Iran Electronics Industries has designed and manufactured the bracelets and will also process data from the devices, Head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization Hamid Mohammadi told Tasnim.
It will be undoubtedly a great help to the (Hajj) pilgrims and will contribute to better services to the travellers, he added.
It was announced here in March that Iran was in talks with Saudi officials to resolve the issues which had hampered the dispatch of pilgrims to the annual Muslim ceremonies in the Saudi Arabian city of Mecca.
Most of the disputed issues had been resolved in the negotiations with Saudi Arabia, and hopefully the remaining problems would be settled, Iran's representative in Hajj and pilgrimage affairs, Ali Qazi-Askar, said.
Iran plans to send at least 80,000 nationals to Saudi Arabia for Hajj pilgrimage in summer this year.
Iran decided to withdraw from sending the pilgrims to the last year Hajj season, in which it cited the reason for fearing the safety of its pilgrims after the deadly stampede in Hajj of 2015.
More than 450 Iranians were among 2300 pilgrims who died in stampede in Mina area.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 02:22:55|Editor: yan
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by Apollinaire Niyirora
BUJUMBURA, May 13 (Xinhua) -- The transport sector in Burundi is affected following an oil shortage hitting the east African nation for about a month, car owners and users told Xinhua.
In the Burundian capital Bujumbura, several people who used to take taxis or minibuses to their workplaces now walk because taxis and passenger minibuses are scarce due to the acute shortage of oil products.
"Due to the shortage of passenger minibuses, I have now decided to walk to my office every morning because there are limited chances to get a minibus at the bus station,"
"If I wait for the bus, I will get it around 8:30 a.m. or at 9:00 a.m. whereas I have to report to work at 7:30 a.m. at the latest," said Jean Marie Niyonzima, residing at Kigobe in the north of the capital Bujumbura and working in a pharmacy in Bujumbura city center.
Another female worker, who used to take a taxi to her workplace, now walks to her office, or requests a ride as the price of a taxi has also increased due to the scarcity of oil.
"Before, I had a taxi-man who would take me from home to the office and after work, from the office to my house. But now, I have to join a team of other persons walking to the city center, or if I feel weak, I request a ride from neighbors," Sylvie Bendahafi, residing at Musaga in the south of the capital and working in a bakery in the capital city, said.
She indicated that she is unable to pay a taxi whose fare has now doubled.
Drivers of taxis as well as owners of cars in general face challenges getting gasoline at petrol stations both in the capital and the countryside.
"When I learn that a given petrol station has received oil products, I have to be there with my taxi at 3 o'clock early in the morning so that I will be among the first to be served. Unfortunately, the petrol station attendants cannot accept to give me the needed quantity of gasoline. This means that one day later, I will have to queue again for gasoline at a petrol station," Jacques Harabagabo, a taxi driver said.
He said that he has avoided taking passengers far from Bujumbura city center because his car would use a lot of gasoline.
Harabagabo added that he is not making money because people now walk instead of taking taxis because the taxi fare has gone on the rise.
"We (taxi drivers) get money when it is raining as people don't have any other choices than taking taxis," he said.
Harabagabo said that some car drivers can get oil products after seeking them at three or four petrol stations with a risk of getting an empty tank before reaching a petrol station.
As gasoline is scarce at petrol stations, it is nevertheless secretly sold in some neighborhoods mainly at Buyenzi in the Burundian capital Bujumbura at higher prices.
Herman Bizimana, a taxi driver, told Xinhua that a liter of gasoline sold at 2,100 Burundi francs (1.2 U.S. dollars) at petrol stations is now purchased at 7,000 Burundi francs (4.1 dollars) at the black market at Buyenzi.
"We have increased the price of transport because the price of gasoline has also increased. Queuing at petrol stations really gives us a headache. You can spend a whole day or even two days queuing from a petrol station to another for gasoline," said Bizimana.
In April, Burundian Energy Minister Come Manirakiza told lawmakers at the National Assembly -- the country's parliament lower chamber that the oil shortage was due to the "failure" by the Burundian government to "have enough" hard currency.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, the energy ministry announced that petrol stations should only open during daytime, between 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to avoid "possible" fraud.
The Burundi Consumers' Association (ABUCO) has called on the east African country's government to quickly solve the oil crisis hitting the country.
"Urging petrol stations to open during daytime hours is not a solution to the fuel crisis. Urgent solutions to this (fuel) crisis need to be found by the government," the ABUCO said.
It further warned that Burundi's economy will face a "terrible decline" if the oil crisis continues to deepen.
Burundi has been facing a political and economic crisis following the controversial third term bid of President Pierre Nkurunziza in April 2015.
Several partners of Burundi including the European Union (EU) have frozen their financial aid towards the east African country's government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 08:00:16|Editor: liuxin
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SAN FRANCISCO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- A research using time-lapse photography in the Galapagos Marine Reserve, a thousand kilometers from the Ecuadorian mainland, suggests the presence of a key multilevel "trophic cascade" involving top- and mid-level predators as well as urchins and algae.
In the rocky, species-rich subtidal area, of about 133,000 square km off the Galapagos Islands, researchers examined the relationships among predatory fishes, urchins, the algae that the urchins graze on, and how the interactions among them were influenced by se
a lions and sharks at the top of the food chain.
The key question for researchers: Do predators high up in the chain affect the abundance of the "primary producers" at the bottom -- in this case algae -- thus causing a trophic cascade?
Using GoPro cameras, researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) and Brown University made a number of key findings regarding triggerfish, Spanish hogfish, pencil urchins, the larger green urchins and algae, including:
-- Among a diverse guild of predatory fishes, triggerfish can control the abundance of pencil urchins and thus also the abundance of algae the urchins eat; the experiments showed grazing on algae was eliminated when the pencil urchins were exposed to triggerfish predation, meaning triggerfish are a candidate for protection because of their strong effects on ecosystem function.
-- Green urchins eat more algae than pencil urchins yet are not the urchin prey of choice for predatory fish.
That suggests those fish aren' t controlling green urchin populations and thus that green-urchin barrens in the Galapagos - areas where the urchins have stripped the sea floor of algae - are not the result of the overfishing of predatory fish.
-- Spanish hogfish are not major predators of urchins as earlier, survey-based research had suggested.
Hogfish mainly eat the smaller pencil urchins and also interfere with triggerfish feeding on large pencil urchins; the hassling hogfish cause triggerfish to spend more time to eat an urchin and in some cases force a fumble.
Statistical modeling of predation on pencil urchins indicates that two types of interference behavior -- the hogfish harassing the triggerfish, and sea lions and sharks startling the triggerfish -- could slow the rate of triggerfish predation on pencil urchins.
The researcher who did the modeling, Mark Novak of the College of Science at OSU, noted that historically, ecologists believed complex food webs typical of the tropics were more immune to trophic cascades than the simpler food webs of higher latitudes.
However, studies such as this one now suggest that is not the case, and that the dynamics of complex food webs can be as predictable as simpler ones provided you understand who the relevant players are.
"When the backbone of the system is strong, you can connect the top of the food chain to the bottom despite all of the indirect effects and the complexities of the system," Novak, assistant professor of integrative biology, was quoted as saying in a news release.
"It's important to know individual species identity when you've got a suite of consumers. The hogfish, the triggerfish, they all feed on very similar things, yet one of the two is most important, the one that drove that first link."
The findings, published in PLOS One, are important because they include detailed information about interactions in a complex food web, and crucial to knowing how to cause, prevent or reverse population changes within the web.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 10:23:00|Editor: Liangyu
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BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- President Xi Jinping said Sunday the Belt and Road should be built into a road for peace, as the pursuit of the initiative requires a peaceful and stable environment.
"The ancient silk routes thrived in times of peace, but lost vigor in times of war. The pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative requires a peaceful and stable environment," said Xi while delivering a keynote speech at the opening of the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.
"We should foster a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation; and we should forge partnerships of dialogue with no confrontation and of friendship rather than alliance," he said.
All countries should respect each other's sovereignty, dignity and territorial integrity, each other's development paths and social systems, and each other's core interests and major concerns, said Xi.
"Some regions along the ancient Silk Road used to be a land of milk and honey. Yet today, these places are often associated with conflict, turbulence, crisis and challenge. Such state of affairs should not be allowed to continue," said Xi.
He called for fostering the vision of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security, and creating a security environment built and shared by all.
Xi also urged the Belt and Road to be built into a road of prosperity.
"In pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative, we should focus on the fundamental issue of development, release the growth potential of various countries and achieve economic integration and interconnected development and deliver benefits to all," he said.
He said, "We should establish a stable and sustainable financial safeguard system that keeps risks under control, create new models of investment and financing, encourage greater cooperation between government and private capital and build a diversified financing system and a multi-tiered capital market."
Stressing infrastructure connectivity, Xi called for promoting land, maritime, air and cyberspace connectivity, focusing on key passageways, cities and projects, and connecting networks of highways, railways and sea ports.
President Xi proclaims Silk Road spirit
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday proclaimed the Silk Road spirit, saying it has become a great heritage of human civilization.
Spanning thousands of miles and years, the ancient silk routes embody the spirit of "peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit," he said. Full Story
Pursuit of Belt and Road Initiative "not to reinvent the wheel": Xi
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday that the pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative is not meant to reinvent the wheel.
"Rather, it aims to complement the development strategies of countries involved by leveraging their comparative strengths," Xi said in a keynote speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Full Story
Xi says China involved in major Belt and Road connectivity projects
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- China has engaged in the construction of several major projects to improve infrastructure connectivity under the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday.
China, in cooperation with relevant countries, has accelerated the building of Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, China-Laos railway, Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway and Hungary-Serbia railway, and upgraded Gwadar and Piraeus ports, Xi said in a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Full Story
China to contribute additional 100 billion RMB to Silk Road Fund
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- China will contribute an additional 100 billion yuan (about 14.5 billion U.S. dollars) to the Silk Road Fund, President Xi Jinping said Sunday.
Xi made the announcement at the opening ceremony of the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. Full Story
Pursuit of Belt and Road not intends to form small group: Xi
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday that in pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative, China has no intention to form a small group detrimental to stability.
"What we hope to create is a big family of harmonious co-existence," Xi said when delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Full Story
Xi urges anti-corruption cooperation in Belt and Road development
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday urged strengthening international counter-corruption cooperation so that the Belt and Road will be a road with high ethical standards.
Xi made the remarks in a keynote speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Full Story
Xi says Belt and Road open to nations beyond Asia, Europe, Africa
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday the Belt and Road Initiative focuses on the Asian, European and African countries, but is also open to all other countries. "All countries, from either Asia, Europe, Africa or the Americas, can be international cooperation partners of the Belt and Road Initiative," Xi said when delivering a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. Full Story
China to set up liaison office for follow-up activities of BRF
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- China will set up a liaison office for the follow-up activities of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, President Xi Jinping said Sunday at the opening ceremony of the forum.
China will put in place a Research Center for the Belt and Road Financial and Economic Development, the Facilitating Center for Building the Belt and Road, the Multilateral Development Financial Cooperation Center in cooperation with multilateral development banks, and an IMF-China Capacity Building Center. Full Story
China to host China International Import Expo starting 2018
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- China will host the China International Import Expo starting from 2018, President Xi Jinping said Sunday.
Xi made the announcement at the opening ceremony of the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. Full Story
Chinese banks to lend 380 billion RMB to support Belt and Road cooperation
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Two Chinese banks will set up special lending schemes worth a total of 380 billion yuan (about 55.1 billion U.S. dollars) to support Belt and Road cooperation, President Xi Jinping said Sunday.
Xi made the announcement at the opening ceremony of the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing. Full Story
Belt and Road should be road of opening up: Xi
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday said the Belt and Road Initiative should be an open one that will achieve both economic growth and balanced development.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 11:23:30|Editor: liuxin
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CHICAGO, May 13 (Xinhua) -- U.S. special police killed on Saturday a prisoner who took a nurse as hostage at an Illinois hospital, ending an hours-long standoff.
The 21-year-old inmate, Tywon Salters, had been receiving treatment since May 8 at the hospital, some 55 km west of Chicago, local media reported.
On Saturday afternoon, he stole a gun from the correctional officer who escorted him and held a female nurse as hostage inside the hospital for several hours.
A SWAT team was sent in as negotiators were trying to persuade Salters to give up, said Kane County Sheriff's Office spokesman Patrick Gengler.
"Unfortunately, the negotiation broke down and the SWAT team made a decision to make entry into the room," said the spokesman.
Salters was gunned down fatally during the operation. The nurse survived and is now being treated for trauma. An investigation has been launched into the incident.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 12:04:27|Editor: MJ
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, May 14, 2017. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 12:24:00|Editor: An
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BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday the vision of the Belt and Road Initiative is becoming a reality and bearing rich fruit four years after it was proposed.
Belt and Road countries have seen increased connectivity in policies, infrastructure, trade and finance, as well as strengthened people-to-people bonds, Xi said in a keynote speech delivered at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
Xi first proposed the initiative, which aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient trade routes, in autumn 2013.
In policy coordination, Xi said China has signed cooperation agreements with over 40 countries and international organizations, and carried out framework cooperation on production capacity with more than 30 countries.
During the forum, a number of cooperation agreements on policy connectivity and action plans will be signed, Xi announced.
China will also launch Belt and Road cooperation initiative on trade connectivity together with some 60 countries and international organizations, he said.
The pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative is "not meant to reinvent the wheel," Xi told delegates.
"Rather, it aims to complement the development strategies of countries involved by leveraging their comparative strengths," he said.
Regarding facilities connectivity, Xi said China and relevant countries have accelerated the building of Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway, China-Laos railway, Addis Ababa-Djibouti railway and Hungary-Serbia railway, and upgraded Gwadar and Piraeus ports.
A large number of connectivity projects are also in the pipeline, he noted.
He spoke of a multi-dimensional infrastructure network taking shape, underpinned by economic corridors such as China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor and the New Eurasian Continental Bridge.
The network features land-sea-air transportation routes and information expressway and is supported by major railway, port and pipeline projects, Xi said.
In addition, countries have facilitated trade and investment and improved business environment.
Customs clearance time for agricultural produce exported from Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries to China has been cut by 90 percent, Xi noted.
Trade between China and other Belt and Road countries exceeded 3 trillion U.S. dollars in the 2014-2016 period, and China's investment in these countries surpassed 50 billion dollars, he said.
Chinese companies have set up 56 economic cooperation zones in over 20 countries, generating some 1.1 billion dollars of tax revenue and 180,000 jobs for them.
Financial cooperation has been expanded, with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank having provided 1.7 billion dollars of loans for nine projects in Belt and Road countries, Xi said in the speech.
The Silk Road Fund has made 4 billion dollars of investment, while the 16+1 financial holding company between China and Central and Eastern European countries has been inaugurated, he noted.
Meanwhile, cooperation in science, education, culture, health and people-to-people exchange has helped lay a solid popular and social foundation for pursuing the Belt and Road development, Xi said.
Every year, the Chinese government provides 10,000 government scholarships to relevant countries, with special Silk Road scholarships set up by local governments, he elaborated.
Projects like Silk Road culture year, tourism year, art festival and think tank dialogue are also flourishing.
The fruitful outcomes show the Belt and Road Initiative responds to the trend of the times, conforms to the law of development, and meets the people's interests, Xi said, noting that the initiative "surely has broad prospects."
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Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 13:13:55|Editor: MJ
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Argentinean President Mauricio Macri arrives in Beijing, capital of China, May 14, 2017, to attend the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation and pay a state visit to China. (Xinhua/Li He)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 13:34:16|Editor: liuxin
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JAKARTA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's town of Ubud in Bali Island has been picked by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as gastronomic tourism development model in a recent forum held by the international organization in the Spanish city of San Sebastian.
Indonesia is required to submit reports to address the task, an official statement said on Sunday.
The reports would eventually be exposed in next year's UNWTO World Forum on Gastronomy Tourism, Revita Datau Messakh, head of a team to accelerate culinary and shopping tourism at the Tourism Ministry, said the statement.
Speaking at the forum, Revita said Ubud and four other destinations - Yogyakarta, Semarang, Solo and Bandung - have been assigned by the ministry to highlight gastronomic tourism so as to give more tour alternative and experiences for foreign visitors during their visits to Indonesia.
She said Indonesia applies the triangle concept which digs philosophic aspects of food, culture and history to developing its gastronomic tourism.
"Food and history are connected by spices. History and culture are connected by storytelling, meanwhile rituals link food and culture," Revita said.
"The meat and spices represent prosperity and enhancements, meanwhile coconut milk and red chili refer to integration and a good lesson," Revita interprets the Indonesian philosophy featured in Rendang, a dish which was on CNN's list of World's Best Food in 2011.
Indonesia has myriad of traditional food recipes developed by 1,340 tribes inhabiting more than 17,000 islands across its tropical territory, she said.
"The ministry now has registered around 5,000 recipes of traditional foods from all of those tribes," she added.
The move to develop culinary tourism is set as tourism has been set as the nation's core industry.
The government aims to attract some 20 million foreign visitors and earn more than 24 billion U.S. dollars from tourism by 2019.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 14:04:20|Editor: An
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Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, May 14, 2017. (Xinhua/Pang Xinglei)
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said here on Sunday that he salutes China's "large-scale" Belt and Road Initiative and called for greater Eurasian partnership.
Putin made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Initiative Forum for International Cooperation taking place in Beijing on May 14-15.
Calling the Belt and Road Initiative an example of cooperation in such fields as infrastructure, transport and industry, the Russian president said his country has supported the initiative from the very beginning.
He said the historical experience of cooperation between countries linked by the ancient Silk Road through Asia, Europe and Africa is important in the 21st century when the world is facing "very serious challenges."
Putin called for more cooperation to meet worldwide challenges like unbalanced development in globalization, poverty and regional conflicts, saying that Russia is working with its partners to advance the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU), among others.
The integration of the Belt and Road Initiative, the EEU, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has laid the groundwork for building a great Eurasian partnership, he said.
Meanwhile, Putin urged concrete actions to materialize these existing initiatives by facilitating flow of goods, cooperation between enterprises of different countries, infrastructure construction and establishment of joint and large-scale research institutions.
He said the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China is "very timely and promising."
The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China in 2013 consists of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road. It aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.
During a visit to Moscow in May 2015, Chinese President Xi Jinping signed an agreement with Putin on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the EEU, which currently groups Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia.
Source: Xinhuanet| 2017-05-14 15:21:46|Editor: MJ
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BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhuanet) -- The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation is to provide an opportunity to increase connectivity among participating countries, Swiss Ambassador to China Jean-Jacques de Dardel said during a recent interview with Xinhuanet.
The forum will provide an opportunity for various countries to meet in a whole new setting," he said.
"We hope that this bears the chance to create a new and positive dynamic, where a community of countries can work together on a common aim: increasing connectivity, the ambassador said.
Swiss President Doris Leuthards attendance at the forum shows Switzerlands readiness to contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative, he added.
The Initiative was proposed by China in 2013 with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
Ambassador Jean-Jacques de Dardel affirmed in the interview that the increasing connectivity will entail more than mere infrastructure cooperation.
In addition to the cooperation in infrastructure construction, he listed another four pillars the Initiative has set up, including investment and trade cooperation, financial cooperation, policy coordination, promotion of people-to-people exchange.
He also expressed the willingness of Switzerland to further enhance collaboration with China in these fields.
In recent years, the Sino-Swiss relations have been greatly promoted, with deepened cooperation in areas such as trade, finance, innovation industries and climate changes, he said.
And China has become the third-largest market for Swiss exports worldwide after the EU and the US, he said.
Against this backdrop, the Belt and Road forum will serve as an important platform that provides the two countries with opportunities for more exchanges and deeper collaboration, he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 14:43:10|Editor: MJ
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Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, May 14, 2017. (Xinhua/Li Xueren)
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 14:54:30|Editor: liuxin
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NEW DELHI, May 14 (Xinhua) -- In a chilling reminder of the 2012 Delhi gangrape case, a 23-year-old woman was kidnapped, gangraped and killed in the northern Indian state of Haryana.
The horrific incident took place in the state's Rohtak district, barely 70 kms away from the national capital, last Tuesday, but it came to light only Saturday when her body was found lying in a vacant plot, with her skull in pieces and parts bitten off stray animals.
Police said Sunday they have arrested two suspects in connection with the brutal killing of the woman, one of whom was a jilted lover.
It was the jilted lover who plotted the crime after the woman spurned his advances.
"We have formed a special investigation team for quick probe of the case," Mohd Akil, additional director general of Haryana police, told the media.
Doctors said that the woman was first drugged and then gangraped for hours.
The crime took place barely a week after four men were sentenced to death by India's Supreme Court for the brutal and fatal gangrape of a 23-year-old medical student on a bus in Delhi five years ago.
The fifth suspect in the case allegedly committed suicide during the trial, while the sixth one, a juvenile, was released after serving three years in a remand home.
The crime sparked nationwide protests and compelled then Indian government led by the Congress to toughen sexual assault law.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 15:14:48|Editor: ying
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NEW DELHI, May 14 (Xinhua) -- At least 12 students have committed suicide in the central Indian state of Madhya over examination results since Friday, a senior police official said Sunday.
"The suicides were reported from across the state. The victims were all depressed over their poor performances in class X and XII exams conducted by the Madhya Pradesh education board," he said on condition of anonymity.
While three students, including a brother-sister duo, ended their lives in the state's Satna district, other suicides took place in Chhatarpur, Guna, Indore, Balaghat, Gwalior, Tikamgarh, Bhind, Jabalpur and Bhopal districts.
"While some died by hanging themselves from the ceiling fans in their homes, a few committed suicide by injecting themselves with toxic substance and others by drinking poison. The bodies have been sent for post-mortem," the official said.
It was not the first time that such a number of suicides have taken place in one state over exam results due to high stress that students encounter from their parents who expect their wards to score well to get admission in colleges for future studies.
More than 70 students have taken their lives in Kota, a town in the western state of Rajasthan, over the past five years for failing to pass the extremely competitive admission exams for medical and engineering colleges.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 16:20:06|Editor: Hou Qiang
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BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- For centuries, the "Four Great Inventions of Ancient China" -- namely compass, gunpowder, papermaking and printing -- have been celebrated as technologies that have made a significant contribution to world civilization.
Today, novel technologies have once again shortened the physical as well as cultural distance between different parts of the world.
In a video that went viral online recently, foreign students in China have redefined the "four great inventions" of modern age: bike-sharing services, e-commerce, high-speed trains and mobile payment systems.
While technically speaking, these are not purely Chinese inventions, there's no doubt that Chinese innovation has made these technologies even more important to a closely connected world.
For instance, buyers from Europe can easily purchase Chinese goods through e-commerce services provided by Alibaba, China's Internet giant. With an extensive infrastructure network and multi-currency payment systems provided by Chinese firms, customers worldwide can have enjoyable and convenient online shopping experiences.
"Chinese people have a very good life, you can use the apps to benefit yourself a lot... In China there's a lot of good stuff that my country doesn't have," a student from Thailand said in the video, which was jointly produced by the Institute of Silk Road Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University and the People's Daily.
Students from more than 20 countries and regions said that technologies including Alipay (Alibaba's mobile payment system), bike-sharing apps and high-speed trains are among the things that they most want to bring back to their homelands.
Their dreams are coming true. In the same way China transported silk and tea via the ancient Silk Road, the country is now sharing knowledge and expertise via the Belt and Road Initiative.
The initiative proposed by China in 2013 aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.
Construction has started or neared completion on some large infrastructure projects along the Belt and Road, including the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia and the China-Laos railway.
Justin, an Indonesian student interviewed in the video, said he had a wonderful experience riding high-speed trains in China, as they were clean and efficient. In addition to trains, he wanted to bring China's online food ordering and online shopping services to his homeland.
"It's very convenient living here in China, all these apps are super integrated, everything is connected," he said.
China's Internet companies are not missing out on the opportunities that the initiative brings. JD.com, a major e-commerce site, has already started operating in Indonesia. It is planning to open more than 20 overseas warehouses in the next five years to store and transfer goods from over 100 countries and regions including those along the Belt and Road.
The initiative will evolve into a "smart highway carrying information, knowledge, and services across continents, not just goods," said Jerry Hultin, co-founder of Global Futures Group, a consulting firm.
For young international students, Chinese innovations that they want to take home are not limited to the above-mentioned fascinating technologies.
"I want to bring everything. It's not only the Chinese lifestyle that I want to take back, but all the technological advances," said a student from Romania.
As the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation which kicked off Sunday in Beijing, more technological cooperation among participating countries and regions are likely to be launched.
While delivering a keynote speech at the opening of the forum, Chinese President Xi Jinping underlined the role of innovation in pursuing the initiative.
"We should pursue innovation-driven development and intensify cooperation in frontier areas such as digital economy, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology and quantum computing, and advance the development of big data, clout computing and smart cities so as to turn them into a digital silk road of the 21st century," Xi said.
Wu Hao, executive dean of the Institute of Silk Road Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, said the wishes of the international students reflect a bright future for international cooperation.
"The youth are the future of the Belt and Road," said Wu. "Their understanding and involvement in the initiative, to great extent, will decide the breadth and depth of cooperation."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 16:24:38|Editor: ying
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ISTANBUL, May 14 (Xinhua) -- For Ahmet Cankoyu, a freshman with a university in Ankara, the high-speed rail linking the Turkish capital with the country's most populous city of Istanbul is a boon that lifts him out of a dilemma.
The problem of accommodation started to haunt the 19-year-old and his family when he was enrolled into Hacettepe University in Ankara last year, his favorite among other options, as he could not afford the expensive apartments in the city.
For him, it was not easy to find roommates, as close friends were enrolled into other parts of the country, or live with his uncle's family of four in a small apartment, or reside in a private or state-run dormitory that is either costly or uncomfortable.
Driven to a dilemma, Cankoyu and his family turned to the high-speed line that also links Eskisehir, his hometown, and it turns out to be the very best option for them.
Cankoyu pays only 48 Turkish lira, or about 13 U.S. dollars, for a round trip under a special discount for the youth, and it takes just one and half an hours to finish one-way trip.
"Now I am traveling between Eskisehir and Ankara 3 days a week as I managed to squeeze my classes into three days," he said. "This is the best option."
As a matter of fact, the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed rail has benefited many others over the years since its operation, as trains running on the line are making travelers feel fast, comfortable, secure and affordable.
Like Cankoyu, many in Eskisehir have opted to travel to the capital on this line, making the number of passengers skyrocket to 72 percent from a meagre 8 percent, according to figures provided by the State Railways of the Turkish Republic, or TCDD.
The Ankara-Eskisehir line was Turkey's first high-speed rail that went into operation on March 13, 2009, and the line was successfully extended to Istanbul on July 25, 2014 at a total length of 533 kilometers.
China Railway Construction Corporation and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation, in partnership with two Turkish companies, built a 158-km-long line of the second phase of the project in between the Inonu-Vezirhan and Vezirhan-Kosekoy sections.
The express line cuts the travel time to a great extent, with that from Ankara to Istanbul shortened to 4 hours from 7 to 9 hours on a conventional train.
Between March 13, 2009 and April 27, 2017, 32 million passengers, or about half of Turkey's population of 79.814 million, had traveled on the Ankara-Istanbul line, and some 19,000 passengers are on the trains now each day, an increase of 18 percent over the previous year, TCDD data show.
"High-speed train speeds up the Turkish economy," said Ramazan Ipek, a fellow in his late 20s who works at a bistro on a high-speed train, known as HST in Turkey. "It provides job opportunities for young Turkish people who are desperately looking for jobs."
The bistro hires seven others. "That means eight people earn their bread in that specific bistro," noted Ipek. "Everyone appreciates the services provided by the HST."
According to the TCDD, the high-speed rail service has brought "dynamism" to the economic, social and cultural lives in the cities along the line, as it is making these cities each other's "suburbs" by means of reducing the travel time, increasing the demand for travel and making the cities "attractive spots" for both domestic and foreign investors.
"Since the HST entered into our lives I don't use any other transportation," said Ayfer Eroglu, a-45-year-old sales manager living in Istanbul who visits her parents in Ankara over the weekends. "It is comfortable, free of traffic and fast."
In fact, there are 216 buses, 80 flights from different airlines and 14 high-speed trains shuttling each day between the two most populous cities in Turkey, according to the TCDD.
It is not easy, however, to shuttle between Istanbul and Ankara by air, as the airports are not at the centers of the cities and both traffic and security check are headaches for travelers.
Tamer Sen, a 60-year-old teacher working with Eskisehir University, was aboard the high-speed train again just days ago for a reunion dinner with schoolmates in Ankara. "If there is no HST, I wouldn't attend the dinner at all," he said.
In his view, the HST technology came to Turkey "very late," "We should have had this opportunity years and years ago."
Turkey plans to build 3500-km-long high-speed railway and 8500-km-long fast track by 2023, when the country marks its centennial anniversary, said the TCDD.
The railway authority said 150 billion Turkish lira, or 42 billion U.S. dollars, will be spent to expand the network from the current 12,532 km to 25,000 km by 2023 and further to 31,000 km by 2035.
China boasts the longest high-speed rail system in the world and is making efforts with other countries to promote the connectivity of the Asian, European and African continents and their adjacent seas under the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Recognizing China as the fastest-growing country in developing high-speed rail and the leader in the world in terms of its length of high-speed line, the TCDD said, "It is always possible to cooperate with China in the construction of the railway lines that are planned."
Under its Middle Corridor plan, Turkey is joining hands with Georgia and Azerbaijan in building a rail linking their cities of Kars, Tbilisi and Baku, a project that is expected to be completed by early summer this year.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars line is expected as well to increase the flow of containers and other types of cargo from Asia to Europe, as a cargo from China will be able to reach Europe in 15 days, according to Ahmet Arslan, Turkey's minister of transport, maritime and communications.
"By opening our Kars-Tbilisi-Baku line this year, we will revive the historical Silk Road," stated the TCDD. "The Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway will further strengthen our relations with China as well as with the Turkic states in Central Asia."
The new Silk Road railway project under the Belt and Road Initiative will provide the opportunity for the regional countries along the route to develop and strengthen their relationships in every areas, the Turkish railway authority opined.
The successful completion of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed rail project has increased the confidence of the countries and generated opportunities for Chinese companies to win the tenders of other infrastructure projects in Turkey, observed Dr. Ozlem Zerrin Keyvan, advisor on Asia Pacific Studies with the Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies.
Referring to the fact that the two countries have been strategic partners since 2010, she said China is trying to revive the Silk Road while developing relations with Turkey, and Turkey needs new investments and commercial opportunities for its rapidly-growing economy that in turn will enable the country to be a corridor of transport and energy.
"China's involvement in high-speed rail and rail network projects will lead to an acceleration in the ongoing commercial ties," she remarked.
Beijing and Ankara signed a memorandum of understanding on harmonizing their Belt and Road and Middle Corridor initiatives in November 2015, under which the two sides have been discussing cooperation on key projects, including a high-speed rail linking Kars in Turkey's east and Edirne in the west.
Dr. Baris Adibelli, an assistant professor with Turkey's Dumlupinar University, praised China for pursuing an equality policy on partnerships with developing countries by means of supporting technology transfer, supplying know-how, using qualified materials and workmanship and offering reasonable costs.
"That is why Turkey chose China as a partner in her infrastructure project," he said.
Noting that Westernization and industrialization have been the main course in Turkey's development since its founding in 1923, he stressed that "The high-speed train project in Turkey should not be seen as a simple infrastructure project."
"In that sense, for Turkey doing this prestigious project with China has a deep strategic meaning beyond trade or economic gains," said the scholar, who authored a book on "Turkey-China Relations from Ottoman Period."
"Although they are geographically distant from each other, both countries will recognize each other with such prestigious projects without prejudice," he added. "So that, the economic relations will become common ground for political cooperation."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 16:50:14|Editor: ying
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WELLINGTON, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Single crewing ambulance call-outs will phase out in the next four years with an additional investment of 59.2 million NZ dollars (40.6 million U.S. dollars), New Zealand Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said on Sunday.
"The government is focused on getting patients the care they need when they need it, and our ambulance services have a key role to play in this," Coleman said.
The government is creating 375 new emergency medical and paramedic roles across the country over the next four years to ensure all emergency road ambulance call-outs are double-crewed by 2021, he said.
Coleman said double crewing all road ambulance call-outs would help ensure the best care possible provided for patients, as well as support the safety and well-being of the paramedic workforce.
Emergency road ambulance call-outs are already almost entirely double-crewed within the Wellington region, the capital. However, for the rest of the country, only 10 percent of the 393,000 call-outs were single-crewed last year.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 16:55:21|Editor: ying
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MANILA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The military chiefs from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) started arriving in Manila Sunday to attend conferences to strengthen cooperation among ASEAN militaries in addressing common security challenges facing the region.
Col. Edgard Arevalo, chief of the public affairs office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said in a statement that the military chiefs from the 10 ASEAN nations will attend the ASEAN Chief of Defense Forces Informal Meeting (ACDFIM) and related meetings that will run from May 15 to May 19.
He said regional issues such as maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, counter-terrorism, infectious disease management and peacekeeping will stay high in the agenda of the meeting.
He said Gen. Eduardo Ano, the AFP chief of staff, will chair the five-day meetings.
The ACDFIM is an informal networking and confidence building platform among ASEAN chiefs of defense forces. It has since developed into an important avenue for ASEAN militaries to build capacity and strengthen practical cooperation.
Before the ACDFIM, he said, ASEAN senior operations and intelligence officers will convene for this year's ASEAN Military Operations Informal Meeting (AMOIM) and ASEAN Military Intelligence Informal Meeting (AMIIM).
He said the meetings "encourage common perspectives and understanding for promoting and fostering strong relationships and security cooperation in the region."
The Philippines is the chairman of ASEAN this year. The bloc groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 16:55:23|Editor: ying
Armin Laschet (L), Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader in North Rhine-Westphalia, casts ballot for the regional state elections of North Rhine-Westphalia at a polling station in Aachen, Germany, May 14, 2017. (Xinhua/Luo Huanhuan)
BERLIN, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Germany's western state of North Rhine-Westphalia held elections on Sunday, which are seen as the last public barometer for the upcoming federal elections.
About 13.2 million eligible voters in the most populous state went to polls to choose from more than 1,300 candidates from 31 parties.
Sunday's vote is the last state election before the federal elections set for Sept. 24, and is seen as a vital pre-duel between Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and Martin Schulz's Social Democratic Party (SPD).
The industrial state has been governed by a center-left coalition of the SPD and the Greens since 2010, with Social Democrat Hannelore Kraft serving as state governor.
In the past several months, some opinion polls have shown that Schulz, a former president of the European Parliament, will have an edge over Merkel in the coming federal elections. However, Schulz's SPD has lost two state elections to Merkel's CDU in a row, in Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein, dimming the halo of Schulz.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 17:50:52|Editor: Hou Qiang
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BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The newest way to send freight from China to Europe involves loading it onto a train, with prices half that of air cargo and cutting two weeks off the journey time by sea.
China-Europe freight trains, passing through 28 cities in 11 European countries, have been gaining steam, as Europe seeks more convenient and affordable ways to tap into the world's largest consumer market.
The rail routes are a key part of the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, which aims at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes.
Rail cargo services between China and Europe have become an increasingly popular logistics option for Chinese trade with Europe and freight volume has increased substantially every year.
It took 16 days for 26 tonnes of frozen pork to travel by freight train from the Netherlands to arrive in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province earlier this month.
"The freight trains slash about 40 days off the travel time compared to shipping, and are about 10,000 yuan (1,450 U.S. dollars) cheaper per tonne air freight," said Shu Changguo, general manager of the importer.
Last year, 460 trains ran between Chengdu, Tilburg in the Netherlands, and Nuremberg, Germany. In the first four months of this year, 91 trains have brought about 150 million dollars worth of European goods to Chengdu.
"The Netherlands is the most important logistical center in Europe, and Chengdu, in China's west, has huge potential, which means great opportunities for European countries," said Koen Sizoo, head of the Netherlands' consulate in neighboring Chongqing Municipality.
Loaded with 32 containers carrying maternity products and soft drinks, the first freight train traveling from Britain to China reached its destination in eastern China's Yiwu in late April.
The China-Britain freight service paves a safe and efficient land trade route, strengthening bilateral trade ties and better serving the Belt and Road Initiative, according to the China Railway Corporation (CRC), operator of the trains.
Multinational companies also want to take a ride on the new train routes.
Peter Tyroller, board member of the Bosch Group in Germany, said the direct freight train service connecting China and Europe enables Bosch to deliver goods faster and cheaper to markets in the Far East.
With good links between its subsidiaries in China and those in other Belt and Road countries like Myanmar, Bosch is able to react quickly and offer its solutions for new projects including new airports, harbors and highways.
Vice Commerce Minister of China Qian Keming said, with vigorous economic growth, improved infrastructure connectivity and alignment between development plans, trade will grow rapidly among Belt and Road countries.
China's trade with countries along the Belt and Road rose 0.5 percent year on year to 6.25 trillion yuan (906.3 billion dollars) in 2016, compared with a 0.9-percent decline in the country's overall foreign trade, official data showed.
As well as trade, Belt and Road countries have easier access to the state-of-the-art technology developed by Chinese companies.
Zhongguancun, known as "China's Silicon Valley," has set up the Belt and Road Industrial Promotion Association as a service platform to boost international cooperation.
Beijing's Haidian District, home to Zhongguancun, has held various events on design and innovation, international technology transfer, energy conservation and bio-pharmaceutical, and helped companies find foreign partners for Belt and Road projects.
Yu Jun, head of the district government, said the efforts aim to benefit more countries along the Belt and Road and bring companies fresh opportunities to gain market access and grow.
Andrew Robb, a former Australian federal minister for trade and investment, said Australia needs Chinese expertise.
"China is at a stage, with not only capital, informed capital, but also expertise they can bring," he said.
Cai Jiming, professor with Tsinghua University, said China's continuous innovations based on national conditions may be a reference for not only other developing economies, but also developed countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 18:26:04|Editor: Hou Qiang
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BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- A senior official of China's central bank said Sunday that the decision to inject capital into the Silk Road Fund stemmed from an enormous funding demand.
The fund has a large reserve of projects in waiting, and the demand for funds will be greater in the future, said Yi Gang, deputy governor of the People's Bank of China.
President Xi Jinping said earlier Sunday that China will contribute an additional 100 billion yuan (about 14.5 billion U.S. dollars) to the Silk Road Fund as he addressed the opening of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
The capital boost will help the fund to make the most of its advantages of flexibility and high efficiency, Yi told Xinhua.
More funding will also help the fund to play its leveraging role, Yi said.
Designed to finance the Belt and Road Initiative, the Silk Road Fund was founded in December 2014 and is jointly backed by China's foreign exchange reserves, the China Investment Corp., the Export-Import Bank of China and China Development Bank.
File photo shows people in Bujumbura, Burundi, on June 19, 2015.(Xinhua)
by Apollinaire Niyirora
BUJUMBURA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The transport sector in Burundi is affected following an oil shortage hitting the east African nation for about a month, car owners and users told Xinhua.
In the Burundian capital Bujumbura, several people who used to take taxis or minibuses to their workplaces now walk because taxis and passenger minibuses are scarce due to the acute shortage of oil products.
"Due to the shortage of passenger minibuses, I have now decided to walk to my office every morning because there are limited chances to get a minibus at the bus station,"
"If I wait for the bus, I will get it around 8:30 a.m. or at 9:00 a.m. whereas I have to report to work at 7:30 a.m. at the latest," said Jean Marie Niyonzima, residing at Kigobe in the north of the capital Bujumbura and working in a pharmacy in Bujumbura city center.
Another female worker, who used to take a taxi to her workplace, now walks to her office, or requests a ride as the price of a taxi has also increased due to the scarcity of oil.
"Before, I had a taxi-man who would take me from home to the office and after work, from the office to my house. But now, I have to join a team of other persons walking to the city center, or if I feel weak, I request a ride from neighbors," Sylvie Bendahafi, residing at Musaga in the south of the capital and working in a bakery in the capital city, said.
She indicated that she is unable to pay a taxi whose fare has now doubled.
Drivers of taxis as well as owners of cars in general face challenges getting gasoline at petrol stations both in the capital and the countryside.
"When I learn that a given petrol station has received oil products, I have to be there with my taxi at 3 o'clock early in the morning so that I will be among the first to be served. Unfortunately, the petrol station attendants cannot accept to give me the needed quantity of gasoline. This means that one day later, I will have to queue again for gasoline at a petrol station," Jacques Harabagabo, a taxi driver said.
He said that he has avoided taking passengers far from Bujumbura city center because his car would use a lot of gasoline.
Harabagabo added that he is not making money because people now walk instead of taking taxis because the taxi fare has gone on the rise.
"We (taxi drivers) get money when it is raining as people don't have any other choices than taking taxis," he said.
Harabagabo said that some car drivers can get oil products after seeking them at three or four petrol stations with a risk of getting an empty tank before reaching a petrol station.
As gasoline is scarce at petrol stations, it is nevertheless secretly sold in some neighborhoods mainly at Buyenzi in the Burundian capital Bujumbura at higher prices.
Herman Bizimana, a taxi driver, told Xinhua that a liter of gasoline sold at 2,100 Burundi francs (1.2 U.S. dollars) at petrol stations is now purchased at 7,000 Burundi francs (4.1 dollars) at the black market at Buyenzi.
"We have increased the price of transport because the price of gasoline has also increased. Queuing at petrol stations really gives us a headache. You can spend a whole day or even two days queuing from a petrol station to another for gasoline," said Bizimana.
In April, Burundian Energy Minister Come Manirakiza told lawmakers at the National Assembly -- the country's parliament lower chamber that the oil shortage was due to the "failure" by the Burundian government to "have enough" hard currency.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, the energy ministry announced that petrol stations should only open during daytime, between 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to avoid "possible" fraud.
The Burundi Consumers' Association (ABUCO) has called on the east African country's government to quickly solve the oil crisis hitting the country.
"Urging petrol stations to open during daytime hours is not a solution to the fuel crisis. Urgent solutions to this (fuel) crisis need to be found by the government," the ABUCO said.
It further warned that Burundi's economy will face a "terrible decline" if the oil crisis continues to deepen.
Burundi has been facing a political and economic crisis following the controversial third term bid of President Pierre Nkurunziza in April 2015.
Several partners of Burundi including the European Union (EU) have frozen their financial aid towards the east African country's government.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 19:21:02|Editor: ying
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KABUL, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Four militants including a Taliban group commander were killed after their explosive device exploded prematurely in the eastern Logar province Saturday night, said a statement of Interior Ministry released here Sunday.
"Four Taliban rebels were killed when their explosive went off accidentally while they were planting the device on a road in Mohammad Agha district last night to target security forces convoys," the statement added.
Taliban militants who are largely relying on suicide and roadside bombings haven't comment on the report.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 19:21:04|Editor: Hou Qiang
Secretary General of Interpol Jurgen Stock (L) receives an interview with Xinhua News Agency in Beijing, China, May 14, 2017. Interpol will help promote security among countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock said here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Cheng Tingting)
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Interpol will help promote security among countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock said here on Sunday.
"Interpol will work to improve security conditions in its member countries who are also part of the Belt and Road Initiative," said Stock, who is attending the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation.
"We have some plans on how to strengthen security cooperation in the region, for example Central Asia, and also other parts of the world," he added.
According to Stock, the Belt and Road Initiative is very much about connectivity. Interpol also strives to connect its 190 members, and provides a global platform to share information, which is the "life blood" in preventing crimes, terrorist attacks and cyber-attacks, he said.
Chinese State Councilor and Public Security Minister Guo Shengkun on Saturday signed a declaration of strategic cooperation with Interpol on behalf of the Chinese government, ahead of the Belt and Road forum scheduled for Sunday and Monday.
China and Interpol will collaborate to maintain border and trade security, crack down on illegal markets as well as financial and Internet crimes, and protect key infrastructure facilities, so as to guarantee the security and stability of Interpol members along the Belt and Road, according to the declaration.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 19:26:06|Editor: ying
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LONDON, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Friday's global cyber-attack has affected more than 200,000 victims in 150 countries and regions, Europol chief Rob Wainwright said Sunday.
"Many of those victims will be businesses, including large corporations. The global reach is unprecedented," he said in an interview with Britain's ITV.
Wainwright said he was concerned that the numbers of those affected would continue to rise when people returned to work on Monday morning.
"We're in the face of an escalating threat, the numbers are going up," he said, adding that the current attack was unprecedented.
Wainwright told ITV that the world faced an escalating threat, and there was concern about the level of potential attacks on Monday morning.
Wainwright warned the healthcare sector "in many countries" was particularly vulnerable, but that all organizations should ensure they prioritise cyber security and update their systems.
The virus took control of users' files, demanding payments. Russia and Britain were among the worst hit countries. Britain's official emergency committee, known as Cobra, met in London Saturday afternoon to discuss the cyber attack that has caused widespread disruption to the country's National Health Service (NHS).
Around 45 NHS organisations in England and Scotland, including hospitals, family doctor surgeries, and health services, were hit in the cyber attack which prevented doctors, nurses and staff from accessing vital patient information.
However, Wainwright said Europol was working on the basis that the cyber attack was carried out by criminals rather than terrorists, but noted that "remarkably few" payments had been made so far.
"Most people are not paying this, so there ain't a lot of money being made with this by criminal organisations so far," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 20:11:26|Editor: ying
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LAGOS, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The Nigerian government has called for heightened vigilance and intensified awareness efforts on symptoms of hemorrhagic fevers following the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a statement made available to Xinhua in Lagos, Nigeria's economic hub on Sunday, Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, advised health care providers and members of the public, to report any sign of illness to public health officials.
He said in response to the announcement by the WHO on confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), government had directed health officials stationed at the ports, to step up inspection activities.
He said the symptoms to look out for included fever, fatigue, weakness, dizziness and muscle aches.
According to him, patients with more severe cases would show bleeding under the skin, or even from mouth and ears.
DR Congo's health ministry on Friday confirmed the outbreak of an Ebola epidemic in its northern region. Local authorities said three deaths have been reported among nine suspected cases of the Ebola virus since April 22.
The minister urged Nigerians not to panic as the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) was equipped to secure the health of citizens.
He said NCDC had been strengthening states capacities to detect, manage and respond to hemorrhagic fevers, including Lassa fever.
Adewole called on states to begin social mobilization and media awareness efforts, via TV, radio, print and social media.
The minister directed all health workers to maintain a high index of suspicion, by screening all fevers for Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers.
Meanwhile, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has assured citizens of adequate surveillance at the nation's airports following the outbreak of Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Henrietta Yakubu, FAAN's spokesperson, said there was no direct flight from Congo to Nigeria.
Yakubu also assured that all the preventive measures being put in place at the airports were still in place.
She said the Port Health officials were at alert at all airports, adding that the authority had also informed them of the need to increase surveillance.
Nigeria experienced the Ebola virus in July, 2014 when a Liberian American, Patrick Sawyer, who had the disease flew from Liberia to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos and died five days later.
In response, the Nigerian government observed all of Sawyer's contacts for signs of infection and increased surveillance at all entry points to the country.
Nigeria was able to curtail the disease and was subsequently declared Ebola free by WHO.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 20:17:03|Editor: Hou Qiang
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NANJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Defense Minister Chang Wanquan has called on military and governments at all levels to strengthen national defense education with practical measures.
Chang, also a member of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks during his recent inspection tour which included Shanghai and Fujian, Jiangsu, Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces.
He called for clear understanding of the complicated situation facing China's national security and development and of the importance of national defense education for all citizens.
Chang said such education should include remembering history, looking at the past as a mirror, remaining level-headed, memorializing martyrs and maintaining a revolutionary spirit.
He also called on citizens to uphold the truth, cherish peace and love the Party, the country and socialism.
Moreover, Chang noted that national defense education should be a shared responsibility for the whole of society.
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Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 20:17:07|Editor: ying
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NAIROBI, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's telecommunication industry regulator on Sunday warned over a cyber attack that is targeting computers around the world and advised Kenyans to exercise caution to avoid falling victim.
The Communications Authority (CA) cautioned Kenyans to keep a backup of all their files offline to ensure that they can restore them in case they are attacked.
"Once a computer is infected with the virus, it tries to infect other computers in the same network. Individuals and organizations are discouraged from paying the ransom as this does not guarantee access will be restored," CA Director General Francis Wangusi said in a statement.
Wangusi said the ransomware virus, which goes by the name Winery or WannaCrypt0r or WanaDecrypt0r, has been reported to have infected tens of thousands in many countries around the world and continues to spread.
Once a computer has been attacked, users cannot access their files unless they pay a 300 U.S. dollar ransom to a Bit Coin account.
The encryption based cyber attack manifests itself as "ransomware" and attacks computers running on Windows operating system. The malicious software infects a computer and restricts user access until a ransom is paid to unlock it.
Wangusi said its existence has been confirmed by the National Kenya Computer Incidence Response Team Coordination Centre (KE-CIRT-CC).
"The authority (CA) is therefore advising the public to beware and put in place the following preventive measures," Wangusi said.
He advised that individuals and organizations should ensure their computers have updated anti-virus as well as an offline data back-up system.
"This will ensure that in the event your computer is attacked, you can restore your files from the back-up," said Wangusi.
Most at risk are those using computers running on old Windows operating systems especially Windows XP. Microsoft however has said it would roll out the update to users of older operating systems.
It is still not known who is behind the attacks but international investigators have kicked off a major manhunt for those behind the cyber-attack that affected systems in dozens of countries, including at banks, hospitals and government agencies.
Unlike most of the malicious programs which depend on humans to spread them by tricking them into clicking on to an attachment, Ransomware has the ability to move around a network looking for computers to attack.
Wangusi advised against clicking on links or opening files and email attachments from unknown sources. He said people should also look out for attachments that recommend one to enable macros in order to view a file.
"Unless you trust the source, do not enable macros. Instead, delete the email immediately and permanently," Wangusi said without specifying whether the presence of the malware has been reported in Kenya.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 20:26:37|Editor: Hou Qiang
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HEFEI, May 14 (Xinhua) -- China's first national laboratory for brain-like artificial intelligence (AI) technology was inaugurated Saturday in Hefei, capital of east China's Anhui Province, to pool the country's top research talent and boost the technology.
Approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in January, the lab, based in China University of Science and Technology (USTC), aims to develop a brain-like computing paradigm and applications.
The university, known for its leading role in developing quantum communication technology, hosts the national lab in collaboration with a number of the country's top research bodies such as Fudan University, Shenyang Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences as well as Baidu, operator of China's biggest online search engine.
Wan Lijun, president of USTC and chairman of the national lab, said the ability to mimic the human brain's ability in sorting out information will help build a complete AI technology development paradigm.
The lab will carry out research to guide machine learning such as recognizing messages and using visual neural networks to solve problems. It will also focus on developing new applications with technological achievements.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 20:41:44|Editor: ying
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CANBERRA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Travellers to Australia's Northern Territory (NT) have been warned to be wary of scrub typhus, a rare tropical disease that can be lethal.
Scrub typhus is a bacterial infection that is transmitted by mites, a small type of arthropod, that normally live on native animals.
They usually bite in warm, moist parts of the body such as the armpit or groin and leave a black oval-shaped scab up to a centimetre long.
Once bitten it takes up to two weeks for the symptoms of scrub typhus to show up and, though easily treatable with antibiotics, the disease can cause organ failure and eventually death.
Bart Currie, a professor at the Menzies School of Health Research, said the disease cannot be transferred from human to human.
"It can often start out as a mild non-specific illness where people might have a fever and headache and feel unwell, sweating a lot, and then over a couple of days can progress because the bacteria can then spread to other organs within the body from the site at which the mite has injected into the person," Currie told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) on Sunday.
Australian man Darryl Gracie was pig-hunting in the NT when he was bitten by a mite. When he was diagnosed with scrub typhus two weeks later he was on the brink of organ failure.
"I thought I had the flu, the headaches, feeling bad, the symptoms got worse and worse and I presented myself up to the Royal Darwin Hospital in a very bad way," Gracie said.
Currie was the doctor who correctly diagnosed Gracie, saving his life.
He said that bushwalkers in the NT could protect themselves by wearing long pants and using insect repellent.
Travellers from Asia who have recently returned from a trip to the NT should be aware that they may have contracted the disease, Currie said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 20:47:19|Editor: ying
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DUBAI, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) condemned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) ballistic missile launch on Sunday, stressing that the test represents "a challenge" to UN Security Council resolutions, Emirati state news agency WAM reported.
The UAE said the DPRK's missile test represented a "legitimate threat to international security and stability."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Gulf Arab state said there was a need to maintain the rules against the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the world.
It stressed that violation of these norms is a threat and a flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
The ministry called upon the international community to take all necessary measures to address such "violations," in order to maintain international peace and security.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 20:47:21|Editor: Hou Qiang
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SHANGHAI, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Tatiana Skuratova, a graduate of Shanghai-based Tongji University, went to a job fair in Shanghai Free Trade Zone (FTZ) this week with confidence in securing a position.
She is among the first group of foreign graduates to benefit from Shanghai's revised foreign work permit policy.
From this year, international students with a bachelor degree or above can apply for jobs in Shanghai Zhangjiang National Innovation Demonstration Zone and Shanghai FTZ directly after graduation. Previously, foreign citizens required two years of work experience after graduation to work in Shanghai.
Russian national Skuratova said she has always wanted to work in Shanghai since arriving when she was 16.
She is confident in finding a suitable job with her bachelor degree in world politics from the prestigious Chinese university.
Xu Wen, director of the human resources and social security bureau in Shanghai Pudong New Area, said some 39 companies based in Shanghai FTZ were offering 269 positions at the fair.
Ian Soder, an American graduate in humanities from NYU Shanghai, said a job with a monthly salary around 20,000 yuan (2,899 U.S. dollars) would be enough to convince him to stay in Shanghai, while if he looks for a job in New York, he expects a yearly package above 50,000 U.S. dollars.
NYU Shanghai, jointly set up by the New York University (NYU) and East China Normal University in 2013, is the third degree-granting campus in NYU's global network. Soder was among the school's first group of undergraduates.
"I believe better career development prospects in Shanghai. That is why I would consider a lower starting salary here," he said.
Iranian PhD student Mahdi Gharibavi attended the job fair, although he still has another year to go for his mechanical engineering studies at East China University of Science and Technology.
He was happy to see the many job opportunities available in Shanghai.
"I studied for my masters in Italy. The job prospects in Europe were nowhere near that in China," he said.
Most employers at the fair said they are willing to offer foreign job seekers starting salaries 10 to 20 percent higher than that given to Chinese graduates.
Ding Yifan, a recruiter for global travel booking firm Agoda, said foreign graduates are ideal for the company's customer service team. He received more than 20 job applications within the first hour.
As well as enhanced employment policies, Shanghai has also piloted a series of policies streamlining applications for Chinese "green cards," allowing permanent residence for non-Chinese residents. For those working in Shanghai FTZ, a letter of recommendation from the FTZ authorities assists in the application process.
Shanghai has 170,000 foreign permanent residents. The municipal government has encouraged large companies and industrial parks to build apartment buildings to provide housing for their foreign employees.
Similar policies have been rolled out in cities in Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces in east China, as increasing foreign talent has become more important than attracting foreign investment.
A cholera-infected girl receives medical treatment at the corridor of a hospital in Sanaa, Yemen, on May 13, 2017. A cholera outbreak in Yemen has killed 51 people in two weeks and caused around 2,752 suspected cases since April 27, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday in a statement on its website. (Xinhua/Mohammed Mohammed)
SANAA, May 14 (Xinhua) --The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) warned Sunday of a very serious cholera outbreak in Yemen as hospitals are struggling to cope with increasing numbers of patients.
At a press conference in capital Sanaa, the ICRC Operations Director Dominik Stillhart said more than 8,500 suspected cholera cases have been reported in 14 governorates of Yemen during April 27 and May 13.
"Unfortunately, 115 people have died from cholera (during this period). This is extremely serious," he said.
"The conflict has taken a very serious toll on the water supply, the health system, the sanitation system as well as the economy and that all are about to collapse," he added.
The cholera outbreak in Yemen was first announced by Yemen's Ministry of Public Health and Population on Oct. 6, 2016.
The World Health Organization has warned the healthcare system in Yemen is on the verge of collapse as many hospitals have shut down. It said only 45 percent of Yemen's hospitals are operational at the moment, but are facing shortages of supplies and staffs.
Late last month, the ICRC's director for the Middle East, Robert Mardini, said the ICRC is stepping up its operations and doubling its budget for the country this year to 90 million U.S. dollars.
Adnan Hizam, communication officer at the ICRC's Sanaa Office, said their activities are now focused on providing food and medication support to the most war-affected areas in Yemen.
"We are active in cities where conflict is escalating, including Sanaa, Taiz, Lahj and Dhali," he said, adding that scarcity of aid funds and security concerns are on top of challenges the ICRC is facing amid the ongoing conflict. "What people need here is much more than we can provide or have at the moment."
In 2015, gunmen killed two ICRC workers in Yemen while they were driving on a mission in the far north. In the same year, gunmen kidnapped an ICRC employee who was released a year later.
Yemen has the world's largest crisis since 1945. Two thirds of its population, around 19 million, need either humanitarian or protection aid and around seven million are close to famine, the UN has said.
Relief organizations are facing big challenges while trying to help the Yemeni people as the war is continuing to rage and expand. On top of these challenges are fund shortages, lack of access to most affected areas because of unabated battles and security concerns, aid agencies have said.
Last month, the UN in association with the governments of Sweden and Switzerland sponsored a meeting on Yemen during which donor states and organizations pledged more than one billion dollars in urgent aid to face the humanitarian crisis in the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 21:07:00|Editor: Hou Qiang
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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, May 14, 2017. (Xinhua/Ma Zhancheng)
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping's keynote speech delivered Sunday at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation has received wide approval from senior officials of foreign countries, China watchers and scholars worldwide.
During the speech, Xi proclaimed the Silk Road spirit, saying it has become a great heritage of human civilization. "Spanning thousands of miles and years, the ancient silk routes embody the spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit," he told an audience of more than 1,500 people from around the world.
Xi also highlighted in the speech that the Belt and Road (B&R) should be built into a belt and road of peace, prosperity, opening up, innovation and connection of different civilizations.
The proposition is in line with the aim of the B&R Initiative the president first proposed in 2013, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.
The speech was later praised as a "profound intellectual discourse embracing philosophy, history, international relations and other disciplines" by Keith Bennett, vice chairman of Britain's 48 Group Club, an independent business network committed to promoting relations between Britain and China.
"It proceeds from today's realities, sums up and draws lessons from history and charts a scientific and realistic road map to a bright future of shared and sustainable prosperity for all countries and peoples," Bennett said.
After hearing the speech, David Gosset,a Paris-based global affairs analyst and Sinologist, agreed that the B&R has been "a project of the century" as Xi called, because it combined "movement, clarity of vision and powerful means" that Xi announced during the speech.
"The forum will be a major boost and accelerator for synergies along the roads," Gosset said.
COMMITMENT TO OPEN, GLOBAL ECONOMY
James Laurenceson, deputy director of the Australia-China Relations Institute University of Technology Sydney, also believed that the speech would be received well around the world, "because it emphasized cooperation and an open, global economy."
The professor of economics hailed China's commitment to an open, global economy as "a strength of the initiative and a strength of the speech," because the world "tend to be heading in the opposite direction."
Laurenceson also said what "stuck out" to him the most was Xi's statement about not reinventing the wheel, because the comment he has heard the most about the B&R was that it was "a solely Chinese initiative."
"What he (Xi) is saying is that instead, the Belt and Road is really about building on existing initiatives and leveraging other countries strengths," he said, "In other words, it's not just China. It's China teaming up with other countries to get a better outcome."
The speech also stuck out to Laurenceson as President Xi talked about building a diversified financial system.
"A multi-tiered Belt and Road financial cooperation network has taken an initial shape," Xi said during the speech, "China will also work with other parties concerned to jointly formulate guidelines for financing the Belt and Road-related development projects."
Laurenceson believed the proposed network would be a solution to fund relevant projects along the routes of the B&R.
"Chinese money alone is not going to solve the region's productivity problems, but what it will do is leverage other countries' government contributions and private sector funding. Put those together, and the region stands a good chance of being able to fund the initiatives that are going to be able to provide better productivity," he said.
MORE FUNDS OF 100 BILLION YUAN
As for specific financial support for the B&R Initiative, President Xi announced during the speech that China will contribute an additional 100 billion yuan (about 14.5 billion U.S. dollars) to the Silk Road Fund.
Sultan Mehmood Hali, head of Pakistan-China Media Forum and a senior defense and political analyst, called the move "a great gesture" to offer much help to the implementation of the B&R Initiative.
"It will also pave way and set an example for other nations that are interested in joining the Belt and Road Initiative to contribute funds, so that the initiative becomes successful and beneficial to the entire region and the world," he said.
Echoing Hali, Nepal's Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat said Xi's announcement was "good news for neighboring countries like Nepal," as Chinese support will be crucial for the country to "upgrade its status from a landlocked and least developed country to a developed country."
"Nepal wants to enhance railway and road inter-connectivity with China, and bring (in) more Chinese investments. We are expecting grants and concessional loans from China to develop infrastructure projects," Mahat said.
Likewise, the B&R Initiative has been of great significance in economic and technological development to Laos, according to Sykhoun Bouvilay, general secretary of Laos-China Friendship Association.
"Just in terms of economic development, Lao's development would suffer a lot without Laos-China cooperation," Bouvilay said, adding that he hoped the forum would bring about more cooperation between the two countries.
Owing to President Xi's speech, he said more focus should be put on environment protection and the people's livelihood when talking about development, particularly "issues on people's survival and basic living in countries along the routes of the B&R."
Bouvilay also saw China as "a representative of modernization" with its rapid development in science and technology and "a role model for the world."
"China's industries and technologies have surpassed those of many countries, and now they need to buy relevant products from China," he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 21:17:36|Editor: Hou Qiang
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BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- China is willing to cement its sound cooperation with Belarus and push collaborations in various fields, according to senior Chinese official Meng Jianzhu.
Meng, member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), made the remarks here on Saturday during a meeting with Nikolay Snopkov, deputy director of the Belarusian presidential office, according to a press release on Sunday.
Meng, who is Chinese chairman of the two countries' Intergovernmental Committee of Cooperation, said China welcomes Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on Sunday and Monday.
Snopkov, also Belarusian chairman of the committee, said Belarus values its relations with China and hopes to actively participate in the construction of the Belt and Road.
Photo taken on April 30, 2017 shows a train of Istanbul-Ankara high-speed railway in Ankara Station, Turkey . The second phrase of the principal project of Ankara-Istanbul high-speed railway, built jointly by Chinese-Turkish consortium, was completed in July 2014. (Xinhua/Qin Yanyang)
ISTANBUL, May 14 (Xinhua) -- For Ahmet Cankoyu, a freshman with a university in Ankara, the high-speed rail linking the Turkish capital with the country's most populous city of Istanbul is a boon that lifts him out of a dilemma.
The problem of accommodation started to haunt the 19-year-old and his family when he was enrolled into Hacettepe University in Ankara last year, his favorite among other options, as he could not afford the expensive apartments in the city.
For him, it was not easy to find roommates, as close friends were enrolled into other parts of the country, or live with his uncle's family of four in a small apartment, or reside in a private or state-run dormitory that is either costly or uncomfortable.
Driven to a dilemma, Cankoyu and his family turned to the high-speed line that also links Eskisehir, his hometown, and it turns out to be the very best option for them.
Cankoyu pays only 48 Turkish lira, or about 13 U.S. dollars, for a round trip under a special discount for the youth, and it takes just one and half an hours to finish one-way trip.
"Now I am traveling between Eskisehir and Ankara 3 days a week as I managed to squeeze my classes into three days," he said. "This is the best option."
As a matter of fact, the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed rail has benefited many others over the years since its operation, as trains running on the line are making travelers feel fast, comfortable, secure and affordable.
Like Cankoyu, many in Eskisehir have opted to travel to the capital on this line, making the number of passengers skyrocket to 72 percent from a meagre 8 percent, according to figures provided by the State Railways of the Turkish Republic, or TCDD.
The Ankara-Eskisehir line was Turkey's first high-speed rail that went into operation on March 13, 2009, and the line was successfully extended to Istanbul on July 25, 2014 at a total length of 533 kilometers.
China Railway Construction Corporation and China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation, in partnership with two Turkish companies, built a 158-km-long line of the second phase of the project in between the Inonu-Vezirhan and Vezirhan-Kosekoy sections.
The express line cuts the travel time to a great extent, with that from Ankara to Istanbul shortened to 4 hours from 7 to 9 hours on a conventional train.
Between March 13, 2009 and April 27, 2017, 32 million passengers, or about half of Turkey's population of 79.814 million, had traveled on the Ankara-Istanbul line, and some 19,000 passengers are on the trains now each day, an increase of 18 percent over the previous year, TCDD data show.
"High-speed train speeds up the Turkish economy," said Ramazan Ipek, a fellow in his late 20s who works at a bistro on a high-speed train, known as HST in Turkey. "It provides job opportunities for young Turkish people who are desperately looking for jobs."
The bistro hires seven others. "That means eight people earn their bread in that specific bistro," noted Ipek. "Everyone appreciates the services provided by the HST."
According to the TCDD, the high-speed rail service has brought "dynamism" to the economic, social and cultural lives in the cities along the line, as it is making these cities each other's "suburbs" by means of reducing the travel time, increasing the demand for travel and making the cities "attractive spots" for both domestic and foreign investors.
"Since the HST entered into our lives I don't use any other transportation," said Ayfer Eroglu, a-45-year-old sales manager living in Istanbul who visits her parents in Ankara over the weekends. "It is comfortable, free of traffic and fast."
In fact, there are 216 buses, 80 flights from different airlines and 14 high-speed trains shuttling each day between the two most populous cities in Turkey, according to the TCDD.
It is not easy, however, to shuttle between Istanbul and Ankara by air, as the airports are not at the centers of the cities and both traffic and security check are headaches for travelers.
Tamer Sen, a 60-year-old teacher working with Eskisehir University, was aboard the high-speed train again just days ago for a reunion dinner with schoolmates in Ankara. "If there is no HST, I wouldn't attend the dinner at all," he said.
In his view, the HST technology came to Turkey "very late," "We should have had this opportunity years and years ago."
Turkey plans to build 3500-km-long high-speed railway and 8500-km-long fast track by 2023, when the country marks its centennial anniversary, said the TCDD.
The railway authority said 150 billion Turkish lira, or 42 billion U.S. dollars, will be spent to expand the network from the current 12,532 km to 25,000 km by 2023 and further to 31,000 km by 2035.
China boasts the longest high-speed rail system in the world and is making efforts with other countries to promote the connectivity of the Asian, European and African continents and their adjacent seas under the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Recognizing China as the fastest-growing country in developing high-speed rail and the leader in the world in terms of its length of high-speed line, the TCDD said, "It is always possible to cooperate with China in the construction of the railway lines that are planned."
Under its Middle Corridor plan, Turkey is joining hands with Georgia and Azerbaijan in building a rail linking their cities of Kars, Tbilisi and Baku, a project that is expected to be completed by early summer this year.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars line is expected as well to increase the flow of containers and other types of cargo from Asia to Europe, as a cargo from China will be able to reach Europe in 15 days, according to Ahmet Arslan, Turkey's minister of transport, maritime and communications.
"By opening our Kars-Tbilisi-Baku line this year, we will revive the historical Silk Road," stated the TCDD. "The Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway will further strengthen our relations with China as well as with the Turkic states in Central Asia."
The new Silk Road railway project under the Belt and Road Initiative will provide the opportunity for the regional countries along the route to develop and strengthen their relationships in every areas, the Turkish railway authority opined.
The successful completion of the Ankara-Istanbul high-speed rail project has increased the confidence of the countries and generated opportunities for Chinese companies to win the tenders of other infrastructure projects in Turkey, observed Dr. Ozlem Zerrin Keyvan, advisor on Asia Pacific Studies with the Ankara Center for Crisis and Policy Studies.
Referring to the fact that the two countries have been strategic partners since 2010, she said China is trying to revive the Silk Road while developing relations with Turkey, and Turkey needs new investments and commercial opportunities for its rapidly-growing economy that in turn will enable the country to be a corridor of transport and energy.
"China's involvement in high-speed rail and rail network projects will lead to an acceleration in the ongoing commercial ties," she remarked.
Beijing and Ankara signed a memorandum of understanding on harmonizing their Belt and Road and Middle Corridor initiatives in November 2015, under which the two sides have been discussing cooperation on key projects, including a high-speed rail linking Kars in Turkey's east and Edirne in the west.
Dr. Baris Adibelli, an assistant professor with Turkey's Dumlupinar University, praised China for pursuing an equality policy on partnerships with developing countries by means of supporting technology transfer, supplying know-how, using qualified materials and workmanship and offering reasonable costs.
"That is why Turkey chose China as a partner in her infrastructure project," he said.
Noting that Westernization and industrialization have been the main course in Turkey's development since its founding in 1923, he stressed that "The high-speed train project in Turkey should not be seen as a simple infrastructure project."
"In that sense, for Turkey doing this prestigious project with China has a deep strategic meaning beyond trade or economic gains," said the scholar, who authored a book on "Turkey-China Relations from Ottoman Period."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 21:47:48|Editor: ying
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ANKARA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Turkish fighter jets pounded outlawed Kurdistan Worker's Party (PKK) targets in northern Iraq, killing 10 militants, the Turkish General Staff said in a statement on Sunday.
The statement said the airstrikes hit PKK targets in Zap and Sinat-Haftanin regions of northern Iraq.
Four shelters and three weapon establishments were also destroyed by the airstrikes, it added.
The Turkish air forces have been conducting regular airstrikes on PKK facilities in both northern Iraq and southeastern Turkey since July 2015, and becoming more frequent since the constitutional referendum in April.
Founded in 1978, the PKK, which is listed as terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the Europe Union, resumed its armed campaign in July 2015 after a brief reconciliation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 21:52:18|Editor: liuxin
French president Emmanuel Macron (Front R) attends an inauguration ceremony at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, on May 14, 2017. Centrist Emmanuel Macron was sworn in as the eighth president of the French Fifth Republic in a ceremony at the Elysee Palace here on Sunday. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)
PARIS, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Centrist Emmanuel Macron was sworn in as the eighth president of the French Fifth Republic in a ceremony at the Elysee Palace here on Sunday.
After a warm welcome from outgoing President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace at around 10:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT), Macron and Hollande held a closed-door meeting during which Macron was handed the codes to launch France's nuclear arsenal.
President of the Constitutional Council Laurent Fabius then announced the final results of presidential elections and Macron officially assumed the office.
In a speech to several hundred guests, Macron said, "The French have chosen hope and the spirit of conquest."
"I will not give up on the commitments made with regard to the French," said the new president.
"Nothing will make me renounce to defend the interests of France. From this evening I will be at work," he stressed.
During the coming five years of his governing term, Macron hopes to draw "one of the most beautiful images of our history," in which Europe must be more "efficient" and more "democratic."
Following the ceremony and a review of the guard of honor, the 39-year-old Macron will go to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, at the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the Champs-Elysees Avenue, a tradition followed by all his predecessors in France's modern history.
Macron won a runoff on May 7, beating far-right Front National candidate Marine Le Pen by a wide margin.
Macron, a pro-market advocate and ex-investment banker, offered a relief to the market and supporters for economic openness and closer European links.
In his first official visit abroad, Macron will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday in Berlin to forge closer links and seek ways to bolster integration in the European bloc.
Then, he will visit French army forces in the Sahel region, according to local media reports.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 21:52:18|Editor: Yamei
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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation in Beijing, capital of China, May 14, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)
BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- World leaders brainstormed the advancement of the Belt and Road Initiative at a two-day event starting here Sunday, joining China in a chorus of common prosperity.
Characterized by extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits, the Belt and Road links countries and regions that account for about 60 percent of the world's population and 30 percent of global economic output.
Speaking at the opening of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the ambitious intercontinental initiative is "rooted in a shared vision for global development."
A PROJECT OF THE CENTURY
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a keynote speech delivered at the international gathering attended by heads of state and government from 29 countries, among thousands more others, said the initiative is "a project of the century" that will benefit people across the world.
The Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China in 2013 consists of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. It aims to build a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond the ancient Silk Road trade routes.
"Spanning thousands of miles and years, the ancient silk routes embody the spirit of peace and cooperation, openness and inclusiveness, mutual learning and mutual benefit," Xi told an audience of more than 1,500.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the historical experience of cooperation between countries linked by the ancient Silk Road through Asia, Europe and Africa is important in the 21st century when the world is facing "very serious challenges."
Calling the Belt and Road Initiative an example of cooperation in such fields as infrastructure, transport and industry, the Russian president said his country has supported the initiative from the very beginning.
Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said the breadth of the initiative, the level of participation and its strategic dimensions, highlight its capacity to become the biggest economic cooperation project in place today.
Czech President Milos Zeman, for his part, said he salutes China for this courageous, long-term project.
Over the past years, the Belt and Road Initiative has grown from an embryonic proposal into a network, while a cooperation pattern of shared growth through discussion and collaboration has taken shape.
As of the end of 2016, more than 100 countries and international organizations have expressed their support for the initiative. China has signed 46 cooperation agreements with 39 countries and international organizations, covering a broad range of fields.
The Belt and Road Initiative brings enormous benefits to all involved and serves as a main driver of the global transformation under the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, said Peter Thomson, President of the UN General Assembly who is also present at the forum.
INFRASTRUCTURE AND BEYOND
The "courageous" vision of the Belt and Road Initiative is becoming a reality and bearing rich fruit in more fields than expected.
Four years after it was proposed, Belt and Road countries have seen increased connectivity in policies, infrastructure, trade and finance, as well as strengthened people-to-people bonds.
According to World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevedo, infrastructure is essential, a point also highlighted by special envoy of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Minister of Economic Affairs Brigitte Zypries.
"A lack of proper transport network was on top of the trade cost list and the One belt, One Road is hugely important in responding to this need," Azevedo told an international audience at the high-level meeting of the Belt and Road forum.
Calling the forum "a new and decisive step in the progress of the initiative," special envoy of France's just sworn-in President Emmanuel Macron, former French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin noted the development potential brought by the Belt and Road Initiative in tourism, financing, culture and environment.
"The Belt and Road Initiative is about connecting cultures, communities, economies, and people, and about adding new economic flavors by creating infrastructure projects that are based on 21st-century expertise and governance standards," said International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
Greece also highly values the initiative, with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras saying it brings important opportunities for people-to-people contact, cultural exchanges and tourism.
OPEN PLATFORM
With various advantages and needs, the partners pay close attention to keep the initiative open, inclusive and beneficial to all.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif told the forum: "Let me make it very clear, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, an economic undertaking, is open to all countries in the region."
Sitting at the crossroad of Asia and Europe, Turkey wishes to bring its unique geographical location into full play, said the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Special envoy of British Prime Minister Theresa May, Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, said his country is "a natural partner" in the grand development initiative.
He expects that with China driving at the east, and Britain at the western end of the Belt and Road, all countries along the routes could work together to bring more jobs, growth and higher living standard for all people.
Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, said the Belt and Road Initiative is "a pioneering, international framework based on an open platform concept."
For World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, the Belt and Road Initiative can meet the aspiration of those people living in the countries that are still in need of development support.
For ordinary people, the initiative could well represent something simple, "like a fragrant cup of tea," according to Lagarde, which has for centuries "brought cultures, communities and people closer together," and is ready to burst with new economic flavors.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 21:57:53|Editor: Liangyu
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BEIJING, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The highest-level forum on the Belt and Road opened Sunday in Beijing, an important boost to the grand plan for interconnected development and sustainable growth.
Before heads of state and government from 29 foreign countries and delegates from more than 130 countries, Chinese President Xi Jinping, who proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, outlined principles and measures for advancing the open and inclusive plan in a keynote speech at the opening of the two-day event.
Special envoys and delegates from many developed countries, such as France, Germany and the United States, attended the meeting. Greater consensus is being built among countries with different political systems and cultures to push the initiative.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Belt and Road Initiative is "promising" and his country has supported the initiative.
Given the challenges like protectionism and development gaps, it is necessary to find new development engines to promote justice and equality, he said.
The coordination of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union strategy will boost the Eurasian development, said Putin.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Belt and Road is an important initiative which connects Asia and Europe and other continents.
The mechanism will promote sustainable development and improve the lives of people and bring mutual benefits to all countries, he said, confident of its success at the forum.
"The speech is very very impressive and presents a very clear roadmap for the future," said Zafaruddin Mahmood, a delegate from Pakistan.
Xi pledged more financial support for the Belt and Road construction, including an additional 100 billion yuan (about 14.5 billion U.S. dollars) to the Silk Road Fund, and assistance worth 60 billion yuan in the coming three years to developing countries and international organizations participating in the initiative.
Hailing the solid progress of the initiative in the past four years, Xi proposed five guiding principles for the pursuit of the Belt and Road initiative: building the Belt and Road into a road of peace, prosperity, opening up, innovation and connecting different civilizations. He outlined priorities such as infrastructure and industrial cooperation.
"Xi's speech is encouraging and points out the priorities of the plan. The forum undoubtedly is a landmark event for economic and trade cooperation," said Mirzohid Rahimov, a delegate from Uzbekistan.
In a complicated international political and economic environment, the Belt and Road Initiative has met the need for win-win development and the common interests of most countries, he said.
The five fields of connectivity -- policy, infrastructure, trade, finance and people -- are important for all countries, he added.
China will play a very important role in multilateralism with the Belt and Road Initiative, basically a global development vision, said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, mentioning the Chinese proverb "If you want to get rich, first build a road."
The initiative reflects a new model of international cooperation and interaction with mutually beneficial cooperation through the connection of policies and development strategies.
"President Xi was talking about the future. He analyzed the challenges, but said more about solutions," Umberto de Pretto, secretary-general of the International Road Transport Union.
The Belt and Road Initiative is a vision of the future of the whole planet, not just China or Eurasia, he said.
"Since the launch of this initiative, we have seen increasing support from governments, businesses and other stakeholders within and beyond the Belt and Road region," said Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum.
He regards the Belt and Road Initiative as a shining model for regional collaboration, development and growth.
This initiative respects the differences between countries and their various paths for development, not imposing a specific plan or ideological framework, but seeking to create common ground for cooperation and mutual benefit, he said.
"Xi's commitment is taken very seriously and it shows that China is engaging the world like never before and I think that is the overarching vision that he gave," said Robert Lawrence Kuhn, an international corporate strategist.
"China is not seeking hegemony, China is seeking its rightful role," said Kuhn.
Li Xiangyang, a researcher with Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the forum will gather consensus and dismiss doubts.
"The Belt and Road is an unprecedented project of vast magnitude. It is important for us to explore ways to solve problems," he said.
"The initiative is far beyond the economic strategy of any single country or region, its mission is to make the world more innovative, dynamic, and equal," Alibaba founder Jack Ma said.
"The Belt and Road is a great vision with a bright future," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 23:23:03|Editor: liuxin
Nepali people queue to cast their votes at a polling station during local elections in Kathmandu, Nepal, on May 14, 2017. Nepal held local body elections on Sunday as a major step to implement its landmark constitution adopted in 2015. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma)
KATHMANDU, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Nepal held local body elections on Sunday as a major step to implement its landmark constitution adopted in 2015.
The one-day elections conducted from 7:00 a.m to 5: p.m. local time in 34 districts of province 3, 4 and 6 of the Himalayan country, with 283 local municipalities voted for candidates for seven positions, according to the Election Commission.
"The elections were concluded successfully in a peaceful manner with the encouraging number of people who voted for their candidates with full of enthusiasm," Chief Election Commissioner Ayodhi Prasad Yadav told a press conference on Sunday evening adding that the voters' turnout stood at 71 percent.
Nepal held such elections after a hiatus of two decades.
"This is one of our major steps to implement the new constitution promulgated in September 2015," Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal told media after casting votes at a polling station at Chitwan District in the Central Nepal, some 160 km south of the Capital.
As many as 5 million voters took part in the landmark local body polls held for the first time in Nepal after the culmination of decade-long armed conflict that ended in 2006.
This is the first round of local body elections where some 50,000 contenders vied for the 13,556 positions in various places including Kathmandu Valley that covered nearly half of the country.
People who were eligible to vote cast their ballots at 6,642 polling stations.
The government deployed some 46,000 government staffs to the polling stations guarded by 75,000 security personnel including over 20,000 temporary police recruit during the one-day election.
Governing parties, Nepali Congress and the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the opposition Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) are main contenders in most of the places where elections were held on Sunday.
Local body elections followed by provincial and national elections should be held mandatorily by January 2018 as enshrined in the Nepali constitution.
Last time local representatives were appointed back in 1997, whose tenure expired after five years. Since then Nepal did not hold such local body elections.
According to the election commission, some 60 political parties fielded candidates whether for mayor, deputy mayor, and head of village councils.
A Kathmandu-based political analyst Gopal Khanal told Xinhua on Sunday that this election will end the political vacuum at the local bodies which were headless in the absence of elected representatives for the past two decades.
"The local body elections will give a concrete shape to the federal setup, putting an end to the long-running unitary and centralized system that existed for decades," Khanal said adding that the election will be instrumental to implement the federalism.
Federalism is one of the major characteristics of the new constitution and a key agenda raised by the Maoists during the decade-long armed conflict which took some 16,000 lives.
Nearly 40 percent of the seats would be occupied by women including at least a Dalit woman member and either a mayor or deputy mayor in the municipality and either the chief or deputy chief in the rural municipality, according to the Election Commission.
General public were seen excited for the historical polls on Sunday following many political developments and gradual economic reforms in the country.
"I was quite excited to cast votes for the first time in my life," Sebika Khatri, a 20-year-old student told Xinhua, who cast votes at a polling station in Patan City in the Kathmandu Valley.
Nepal will hold the second round of elections on June 14 in provinces number 1, 2, 5 and 7 that border India.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-14 23:38:50|Editor: liuxin
Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi (C), Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri (L) and Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, attend a joint press conference in Amman, capital of Jordan, on May 14, 2017. Jordan on Sunday reiterated its stance that east Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine. (Xinhua/Mohammad Abu Ghosh)
AMMAN, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Jordan on Sunday reiterated its stance that east Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine.
Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi said Jordan and the Arabs are committed to the Arab peace initiative as key to peace and ending the conflict in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The minister made the remarks at a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri and Saeb Erekat, secretary general of the Palestine Liberation Organization, where he stressed on Jordan's rejection of any plan to relocate the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
"The Arab peace initiative is a historic opportunity to end the conflict between the Arabs and Israel," said Safadi, stressing Jordan's support to the Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Jordan will continue to exert efforts for attaining peace, he said.
The Egyptian minister said there was momentum at this stage to push the peace process forward and revive peace talks in line with the 2002 peace deal, which offers Israel normal ties with the Arabs in return for withdrawal from territories it occupied in 1967.
Erekat, for his part, stressed that Gaza Strip should be included as part of any peace deal, stressing that there is no Palestinian state in Gaza and that there is no Palestinian state without Gaza Strip.
Erekat said the Palestinian Authority will continue coordination with Jordan and Egypt, which are directly interested in the final status issues.
He also called for ending divisions among the Palestinian factions.
Prior to the press conference, Safadi met with Shukri and Erekat and discussed means to kick start effective peace talks between the Palestinians and the Israelis.
The three sides underlined that the two state solution was the only viable and accepted solution to address the Palestinian issue, noting that such a solution should lead to the creation of an independent Palestinian state with east Jerusalem as its capital.
In their meeting, they said the Palestinian issue was the core of conflicts in the Middle East.
A lack of a solution to the decade-long issue will lead to more tension in the region, they added.
Discussions also focused on developments in the region and the need for continued collaboration to uproot terrorism.
| 2017-05-15 05:39:19|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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PARIS, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Following the French presidential election victory for Emmanuel Macron -- the candidate for a political party positioning itself neither on the left nor the right -- internal quarrels related to political orientation have been accentuated within the traditional parties, a sign of political upheaval and restructuring.
Will the legislative elections scheduled for June 11 and 18 set the tone for a new political configuration predicted by specialists and observers of the French political scene? The results of the presidential election which overturned expectations, relegating from the first round of voting the traditional parties to third (The Republicans) and fifth (Socialist Party) place, imply major shifts in the political landscape.
The contours of this new configuration are already being defined ahead of the legislative elections. For the Socialist Party, former Prime Minister Manuel Valls has shown the way forward, in officially announcing his decision to enroll in legislative elections under the banner of Macron's movement "En Marche!"
"This socialist party is dead, it is behind us... I will be a candidate of the presidential majority," Valls declared on Tuesday, saying he was ideologically closer to Macron.
In overtly choosing the camp of the presidential majority, Manuel Valls has thrown back into the open the split in the socialist party between the reformers that he incarnates and the radicals represented by Benoit Hamon. This antagonism which has festered for a long time within the Socialist Party, strongly divided it during the presidential campaign.
The socialists known as reformers (including both elected officials and activists) supported Emmanuel Macron's candidacy from the first round of presidential voting, to the detriment of Benoit Hamon and his political allies, and despite threats from the first secretary of the Socialist Party, Jean-Christoph Cambadelis.
The same variety of internal quarrels has struck the Republicans, obliging certain higher officials such as Alain Juppe to officially take positions. The Mayor of Bordeaux, of which close allies such as Benoist Apparu and Edouard Phillippe have been named part of the incoming government, has excluded all frontal opposition to Emmanuel Macron.
"I am not in the state of mind for a systematic obstruction and a frontal opposition. I will be necessary to see that France succeeds with the forms for which it has need," declared Juppe Tuesday to the press. Several close allies to Juppe, who represents the moderate wing of the Republicans, have joined the En Marche! Movement after the defeat of their candidate in the primaries to Francois Fillon, whose program they judged very "radical."
The rest of the group Emmanuel Macron gained following the refusal of rightwing candidate Fillon to step out of the race after he was formally put under investigation for the "Penelopegate" scandal. Bruno Le Maire, another disappointed primary candidate for the right who had campaigned in favor of a renewal of the political class says as well that he is ready to work with the new president, and to run under the En Marche! banner for the legislative elections.
"My actions echo my political reflections, for five years I haven't stopped saying that France needs renewal. It's here. There is a political world which is dying and another which is being born," Le Maire told the newspaper Le Monde. He was the first leader for the right wing party to have abandoned Fillon for not having kept his promise to step down after being put under investigation.
The recent resignation of Christian Estrosi -- in disagreement with the radical wing of the Republicans -- from the presidency of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Cote D'Azur (PACA -- Southeastern France) has also raised numerous questions within the party, even if he has excluded himself for the moment from joining the presidential majority.
Rather than enroll Manuel Valls and Bruno Le Maire on its candidate lists for the legislative elections, Emmanuel Macron's movement decided not to name candidates in their respective districts of Evry and Eure, a political response which leaves the door open for closer ties in the future. As for the Socialist Party and the Republicans, they are once again brandishing the threat of exclusion against all those who would run under the banner of the presidential majority.
Beyond the traditional parties, the far-right party National Front will not escape the massive upheaval, despite the qualification of its candidate for the second round of the presidential election. Almost immediately after the party was eliminated from the presidential run, a flurry of criticism from within the National Front appeared in the press under the cover of anonymity, and against Marine Le Pen, who has for a long time been considered untouchable.
The interventionist economic platform proposed by Le Pen and her lieutenant, Florian Phillipot, has been called back into question by the liberal and conservative camp represented by Marion Marechal Le Pen. Several political observers have interpreted Marechal Le Pen's Wednesday announcement that she would not run again for the legislature as a result of these internal differences.
Nevertheless, several hours from her defeat, Marine Le Pen announced her decision to engage in a deep transformation of her party. As part of this metamorphosis, the National Front will become The Patriots, according to media reports. But this announcement has not visibly convinced allies of Marion Marechal Le Pen. Contested more than ever within her own party, Marine Le Pen according to some French press reports is hesitating to commit herself to June's legislative elections.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-15 00:34:21|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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KHARTOUM, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Sudan knows well the importance of the Belt and Road Initiative in enhancing common development for all countries, Sudanese presidential assistant told Xinhua in an interview on Sunday.
"This great initiative constitutes a suitable framework to enhance common development among all countries under the initiative," said Awad Ahmed Al-Jaz, also an official in charge of maintaining China-Sudan relations.
"The Belt and Road Initiative constitutes the peak of the social responsibility for the Chinese leadership and its sincere willingness to exchange benefits with the world and achieve common development. The initiative is a model for the collective thinking to work to achieve the literal meaning of the term 'participation'," he added.
"In Sudan, we have pioneering experience in economic, commercial and political cooperation with China. For decades, China has proved itself as a trustful and credible friend, with a spirit of cooperation."
The official stressed his country's willingness to play a key role in making the Belt and Road Initiative successful, and to use its potential and resources to achieve the basic principles of the initiative.
"Sudan enjoys a geographical location that makes it a linking ring between the Arab world and Africa, where historically, Sudan's eastern ports represented the meeting point of the commercial convoys coming from China towards Africa," said Al-Jaz.
He further noted that Sudan is planning to establish a free trade zone in the east area to be a major point for the emerging trade lines under the Belt and Road Initiative.
Al-Jaz, meanwhile, commended the speech of Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered Sunday at the the opening of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, and his confirmations that China would not intervene in the internal affairs of other countries.
To this end, Al-Jaz said, "From our cooperation experience with China, we are aware of the seriousness of these confirmations. What characterized our cooperation with China is China's non-intervention in our internal affairs. This principle has always remained standing."
He reiterated the importance for the countries involved in the initiative to find a peaceful environment that avails the realization of the over-all objectives of the initiative.
Commenting on what Xi said in his speech that "the Belt and Road should be built into a belt and road for peace," the Sudanese official reiterated the importance of a peaceful and stable environment for the Belt and Road countries.
"Today the world needs peace. It needs to enhance the spirit of partnership, cooperation and mutual benefits. What we need now are innovative initiatives that enhance interconnection instead disharmony, favor peace over war and enhance sharing of values instead of conflict among those values," he said.
Xi delivered Sunday a keynote speech at the opening of the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing, saying that "the ancient silk routes thrived in times of peace, but lost vigor in times of war. The pursuit of the Belt and Road Initiative requires a peaceful and stable environment."
"We should foster a new type of international relations featuring win-win cooperation; and we should forge partnerships of dialogue with no confrontation and of friendship rather than alliance," Xi said.
The Belt and Road Forum, the highest-level international meeting since Xi proposed the Belt and Road Initiative in 2013, gathers 29 foreign heads of state and government leaders as well as delegates from some 130 countries.
The Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along ancient trade routes over land and sea. Since 2013, China has invested over 50 billion U.S dollars in railway, road and ports sectors in many countries.
So far, the initiative has won support from more than 100 countries and international organizations, of which over 40 have signed cooperation agreements with China.
Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni receives an interview with Chinese media at Palazzo Chigi in Rome, Italy, on May 10, 2017.
ROME, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni said Wednesday that Italy is "enormously interested" in China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, which envisions a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa.
The Italian leader made the remarks in an interview with Rome-based Chinese media prior to attending the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation to be held in Beijing on May 14-15.
Gentiloni called the Belt and Road Initiative "perhaps the most important infrastructure modernization project underway in the world today."
"Bringing the Chinese economy closer through this gigantic infrastructural operation is enormously interesting to Italy, not only for our government but also for our universities and public and private businesses," Gentiloni said.
For Italy it's not just looking to become a trade and logistical destination for the contemporary Silk Road, but also about participating in large-scale infrastructure projects in the countries along the Silk Road.
"As a country we've been capable of building large-scale infrastructure, roads, and public works for thousands of years -- in this aspect we are somewhat similar to China," Gentiloni said.
"So we like to put these strengths together," the prime minister said.
Italy used to be the destination for traders along the ancient Silk Road, and the Mediterranean country expects to become an active partner in the contemporary version of the ancient trade route that China has proposed.
Gentiloni believes the Belt and Road Initiative could make Italy's ports into new terminals for international trade.
"We are convinced that to this day, Italy continues to be an ideal destination for the Belt and Road Initiative, especially as far as the southern link by sea," he said.
Emphasizing Italy is a country that connects Europe and Africa, Gentiloni noted that the Chinese economy is very interested in fostering relations with both Europe and Africa.
Italy is also looking to "possibilities for joint investments with China and other partners in the various countries -- I'm thinking of Pakistan, for example -- along the Belt and Road route," Gentiloni added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-15 00:49:27|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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KATHMANDU, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Nepal expects to enhance cooperation with China within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, Nepal's Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat told Xinhua in the capital of Kathmandu on Sunday.
"The Chinese president's announcement to contribute an additional 100 billion yuan (about 14.5 billion U.S. dollars) to the Silk Road Fund is a piece of good news for neighboring countries like Nepal that have recently joined the Belt and Road Initiative," Prakash Sharan Mahat said.
The initiative, proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along and beyond ancient Silk Road trade routes over land and sea.
Commenting on Xi's speech at the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation held in Beijing on Sunday, the foreign minister said that Nepal wishes to receive more investments from China to develop inter-connectivity and infrastructure projects within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.
The Belt and Road Initiative is a wide concept. China has given top priority to promoting this initiative since it was introduced in 2013, he added. < Nepal wants to enhance railway and road inter-connectivity with China and attract more investments, he said, adding that "We are expecting more loans from China to develop various infrastructure projects within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative."
Nepal and China signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) earlier this week, which is aimed at enhancing cooperation in promoting inter-connectivity of infrastructure, trade links, financial integration and inter-connectivity of peoples.
Meanwhile, the forum has received widespread attention from all walks of life in Nepal.
"This is an extraordinary address by President Xi at the forum this morning," Suresh Sharma, former brigadier general of the Nepal army, told Xinhua.
"Nepal, a birthplace of Buddha and an apostle of peace, always has remained an admirer of this noble Belt and Road Initiative to bring peace, prosperity and brotherhood for the entire world," said Sharma, who is also the executive director of the Kathmandu-based private think-tank National Institute of Strategic Studies.
"Nepal as the closest neighbor is soon to benefit from this Belt and Road Initiative," he added.
Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who heads a high-level delegation, is attending the two-day Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing.
The forum is also covered by mainstream daily newspapers, online media outlets and television channels in Nepal.
Kosh Raj Koirala, a Kathmandu-based correspondent with Republica Newspaper, told Xinhua, "In his speech, President Xi has categorically put emphasis on the need to build peaceful and stable environment in the region to implement the initiative. This is expected to create conducive environment in the region for peace and prosperity."
The Belt and Road Initiative provides opportunities for countries like Nepal that face difficulties in infrastructure development, he added.
MOSCOW, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian servicemen delivered nearly 5 tons of humanitarian aid to more than 1400 Syrian civilians in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday.
"Within last 24 hours, the Russian Center for reconciliation of opposing sides has held 10 humanitarian actions... Total weight of humanitarian aid has reached 4.7 tons. 1,421 people have received humanitarian aid." the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
The total number of humanitarian deliveries has reached 1,210, the document added.
Russia has been providing Syrian residents with medical help and regular humanitarian aid amid the continuous chaos in the war-torn country.
According to the statement, Russia and Turkey, as guarantors of the nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime, respectively registered 4 and 2 cases of ceasefire violations in the past 24 hours.
Nevertheless, the situation in the de-escalation zones is assessed as "stable", the document said.
On May 4, Russia, Iran and Turkey signed a memorandum on the creation of four safe zones (de-escalation zones) in Syria, which are guaranteed to be free of battles and airstrikes for six months. The agreement went into force on May 6.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-15 01:29:02|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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MOSUL, Iraq, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi paramilitary units of Hashd Shaabi units on Sunday continued heavy clashes against Islamic State (IS) militants on the third day of an operation aimed at dislodging the extremist militants from the areas near the Iraqi-Syrian border in west of Mosul, the Iraqi military said.
The predominantly Shiite Hashd Shaabi units, backed by the army's helicopters, freed the villages of Khailo and Tal al-Qasab from IS militants near the IS-held town of al-Qairwan, which locates in the rugged sprawling area southwest of Tal Afar and south of Sinjar, the Hashd Shaabi said in a statement.
The Hashd Shaabi units also surrounded the village of Tal al-Banat in north of al-Qairwan, where some of IS local leaders are believed to be holed up and using the villagers as human shields, the statement said.
The units are now surrounding the town from three sides, isolating the IS-held town and cutting off its supply routes on the main roads between the town and Tal Afar and Sinjar, the statement said.
The paramilitary units fought sporadic clashes against IS militants and killed 23 of them, including five suicide bombers and two snipers, along with destroying four car bombs, while the helicopter gunships destroyed a fifth booby-trapped car and three IS posts, the statement added.
The operation would enable the Hashd Shaabi units to secure the border areas between Iraq and neighboring Syria and cut off the IS supply routes between Mosul and the Syrian city of Raqqa, the capital of IS self-declared caliphate.
The operation came as the Iraqi security forces, backed by anti-IS international coalition, are carrying out a major offensive to dislodge IS militants from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul in northern Iraq.
Mosul, 400 km north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, has been under IS control since June 2014, when government forces abandoned their weapons and fled, enabling IS militants to take control of parts of Iraq's northern and western regions.
TRIPOLI, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Libya's UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez Serraj on Saturday met with elders of the western cities of Bani Walid and Zawiya in the capital Tripoli.
The meeting discussed the urgent needs of the cities, including election of mayors and resuming suspended infrastructure projects.
Serraj stressed the importance of the role of elders to establish stability and support reconciliation initiatives.
The discussion included means for decentralization and provide basic services for citizens in all Libyan areas and cities.
Serraj's unity government has been appointed in December 2015 based on a UN-sponsored peace deal signed by the country's political rivals. However, Libya remains politically divided amid insecurity and unrest.
A Russian soldier hands a pack of aid to a kid in Damascus, Syria, Nov. 24, 2016. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
MOSCOW, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Russian servicemen delivered nearly 5 tons of humanitarian aid to more than 1400 Syrian civilians in the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday.
"Within last 24 hours, the Russian Center for reconciliation of opposing sides has held 10 humanitarian actions... Total weight of humanitarian aid has reached 4.7 tons. 1,421 people have received humanitarian aid." the ministry said in a statement posted on its website.
The total number of humanitarian deliveries has reached 1,210, the document added.
Russia has been providing Syrian residents with medical help and regular humanitarian aid amid the continuous chaos in the war-torn country.
According to the statement, Russia and Turkey, as guarantors of the nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime, respectively registered 4 and 2 cases of ceasefire violations in the past 24 hours.
Nevertheless, the situation in the de-escalation zones is assessed as "stable", the document said.
On May 4, Russia, Iran and Turkey signed a memorandum on the creation of four safe zones (de-escalation zones) in Syria, which are guaranteed to be free of battles and airstrikes for six months. The agreement went into force on May 6.
KHARTOUM, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Sudan's Minerals Ministry on Sunday said gold registered 37 percent of the country's exports with revenues amounting to 1.2 billion U.S Dollars.
"The minerals ministry will be the main way to pull out the Sudanese economy from its current crisis," said Sudan's new Minerals Minister Hashim Ali Salem Sunday.
He reiterated that he would complete what the former minister has started, saying "we will continue the projects which he (the former minister) has started and work to develop them."
Former minister Ahmed Mohamed Sadiq Al-Karuri, for his part, said that "Minerals have become one of the most important sectors, and the concern of the World Bank with the sector in its current report early this week is evidence of such importance."
The World Bank said in its most recent report that Sudan has ranked third in African regarding gold production after South Africa and Ghana respectively.
Sudan government is seeking to increase its gold production to reach 100 tons to rank second in Africa in terms of gold production and ninth at the world level.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-15 02:30:10|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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BAGHDAD, May 14 (Xinhua) -- A total of 27 Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in airstrikes by international coalition against IS posts in IS-held areas in Iraq's western province of Anbar on Sunday, an Iraqi army source said.
According to intelligence reports, the U.S.-led coalition aircraft conducted an airstrike on an internet cafe used by IS militants as a headquarters in the town of al-Qaim near the border with Syria, leaving some 20 of them killed, Nouman al-Zoubaie, commander of the army's 7th Division, told Xinhua.
Another airstrike destroyed an IS post in the city of Aana, some 180 km northwest of the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, killing six militants, Zoubaie said.
In addition, an international airstrike bombed a booby-trapped vehicle and killed its driver, he added.
In a separate incident, a booby-trapped car detonated at a busy intersection in Karrada district in central Baghdad, leaving a civilian killed and five others wounded, a local police source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
The airstrikes in western Iraq and Baghdad car bombing came as the Iraqi security forces, backed by anti-IS international coalition, are carrying out a major offensive to drive out IS militants from their major stronghold in the western side of Mosul in northern Iraq.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-15 02:40:33|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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CHICAGO, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Latest study of the University of Michigan (UM) found that the "open ports" of an internet communication mechanism in mobile devices are much more vulnerable to security breaches than previously thought.
UM researchers have analyzed 24,000 popular mobiles apps to arrive at this finding, and posted the results on the website of UM.
The researchers found that open port backdoors could be exploited to steal private information such as contacts, security credentials and photos; to remotely control a device; to perform a denial of service attack; or to inject malicious code that could jumpstart widespread, virus-like attacks.
They have identified 410 apps with dangerous insecurities, and 956 different individual ways those insecurities could be exploited.
The vulnerability the researchers highlighted is most pronounced in Android apps that let users share data across devices and connect to their phones from their computers.
The researchers found that more than half of the usage of open ports in the apps they studied is unprotected, and the unprotected nature shows a general lack of awareness of the problem.
Investigating the fundamental causes behind this general vulnerability, the researchers found that it is exposed by popular ways open ports are used in the smartphone ecosystem, rather than poor implementation of apps.
Open ports are integral pieces of internet infrastructure that allow computer programs to accept packets of information from remote servers. It is safe in traditional computers because computers' Internet Protocol addresses don't change.
The researchers have identified certain steps app developers can take to mitigate the vulnerability, and reported the vulnerabilities to affected app developers.
Smartphones also use open ports to receive certain types of information. But because of the way mobile networks are structured, phones' IP addresses can change as they move through the world. This and other factors relating to mobile architecture lead to these vulnerabilities, the researchers say.
LJUBLJANA, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Slovenian authorities have intensified monitoring the situation in the wake of an unprecedented global cyberattack, although the country did not suffer much consequences.
According to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA), latest Europol data shows that the cyberattack has hit more than 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries on Friday, and merely eight victims in Slovenia were hit by the cyberattack.
The most serious case in Slovenia, car assembly factory Revoz, the subsidiary of France's Renault, was the only company to have been attacked.
The attack resulted in the cancellation of the Friday-to-Saturday night shift and the Saturday shift on the company's production schedule.
According to Revoz spokesperson Nevenka Basek Zildzovic, it is too early to say when production would be relaunched and it is hard to assess the damage from it, the STA report said on Sunday,
Quoting an unofficial information, the STA report said that Revoz would have made more than 400 cars during the cancelled shifts.
While only eight victims reported to have been victims of the cyberattack in Slovenia, the acting boss of the Government Office for the Protection of Classified Information Dobran Bozic believes that given the nature of the attack, the number is much higher.
Bozic also believes that victims were targetted randomly rather than carefully selected in advance.
KHARTOUM, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese government said on Sunday that it believes the U.S. sanctions imposed on the country for 20 years will be fully lifted, after a report by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) indicates Khartoum has fulfilled all requirements, Sudanese Media Center (SMC) reported.
"Sudan has fulfilled all requirements, and therefore lifting of the sanctions is considered a fair matter," Sudanese Information Minister Ahmed Bilal Osman was quoted as saying.
He described the CIA report as "positive," saying his country is "optimistic that the U.S. Congress and President will fully lift the sanctions from Sudan."
The minister also noted that Khartoum is cooperating in all fields, and therefore it is natural for the sanctions to be lifted from it.
Earlier, Washington set conditions for fully lifting the sanctions on Sudan, which required the country to present a report by July 12 to commit itself to a number of terms including combating terrorism and ceasing hostilities in conflict areas.
On January 13, then U.S. president Barack Obama issued a decision to cancel two executive orders imposing economic sanctions on Sudan.
The United States has been imposing sanctions on Sudan since 1997 and putting it on its list of countries sponsoring terrorism since 1993.
Since then, Washington has been renewing its sanctions on Sudan due to the continuing war in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan regions in addition to a number of outstanding issues with South Sudan, such as the territorial dispute over the oil-rich Abyei area.
BRUSSELS, May 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Sunday condemned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s latest test launch of a ballistic missile, slamming it, as well as previous launches, as a threat to international peace and security.
A spokesperson of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic service, noted in a statement that the DPRK's move seriously violated multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.
"This and previous launches constitute a threat to international peace and security and further aggravate tensions in the region at a time when de-escalation is instead needed," the spokesperson said.
"The DPRK...must halt these launches and abandon its ballistic missiles programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner," the spokesperson stressed, adding "the same holds true for its nuclear, nuclear weapons and all other weapons of mass destruction programmes."
The spokesperson urged the DPRK to "engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue with the international community," proclaiming that the EU "is ready to support such a process for dialogue."
The DPRK launched what believed to be a ballistic missile early Sunday, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported.
The "unidentified missile" was fired early Sunday morning from a site near the city of Kusong in North Pyongan Province, the news agency quoted the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying.
The U.S. Pacific Command confirmed that the missile , fired by the DPRK at approximately 2030 GMT Saturday, landed in the Sea of Japan. .
ALGIERS, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Prime Minister, Abdelmalek Sellal on Sunday stressed the fight against terrorism and various forms of criminality require joint action between international security services and strong commitment of the international community.
"The world is witnessing considerable upsurge of terrorism and its new forms while allying with drug, arms and human traffickers, as well as with cyber-criminality and money-laundering," Sellal said in his opening notes at 1st African Union Police Cooperation Mechanism (Afripol).
"This is a global organized and multifaceted threat to our security, which requires joint action, coordination and cooperation between international security services, as well as strong and genuine commitment of the international community," he added.
The Algerian official further suggested strengthening the operational and technical capacities of the African police services by developing texts, creating centers of excellence in training and judicial inquiry, and generalizing innovative practices and exchange of information and experience.
He stressed that Algeria has always called for dealing with roots of any crises, urging to separate religious or ethnic alibis from terrorists, draining the sources of funding, as well as confronting the nurturing matrices of radicalization, both academically and politically.
Sellal further added that authorities have to fight the sources of terrorism such as ignorance and poverty, in addition to establishing real national reconciliation policies to bring peoples together and avert hatred and rancor.
He concluded that the outcomes of the 1st General Assembly of Afripol would hopefully provide effective actions that would safeguard world's peace.
The first general assembly of Afripol kicked off Sunday in Algiers, in the presence of Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC) Mahamat Moussa Faki.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-05-15 06:16:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan
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By Gerardo Laborde
MONTEVIDEO, May 14 (Xinhua) -- Uruguay this month is celebrating the 10th anniversary of a national program that has made Internet available to the masses by providing all elementary school students with a laptop.
The national program, called Plan Ceibal, in conjunction with the global nonprofit initiative called One Laptop Per Child (OLPC), made Uruguay "the first country in the world to provide one laptop to every primary school student," according to OLPC's website.
"I must admit that, at the beginning, I never imagined a plan so complete and well executed," OLPC's founder, the U.S.-born Nicholas Negroponte, said during a visit to Montevideo this week.
Negroponte, who is also the founder of MIT's Media Lab, said one of the factors that helped to make the plan a resounding success in Uruguay was President Tabare Vazquez, who was serving his first term (2005-2010) when the plan was first adopted.
Vazquez was adamant about the scope of the program, insisting it should cover every child, according to the state Uruguayan News Agency (UyPress).
"Nobody else did that. That is extraordinary," said Negroponte.
In announcing the plan in December 2006, Vazquez said that as of 2007 "the fundamental school supply our children are going to have is going to be this computer."
The first green-and-white laptops, which cost 100 U.S. dollars to make, were distributed in May 2007 at a school in the small town of Villa Cardal, in the southern department of Florida, home to just 500 inhabitants. But soon schoolchildren throughout the country had a "ceibalita," as the laptops were called.
The first three students to get a laptop were Micaela Rodriguez, Rocio Martinez and German Arrua, today aged 17, 18 and 19, respectively.
All three agree the laptop marked a turning point in their educational life.
"They came to be used for all the day's work," Rodriguez told national radio network Radiodifusion Nacional del Uruguay (RNU).
"With a computer, we could find out about many things that we didn't know existed in Uruguay," she added.
Martinez agreed, saying the Plan Ceibal, a Spanish backronym that stands for Basic Informatic Educative Connectivity for Online Learning, "was a great help" for studying.
Arrua, meanwhile, recalled using his laptop to take pictures.
The president of Plan Ceibal, Miguel Brechner, said prior to the initiative, "only 9 percent of children from the poorest households had access to a computer. Today, more than 90 percent of that population does."
Thanks to its effectiveness, Plan Ceibal was expanded to secondary school students and since 2016 is being used to teach the elderly.
According to Negroponte, two other factors helped make the program a success in Uruguay, including developing the needed infrastructure, which state telecom Antel was tasked with doing.
The third factor was the country's belief in the advantages of promoting equality, he said.
"Due to these three things: Vazquez, equality and the telecommunications, this project turned into what it is. And it helped us in many aspects, and that's why I want many other countries to copy this experience," Negroponte said.
Uruguay "has become the byword" for progressive educational programs, he said, predicting that "in 20 years, Uruguay will be producing the world's most creative people."
SRP constable shoots himself
Shadrach Paltoo of Kowlessar Trace, Sangre Grande was up until late yesterday listed in critical condition at the Sangre Grande Hospital.
According to reports, Paltoo complained to relatives about severe depression but they never thought he was contemplating suicide. Paltoos father, a retired city police officer, told investigators he never suspected his son was suicidal and had no reason to hide the firearm.
Police reports revealed that about 7.15 am yesterday, Paltoo told his younger brother to attend to a farm where they rear chickens. As his sibling left he was alerted to a loud explosion in the living room and found his brother on the floor, bleeding from the head.
Relatives and neighbours were alerted and Paltoo was taken to the Sangre Grande Hospital. Officers from the Sangre Grande CID later visited the house.
Paltoos colleagues expressed shock claiming hey had often advised him to seek counselling but he refused.
Helping moms
It was while on the maternity ward at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex, Mt Hope in 2015, that Edmund made the decision that this was her calling.
And after giving birth to her second daughter, Arlene-May Chan Wai Hong, the Facebook page, Trinimomcorner, was born. The page is solely dedicated to providing valuable information on pregnancy and motherhood.
To date, it has 883 Facebook Likes. Edmund tells Sunday Newsday the initiative has evolved into a charitable organisation, with over 25 families receiving assistance since its inception in April last year.
Trinimomcorner started as a page that I made to provide information. I started because a lot of people dont know a lot of things. They dont know about breast feeding, they dont know about the first days (of motherhood), they dont know about parenting and they have a lot of questions and they dont have an informed circle like I do to help them. I started really to educate about car safety and all these things, and it kind of morphed into a charity organisation. I talk to them (mothers) and do perspective shifting. I still try to do articles but its more like a community help thing, she explains.
The former El Dorado Senior Comprehensive student says, Ive always wanted to do something with moms. When I made Arlene-May, next to me in the hospital there was a mother who had just had her baby and she had nothing. She didnt know she was pregnant (until late), how far along she was, she didnt know anything and they kept the baby from her because she did not even get HIV tested. She did not even have clothes to change.
From that experience, the mothers in the room who barely had - and who had - gave her (items) for her child, and that kind of showed me that we need that kind of community effort.
We need to stop saying seven children, look how she make all them children and understand (maybe) she was raped, she wasnt educated. And that was my catalyst to say I need to do something about what I am seeing.
Last year we did lectures for breastfeeding week. We teamed up with (chutney star) Omardath Maharaj and his wife and we did talks in St Helena about breastfeeding, and sustainability in breastfeeding. Right now Im training with the Trinidad and Tobago Breastfeeding Association as a counsellor. And the initiative went a few steps further. We do activities like raising funds for food and clothing and baby essentials; collect any used items, clean them, store them and hand them out to people who are in need. Last year also we took a family on over the August vacation and provided them with all their books, shoes and uniforms (for their children) - everything they need to go back to school. Edmund says generally the response from the public has been positive, with the support of family, friends and benevolent individuals.
She notes though, that some people have been sceptical of the efforts, offering instead to donate condoms.
She questions this rigid stance, arguing: People need to get help to get back on the right track or find the right track, because some of them dont know it. But other than that we have amazing people who donate generously to the cause, either monetarily or to come and drop food, or this and that. Edmund, however, is not swayed by her detractors who think shes just giving handouts, as she believes the charitable arm of Trinimomcorner empowers individuals.
Weve been from Barrackpore to Valencia helping people.
You would not believe that the same persons weve helped turn around and help others. One of the first families we helped, the husband lost his job and the wife had four kids already and they were on the fifth.
He used to be a truck driver but lost his job and she had this baby on the way and things started to fall apart. But shes resourceful, she began to sew and she made cakes for a number of our birthday parties. She came and gave back and now theyre on their feet. Its not about a hand-out, its more a hand up. Edmund plans to have Trinimomcorner registered as a non-governmental organisation in the near future, but says there are certain steps that must be taken to prove what they are do doing.
Some people say youre doing this just for (publicity on) Facebook but you kind of have to do that, she explains.
She is hoping in five years to set-up a subsidised daycare to assist working mothers whose incomes are small, but need that service because they have no one to supervise their children.
Inspiring art
The exhibition began on April 12 and ended on May 6. It showcased the creativity of final-year visual arts students of the DCFA at the National Museum and Art Gallery in Port-of-Spain.
The art work of 25 students included paintings, sculptures, installations, photography, product designs, and fashion designs.
Young design student, Jerrell Riley in his piece, Wide Awake, explores the cultural realm, focusing on the Trinbagonian youths connection to their own cultural identity.
He uses coveralls as his medium to symbolise the productivity of the local work force, attaching prominent cultural figures such as the countrys first prime minister Dr Eric Williams, Olympic gold medallist Keshorn Walcott and artist Carlisle Chang to his work. Riley marries the concepts of fashion and cultural icons to promote nationalism and patriotism in the labour force.
Riley says his design is aimed at taking our local culture and consciousness into the street fashion realm. Wide Awake, he said, encourages the youth to look inward and promote hardworking values.
A Memoriam created by Joy Rajnauth is a special dedication to her mother. The sculptural hand positions depict emotions and moments that Rajnauth experienced with her mother. They portray the influential impact of her mothers career as a seamstress, as well as her level of spirituality. Rajnauth hopes her art help viewers understand the parent/child connection. Impenetrable, an insulation sculpture created by Virginia DOrnellas demonstrated the artists inner emotional journey in understanding herself.
It is moulded from layers of clay and plaster, which she says represents her self-discovery in making and breaking the wall of forgiveness in her mind. DOrnellas believes creating art is important not only for the viewers but for artists as well because without it, we lose what it is to be real and human.
Artist Shayna Karim uses design as her personal outlet to help solve problems in society. Karims piece, Al-Jadidah is a fashion and detailing design for the hijab. Her inspiration comes from her own cultural up-bringing, in which a struggle has always existed for people who keep the Islamic practice of wearing a hijab. Karims ambition is to introduce unique Arabic fashion designs that are expressive, trendy while still being modest. She also wants her fashion to not be limited to Islamic women, but incorporated into the wardrobes of every Caribbean woman.
Camille Parris, one the fledgling artists, revealed her functional design called Octopals.
She said its intent is to address the lack of attention given to cerebral palsy, a neurological disorder that affects many children.
Parris younger brother lives with cerebral palsy and depends on a wheelchair to get around.
However, she said, its design does not always accommodate his needs. Octopals, a colourful wheelchair attachment, is meant to change this. The attachment takes the shape of an octopus that provides back-support. The legs can be adjusted to fit each childs individual need. She uses bright green, yellow and red to appeal to the children. Her art piece is intended to create comfort and therapy for kids and to provide a supportive pal for children with cerebral palsy.
Share the joy
Delivering the feature address at the Womens Prisons 13th annual Mothers Day function, in Arouca, Johnson said while it has been the custom to have only a small number of mothers celebrate with their children at the function, in the past, that must now change.
It really tugs at me to see the kids here coming to come and visit with their Moms but it tugs at me even more when we have to choose a certain amount of mothers. We have to decide who comes out for the children to spend the day with and that destroys me, she said.
So, I am making a pledge, once I am in the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service, that from next year every mother who has a child and is in the womens prison would be allowed to have their children here with them. Johnson expressed hope that corporate citizens in TT will rise to the occasion.
I know corporate Trinidad and Tobago, if the problem is funding, corporate Trinidad and Tobago will cause this to happen.
We have a lot of good people out there and we have a lot of good people in here. Underscoring her commitment to the rehabilitation of the female inmates, Johnson spoke briefly about her own personal trials to arrive at the function.
I too, having my own struggles to come here this morning, this programme takes a lot out of me and when you have to deal with your own self and you still have to deal with all the other selves around you, it is difficult, said a teary-eyed Johnson.
I sat in my car outside there for about half and hour with my own mother trying to cheer me up for me to come here this morning because I was not supposed to here, I was supposed to go and do a procedure this morning.
Several things happened and I decided I am coming to the Womens Prison this morning because this is where my heart is.
This is where I ought to be. Johnson thanked prisons commissioners for their commitment to elevating standards within the Service.
We cannot continue doing things the same way all the time.
It is not working at all, she said.
Johnson said Programmes and Industry was a major unit in the prisons service.
We are working towards changing lives one client at a time because we have to do it, she said. We can no longer sit by and blame the police and blame the commissioner and blame the minister and blame the prime minister . We have our jobs to do and all we have to do is to do what we each have to do. Earlier in the function, the inmates performed the popular Sinach song, Waymaker, amid rousing applause from the audience.
Johnson urged guests to internalise the lyrics of the song If we embody the lyrics of the songs we sing and love and truly live it out, the world would be a better place, she said.
In his address, Robert Payne, executive director of Prison Fellowship TT, said there there were many positive things happening in the prisons that are never highlighted.
He also called for a shift in the positioning of the Womens Prisons Mothers Day function to accommodate staff and their families.
Payne suggested a neutral Saturday ether before or after the week of Mothers Day, which is held annually on the second Sunday in May.
Special tribute was paid to Soroptomists International for their three decades of service to the Womens Prison.
Other speakers at the event were Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Avellina Kanhai, Superintendent Jude Gordon and Reverend Michelle Modeste-Homer.
Carmona: Nothing greater than mothers love
In his Mothers Day message yesterday Carmona said there is nothing greater than a mothers love and a mothers positive influence. The role of the mother is undeniable and indispensable and is critical to the human and social development of any progressive society. A mothers love is all embracing and is often what makes the real difference in all our lives. She is the quintessential first teacher. Simply put, she points the way. She is the ultimate confidante and friend who takes care of household chores and in these modern times, pursues a demanding career and manages the family unit, all rolled into one. He said that motherhood is a vocation that cradles our very humanity and is a job with no time off.
The impact of a mothers love and care is immeasurable in action and inspiration and must not and cannot be viewed lightly. Carmona said that on Mothers Day the nation celebrates mothers, mother figures and caregivers who assume the role of moth He urged mothers to continue to work their maternal magic by inculcating in their children and family the positives of being compassionate, honourable, principled and respectful.
iStock/Thinkstock(SEOUL) -- The U.S. believes the ballistic missile North Korea launched on Saturday was a KN-17 medium range missile and not a new intermediate range missile, as had been speculated. The launch marked the first successful test of the missile, three previous launches in April had ended in failure.
The initial assessment by U.S. intelligence is that the missile launched by North Korea was a KN-17, a medium range ballistic missile, according to two U.S. officials. The liquid fueled single-stage KN-17 may be intended to be an anti-ship missile.
Launched from Kusong, in western North Korea, the missile flew for 435 miles before landing in the Sea of Japan.
U.S. Pacific Command had said in a statement Saturday that the type of missile launched by North Korea was still being assessed but that it "was not consistent with an intercontinental ballistic missile."
Saturday's test marked the first successful flight of the KN-17, three previous launches in April having ended in failure. On its first launch the missile spun out of control into the Sea of Japan after traveling 34 miles, the second missile exploded seconds after launch and the most recent test two weeks ago resulted in the missile breaking up over North Korea after traveling 21 miles.
The failures had made it difficult for the U.S. to determine the KN-17's full range capabilities.
Japanese Defense Minister Tomomi Inada told reporters Sunday that the missile launched Saturday had reached an unprecedented altitude of 2,000 kilometers, which raised speculation that North Korea may have developed a new intermediate range missile.
But U.S. officials did not seem as concerned by the altitude reached by the single-stage missile.
Saturday's launch marked the seventh North Korean missile launch this year, all occurring under the Trump administration.
North Korea has continued with its missile program despite United Nations Security Council resolutions barring such activity. The country's stated goal is to develop a missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that could strike the U.S. mainland.
Saturday's launch came days after Moon Jae-In was sworn in as South Korea's new President. Moon had campaigned on improved relations with North Korea and had even expressed a willingness to visit that country under the right circumstances.
Copyright 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Wave elections usually build slowly in the distance. But we are seeing some of the same indicators that portended big shifts in 2006 and 2010. Photo: Panoramic Images/Getty Images
Midterm elections are almost always a perilous time for parties that control the White House. The presidents party has lost House seats in 15 of the last 17 midterms, and the opposition party counts on the midterms as a staging point for a comeback. When a party controls both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government, as the GOP does today, a midterm loss can be highly disruptive. If, as seems possible, Democrats win the net 24 House seats necessary to take away Paul Ryans gavel and give it back to Nancy Pelosi, the Trump administrations already sizable difficulties in enacting legislation would metastasize.
Lets start with the caveat that odds around what will happen in 2018 are hard to calculate. On the one hand, there are multiple signs the president is maintaining the support of his hardcore base. And Trump and his party took a major step towards solidifying that base by finally getting legislation repealing Obamacare out of the House. On the other hand, looking beyond the base, Democrats seem to have an enthusiasm advantage (as reflected in their candidates relatively strong performance in special elections so far, such as those in Kansas and Georgia). The big legislative product of the Trump Era so far, the American Health Care Act, is very unpopular to the extent people understand it, as reflected both in polls and in the hostile environment Republicans are encountering in meetings with constituents. And the firestorm over Trumps firing of FBI director James Comey is probably not going to help the GOP.
That said, veteran political prognosticators are beginning to smell the salty air of a potential Democratic wave election in 2018 possibly large enough to net the 24 seats needed to depose Paul Ryan as Speaker. Heres Charlie Cook:
Roughly once a decade we see a tidal wave election, almost always at midterm, in which an invisible hand seems to boost candidates of one party and drag down candidates of the other. Candidates who normally win big end up winning by smaller margins. Lawmakers who usually have competitive races often get sucked away by the undertow. Districts that should be safe are no longer safe. Strong campaigns lose to weak campaigns, underfunded campaigns topple well-funded campaigns.
Electoral waves tend to build slowly. In the last really big wave election, in 2010, an awful lot of Democrats who looked safe at the beginning of the cycle wound up in the crosshairs, and in the end, Republicans gained a shocking 63 net seats. But there are usually omens. Cooks ace House analyst David Wasserman recently moved 20 Republican-held seats into more vulnerable territory in recognition of the pro-Democratic dynamics developing. Democrats have been regularly leading in measurements of the congressional generic ballot, a polling question that simply asks which party should control the House.
A new poll shows the kind of numbers that if they become common could definitely portend not just a wave but a veritable tsunami. Quinnipiacs latest national poll mainly drew attention for showing some really terrible assessments of Donald Trump. But its congressional generic ballot was a shocker:
By a 54 38 percent margin, American voters want the Democratic Party to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives. This is the widest margin ever measured for this question in a Quinnipiac University poll, exceeding a 5 percentage point margin for Republicans in 2013.
Indeed, I could not find any polls showing that kind of margin for either party during the 2014 or 2016 cycles (there was one Rasmussen poll in late 2013 when Republicans were getting blamed for a government shutdown that showed Democrats up by 11 points, but no other double-digit leads were evident going into either the 2014 or 2016 elections).
If you go all the way back to 2010 or 2006 two genuine wave elections double-digit leads for one party in the congressional generic ballot were common. The final Real Clear Politics polling average in 2010 showed Republicans up by 9.4 percent; their actual national-popular-vote margin was 6.8 percent, which yielded (thanks to the overexposure caused by two consecutive big Democratic wins) a net gain of 63 seats for the GOP. In 2006, the final RCP average was even larger for Democrats: 11.5 percent. Democrats actually won the national popular vote by 7.9 percent, picking up 31 net seats.
So there is at least some reason to believe a big shift along the lines of 2006 or 2010 could be in the works, particularly given the presidents persistently poor approval ratings. The Quinnipiac poll may be an outlier, but then again, it is reminiscent of the 2006 exit polls: It shows Democrats actually leading among seniors, a group the Donkey Party won in 2006 and 2008 but has lost consistently ever since (by more than 20 points in 2010 and 16 points in 2014).
No one knows what kind of popular-vote margin Democrats would need to retake the House, given the advantages Republicans have via gerrymandering, superior vote distribution, and incumbency. But in February, Harry Enten made a credible rough guesstimate:
Since 2012 (or when most states instituted the current House district lines), Republicans have won, on average, 51 percent of the two-party House vote and 55 percent of House seats. If that difference holds for 2018, Democrats would need to win the House popular vote by about 8 percentage points to win half the House seats.
Sixteen points would far more than do the trick. Paul Ryans grip on that gavel is looking a bit slippery.
One of the potentially new ballistic-missile designs that North Korea displayed during a parade last month in Pyongyang. It is not yet clear what type of missile the regime tested on Sunday. Photo: KCNA VIA KNS/STR/AFP/Getty Images
In a new provocation, North Korea successfully test-fired a ballistic missile that traveled some 450 miles over the Sea of Japan early Sunday morning. While analysts arent yet sure what kind of missile it was, U.S. Pacific Command tracked the launch and reported that the flight pattern indicates it was not an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the U.S. The land-fired missile, which was launched from a site in the northwestern region of Kusong, had a flight time of around 30 minutes, according to the Japanese military.
The exact type of missile and its potential range wont be clear until the test data is confirmed and analysts can go over it, but the test may still represent an advancement of North Koreas missile program. Indeed, some nonproliferation experts are already concerned that, looking at preliminary reports about the missiles trajectory and flight time, its at least possible it was the longest range missile North Korea has ever tested even if it wasnt one capable of hitting the U.S.
The launch comes days after South Koreas newly elected liberal president, Moon Jae-in, took office on Wednesday. Consistent with his partys policy proposal favoring engagement, President Moon subsequently called for a dialogue with the North to discuss ending its nuclear-weapon program and volunteered to travel there if necessary; Moon also warned that continued military provocations would make that new engagement more difficult. It should be noted that this is not the first time North Korea has responded to the prospect of negotiations with threats or supposed shows of strength.
President Moon condemned Sundays launch and called an urgent meeting of his national security council, while Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe also condemned the test, calling it and previous tests a grave threat to our country and are in clear violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.
The other interesting dynamic to the timing of the test is that on Saturday a top North Korean diplomat told reporters in Beijing that Pyongyang would be willing to meet with the Trump administration if the conditions are set but did not elaborate on what those conditions would be.
National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster briefed President Trump about the launch on Saturday night, and the White House later released a statement, declaring that North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long and calling for stronger sanctions against the country. The statement also oddly attempts to link the threat to Russia, noting that with the missile impacting so close to Russian soil in fact, closer to Russia than to Japan the President cannot imagine that Russia is pleased.
This is by far the dumbest statement I have ever seen in response to a North Korean missile launch. https://t.co/Z9zIabG1vS Jeffrey Lewis (@ArmsControlWonk) May 14, 2017
Related Stories The Problem With Trumps Attempt to Scare North Korea
Since taking office, Trump has at times adopted hardline rhetoric in threatening North Korea over further missile and nuclear tests, raising tensions in the area significantly. In an interview late last month, however, Trump expressed his admiration for how North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was able to assume power in North Korea, calling the authoritarian leader a smart cookie. This month, Trump said that under the right circumstances he would be honored to meet with Kim Jong Un to defuse tensions, though White House officials later tried to walk the comment back. In fact, there have been a few contradictory statements from Trump administration officials on the matter. No sitting American president has ever met with a North Korean head of state.
Since the crisis escalated this spring, presenting the first real national security threat for the Trump White House, administration officials have reportedly sought to pressure China to help rein in North Koreas missile program, which has been rapidly advancing in recent years. It is not clear if that pressure has had any effect, nor is it clear if the North Korean diplomats remark on Saturday was meant as a reply to Trump or President Moon.
Sundays test was the tenth North Korean missile to be fired this year across six separate tests. It follows two failed launches of land-based missiles last month. Kim Jong Un has been accelerating the countrys efforts to develop an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S. over the past few years, but so far it has been unable to successfully do that, or least demonstrate so. The country is believed to be developing at least two types of ICBMs and may have tested missiles from one of those programs last October on the same site where Sundays missile was launched. (The U.S. military believes those missiles had only intermediate range.)
Kim Jong Uns regime also displayed a troubling new array of missiles systems, including launchers that could be used to discreetly transport and launch solid-state ICBMs, at an annual military parade last month in Pyongyang.
This post has been updated to include the White Houses statement on the launch.
The confounder-in-chief. Photo: Ron Sachs-Pool/Getty Images
President Trump, frustrated and increasingly isolated, is considering a shakeup of his communications staff following the spectacular fallout over his stunning decision to abruptly fire FBI director James Comey on Tuesday. For their part, White House staff members dont seem very happy, either. Unnamed administration sources, via varied comments to CNN, the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Associated Press, have painted an unsurprisingly dour picture of how things have been going at the demoralized White House, where some Trump aides say they are eager for the presidents trip abroad next week. We need to get the president outside the Beltway, someone close to the White House explained to CNN.
According to insiders who spoke with the Associated Press, the leak-obsessed president, distrustful of his staff, has shrunk his inner circle to his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner, as well as longtime aides like former spokesperson Hope Hicks and Trumps personal bodyguard Keith Schiller. Three officials told the AP that Trumps chief strategist, Steve Bannon, has been shut out of major decisions following conflicts with Kushner and didnt even know Comey had been fired until he saw it on television. Reince Priebus, who was consulted regarding Comeys termination, is nonetheless still on the perpetual bubble with Trump continuing to question his leadership as White House chief of staff. Axios additionally reports that, according to Trumps after dark consultants (the friends Trump calls at night), the president may expand the bloodletting beyond the comms team and Priebus to include Bannon and White House counsel Don McGahn. Trump is reportedly angry at everyone, including a few cabinet members who he thinks have been grandstanding, and the advice the president is getting from his informal advisers is to go big that he has nothing to lose The question now is how big and how bold.
Regarding Trumps paranoia and micromanagement over leaks, the Washington Post adds that the president has personally conducted postmortem interviews with aides about the Comey saga, investigating the unending stream of headlines he considers unfairly negative, according to several White House officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity because Trump is cracking down on unauthorized leaks.
Looking back at Tuesdays PR catastrophe, Trump reportedly gave the White House communications team one hour of notice before firing Comey, and surrogates were then given a false narrative to peddle when they were rushed out to defend the presidents unprecedented decision. Earlier reports indicated that Trump and some advisers hadnt even imagined that firing Comey, who was in charge of the FBIs investigation into the possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, could lead to any blowback. When it inevitably did, a furious Trump sent out his surrogates for what ended up being more like ritual sacrifices than a spin campaign. Thats because Trump upset with his surrogates inability to defend him and flip the negative news cycle soon decided he would be his own spokesperson, and by doing so made everything considerably worse. In tweets and interviews, Trump swiftly invalidated his staffs comments and gutted their credibility by offering up new, contradictory explanations for his decision to fire Comey. In addition, Trump started brand-new fires for his team to put out as well, like implying in a threat to Comey on Friday that he was making secret recordings of his meetings which later led to a mind-numbing exchange between reporters and White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
Not even Vice-President Pence was spared the embarrassment of Trumps shifting narrative, a White House source told CNN, explaining that Pence was not briefed on the presidents thinking regarding Comey and that the vice-president is not rattled very often and he was a little rattled by how everything unfolded. That makes sense, seeing how the last time Pence publicly defended a Trump administration official after receiving incorrect information from said official, that person got fired.
Other staffers complained about how the administrations legislative agenda was completely halted by the Comey news and fallout. It was supposed to be a quiet week at the White House, staff had thought.
Related Stories Trump Has Sparked the Biggest Political Crisis Since Watergate
Despite President Trumps obvious responsibility for most of this weeks disaster, White House sources told The Wall Street Journal that Trump blames his communications team for failing to contain the damage and bipartisan outrage over the Comey news. This is not surprising, considering the presidents almost pathological inability to admit fault, as well as the reputation he earned for using his employees as human shields during his presidential campaign. But the Washington Post reports that White House advisers (and Trump loyalists) like Kushner and other top officials also have their knives out for the communications team questioning why they didnt respond more forcefully to defend Trump, or how Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democrats had better message discipline regarding a story the White House had a big head start on. They were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, an official complained to the Post. But, adopting that metaphor, wasnt it Trump who cut their heads off in the first place?
As far as who is now at risk (beyond the aforementioned Priebus, Bannon, and McGahn), Sean Spicers job is once again on the line, surprising no one. Though Trump has reportedly praised Spicer for the good television ratings his press conferences have been getting, Trump also deliberately kept Spicer in the dark about Comeys firing out of fear Spicer would leak the news, according to the Times and Spicer seems to be getting the brunt of the blame over the White Houses ham-fisted response to the Comey blowback. White House Communications Director Michael Dubke may be one of Trumps targets, too. Also on the table is some kind of larger shakeup, including the possibility of bringing in outside talent from Fox News or Trumps cable-news surrogate pool where the administration has been putting out feelers. (In a tweet and interview, Trump additionally suggested getting rid of daily White House press conferences altogether so he can conduct them by himself every other week.)
And again, if Axioss sources are correct and Trump does opt to go big with an early-season recast of his White House reality show, the presidents family members are probably the only roles that are truly safe.
He may need to bring in some new blood, too, as the Times reports that people seem downright traumatized since few of Mr. Trumps eruptions have had such a destructive effect on his administration or left such deep resentments among his scarred staff, according to Trump aides and surrogates. Relatedly, one unnamed White House official switched roles when speaking with a CNN reporter, wanting to know, Do you think were liars?
This post has been updated to incorporate later reporting from the Washington Post and Axios.
The more Curtis stays away from Australia the better. Take him.
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Wow so horseface Curtis gets another chance despite his previous flop Bravo show.
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America didn't make Dave Salmoni a household name..I don't know how these people think he would be tbh
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A Lachey post above an AJ McClean post?
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lol this gif
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Oh gosh.. that was Nina's season. She was on top for most of the challenges and then that ending!! Made no sense.
I haven't watched the show as much ever since.
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omg nicholas. i thought i could never hate a winner as much as i hate josea until nicholas
him losing the team challenge and tom being like "please give up your immunity because this is your fault" still grinds my gears. he ruined the chances of stephanie because he wouldnt take direction
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still have no idea how nina or shirley lost that season bc nicholas basically skid the last five-six episodes and then ~magically won.
shirley's still one of my faves.
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i only recently started following vanessa on social media. has she always been into cooking?
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idk, but you missed the good old days when she dated Lindsay & they took knife photos together
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lmao. That was such a tame "scandal". so weird thinking of the fuss now!
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she's no padma but curtis is so fucking hot and his accent is amazing so yes
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I have no idea about his personality IRL but I find Curtis Stone so fucking hot. I'm basic as hell tho.
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I used to find him hot a long time ago. Then he started getting on my nerves for some reason.
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he was quite attractive back when he used to ambush people in grocery stores.
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used to find him cute like 7 years ago then he started to get fatter and fatter and his coles commercials makes me want to punch him in the dick because they play it every 10 minutes on tv
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Haha I ONLY started to find him hot once he got fatter and fatter! What made it all the more delicious was he once criticized a fellow celeb male chef for packing on some pounds.
Though it's funny, since you have a Matt Le Blanc avatar, since he, too, was a skinny hunk who kept on getting fatter and fatter as well. Used to crush on him, too.
What can I say, I love it when cute guys start to get thick?
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I hate going into Winn Dixie & suddenly hearing his ad over the speakers. Like come on, bitch, you know nobody is having a ~great day~ shopping in Winn Dixie. It's the DMV waiting room of grocery stores
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he seems super chill on Lindsay Price's instagram
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ugh, too many junior chef shows. I get that it's charming and dauntingly impressive that they're so young yet talented but...they're still kids, which is easy to remember when they burst into tears
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"Teddy Teams Up With TED and Vanessa Lachey to Launch its New Soft Bakes Snack"
https://www.thedailymeal.com/news/eat/teddy-teams-ted-and-vanessa-lachey-launch-its-new-soft-bakes-snack/021717 This made me spit out my tea laughing at the absurdity:"Teddy Teams Up With TED and Vanessa Lachey to Launch its New Soft Bakes Snack"
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fuck off curtis
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how can people find him hot? he looks like he got dragged behind a tractor for a good ten k
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i find him hot. then again i lust anything with a zip code....
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idk I find him hot on tv but no so much in pictures
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the Aussie accent probably. At least his home country knows he's nothing special. LMAO. (fellow Aussie here. I always remember you due to your icon!)
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mte his coles commercials are a travesty
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late reply but he reminds me of a former boss of mine who was a dickhead so I can't stand looking at him
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nostalgia goggles?
most people know and remember him from Take Home Chef when he was new and hot. I loved him back then but I can't really think of what he's done since, other than show up on the occasional cooking show so my only memory of him is from 10 years ago
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I won't say he's my favorite or least favorite but my most memorable contestant is Katsuji. I just can't hate him for some reason! Every episode I was like "Ugh I know he's an annoying jerk but I want him to stay."
Anyway, I'll watch this. I like the kids shows XD; I get really annoyed with ppl on reality shows but with kids no matter how irritating they are all I have to do is think about the fact that they're children and I can't hate. The only thing I dislike are the wide range of ages in these things, I feel like there's just such a difference between a 9 year old and 14 year old, I wish they could put them in two age groups and pick a winner from each. Chopped Jr is the best for that because they usually put kids the same age against each other.
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I feel the same way about Katsuji, he's just a fascinating presence and has a personality seemingly crafted for reality tv. He is not a good person, but every moment he's on the screen I'm captivated and entertained.
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I just wish there was a cooking show where they give the contestants like so much time that it makes the judges have to actually choose among the best rather than someone ALWAYS fucking up. It's like Idol..."HERE'S THE TOP 12 BEST SINGERS IN THE COUNTRY [but, we picked bad people so we know who will actually get to the end]"
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unless they got like literal weeks to perfect a dish, people will always fuck up in cooking competitions regardless of the time because sometimes they get flavors in their head that just don't work.
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my all time cheftestant. i was so salty when he got eliminated so early from last season. ive been waiting since season two for him to reappear. he's SO dreamy
Edited at 2017-05-14 05:08 am (UTC) my all time cheftestant. i was so salty when he got eliminated so early from last season. ive been waiting since season two for him to reappear. he's SO dreamy
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Wasn't he on a season with marcel? I hated how they bullied him :(
Betty was a witch and fuck that guy for assaulting him.
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Sux for the other member though. Sux for the other member though.
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Lmao, fuck that other member. I didn't post the Jezebel article bc I didn't know how to fit it in, but someone who was assaulted came to Liv about it, and Liv told them that Bend didn't know what they were doing ~ and to talk to them about it~
they're both trashcans
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Oh wow, I didn't know that about the other member, the whole email thing was also really fucking sketchy/bizzare.
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Yeah, I really doubt you could work with someone like this in the close, personal and constant way you do in a band without being just as trash
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Is Ben a straight male? I'm really confused. I thought the band was called power bottom because they were gay.
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bye
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idk them but good
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Edited at 2017-05-14 04:26 am (UTC) yas! i wish them the worst in life.
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I'm listening to grimes' Realiti and this Elmo is dancing prefectly in sync, I can't stop watching.
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lol, i see it
Ooh, baby, every morning there are mountains to climb
A+ music taste!
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aw what a qt gif :)
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glad ppl are taking action against an abuser but it's very clear why their career ended overnight as opposed to cishet abusers who can keep on living their lives
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No to whatever this is
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omg no i'm not defending him, i was just trying to say that i wish ppl outside queer communities would keep ppl in check as quickly as their fanbase reacted, i'm def not on their side idek their music lol
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Am I suppose to feel bad for a fake queer man?
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Yes, it ended because their progressive fanbase will not have or defend their shit. Pretty simple, really.
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i hope i'm wrong abt how i think this post is gonna go
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Well, in the last post people were intentionally misgendering them and saying it was important to use male pronouns \_()_/
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Really pleased that the record labels aren't even showing a bit of mercy (which they shouldn't) but you know how most companies go, they try and save themselves too. This is great. I hope this stupid band BURNS.
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lmao end them
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this band is the biggest fraud in indie music since lana del rey
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rude, Lana is amazing.
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since MGMT*
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at least MGMT admitted that they were fucking around and didn't expect any of this tbh. don't u come @ them
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good
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That moment when Polyvinyl has higher standards than the voters of this damn country.
I will say, it's been wild to see this band crash and burn so quickly over the past couple of days. Their record was getting serious acclaim, they were about to be the band of summer. You reap what you sow.
Edited at 2017-05-14 04:45 am (UTC)
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Yeah it's pretty wild how quickly it all turned.
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yeah i was so surprised how quickly everyone dropped them considering how popular they were becoming. i guess i assumed money would win like it usually does. though, thanks to the act pwr bttm put on, a lot of left-thinking people gravitated towards them. that's probably what sped up the process
i mean, mac demarco's love for the underage is pretty known but nothing's going to happen with him because he surrounds himself with ~cool indie dudes~ like himself.
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whoa i've never heard that about mac... what's up with that?
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For some reason I thought Mac was married...? Or had a serious gf. I feel like most musicians sleep around on tour.
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when i lived in a small canadian town three years ago, a lot of people who used to live in montreal with mac had moved back to my town. mac would come around to play house shows...literally everyone in this community were predatory white males. they were all in their late 20s - early 30s and were dating punk girls who just got out of high school. all abusive...most verbally and emotionally, some physically.
i could never take their faux broke artist bullshit seriously.
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Okay, lets see if the the next band with straight white cis dudes who has stuff like this come out and are cancelled with such swiftness. This is deserved but I have never seen anything like this happen so fast and to me it's pretty sus.
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I feel like it's easier for the LGBT community to cancel their own since it's such a smaller community compared to the cis/het music community. So, if enough sparks gather, it creates a fire. Whereas, the cis/het community would continue to create excuses to not cancel their faves. We see it here all the time with Fassy/JDepp/Miley/Weekend and other celebs and musicians that have known issues.
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I know. I just think it's shitty that they're not all held to the same standards and these guys are getting dropped because the demographic of their fanbase is more aware and serious about costing whoever is backing them $$$. At the end of the day, that's what it's mainly about. This proves though that the excuses labels, venues, managers, etc; give for continuing to work with artists after things like this are absolute bullshit. Now that that's more glaringly obvious I'm looking for this to set a disgustingly overdue precedent.
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People were still defending Dr. Luke and calling Kesha a lying whore (not on ONTD, really, except for maybe a troll)...
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Port Arthur, TX is home to the U.S. refining fleets crown jewel. With an atmospheric distillation capacity of 603 MBbl/cd, this complex coking refinery is the largest refinery in the U.S. As of May 1st, this marvel of a complex refinery is now 100 percent owned by Saudi Aramco.
Saudi Aramco upped its 50 percent ownership in the Port Arthur refinery, which it previously held through the Motiva Enterprises JV with partner Royal Dutch Shell following the decision to disband the JV in early 2016. Along with the giant refinery, Saudi Aramco also acquired ownership of a number of distribution terminals and rights to sell Shell branded gasoline in a number of East Coast states and the eastern half of Texas. This move is an important one, even for a state-owned behemoth like Saudi Aramco.
Saudi Aramco now owns approximately 300 MBbl/d more of the U.S. domestic refining capacity. This means that Saudi Arabia now has the ability to send more of its own crude into the U.S. refining fleet, making the volume of sticky imports (those crude oil imports that are difficult to replace due to contractual obligations or foreign ownership stakes in refineries) higher than it was previously. Saudi Arabia is already the second largest source of U.S. crude imports behind Canada. According to the EIA, the U.S. imported 1.34 MMBbl/d from Saudi Arabia in February.
Paired with the distribution terminals and rights to sell Shell branded gasoline, it is also a strategic move on the part of Saudi Aramco to capture the value add from refining and distribution in the US. Saudi Aramco also acquired the value of optionality: They can create additional demand for their own crude or decide to buy advantaged feedstock from U.S. or Canada if they wish to take advantage of any arbitrage opportunities in the market. In effect, this refinery creates a market share luxury for them. Related: Expert Commentary: How Hedge Funds Play The OPEC Deal
At this point, it is prudent to talk about the U.S. refining fleet as a whole and what possibly lies ahead. U.S. production has reversed its declining trajectory and is expected to post healthy growth moving forward, acting as the swing producer that OPEC (and in particular, Saudi Arabia) once was. The U.S. currently has 18.2 MMBbl/cd of refining capacity. Assuming an average long-term refinery utilization rate of 90 percent, the effective capacity of the fleet is 16.4 MMBbl/cd. Canadian imports (~3.5 MMBbl/d) will continue to make their way into the US refining fleet due to the lack of Canadian refining capacity, the tooling of the U.S. refineries (lending itself well to heavy crudes), and the need to refine heavier crudes in conjunction with the lighter grades to meet the mid and heavy distillate demand for refined products. Additionally, there is ~1.3 MMBbl/d of sticky crude imports that will continue to make their way into the US. This brings the effective refining capacity available to U.S. domestic crude production to 11.6 MMBbl/cd.
Using DI ProdCast, given the Drillinginfo price forecast, U.S. production will reach the 11.6 MMBbl/d level before the end of 2019 (Figure 1). As U.S. production grows, the expectation will be for the domestic volumes to push out more imports and to continue to make their way into the global market. According to the EIA, in February, U.S. crude oil exports reached an all-time high level of 1.12 MMBbl/d. As U.S. production grows, more and more volumes will have to find a home in the global refinery fleet.
(Click to enlarge)
Figure 1 US Production vs. Effective Refining Capacity (Source: DI ProdCast)
Neither the pushing out of additional imports or higher exports from the U.S. will be easy to achieve. U.S. shale production is much lighter than benchmark crude oil grades and this is the portion of production that is growing. Most of this crude oil can be classified as ultra-light (42-50API) or as condensate (50+API). These lighter crude oils do not fit as well into the complex refinery tooling of the U.S. fleet. The U.S. fleet is well suited to handle heavy, sour crude oils. Thus, as these lighter crude oils continue to grow in terms of volume and make their way in to the slate, they can cause inefficiencies and sub-par economics due to the product slate that they generate. Lighter crude oils usually yield more gasoline-level refined products, which are not as valuable as the distillate-level products that are the most valuable part of the mid and heavy grade barrels. Refiners will discount lighter crudes to make up for the opportunity cost of refining this type of crude and foregoing the optimal feed slate.
Producers who see steep discounts for their lighter crude oils would likely aim to take these barrels abroad, where they may be a better fit for the less complex refinery fleet of other regions. However, it is prudent to note that even these refining centers are not used to the light crude oils from U.S. shale (global crude oil slate is heavier than the ultra-light and condensate production in the U.S.). Thus, these barrels will not be a perfect fit abroad either. Additionally, the variability of shale crude will be new to refiners abroad, who are used to the consistent quality and composition that comes with grades produced from conventional reservoirs. Shale crudes from the same basin and play can differ greatly in terms of chemical composition. This implies that the ultra-light and condensate quality shale crude oil will likely be discounted by both domestic and foreign refineries. Related: OPEC Cuts Move West
Refinery slates, economics, and refined product demand patterns will be important to track, as these will shape the general crude oil market as well as the crude oil differentials amongst grades moving forward. Saudi Aramco, with their newly held 100 percent ownership of the Port Arthur, TX refinery will be in a prime position to use their refining capacity to suit their purposes. They can:
Import Saudi crude grades into the refinery to keep their U.S. import market share, in effect forcing U.S. production to find a home elsewhere in the global refining fleet.
Import Saudi crude grades into the refinery for processing and sell the added value refined products to U.S. or global consumers.
Take advantage of proximity to discounted U.S. and Canadian feedstock to generate optimal refinery returns while keeping the option of exploiting arbitrage opportunities for their crude oil production open.
In short, the market share luxury and optionality that comes with having an expanded integrated oil and refining operation will provide Saudi Aramco with value for years to come under any crude oil and refined product price scenario.
By Drilling Info
More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
"Somehow we have developed this large contingent of know-it-all baseball fans who bay like wounded coyotes at any mention of wins, losses, RBI or batting average. I never know whether I should blame myself for this or not.." (Bill James)
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
Ive been visiting out west. For me, out west means areas around Stone Arabia. There, grain farmers still havent gotten their grain corn in because the ground is still too wet.
They are worried that the 105-day corn wont have time to mature if they dont get the corn planted soon.
One farmer told me that shorter-day grain corn isnt available because it is being bought up all over the country.
I dont feel particularly pessimistic about the upcoming season because we dont worry about getting our field corn (Indian corn) in until May 15 anyway.
But our soil in Hadley drains readily. So we can be relatively sure that if we get a few days of sun, we can plant in time for our corn to mature.
Of course, if you talk to almost any farmer, you will be talking to a pessimist. Ive already been told that first-cutting hay will be late this year because the spring has been so cold.
Every year at some time or another, I hear that hay crops will be horrible this year. Usually, despite the dire predictions, things somehow work out.
Still, there has been a lot of water from the northern to southern states this year, and a little bit of dry weather is needed to get corn crops in. It will be interesting to read crop predictions in the next few weeks.
Back here, the rain is not the only problem. A few weeks ago, John Bennett started telling me that a person should have two extra cords of wood to deal with these cold springs. Ive had to have a fire just to warm up the house every evening except one for the last few weeks, he said. The cold, wet spring is getting to be too much, and Im not the only one to say so!
Then, a few days ago, he upped the surplus for spring up another cord. A person should have three cords extra for the spring.
John is my local historian and he tells me about gloriously warm springs from way back. We can always dream.
Even the goats have been hanging out in the barn because the cold drizzle is not their favorite weather. Wednesday night it was clear and dry, and it had been for much of the day.
The little goats couldnt stand being in the barn anymore, even though they had been out all day, so they broke out at 4 in the morning on Thursday.
The only reason I knew what was going on was the tapping, tapping outside near the water trough. Then I heard Gilly Goat making the sneezing sound she makes when she is talking to me.
I looked out the bedroom window down on four kids dancing around in the moonlight like little fairies. They were jumping and twirling and hopping on an upside-down tank. Gilly was looking on in concern because they were supposed to be in the barn.
I told Gilly Goat everything was alright. I didnt want to go outside to round up a bunch of bouncing babies so we could let them out in another hour and a half.
I guess I dont want to round up all of the speculation Ive heard about the upcoming growing season, either. It wont be too long before were right in the middle of it, no matter what. So Ill let it show up without me bothering to worry about it.
As much as I would love to live in a utopia without taxes (and snakes as long as were going to think big). We live in a world were we have to pay for services we receive. So the only thing I can do to take the sting out of paying taxes, is to work to spend your dollars wisely. There are many programs where judicial cuts would reduce our deficit and spend our tax dollars more wisely.
If you can avoid paying taxes, you should. Thats just being wise with your money. If I can move to Ireland and pay as low as 12.5 percent as compared to 35 percent in the U.S., well then Im going to enjoy some Guinness with my savings. So corporations move and we get 0 percent of 0. So I agree with dropping the tax rates on corporations to 15 percent and letting corporations return to the U.S. to do business.
Another thing that just burns me is when senior citizens whom have worked hard all of their lives and saved money for retirement are penalized on their Social Security payments. You save and pay into Social Security only to have the benefits you paid slashed for being a responsible hardworking American. If you make more than $32,000 including half of your Social Security benefits, you are taxed 50 percent on your benefits. And if you make more than $44,000, your benefits are taxed at 85%. So even though you paid into Social Security your entire life, it will be stripped from you because you planned for the future too well.
These are not huge incomes that are being taxed at 85 percent but relatively modest incomes. I dont believe Americans are the governments property, a cash cows to be milked until we die. We dont owe the government the majority of our labor for the privilege of existing. The government exists to serve us. We need a change of mindset in this country. Our elected leaders need to quit calculating just how much money they can strip from us before we give up and quit being productive. They need to start thinking about how to make the government work without us needing a high-priced tax accountant to protect our money from the government.
When Im elected I promise to crusade for wiser spending, and lowering taxes. I wont vote for higher taxes because we all know that Congress will spend even more. Its time for a change in America, and thats not going to happen if we send more establishment cronies to D.C. Republicans and Democrats argue about who is going to get the biggest piece of the pie, and neither you or I, will get a taste of that pie. Well be left with the empty pie pan and the dishes to wash.
So when you fill out that ballot, you need to vote Mark Wicks and tell Washington that you are done being used as a cash cow. We are Americans and we expect hard work and wise decisions to be rewarded, not punished by taxation.
In the sounds of bagpipes, the release of balloons and dozens of buttons saying "10,000 or Bust," participants and attendees at the 2017 Montana Women's Run remembered a Billings woman who had championed the event for decades.
Pat Jaffray, 77, died on April 9, after a roughly three year battle with myelodisplasic syndrome, a disorder where the body's bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells.
Pat's sons Tim and Mark came to Billings from Seattle and attended the event on Saturday morning, Mark with his 6-year-old daughter Golden Jaffray and her mother Carterin Jaffray, both of whom participated.
"I was hugely impressed," Tim Jaffray said of the tribute to his mother, which included the release of 300 of balloons. In the generations of women participating together, Jaffray said he saw another tribute to his mother.
"I saw families with three generations of ladies in the run and to me that was a huge thing," he said. "And so to me that was kind of a realization that I'm super happy that mom was involved in that, but she wasn't the only one."
This year was the 36th Montana Women's Run and Renee Coppock, chair of the board of directors for the event, said Jaffray was at the very first run and had been deeply involved in organizing the event since. When Coppock visited Jaffray a day before she died, she said her friend kept asking about the run.
"She was the one that wanted to add something new to each race," Coppock said. "She was really active in the community. She just knew that if women got out and exercised, they would feel better."
Coppock said that unbeknownst to some, Jaffray would pay race fees for some women who could not afford to participate. "She was just about the biggest cheerleader and all about Billings," Coppock said.
According to Coppock, Jaffray dreamed of seeing 10,000 women participate, often saying "10,000 or bust," when talking about race attendance. This year's attendance was about 7,600, a slight dip from last year's, Coppock said.
Mark Jaffray said in addition to helping others, community involvement and promoting the advancement of women, his mother deeply valued friendships. "She cultivated friends all her life," he said. The brothers said that even as she fought illness, she still kept up with friends from the first grade. She also kept going to the run when she could, "even when she was scary weak," Mark Jaffray said.
Mark Jaffray said though his daughter is missing Grandma, she has moved on from the loss which is still fresh to him. Seeing that resilience in his daughter reminds him of his mother, Mark said.
"That was one of my mom's things she loved to say. 'Onward and forward,'" he said. "She would end phone calls like that."
"So I think that's how my daughter is. She's just going."
Shetler recognized
Brad Shetler, a business credit analyst with Capital Credit Union in Bismarck, was named the Emerging Leader of the Year by the Credit Union Association of the Dakotas.
The award recognizes one credit union employee each year who has shown dedication and enthusiasm for the credit union movement.
Bolinske included
Robert V. Bolinske Jr., Bismarck, has been recognized among the 2017 10 Best Criminal Law Attorneys in North Dakota for Client Satisfaction by the American Institute of Criminal Law Attorneys.
The attorney rating organizations annual list is based on client and/or peer nominations, research and independent evaluation.
Stenehjem attends
Peter Stenehjem, president of First International Bank & Trust, was among more than 100 community bankers who attended a recent meeting with President Donald Trump and top administration officials at the White.
The meeting was part of the 2017 Independent Community Bankers of America Capital Summit.
The bedbugs landed in my partner's former apartment (which she shared with her cousin) just weeks before she was supposed to move into mine. The critters announcing their arrival with a splash of red welts along her cousin's back.
We spent a weekend taking apart furniture, spraying everything down with rubbing alcohol, and stacking piles of their possessions in the middle of the apartment for the exterminators.
For me, the best part of the cleaning weekend was when the one-eyed Plott hound that lived in their apartment started retching uncontrollably, possibly from the stench of alcohol in the air, and I got to escape for a few hours to walk her to the vet. The vet mentioned that bedbugs don't really feed on or impact most household pets. Unlike lice, ticks, and fleas, bedbugs are an especially human-adapted species. They love our bald skin and penchant for draping our dens with all kinds of comfy hidey-holes where females can lay one to five nearly invisible eggs a day.
That got me wondering where and how our two species stumbled into our current, mutually-antagonistic relationship.
A bedbug infestation is as much an infestation of your mind as your house or apartment. Bedbugs don't leave behind any diseases, just ugly marks. And the critters are tiny, with even the adults nearly impossible to spot. Some people are immune to bedbug bites, and others won't find them for weeks after the deed was done. Even one pregnant female left alive can start an infestation from scratch.
The human-bedbug story between goes back more than 200,000 years. As Brooke Borel, who literally wrote the book on bedbugs, explained in 2015 for Popular Science, bedbugs do infest at least one other species: bats.
When early humans started sharing caves with bats, it seems, some bat-bed-bugs made the leap to humans. And some of those bedbugs enjoys the taste of our flesh enough to come out of those caves with us. They followed us through history, from ancient Egypt to England, Germany, and Greece, and then, by way of colonists, to North America.
The modern bedbug is human-adapted, and genetically distinct from the cousins it left behind with the bats.
We nearly had them beat in the 20th century. Growing up in the '90s and early 2000s, I never heard the creatures mentioned, except in that fragment of nursery rhyme Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite.
That's because of the success of DDT. Invented in Germany in 1874, the colorless, nearly odorless synthetic chemical was put to work during World War II clearing cities and countrysides of mosquitoes, ticks, and, yes, bedbugs. Rates of infestation fell all over the world.
By 2001, countries all over the world were ready to get on board with a DDT ban. At that year's Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, the pesticide was outlawed all over the world with few exceptions.
The year 2001 is also a good marker for when bed bug infestations, almost unheard-of in the wealthy nations of the world at that point, began to climb. These days, over 99% of exterminators report that they've dealt with bedbugs in the last year, and about one in five people in the US has had them in their homes.
It's an especially big problem in dense urban areas, where cities are writing laws and pouring funds into efforts to limit the epidemic.
No one has a good solution beyond fallible containment schemes. Search the very active network web forums devoted to clearing out bedbugs, and you'll even find folks who advocate bringing back DDT, cancer rates and bald eagles be damned.
Even if we did risk bringing back DDT to American life, it probably wouldn't work. When we were busy spraying DDT everywhere, bedbugs were busy mutating. Most are now resistant to the stuff.
For now, the best thing any of us can do is thoroughly check our clothes and suitcases when we return from trips, respond immediately when we do find bedbug bites on our bodies, and scoot our chairs surreptitiously away from anyone who mentions their home is infested.
In addition, Haruna who has conducted quite a number of botched operations also dislodged the fallopian tube of the subject who was admitted at a hospital for treatment of an abdominal pain.
The Telegraph News UK also reported another instance of Haruna's sheer incompetence in surgical operations.
It was stated that the so-called surgeon mistakenly removed a pad of fat from a patient who had acute appendicitis causing him to undergo further operation in just a month after he worked on him.
"Dr Haruna was mistaken in his identification of the appendix and removed the ovary and tube in error.
"This is a serious omission and a breach of duty of care.
"To have mistaken a fat pad for the appendix and to have failed to deal adequately with the pathology suggests a standard of care which is seriously below that expected of a reasonably competent Staff Grade in General Surgery," an expert report reads.
In his defense, Haruna who claims to have 25 years of experience in surgery insisted that the incidents were "trifling errors".
He added that the appendix and fallopian tubes were similar "worm-like structures which lie in a similar area", a reason for his inexcusable error.
But a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service which reviewed the cases would have none of it.
The incidents clearly pointed to a high degree of inability, earning him a lifelong ban that will prevent him from treating patients.
The Minister made the call in a statement issued on his behalf on Saturday in Abuja by Mrs Boade Akinola, Director Media and Public Relations, Ministry of Health.
The Minister advised health care providers and members of the public, to report any sign of illness to public health officials.
He said in response to the announcement by the World Health Organization (WHO) on confirmed cases of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), government had directed health officials stationed at the ports, to step up inspection activities.
He said that the symptoms to look out for included fever, fatigue, weakness, dizziness and muscle aches.
He said explained that patients with more severe cases would show bleeding under the skin, internal organs or even from mouth and ears.
He said NCDC had been strengthening states capacities to detect, manage and respond to hemorrhagic fevers, including Lassa fever.
Adewole therefore called on states to begin social mobilization and media awareness efforts, via TV, Radio, Print and Social Media.
A Deputy Health Minister Tina Mensah said the president is taking cogent steps to address the situation in the country.
She made the comments in Accra when she joined nurses to mark International Nurses Day.
We have taken note of the agitation of the unemployed nurses, the midwives I must say that the ministry is taking practical steps to address the human resources issue in a more sustainable way. We urged all health professionals to exercise patients while his His Excellency [President Akufo-Addo] takes cogent steps to the employment problem in the country.
Her comments follow series of agitation by some unemployed nurses who have been picketing the Health Ministry for them to be employed.
Government said it has given financial clearance for some 11,000 nurses who completed two years ago to be employed.
"She's got accomplices the other one is called Monica, the other the name has slipped me because it's a Chinese name. Part of their strength is that they built up a certain system of blackmailing. They are women so I'm not going to use certain words, I'm not going to say certain things, he said.
Reacting to the letter on Newsfile Saturday, Mr Baako said he was intrigued that she is the only Chinese Monica in Ghana, I'm surprised.""If I knew the full name, I might have said it," he said, adding: "You recall that there was a third name I had forgotten, I didn't mention so Madam Monica Wei, if it's not you, why bother? When the evidence comes out, at the appropriate time, when the evidence of those people engaged in illegal mining the Chinese - and the Monica is featured, we would know, so, Im surprised that any lawyer anywhere will write such a letter to me," he said."They are on a fishing expedition." "If I were them, I will relax. They should relax. Tell them to exercise patience. I dont even know her."
Sears Holdings Corporation announced on April 21 that it would close 50 Sears Auto Center locations, and the Bismarck location is one of them.
The Auto Center portion of the Sears at Gateway Mall will close later this month. The main store will remain open, company spokesman Howard Riefs said in an email.
Employees will receive severance and have the opportunity to apply for open positions at other Sears or Kmart stores. Sears would not disclose the number of affected employees, Riefs said.
New tire shop
Northwest Tire will break ground on a new tire shop in northeast Bismarck this week.
The ceremony will take place at 11 a.m. Tuesday at 3601 French St. near KOA campgrounds.
The store will be a quick lube for tire and oil changes, a new concept for Northwest Tire in the area.
As the company grows in the Bismarck-Mandan community, it decided to add the fourth location for its customers.
Bank breaks ground
First Western Bank & Trust broke ground on its new four-story Third Street and Front Avenue location in downtown Bismarck last week.
Expected to be completed in late 2018, the building will include drive-through banking and a public greenspace. Two of the floors will be available for lease and the building will have a full-roof deck.
Little Caesars provides free lunch
Local Little Caesar's franchisee Mark Carlson and his employees provided lunch to 60 or 70 people at Ruth Meier's Hospitality House last week.
The lunch was part of the Little Caesar's Love Kitchen, a kitchen in a tractor trailer that travels the country offering meals to those in need or those affected by natural disasters, Carlson said.
"Its an amazing thing," he said.
This was the fourth year the Love Kitchen has come to the city.
"When we get a letter, we're excited to do it every time," Carlson said.
Carlson's stores donate and cook the pizza.
"It's very rewarding to do it, especially for the kids," he said. "Those kids came flying out when they saw us ... We have a lot of fun with it."
New employee ownership
Morton Buildings Inc., which has an office in Bismarck, is now 100 percent owned by its employees as part of an Employee Stock Ownership Plan Trust.
The company will continue to operate under its existing business model and management structure.
Several houses belonging to the two rival gate in the conflict, Naba Raymond Alafia Abilba II, and Naba Joseph Abeka Nonge-Buuri, were set blazed in Atulibabiisi, a small community in the Bolgatanga district.
It is unclear what trigged the conflict but cores of residents have fled the area as multiple gun shots were fired on Saturday night.
The National Fire Service were called to douse the blazing homes.
Police have been deployed to the area to restore calm and order.
There is no single instance where those names have come up at the ministry in support of illicit mining or that that they are working against us. But if anything of that nature comes up, I will be able to comment on it, he told Accra-based Citi FM.
I am not in a position to say that the report is credible. It is those that authored that are in the best position to comment.
The BNI report accused the Military of providing security for some illegal miners and that the Okyehenes palace is perceived to behind galamsey in the Eastern Region.
In a statement, the Military has denied sponsoring galamsey.
According to FOX news, the inspectors determined that the building registered as a church to cover up its lewd activities was being operated as a sex club.
It was further reported that the city of Nashville has filed a complaint against the owners of the sex club for maintaining a public nuisance by permitting acts of lewd conduct.
The city is also claiming that the sex house is violating a state law banning sex clubs from operating within 1,000 feet of a school.
It was also reported that the longtime downtown swingers club underwent a conversion in 2015 when it relocated to a run-down office park in the community of Madison.
The club registered its activities as that of a church because the new location is near the back of the private Goodpasture Christian School.
However, two undercover agents had launched an investigation into the activities and paid $40 to enter the facility in March 2017 only to discover an array of sexual activities going on in the facility.
The Commands Public Relations Officer, Jinjiri Abdu, confirmed the arrest of the suspects in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Dutse on Sunday.
Jinjiri said that the male suspects, aged between 18 and 19, were apprehended over alleged house breaking and theft in Dutse and Taura Local Government Areas.
He added that a laptop computer, two sets of plasma Television sets and a number of mobile phones were among the items recovered from the suspects.
The spokesperson said the suspects have also stolen other items in Kano.
Investigations by NAN Correspondent in Takur site quarters revealed that the suspects have been terrorizing residents of the area, including the neighboring Godiya Miyetti and Olayinka Sule quarters by breaking into shops and houses to steal.
According to police spokesman, the suspects would soon be charged to court after Investigation.
The cleric said there was a need for the people to always seek the face of God for their leaders and country.
The Reverend, who prayed for the quick recovery of Buhari, said he would triumph over the sickness and return in good health to continue his duty to the nation.
He advised people who form the habit of wishing their fellow human death to eschew such attitude, adding that it was against the scripture.
Adeniyi, however, urged leaders to always have the fear of God in their actions toward the led and make it a duty to serve the people.
Punch reports that the former lawmaker shed some light on the president's health and how it could affect the 2019 presidential election in a recent interview.
When asked about the president's refusal to tell Nigerians about his state of health, he said he thought Buhari should have done things differently.
In his words, "Ideally, I think he should have done so even though there is no law which requires him to do so. It would have been better for him to calm the nerves and the psyche of the nation because of the uncertainty which has bedevilled the country (because of issues surrounding his poor health). There are a lot of rumours and occasionally, some opportunistic and reckless statements emanate from some characters who are active players in the political circle, including non-politicians. I wouldnt want to hold that against him because before he left, there was no indication that he was going to leave in a hurry.
Being a professional in that field (health care), when a patient leaves in a hurry because the doctors handling his case insist that he should leave in a hurry, we must not make an issue out of that. It is important that he travels to take care of his health. I am glad that for the second time he has left the country to seek medical attention, he has the presence of mind to send the requisite letter to the National Assembly.
In the situation we have found ourselves, Buhari is a public property. He is the president of Nigeria. People are concerned about the well-being and state of health of the President of close to 200 million people. This is a President that was freely and creditably elected; they are worried about what is being said concerning the state of being of the President they freely elected the situation needs to be properly managed. You dont leave the management of such information to the hands of two small boys who dont even know the formulae for water to start talking about important medical issues. From the way the President looks, talks and walks, clearly the man is not in good health."
Concerning what happens Buhari's presidency ends in 2019, Mohammed said: "One thing I know is that, if Vice President (Yemi) Osinbajo becomes the president from whatever date to 2019, he cannot contest that position again. This was the understanding that was reached with Jonathan Goodluck (with the PDP) and he reneged on it and nearly threw the country into a civil war.
This time around, those, whether from the North, South-South, South-West or South-East, who sign agreements with whomever, must make such public. They should also state the time when this agreement will come into force. We cannot now avoid the constitution. If there is the need to follow the constitution we must follow the letter and spirit of the constitution that is up till 2019. Beyond that, power should come back to where Buhari comes from and remain there for a solid eight to 10 years unless in running for a second term the person loses re-election. There is nothing one can do about that."
On the Federal Government's decision to swap Boko Haram commanders for the Chibok girls, he said he thinks it's a good idea.
He said: "I think what happened should be applauded. If my daughter was to be in the situation the Chibok girls found themselves, whatever is done to bring her home, I will support. If money has been paid, I will support the payment of such.
There is the issue of so-called commanders in Boko Haram who were said to have been released. If at all they are commanders, taking them away from the theatre of war for the last three years has rendered them useless even if they go back because the operational theatre has changed."
In the past, Mohammed has criticized Buharis government for hinting that the president will seek re-election in 2019.
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Mr Ezekiel Ogbianko, the state Chairman of the association, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Yenagoa on Sunday, that the youths would be selected from the communities where the farms were located.
We have started clearing the farmlands across the state. Five thousand hectares of land is being cleared in each of the selected communities.
We have plans to employ over 485 youths to work with us in these farms located in different parts of the state, he said.
On the difficult terrain in the state, the chairman said it was not a hindrance to rice cultivation.
Bayelsa is a predominantly riverine state with eight local government areas out of which four Yenagoa, Ogbia, Sagbama and Kolokumo/Opokuma can be accessed by road.
Ogbianko said that with modern farming tools, the challenge would be surmounted.
Difficult terrain is a challenge to only lazy persons and not serious rice farmers; you must know that swamp is good for rice cultivation.
Our farming system is now mechanised; we have the tractors and the manpower to tackle any topographic challenge.
There are measures to prevent water from entering the farm when it becomes too much.
We have plans to partition the farmlands with wedges to free the crops from damage in case of water overflow.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that because of the significance the butchers attached to this particular election, most of them abandoned the abattoirs and trooped to Lamido cinema, Yola, venue of the election.
NAN reports that over 150 cattle, goats and sheep are being slaughter daily at the Yola abattoir, which was deserted Saturday due to the election.
One of the butchers, Ali Musa, told NAN that they placed high premium on the election, hence the resolve of every member to suspend business for the day.
Musa said they had communicated to their major customers, particularly operators of restaurants, adding that in future, they would use media to alert the public.
We are sorry about the inconveniences caused by this development and will try to avoid it next time, he said.
NAN reports that many households who went to buy meat in various markets and spots in Yola metropolis, left disappointed.
I am shocked at what is happening today; I went to many places but no meat, before someone finally told me at Jimeta market that there was no meat in the whole town due to butchers election, Hussaini Umar, a civill servant said.
A woman, Jennifer Martins, said she was taken unawares and advised that henceforth, the butchers needed to alert the public of their decision for people to make contingency plans.
Many people like me kept wondering, looking for meat, not knowing that butchers are not in business today. Next time they should alert the public on such decision, Martins said.
NAN however reports that some handful of butchers who had remnants of previous days meat, capitalized on the situation to make brisk business.
I have voted and that is why I brought out the remnant of yesterdays meat I kept in the fridge, to sell.
Any meat you see being sold in few places today, is yesterdays remnant, a butcher who simply identified himself as Yaya, said.
Yaya also observed that the scarcity would affect many Suya joint.
In an interaction with Tribune on the state of the President's health, Adesina said It is only the president himself that can declare that.
"And when he came back from London on March 10, he said it that he had never been that sick in his life. That is a declaration of his health status.
It is within his prerogative to do that. Nobody can do it for him. Not even the doctors treating him can do it for him. Under the Hippocratic Oath, nobody can do it except the patient.
Nobody; under the Hippocratic Oath, it says that even the doctor has no right to reveal the health status of his patient to anybody. So, its only Mr President that can say what exactly is wrong with him.
Dont forget that in June last year, he went abroad to treat an ear problem. That ear problem had first been treated here in Nigeria and then, when he was going on vacation, he used that opportunity to also consult specialists in London.
When he came back, he told the country that this was what was wrong with him. So, the prerogative is his own to disclose and if he wants to disclose, he will. But nobody should be asking him to do it. That would be an infringement on his right.
If anybody has put himself in suspense, hes just doing it for himself because its not necessary. The law does not compel a president to reveal what is wrong with him. It does not.
According to The Nation, the committee has dug evidence implicating former president, Goodluck Jonathan's administration over the distribution of over $500million cash to security agencies as Special Intervention Funds.
The panel reportedly began to suspect that some of the special intervention funds were used for 2015 Presidential poll after $43.4million was found at an apartment in Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos. It was claimed by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
ALSO READ: Osinbajo panel to submit report on recovered money on May 8th
So, investigations began and it was discovered that the former president's administration had allegedly gone against the board of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)'s advice on how to share over $500million cash to security agencies.
The CBN board's caution advisory on the funds was submitted to the VP panel, who found out that the board had wanted the funds to be shared through the due process.
However, sources claim that the president wanted to do otherwise.
One Presidency source said that the CBN board showed proof that it was opposed to direct cash disbursement to security agencies including the NIA but those who testified before the panel said since there was a clear-cut presidential approval, the apex bank was handicapped. It was impossible to ignore the directive of the President.
They claimed that since the purposes of the cash were classified matters, the advice of the CBN board was overruled more so when the nation was under security emergency.
They explained that the same scenario applied to direct cash disbursement to the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) during the tenure of Sambo Dasuki. This was why Dasuki has consistently maintained that he acted on the orders of the ex-President.
Another source shed more light on the cash disbursement to NIA and other security agencies saying: The panel obtained records indicating cash disbursement to NIA and other security agencies.
So far, only the NIA has accounted for the $289million given to it. The suspended DG of the agency, Amb. Ayo Oke itemized a list of nine projects and their cost implications.
All the details were contained in a memo Oke sent to President Muhammadu Buhari through the National Security Adviser, Gen. Babagana Monguno.
Besides acknowledging the receipt of the memo, a team from ONSA also inspected these projects. The only area of disagreement between the panel and the NIA DG was just the status of the $43.4million which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered from Apartment 7B in Osborne Towers.
NIA insisted that the cash haul was part of the $289million but the panel said it suspected the money might have been part of the special intervention funds allegedly used for 2015 general elections.
The panel said it discovered that NIA was very strict in paying all its contractors through the CBN. Even though the agency avoided direct contact with contractors, the panel could not understand what informed the lodgement of the $43.4million in an apartment.
However, a NIA source claims the agency did nothing wrong.
The $43.4million was part of the $289million. This agency did not commit any infraction. And the agency was straightforward in explaining that this money forcefully retrieved by EFCC was covert operation.
There is nowhere in the world where you keep funds for covert operations in banks or in any account. They are like security votes. You can draw examples from the CIA and FBI.
Unless there is a predetermined agenda, the suspended DG has been transparent in managing the agency," the source said.
Now that all of this has been uncovered, it is left is for president Buhari to make the final decision.
According to the presidency source, The panel has completed its assignment, the buck stops on President Buharis table.
Before he left, he rubbed minds with the Acting President on the recommendations. Some directions were obvious but he has to sit down or discuss with his team to finalize some issues.
Many people were implicated, the recommendations are far-reaching and heads may roll.
When you want to determine the fate of those in strategic positions as a leader, you have to look at all the facts. I think there is internal politics within the presidency with forces trying to outwit each other.
Meanwhile, the panel has recommended the dismissal of Babachir Lawal and Ayo Oke.
For the country to become competitive at the global stage, it must explore, exploit and utilise science and technological innovations; the universities should spearhead such efforts, he said in Kano on Saturday.
A statement by Lydia Legbo, spokesperson of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, said that Sanusi spoke when he received a delegation from the institution, led by its Vice Chancellor, Prof Musibau Akanji, on a visit to his palace.
It quoted Sanusi as urging education managers across the universities to identify challenges peculiar to their system and address them so as to achieve their mandate.
The monarch commended the university for its outstanding achievements over the years, noting that it had remained a leading institution for technology education.
The Emir applauded the outgoing governing council, led by Prof. Rufai Alkali, for its selfless service to the university, and advised the succeeding council members to sustain that zeal.
Earlier, Akanji had said that the visit was to thank Sanusi for honouring the invitation to the inaugural ceremony of the institutions ultra-modern Mosque.
He said that the Emirs presence was worth celebrating, especially after he led the first Friday prayers in the mosque after its inauguration.
In a Facebook statement, El-Rufai set the records straight on reports that he had no plans to run for another term of office, and will be succeeded by someone below the age of 50.
The governor stressed that he needed to correct wrong impressions, hence the need for his official statement on the reports since the reports were credited to his Chief of Staff.
He said: "My attention has been drawn to statements credited to our Chief of Staff which clearly misrepresented his good intentions aimed at encouraging youths in politics and governance of our dear state. What was reported was that I had no plans to run for another term of office, and will be succeeded by someone below the age of 50. Both statements are misrepresentations of my position and the government. It has become imperative that these wrong impressions thereby created be corrected.
"In 2014, when I complied with the directive of our leader President Muhammadu Buhari to run for the office of Governor of Kaduna State, I made the announcement in person. I did not employ surrogates to engage the public on this important decision. What I did not do as an aspirant for office, I will not do as incumbent Governor. I will not communicate my decision to run for a second term in 2019 through surrogates, but directly to the people of Kaduna State," he wrote.
Continuing, El-Rufai wrote: "Regarding the views ascribed to the Chief of Staff, they are perhaps his personal opinion. I do not wish to be associated with such sentiments. I am of the firm opinion that nobody, no matter the position they hold, can dictate to other citizens what they can or cannot aspire to. No individual can introduce into the electoral process conditions that are not embedded in the laws of our country and the norms of electoral competition.
"The Constitution of Nigeria, the Electoral Act and the APC constitution have no provisions imposing maximum age limits for those aspiring to elective office. I am a strict law-abiding citizen and loyal party member, and will not countenance anyone even hinting at circumscribing constitutional rights. While our administration believes strongly in encouraging youths, evidenced by the number of young people we have appointed into key government positions, we believe that it is the combination of the wisdom of the elderly and the energy of the youth that leads to societal progress.
"While our government will continue to train these young persons in leadership responsibilities, and prepare them for the future, we do not believe that decreeing a generational shift is either lawful or pragmatic. Choice is the prerogative of the voting public which decides at each moment who and what platform they believe best represents their needs.
"Any artificial intrusion into this process can only yield unwanted distortions. And we have already suffered that distortion in Nigeria. When a military government decided to elevate those it called newbreed politicians by curtailing the rights of experienced politicians who were banned from seeking office, it did not improve the quality of our politics. Rather, it monetized the electoral process and left our polity without regard for issue-based platforms," he wrote.
For clarity, El-Rufai said: "For the avoidance of doubt, the choice of who governs Kaduna will depend,not on the age of the person, but his or her acceptability by the leaders of our party first, and ultimately the voters of Kaduna State. At the right time, these choices will be made and not earlier.
"The mid-point of an administration is not the time for politics. We were elected to work for four years. And that is what every appointee of this government must do. I have therefore directed all government appointees aspiring to future political or elective positions to stop putting up posters and billboards in violation of the Electoral Act. KASUPDA is further directed to take down all these as the whistle has not been blown for either national or local government elections campaign or politicking to start yet. KASUPDA is expected to impose the applicable sanctions on any violators.
Here are some of the defining moments of the Socialist leader's mandate which began in 2012 and, following an unprecedented decision not to run for re-election, ends Sunday.
Terror attacks
A series of deadly jihadist attacks has killed more than 230 people since January 2015, mostly the work of French radicals acting in the name of Islamic State (IS) or other extremist groups.
Hollande won praise for rallying a shocked nation after the first attacks in January 2015 on the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine and a Jewish supermarket.
Around 50 heads of state joined him on a march against terror that saw 3.7 million people take to the streets of France.
Ten months later, he reacted quickly when IS massacred 130 people in Paris at the Bataclan concert hall, at cafes and bars, and outside the national stadium.
Hollande announced a state of emergency, declaring that France was "at war" and deploying troops to patrol the streets.
But in July, when 86 people enjoying Bastille Day festivities in Nice were killed in a truck rampage, accusations mounted that Hollande's government was failing to tackle the extremist threat.
Tumultuous private life
Before taking office Hollande took aim at the romantic antics of his predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy -- who married supermodel Carla Bruni while president -- vowing that on personal matters, he himself would be "exemplary".
But cracks began to show in Hollande's relationship with long-term partner Valerie Trierweiler, and the couple split after it emerged he was having an affair with Julie Gayet, an actress nearly 20 years his junior.
Trierweiler published a bestselling memoir that proved deeply embarrassing to Hollande, not least with its claim that the Socialist leader disdained the poor.
To make matters more complicated, Hollande has four children from an earlier relationship with Environment Minister Segolene Royal.
Violent labour protests
Hollande took power on a leftist platform -- including a top tax rate of 75 percent -- but later shifted towards business-friendly policies, notably trying to tackle France's famously rigid labour laws.
His government suffered months of violent protests in 2016 over reforms designed to make it easier to hire people but also easier to fire them, before finally managing to push through a watered-down version last summer.
Hollande's approval ratings sank to catastrophic lows, dragged down by disappointment over his management of the economy. Despite promises to create jobs, unemployment remains near 10 percent.
Foreign wars
Hollande launched a military operation in January 2013 to halt the advance of Islamists who had taken over swathes of northern Mali, a former French colony.
The following December, a second operation was launched in the Central African Republic -- another former colonial possession -- in a bid to restore stability to a country gripped by religious violence.
Jihadists remain active in Mali and a vast portion of the country remains out of government control, while violence also remains rife in CAR.
Hollande also sought to intervene in Syria in 2013, but backed out of air strikes when it became clear then US president Barack Obama did not intend to follow suit.
France began air strikes in Syria only in September 2015 as part of an international coalition targeting IS. French raids against IS in Iraq had begun in September 2014.
Row over French nationality
After the Paris attacks, Hollande sought to modify the constitution to allow convicted terrorists to be stripped of their French nationality if they were dual nationals.
The issue sparked fierce debate over the ethics of such a move, with Justice Minister Christiane Taubira quitting in protest.
Hollande finally scrapped the idea. When announcing late last year that he would not seek re-election, Hollande flagged up the row as the one major regret of his presidency.
Global climate deal
Hollande campaigned hard for the historic climate agreement signed in Paris last December and hailed it as one of his key achievements.
Gay marriage
The Socialist leader had made "marriage for all" one of his election pledges, and same-sex marriages were signed into law in April 2013, despite angry protests by tens of thousands of social conservatives.
Macron's rise
Hollande launched the rise of his successor, choosing Emmanuel Macron, a former investment banker with no political experience, as an economic advisor. He then brought Macron into his Socialist government, promoting him to economy minister in 2014.
The city of Bouake was the epicentre of a mutiny in January by former rebel soldiers who had been integrated into the army, which triggered months of unrest.
"We want our money," a soldier wearing a facemask said Saturday, refusing to give his name.
The soldiers forced the police who normally control the four main access points to Bouake to flee, before taking up positions and blocking all traffic into the city.
They were also taking up positions elsewhere in the city, and banks and stores remained closed Saturday morning.
The situation remained calm however in Abidjan on Saturday, a day after the rebelling soldiers had surrounded the military's headquarters in the city.
Late Friday, General Sekou Toure, chief of staff of Ivory Coast's armed forces, warned of "severe disciplinary sanctions" for the soldiers.
The January mutiny saw the government promise to pay the soldiers 12 million CFA francs (18,000 euros) each, with an initial payment of five million francs that month.
The remainder was to be paid this month, according to rebel sources.
The world's top cocoa provider, Ivory Coast has an army numbering around 22,000 soldiers, among them many former rebels who were integrated into the armed forces after years of conflict.