: , , , , - 28 . [May 15, 2017] Bell Canada statement about illegal access of customer information MONTREAL, May 15, 2017 /CNW Telbec/ - Bell Canada today announced the illegal access of Bell customer information by an anonymous hacker. Bell has determined that the information obtained contains email addresses, customer names and/or telephone numbers. There is no indication that any financial, password or other sensitive personal information was accessed. This incident is not connected to the recent global WannaCry malware attacks. The illegally accessed information contains approximately 1.9 million active email addresses and approximately 1,700 names and active phone numbers. We apologize to Bell customers for this situation and are contacting those affected directly. Bell took immediate steps to secure affected systems. The company has been working closely with the RCMP cyber crime unit in its investigation and has informed the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. Bell continues to work together with government, law enforcement agencies and the technology industry to combat the growth of hacking and other cyber crimes. For more information about cyber crime prevention and how to protect your data, please visit the RCMP web site at www.Rcmp-grc.gc.ca and the federal government's cyber safety web site at http://www.Getcybersafe.gc.ca . About Bell Bell is Canada's largest communications company, providing consumers and business customers with wireless, TV, Internet, home phone and business communications services. Bell Media is Canada's premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out of home, and digital media. For more information, please visit Bell.ca. Media inquiries: Jacqueline Michelis 613-785-1427 [email protected] SOURCE Bell Canada [May 15, 2017] Chroma Receives the Highest Industrial Innovation Award in Taiwan TAOYUAN, Taiwan, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Chroma ATE Inc. CEO Leo Huang received the Distinguished Enterprise Innovation Award, the highest honor available from the 5th Industrial Innovation Award during the awards ceremony held on April 21. Leo Huang expresses his gratitude towards the Evaluation Committee from the 5th Industrial Innovation Award for awarding Chroma this honor, "This award also belongs to all members of Chroma who have devoted their long effort in developing innovative testing solutions." Chroma wasfounded in 1984, with dedication in research, development and manufacturing of precision test and measurement instruments to sell globally under "Chroma" brand. After years of experiences in automation integration and MES technology, Chroma has become a "Turnkey Solution" provider since 2011 with core technology in measurement. Chroma test solutions are mainly applied to ICT industry, semiconductor, and clean technology, which includes solar energy, LED lighting, lithium battery and electric vehicle industries, that are widely used for R&D, manufacturing and quality assurance. At all times, Chroma's solutions have been proven to effectively improve its customer's product quality and production efficiency, as well as to increase their competitiveness. This is Chroma's biggest value. Chroma strives to providing testing solutions with precision, reliability and uniqueness. By developing innovative technology, enhancing its brand value and globalization, the company holds on to the vision of growing Chroma into a world-class enterprise with world-class products. With leading technologies, Chroma is able to partner with the world's 1st tier customers in collaborative development to timely grasp the market trends and demands. Using advanced big data analytics, Chroma can improve the production process and yield, and assist customers in aspects of pre-analysis, pre-diagnosis and preventative maintenance prediction under the era of Industry 4.0 for smart manufacturing. For instance, Chroma has recently independently completed the production line setup of battery cell formation for China's largest lithium battery manufacturer to improve the product quality and consistency. Chroma's power module automatic test system, with the highest market share worldwide, is also deployed by global European and American 1st tier automakers. To facilitate super hi-vision video broadcast during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Chroma introduced its ultrahigh 8K (Super-Hi Vision) resolution display test solution in early 2017. Furthermore, prior to the market forecast of launching 3D camera for smart phones, Chroma has already developed unique and innovative test equipment for laser diode in 3D imaging application. Chroma insists on providing new technologies, high value-added products and services to satisfy customer's demands and reach out worldwide opportunities to achieve sustainable growth. Product Contacts: Chroma ATE Inc. (Headquarters), Tel: +886-3-3279999 Chroma ATE Inc. (U.S.A.), Tel: +1-949-421-0355; Toll Free +1-800-478-2026 Chroma Systems Solutions, Inc., Tel: +1-949-600-6400 Chroma ATE Europe B.V., Tel: +31-318-648282 Chroma ATE Germany, Tel: +49-821-790967-0 Chroma Japan Corp., Tel: +81-45-542-1118 Chroma Electronics (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Tel: +86-755-2664-4598 Quantel Pte Ltd., Tel: +65-6745-3200 [email protected] www.chromaate.com Video - http://static.prnasia.com/pro/media/mnr/video/20170515Chroma.mp4 Logo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170306/8521701415LOGO [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Nevada State College Extends and Signs 3 Year Agreement with YuJa Corporation to Provide Campus-Wide Room-Based Capture and Video Management SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- YuJa Corporation formally announces a partnership with Nevada State College. This partnership began in 2015 and extends, with this agreement, into 2020 to provide campus-wide video learning tools with the cloud-hosted YuJa Enterprise Video Platform. In support of Nevada State College's mission of the advancement of diversity and serving a broader and traditionally under-served - student population, YuJa's Enterprise Video Platform harnesses the power of video to enable more flexible video learning options for the entire student population including first-generation students, English Language Learners (ELLs), non-traditional and distance-education students. "The support team at YuJa is extremely responsive and a pleasure to work with. Often times we get notified proactively if any of our recorders go offline and in the cases where we call in for assistance we've always gotten a live person. Additionally, the team at YuJa is genuinely interested in understanding our needs and has been able to implement product enhancements based directly on our feedback. In regards to the platform, it's reliable, feature rich, and integrates seamlessly with our LMS. The ability to live stream, perform both hardware and software captures, and automatically caption both captured and uploaded content has made this an invaluable system for our institution. Nevada State College is extremely pleased to have transitioned to YuJa and we look forward to continue our relationship into the future," said Brian Chongtai, Director of Information & Technology Services at Nevada State College. <> Nevada State College replaced their existing capture hardware with the YuJa RCS-430 Hardware Hub and integrated their Canvas Learning Management System (LMS) with the cloud-hosted YuJa Enterprise Video Platform. Using YuJa, Nevada State College is able to deploy video learning solutions in their classrooms, conference rooms and auditoriums. This enables a number of key scenarios for Nevada State College including: Traditional room-based lecture capture, including integration with room cameras, audio systems and presentation media Flipped classroom content creation with YuJa's software-based lecture capture tools. Full-scale video and digital asset management with the YuJa cloud-hosted media management suite. Live streaming for synchronous learning in distance-education and evening degree programs. "We have been working with Nevada State College since 2015 and this expanded multi-year commitment is a recognition of our organization's commitment to providing not only outstanding enterprise video solutions, but also unmatched support and value," said Dr. Ajit Singh, President of YuJa Corporation. The YuJa Enterprise Video Platform provides administrators, faculty, staff and students with a comprehensive and engaging experience that fully integrates into Nevada State College's existing Canvas Learning Management system. This has enabled Nevada State College to extend their existing enterprise technology investments into modern digital learning and pedagogies. About Nevada State College Nevada State College is a four-year public institution and a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education. Nevada State College places a special emphasis on the advancement of a diverse and largely under-served student population. Located on a developing 500-acre campus in the foothills of Henderson, Nevada, the college was established in 2002 as a new tier in the state system between the research universities and the two-year colleges. About YuJa YuJa Corporation powers enterprise video everywhere. Our Enterprise Video Platform empowers education enterprises of all sizes - higher-ed, K-12 and corporate - to deliver media-centric learning experiences including lecture capture, live streaming, media management, video classrooms, and immersive social & mobile learning tools. We have U.S. offices in sunny Silicon Valley, California and Canadian offices in Waterloo and Toronto. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nevada-state-college-extends-and-signs-3-year-agreement-with-yuja-corporation-to-provide-campus-wide-room-based-capture-and-video-management-300457201.html SOURCE YuJa [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 15, 2017] VR in Education Market - Trends and Forecasts by Technavio Technavio's latest report on the global VR in the education market provides an analysis of the most important trends expected to impact the market outlook from 2017-2021. Technavio defines an emerging trend as a factor that has the potential to significantly impact the market and contribute to its growth or decline. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170515006621/en/ Technavio has published a new report on the global VR in the education sector market from 2017-2021. (Graphic: Business Wire) Jhansi Mary, a lead analyst from Technavio, specializing in research on education technology sector, says, "Within the K-12 segment, the appropriate application of VR will take time as educators have just realized the benefits of VR from a technical and immersive learning perspective. It is extremely important for educators to understand that K-12 students are young and in their formative years, and the use of VR at this stage can strongly influence their overall personality." The global VR in the education market is expected to reach USD 1,700.66 million in 2021, growing at a CAGR of more than 55%. Regionally, North America is expected to dominate the market due to the growing investment and higher adoption of technology in the education sector. Based on the product segment, the VR content segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR during the forecast period, owing to its inherent requirements and the high demand in the learning environment. Looking for more information on this market? Request a free sample report Technavio's sample reports are free of charge and contain multiple sections of the report including the market size and forecast, drivers, challenges, trends, and more. The top three emerging trends driving the global VR in the education market according to Technavio research analysts are: Incorporation of SLAM technology Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is a popular and important autonomous mapping and navigation technique in mobile robotics. This technology was mainly used in NASA robots for the creation of unknown environments maps. Also, given its high accuracy feature, it is used in their positioning devices. "SLAM technology is expected to be used in smartphones integrated with VR headsets; wherein positioning can be enabled on the web using the smartphone's camera, which will allow a user to visualize and interact in the VR environment," according to Jhansi. Increasing use of VR in medical training The use of VR in medical schools has become popular for instructing and educating young students. The VR platform provides medical students an interactive method to learn and understand various aspects of medical education. From the institution's perspective, the use of VR saves huge time and resources, as it does not have to go through the traditional training process in many aspects. Students will be more comfortable in dealing with virtual scenarios, as it allows the higher probability of trail and errors, due to which students can repeat the process as often as required. VR facilitates collaborative learning Virtual collaboration is already the norm in the current world, whether through email, basecamp, Google (News - Alert) docs, or other virtual spaces. VR takes the collaboration further by providing a common space that looks and feels like a shared room, giving the feeling of sharing a physical space with other users. A virtual space to collaborate in the education sector will allow students from different regions to interact and collaborate with each other. For example, a student studying fifth grade in India can share a space with a student of fifth grade in the US and can collaborate in real space, which surpasses email or video conferencing. The key vendors are as follows: Oculus VR Google Alchemy VR Discovery Communications Browse Related Reports: Global Interactive White Board Market 2017-2021 Global Corporate Game-Based Learning Market 2017-2021 Global Digital Signage Market in Education Sector 2017-2021 Become a Technavio Insights member and access all three of these reports for a fraction of their original cost. As a Technavio Insights member, you will have immediate access to new reports as they're published in addition to all 6,000+ existing reports covering segments like in-vitro diagnostics, oncology, and vaccines. This subscription nets you thousands in savings, while staying connected to Technavio's constant transforming research library, helping you make informed business decisions more efficiently. About Technavio Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. The company develops over 2000 pieces of research every year, covering more than 500 technologies across 80 countries. Technavio has about 300 analysts globally who specialize in customized consulting and business research assignments across the latest leading edge technologies. Technavio analysts employ primary as well as secondary research techniques to ascertain the size and vendor landscape in a range of markets. Analysts obtain information using a combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches, besides using in-house market modeling tools and proprietary databases. They corroborate this data with the data obtained from various market participants and stakeholders across the value chain, including vendors, service providers, distributors, re-sellers, and end-users. If you are interested in more information, please contact our media team at [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170515006621/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] The woman who accidentally fed her grandson methadone, sending him to the hospital hours later, got jail time for it Tuesday. Rose Rej, 49, originally told police the drug used to help wean addicts off heroin was hers. But Tuesday, her attorney, Eddy Rodell, said Rej was protecting her daughter when she said that. He said Rej pleaded guilty because she had been facing a felony child abuse charge and was offered a misdemeanor in a plea deal. Rej said she's never been on opiates or taken methadone, but she admits she was negligent. The Whitinsville, Massachusetts, woman said she should have checked that nothing was in the bottle before making it and feeding her grandson early April 26, 2016. Because of her negligence, Rej said, her grandson ingested a small amount of it. "This nightmare will haunt me for the rest of my life," she told Lancaster County District Judge Lori Maret. Deputy Lancaster County Attorney Janice Lipovsky said Rej's statement contradicts what she told investigators a year ago when it happened. And Maret, the judge, said she didn't believe Rej's daughter was responsible for the methadone, pointing to texts between them where Rej had taken responsibility for it. Police said when the boy started crying in the middle of the night, Rej got up and made him a bottle, inadvertently grabbing a bottle containing the methadone, putting milk into it and feeding the baby. When her daughter went to check on her son that morning at 8:30, she couldn't wake him. Rej told her not to panic, to just let him sleep, Lipovsky said. Instead, Rej's daughter called 911, and rescue workers swept him off to the hospital where he recovered. "Everyone, including yourself, is just very lucky your grandson survived this incident," Maret said. "It could've been a lot different." She gave Rej a year in county jail, the most she could on the misdemeanor child abuse charge. With credit for good-time, she'll have to serve about five more months. In court documents, police said the baby tested positive for methadone and marijuana when he was born in Massachusetts, and his mother had a past addiction to heroin. [May 15, 2017] Tonino Lamborghini Launches ALPHA-ONE a New Series of Smartphones that Combine Technology with Pure Luxury SEOUL, South Korea, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 15, the official launch of the brand new limited edition Tonino Lamborghini ALPHA-ONE premium smartphone was held in the Renaissance-styled Turandot Palace in Moscow (www.turandot-palace.ru). Two years after the release of the lavish Tauri88 smartphone, Tonino Lamborghini has launched an astonishing new model dedicated to the most sophisticated and uncompromising connoisseurs of technology and luxury design. ALPHA-ONE targets successful individuals who seek a luxury product with an authentic character that can satisfy day-to-day business and personal requirements. ALPHA-ONE represents a new species of mobile phones that combines technology with pure luxury. Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet and perfectly symbolizes the character of the targeted consumer: a real leader and trendsetter who has the right driving force to discover what is cool and fashionable in the world. This name perfectly matches with the product characteristi and with the brand values: legendary, timeless, innovative, daring and cutting edge. The event was hosted by Korasia Inc., commercial partner of DASAN Networks which has worldwide exclusive business rights of Tonino Lamborghini IT products. Special guests of the night: Ferruccio Lamborghini, Vice President of the Italian Tonino Lamborghini brand, Nam Min-Woo, CEO of Korean IT DASAN Networks, Kim Tae-Chul, CEO of Korasia Inc., and Anatoliy Chicherin Commercial Director of EUROSET. "Technology is no longer the only key to success for the smartphone market. In our collaboration with Tonino Lamborghini, we offer high-demanding individuals a product that encompasses the advanced Korea ICT technology with Italian brand philosophy, design and flair," said Mr. Nam Min-Woo, CEO of DASAN Networks. Korasia Inc. signed a strategic distribution agreement with EUROSET. Korasia will sell ALPHA-ONE in 300 EUROSET brick-and-mortar stores in Moscow and St. Petersburg and on EUROSET's official e-shop. In the U.K., the ALPHA-ONE will be available exclusively at London Department Store Harrods. After Russia, ALPHA-ONE will be released in South Korea, UAE, China and the U.K.; available in retail stores as well as on the official e-shop (www.lamborghinimobile.com). ALPHA-ONE inherits the Lamborghini family's Italian mechanical design and expresses equilibrium of strength and luxury. Similar to the usage of premium quality material in supercar, the key feature of ALPHA-ONE is its usage of liquid metal. More durable than titanium, liquid metal is a metal alloy which protects the device from shock and everyday wear. It ages well and looks more polished with time. The Italian leather back cover is skillfully handmade by Italian craftsman and offers a stylish and comfortable grip. The famous "Raging Bull" metal logo on the back with golden stitching completes the striking design. ALPHA-ONE delivers a premium smartphone experience with combination of luxurious design and cutting-edge technology. ALPHA-ONE's dual speaker uses Dolby Audio System that creates an inside the action feeling with the high quality 3D surround sound. A front-facing 8MP camera and the main 20MP camera provide excellent photo quality with optical and digital image stabilization. The fingerprint sensor at the back improves both user experience and security. ALPHA-ONE is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal memory for top quality performance. It is a Dual-SIM smartphone and lets the user use two different numbers in a single phone and comes with Android Nougat (7.0) operating system. The ALPHA-ONE's maximum battery capacity is 3250 mAh, providing up to 314 hours on standby and up to 13 hours of talk time. It supports Quick Charge with USB Type-C. ALPHA-ONE features a WQHD (1440x2560) AMOLED 5.5" Display. Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170511/1848134-1-a Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170511/1848134-1-b [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 15, 2017] Max Baucus Joins LendIt's Lang Di Fintech 2017 Speaker Roster Former U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China will be giving a keynote presentation entitled 'China: Opportunities and Obstacles,' at Lang Di Fintech 2017, in Shanghai on July 15-16, 2017 NEW YORK, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- LendIt, the world's largest lending and fintech conference, returns to Shanghai on July 15-16 for Lang Di Fintech, China's largest fintech conference. For two days, some of the world's most prominent fintech CEOs and investors will focus on critical topics and issues relevant to the future of finance in the region, including: digital banking, financial inclusion, digital wealth management, bank-technology partnerships, insurtech, and blockchain. Financial technology in the Asia-Pacific region surpassed the U.S. as investments in the area doubled to $11.2bn in 2016 from $5.2bn in 2015, according to a report from Accenture. Global investment in financial technology grew by 10 percent to $23.2bn in 2016, largely driven by growth in China. "China has emerged as the center of global fintech innovation and adoption, and LendIt sits at the heart of this surging ecosystem. We welcome Asia's foremost leaders of finance as speakers this year," said Bo Brustkern, co-founder and Chairman of Lang Di Fintech. "China istransforming almost every aspect of financial services. Our speakers will explore Asia's fintech revolution and its impact on the world." A recent addition to Lang Di's agenda is Max Baucus, Former U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China. Mr. Baucus is uniquely qualified to address issues regarding world trade, US-China relations, and the opportunities and obstacles facing American foreign policy under the Trump administration. As Ambassador to China (2014 - 2017) and Chair of the Senate Finance Committee (2007 - 2014), Max Baucus has extensive experience in issues of international trade. He was deeply involved in orchestrating congressional approval of permanent normal trade relations with China in 2000 and in facilitating China's entrance into the World Trade Organization in 2001. Mr. Baucus will join other esteemed speakers at Lang Di Fintech 2017, including senior representatives from international banks, leading technology innovators, venture capitalists, regulators, government officials and the media. Now in its second year, Lang Di 2017 expects over 2,000 delegates, making it the largest annual gathering of fintech leaders in China. Three hundred speakers from five continents will focus on the intersection of technology and financial services in Asia, specifically addressing artificial intelligence, machine learning, identity verification through biometrics, the blockchain's impact on capital markets, the emergence of insurtech, financial inclusion, financial wellness, wealth management for the mass affluent, innovation in real estate technology, applying alternative data to credit underwriting and decisioning, the emergence of digital banking, and fintech cooperation with banks. LendIt's mission is to connect every major player, platform, investor and service provider in the fintech industry worldwide. Founded in 2013, LendIt has grown to become the definitive fintech conference in the US, Europe and Asia. For more information, tickets and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.lendit.com/china. About LendIt LendIt is a recognized global internet finance industry leader, founded in New York in 2013 by Bo Brustkern, Jason Jones and Peter Renton. Its aim is to gather industry elites to discuss and explore latest trends in the development of international financial technology. LendIt has become the largest fintech industry event in the world as it hosts three annual conferences, LendIt USA, LendIt Europe, and Lang Di Fintech, and dozens of complementary online and in-person industry events. LendIt also owns and operates one of the world's leading industry educational channels, Lend Academy. Media Contact: Melissa Barto JCUTLER media group [email protected] Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/511347/lang_di_Logo.jpg [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] TUV Rheinland Acquires Wireless Lab in Sweden COLOGNE, Germany, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Global testing service provider TUV Rheinland has expanded its global involvement in the field of wireless communication technologies by acquiring a wireless lab in the Swedish city of Lund. The acquisition of the laboratory also constitutes the foundation for TUV Rheinland's newly established national subsidiary in Sweden. The wireless lab was acquired from Tech Mahindra, a provider of services and solutions in the fields of information, communication and technology. By acquiring the laboratory, TUV Rheinland has expanded its European wireless network to four locations. In addition to the lab in Sweden, TUV Rheinland also operates corresponding facilities in Cologne, Nuremberg and Leek (Netherlands). "We can now offer testing services to the industry in the field of long-range wireless communication such as 2G, 3G and LTE, as well as antenna performance tests such as Over The Air, known for short as OTA," explains Stefan Kischka, Vice President Wireless / Internet of Things at TUV Rheinland. "The laboratory in Lund is a great platform for TUV Rheinland to tap into the entire Scandinavian market," adds Anders Nordlof, Managing Director of the national subsidiary TUV Rheinland Sweden AB. The Lund laboratory is located in the heart of a technology cluster consisting of research and development companies, manufacturers and integrators. "We will also focus on regulatory tests and approvals as well as various protocol tests at this site in the future," says TUV Rheinland expert Stefan Kischka. Complete range of wireless communication technologies for different industries TUV Rheinland is one of the leading testing service providers and pioneers in the entire field of wireless communication technologie. For example, the testing service provider set up the world's first WiFi lab. The experts from TUV Rheinland were also involved in Bluetooth technology right from the start. Furthermore, TUV Rheinland is also the global leader when it comes to short-range wireless, i.e. WiFi, Bluetooth or ZigBee for smart home applications, where it checks whether the corresponding devices comply with the wireless communication protocols. TUV Rheinland tests many devices at its laboratories in Japan and China, where the majority of these products are made. TUV Rheinland Center of Excellence Wireless/IoT in Silicon Valley As a member of the fast-growing LoRa Alliance, TUV Rheinland also provides support with the standardization process as well as the testing and certification of products before they are launched on the market. For this purpose, the experts operate specialized laboratories for wireless communication technology and IoT products in Europe and the USA, as well as in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. This way, the testing service provider is always close to manufacturers and users around the world and can offer its competence in the field of wireless communication standards. The same applies to Silicon Valley in the USA, where the testing service provider opened the first laboratory for wireless communication technologies back in 1986. Together with the recently opened laboratory in Fremont, California, the facility forms the "TUV Rheinland Center of Excellence Wireless / IoT" that performs wireless communication tests, for example in the North America region. Thanks to this diverse expertise and its resources, TUV Rheinland distinguishes itself as a testing service provider that can cover all the wireless communication needs of a customer, regardless of its industry, globally and comprehensively providing consulting services, test solutions, market access analyses for new technologies, but also independent tests and certifications of existing ones. Like cyber security and autonomous driving, for example, the expansion of testing facilities for wireless communication technologies is one of the future-oriented digitalization topics on which the testing service provider will be placing a stronger focus in the future. Further information is available at www.tuv.com and on the TUV Rheinland platform "Connected to the future" regarding the company's future-oriented topics at www.tuv.com/c2f. TUV Rheinland is a global leader in independent inspection services, founded 145 years ago. The group employs 19,700 people around the globe. Annual revenue is more than Euro 1.9 billion. The independent experts stand for quality and safety for people, technology and the environment in nearly all industrial sectors and areas of life. TUV Rheinland inspects technical equipment, products and services, and oversees projects, processes and information security for companies. Its experts train people in a wide range of careers and industries. To this end, the company operates a global network of approved labs and testing and education centers. Since 2006, TUV Rheinland has been a member of the United Nations Global Compact to promote sustainability and combat corruption. Website: www.tuv.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] BluePi Wins 'Specialized Partner Award - Big Data and Analytics', PAN India, at Prestigious AWS APN Awards, Summits Held Across Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi GURGAON, India, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- BluePi Wins 'Specialized Partner Award - Big Data and Analytics', PAN India, at the Prestigious AWS APN Awards, Summits Held Across Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/512237/BluePi_AWS_s_Specialized_Partner_Award.jpg ) BluePi, a born in-the-cloud company, based out of Gurgaon and Bangalore, recently won 'Specialized Partner Laurel for Big Data and Analytics', at the recently concluded AWS Partner Summit held in Mumbai, on 4th May, 2017. This award celebrates excellence in implementation of customer solutions based on AWS technology. The recognition is for building products to deliver complex workloads on 'Big Data and Analytics', and demonstrate capabilities on 'Real-time Analytics and Machine Learning'. Also, BluePi acquired the most number of referable clients in Big Data stack. Besides bagging this award, BluePi was also a prominent participant in summits held PAN India - Gold Sponsor in Mumbai, 3rd May and Silver Sponsor in Bangalore, 9th May. The summit held in Mumbai witnessed a footfall of over 2500 delegates and personalities, across verticals of technology; Delhi and Bangalore were no less. The keynote of the summit was delivered by Mr. Werner Vogels, CTO and VP, Amazon Web Services and participated by other tech companies like GitHub, RedHat, SAP etc. Mr. Pronam Chatterjee, CEO and Founder of BluePi, was one of the eminent speakers at the summit, held in Mumbai. He spoke on 'Three Scalability Fallacies - Consequences and Cure on AWS Cloud'. The session was houseful, with many young Entrepreneurs, and industry leaders, being engrossed in insights and conclusions, he highlighted. About BluePi Consulting Pvt. Ltd. BluePi, established in the year 2012, 4+ Years and multiple successful partnerships later, challenge is what interests us; transformation is what we're adept at! Our vision, mission, and values define us, and have made us into what we are today. We're Futuristic, Enthusiastic and Reliable; all set to 'Imagineer Transformed Tomorrows', solving complex business problems with cutting-edge technology solutions. If you have any queries or want to reach out to us, feel free to drop an email. For more information, vist https://www.bluepiit.com/ Media Contact: Hemani Sehgal [email protected] +91-9910071252 Content Manager BluePi Consulting Pvt. Ltd. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Nokia enhances emergency service response times and situational awareness with ViTrust critical communications portfolio Press Release Portable Nokia Ultra Compact Network simplifies operation of broadband services for first responders and other users during emergencies and network outages Integrated Operations Center enhances situational awareness and command center decision-making by aggregating data sources in use by emergency services 16 May 2017 Critical Communications World 2017, Hong Kong - Nokia is expanding its ViTrust portfolio of end-to-end solutions for critical communications with the introduction of a new Ultra Compact Network - the LTE network that can be deployed in places where network connectivity has been lost - and the launch of the Integrated Operations Center, a solution which aggregates data streams used by emergency services in the field. These additions to Nokia's ViTrust critical communications portfolio will enable government and local mission-critical agencies to quickly establish and maintain communications using new high-bandwidth push-to-video and other data and voice services in emergency situations. This will allow first responders and command center teams to enhance situational awareness, streamline operations and save crucial time in their mission to save lives. The new Ultra Compact Network hosts Nokia Group Communications application services including push-to-video, and can also host customer-specific applications such as video analytics and geolocalization. The portable LTE-based Ultra Compact Network incorporates carrier-grade Nokia Flexi Zone small cell radio and integrated core technology. A network serving up to 400 users can be set up in minutes, even in the most extreme conditions where there is no existing coverage or coverage has been lost. An easy-to use, integrated graphical user interface simplifies set-up and configuration, and enables standalone operations with no need for an additional laptop. Nokia will make the Ultra Compact Network available in different versions, including a backpack-based portable model, vehicle-mounted and rack-mounted fixed installation versions, so it can be deployed to meet the needs of a variety of situations. The Nokia Integrated Operations Center (IOC) will allow critical communications agencies to transform operations at the command center. The service quickly and easily aggregates data feeds from a multitude of sources and vendors' systems in an emergency situation, including high-bandwidth video, data from first responders, information surced from alarm systems, CCTV, legacy application data and even social media. Pre-integrated tools analyze the feeds and alert teams to need-to-know information, triggering automated workflows defined by the agency and Nokia experts. Customized dashboards present this information in the most appropriate way to help reduce response time and enhance cooperation between multiple agencies. In one potential scenario, backhaul connectivity can be established linking the Nokia Ultra Compact Network to the Integrated Operations Center. This will enable first responder teams in remote regions to connect to a command center and dynamically share their data feeds to enhance decision-making. Emil Olbrich, Vice President, Signals Research Group, said: "The business and mission critical communications market is a very interesting area with significant growth potential. With the first standards compliant mission critical push to talk system that includes applications, device and infrastructure, Nokia has set themselves ahead of everyone. Whether it is a smart city initiative or public safety the key strength for Nokia is the ability to provide a holistic approach with an end-to-end portfolio that includes network technologies, industry-specific devices, applications and services. The breadth of this portfolio combined with years of expertise gained from working with commercial operators places Nokia in a great position to support critical communications customers as they enter the era of broadband services." Thorsten Robrecht, head of the Advanced Mobile Solutions business unit within Nokia said: "With the Ultra Compact Network we have placed considerable focus on what the end-user needs. We have combined an industry-specific design with our strong expertise in radio and core technology, including our Flexi Zone family, for a wide range of frequency bands. This flexibility continues at the command center where the Integrated Operations Center combines multiple application and system data, analytics and visualization to enhance situation management for public safety agencies." Did you know The Nokia Ultra Compact Network is being used for the Nokia Saving Lives initiative Nokia is applying its extensive networking and Global Services expertise to help critical communications agencies as they evolve their operations. The company serves more than 110 mission-critical customers, including the Gotthard Base Tunnel and RATP, France, in addition to 346 LTE network customers around the world. The Nokia ViTrust portfolio also includes solutions that meet the safety needs of smart cities providing connectivity, transforming businesses and helping people save time. Resources Connect with Nokia Subscribe to receive information on specific areas of interest Website Blog Twitter About Nokia We create the technology to connect the world. Powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, we serve communications service providers, governments, large enterprises and consumers, with the industry's most complete, end-to-end portfolio of products, services and licensing. From the enabling infrastructure for 5G and the Internet of Things, to emerging applications in virtual reality and digital health, we are shaping the future of technology to transform the human experience. www.nokia.com Media Enquiries Nokia Communications Phone: +358 10 448 4900 Email: [email protected] [May 16, 2017] Biometrics, CyberSecurity, Physical Security and Ransomware Experts Discuss Solutions "In The Boardroom" On SecuritySolutionsWatch.com - AMAG, Cyberinc, Dell EMC, Extenua, ImageWare, NetWatcher NEW YORK, May 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dell Technologies DVMT, ImageWare Systems, IWSY Thank You For Joining Us "In The Boardroom" On SecuritySolutionsWatch.Com Kurt Takahashi, President, AMAG Technology - A G4S Company Samir Shah, CEO, Cyberinc Ken Mills, General Manager, Dell EMC, Surveillance and Security Steve Visconti, President & CEO, Extenua Jim Miller, ImageWare Systems, Chairman and CEO Scott B. Suhy, CEO, Netwatcher ***** AMAG Technology - A G4S Company, Kurt Takahashi, President www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_AMAG_Takahashi.html www.AMAG.com AMAG recently announced: AMAG Technology Welcomes Key Tracer to Symmetry Preferred Partner Program http://www.amag.com/en/Company/News/2017/05/01/KeyTracer RightCrowd Joins Symmetry Preferred Partner Program http://www.amag.com/en/Company/News/2017/04/25/RightCrowd Arecont Vision Technology Partner Program Welcomes AMAG ?http://www.amag.com/en/Company/News/2017/04/12/arecont ***** Cyberinc, CEO, Samir Shah www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_Shah_Cyberinc.html www.Cyberinc.com Isla represents an entirely new approach to cyber security. Until now security solutions have always been based on detecting bad things and blocking them from running. Anti-Virus tries to detect bad files, Web Filters try to detect bad websites, the list goes on and on. Isla takes a different approach to the problem. Instead of detecting bad things, Isla simply isolates ALL web content in a specialized environment located outside of an organizations sensitive network. Since ALL content is isolated no attacks can ever slip through the cracks and compromise the user. ***** Dell EMC, General Manager, Surveillance and Security, Ken Mills www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_KenMills_GeneralManager_DeLLEMC.html www.dellemc.com/surveillance It is an exciting time to be at Dell EMC right now. Dell Technologies is now #1 In Everything, All in 1 Place and we are bringing this world-class portfolio to the surveillance market. Never before, have our customers and partners been able to modernize their surveillance infrastructure with an end-to-end portfolio like we have a Dell EMC. We are leveraging the same industry-recognized surveillance lab to expand our validated solutions to include the entire Dell EMC portfolio This is a huge step forward for the industry where for the first time, our customers and partners can purchase with confidence all of their surveillance infrastructure needs from one place - Dell EMC. Public Sector continues to be a key vertical for us. With the demand in public safety at an all time high, the need for cost effective and proven solutions has never been greater. We are seeing strong demand for our Public Safety Data Lake solution built on Isilon. Customers are pushing back on closed single vendor solutions are looking for reliable open platforms for evidence management whether they are deploying on premises or in the cloud. Dell EMC is focused on building solutions that allow our customers choice in how they manage their evidence data. We are also seeing strong demand in airports across the world as airports look to modernize their infrastructure. We are also going to continue to bring the Dell EMC value to our enterprise and commercial customers across the globe. Learn more here about Dell EMC Surveillance Solutions and the Solutions Portfolio here or here: https://www.emc.com/storage/video-surveillance-storage.htm#!solution_portfolio And for Dell EMC Partner Validations, please click here or here: https://www.emc.com/storage/video-surveillance-storage.htm#!partner_validations ***** Extenua, President and CEO, Steve Visconti www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_Extenua_Visconti.html www.Extenua.com Extenua has just released a most timely white paper This free white paper discusses the challenges of keeping ransomware (Cryptolocker, WannaCry, and the like) out of the corporate data storage, whether it is local, in the cloud or hybrid. CLOUD2DRIVE-PROTECTED ONLINE STORAGE IS IMPERVIOUS TO RANSOMWARE BY USING SILVERSHIELD Ransomware is a type of malware that restricts access to the infected computer system, and demands that the user pay a ransom to the malware operators to remove the restriction. Probably the most famous ransomware, even though not the only one, is Cryptolocker, and its certainly something you dont want to deal with. Regardless of the srenuous efforts put in place by Antivirus developers, the rate of infection is astonishing, and these days its becoming even worse with an unprecedented outbreak of infection. To make things even worse, ransomware can also access all the shared folders on your NAS/SAN, so if you backup to a network drive your backups will be compromised too. The ransomware goals include, in fact, preventing you from being able to restore your old (healthy) data from a backup. Even in case your systems are infected by a ransomware, you will simply be able to format your computer, reinstall your operating system, and restore all your data from an always-healthy backup. Download the complete White Paper (in PDF format) http://dl.extenua.com/no-ransomware.pdf ***** ImageWare Systems, Chairman and CEO, Jim Miller www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_ImageWare.html www.iwsinc.com ImageWare Systems Issues Corporate Update During the first quarter, we continued to focus on integrating our patented Biometric Engine into the cloud and mobile markets, principally via our GoVerifyID product for enterprise and consumer use, while also expanding into non-government sectors such as commercial, consumer and healthcare, said Jim Miller, ImageWares chairman and CEO. Due to our business strategy relying on long-term engagements with large organizations, results from these initiatives continue to take time to materialize from a revenue perspective. We remain encouraged by the continued strong demand we are receiving behind the scenes and we anticipate further positive developments in strategic partnerships during the first half of 2017. In addition to strong market demand, in March, Frost & Sullivan recognized ImageWare with the 2017 New Product Innovation Award for our GoVerifyID enterprise suite. Each year, Frost & Sullivan identifies companies that have successfully introduced new and innovative products into their markets, with emphasis on product quality and customer value. We believe this award further validates our technology and our strategy to bring our solution to market. Subsequent to the end of the quarter, ImageWare was selected to provide biometric identity management and credentialing software to five Alaskan airports with delivery expected to commence in the second quarter of this year. This represents the third agreement in which an airport has entrusted our multi-modal biometric authentication software to confirm the identity and background of their employees. And, last week on May 12, 2017 CIO Applications Names ImageWare as a Top 25 Cyber Security Company ***** NetWatcher, CEO, Scott B. Suhy www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Interviews/in_Boardroom_Netwatcher_Suhy.html www.NetWatcher.com You now have the option to deploy the NetWatcher NetAgent on AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Cloud Servers and take the HIDS/Logs directly to the NetWatcher cloud for correlation. More here https://netwatcher.com/cloud-security-easily-monitor-aws-azure-google-cloud-and-any-other-cloud-server-with-the-netwatcher-netagent/ ***** MARK YOUR CALENDAR! K(NO)W Identity Conference 2017 May 15th - 17th, 2017 Washington, DC Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center https://oneworldidentity.com/ One World Identitys first annual K(NO)W Identity Conference will bring together the world's foremost identity experts and thought leaders for a unique opportunity to learn, network and collaborate. Featuring over 150 panel and session speakers from organizations including the World Bank, IBM, Google, MorphoTrust, NIST, Payfone, GSMA, the Brookings Institute and more. ***** Cyber Security Summit: Seattle Thursday, June 1, 2017 | 7:45AM to 5:00PM | The Westin Seattle https://cybersummitusa.com/2017-seattle/ ***** Geo IoT World 2017 Where Geolocation Powers IoT Innovation Conference, Exhibition & Testbed June 6&8, 2017 Brussels, Belgium www.geoiotworld.com Geo IoT World is dedicated to the new location-aware technologies boosting IoT opportunities. Over 2 days, 70 speakers will deliver concrete expertise and use cases to innovate with Geo IoT: from IoT networks such as LPWA, Bluetooth LE or UWB to high precision GNSS, from Beacons and new sensors to Big GeoData, the full spectrum of Geo IoT innovation will be addressed. 30 exhibitors and testbed participants will further showcase the power of geolocation in IoT. Geo IoT World will welcome 250+ attendees representing IoT, geolocation and analytics industries along with implementers in multiple Verticals. ***** SECURING FEDERAL IDENTITY 2017 Hamilton Crowne Plaza Hotel - Almas Temple 1315 K Street NW Washington, DC 20005 June 6, 2017 http://www.securingfederalidentity.com/ ***** Infosecurity Europe 2017 06 08 June 2017 Olympia London ***** International-Summit-On-Borders JUNE 13 14, 2017 THE ARMY AND NAVY CLUB, WASHINGTON, D.C. http://www.internationalsummitonborders.com ***** IFSEC 20-22 June 2017 ExCel London ***** MONEY20/20 EUROPE 26-28 June 2017 Copenhagen https://www.money2020europe.com/ ***** Cyber Security Summit: D.C. Metro Thursday, June 29, 2017 | 7:45AM to 6:00PM | The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner https://cybersummitusa.com/2017-dc/ ***** INTERPOL WORLD 2017 Congress: 4-6 July 2017 Exhibition: 5-7 July 2017 Singapore https://www.interpol-world.com/ ***** The CyberSecurity International Symposium July 10-11, 2017 Chicago http://www.cybersecurity-symposium.com ***** IoT Evolution Expo July 17-20, 2017 Caesars Palace Las Vegas, Nevada ***** ASIS 2017 ASIS International 63rd Annual Seminar and Exhibits 25-28 September 2017 Dallas, Texas https://securityexpo.asisonline.org ***** MONEY20/20 OCTOBER 22-25, 2017 THE VENETIAN, LAS VEGAS https://www.money2020.com/ ***** DSEI 12-15 September 2017 The World Leading Defence & Security Event ExCeL, London https://www.dsei.co.uk/welcome ***** MONEY20/20 Asia 13-15 MARCH 2018 SINGAPORE https://www.money2020asia.com/ **** THIS PRESS RELEASE, AND ALL ADVERTISING, CONTENT AND ALL OTHER MATERIAL AND INFORMATION WHICH APPEARS ON SECURITYSOLUTIONSWATCH.COM AND/OR SECURITYSTOCKWATCH.COM, ONLINE AND/OR IN PRINT, IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS OF USE, CONDITIONS, AND DISCLAIMER HERE:www.securitysolutionswatch.com/Main/Terms_of_Use.html. Contact: Deborah Gilbert President [email protected] [May 16, 2017] Arctech Solar Drafts the 1st Solar Tracker Safety Standard for the IEC TC82 WG7 Meeting SHANGHAI, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The IEC TC82 WG7 meeting was held recently at the University of Ottawa, Canada. The meeting covered topics on safety, performance, and testing requirements of CPV modules, cells and the safety standard for solar trackers and CPV optics. For the first time, a solar tracker safety standard will be incorporated into an IEC standard. Arctech Solar is the only tracker manufacturer who is specially invited by IEC committee to lead the standard drafting. As a producer and advocate of safety standards for solar trackers, Arctech Solar introduced the tracker safety standards in detail during the meeting, answering all queries from the present and online experts. It has been the only international tracker standard drafted by a Chinese tracker supplier in the history of IEC standardization. The standard has come to the consensus and has been pre-confirmed and improved after serious discussions. It is expected to enter the Committee Draft for Vote (CDV) stage in early 2018. Bruce Wang , Chief Technology Officer of Arctech Solar proposed that it is necessary to establish an internationally uniform, reliable safety standard for solar trackers. The proposal of standardization is fully recognized and approved by all experts in the committee. Upon request by the IEC committee, Arctech Solar will submit the final revised standard shortly. Arctech Solar will continuously advocate a more recognized industrial safety standard for solar trackers and promote the tracker industry as a whole. About Arctech Solar Arctech Solar is one of the world's leading manufacturers and solution providers of solar tracking and racking systems. Through 8 years of development, Arctech Solar has set up manufacturing bases in Kunshan and Changzhou in China and set up subsidiaries and service centers in many country's regional markets such as America, Japan, India, Europe and Shanghai. Arctech Solar has cumulatively installed 10GW and completed almost 600 projects in more than 10 countries. With a production capacity of 6GW and 3GW respectively in fixed mounting structure and tracker fields (a total annual capacity of 9GW), Arctech Solar has grown into a reliable partner in the global PV tracking and racking system field. For more information please visit: www.arctechsolar.com For product sales and other enquiries: [email protected] Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170516/1852845-1 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Carnegie Science Center Honors CEO of Wombat Security Technologies with 'Entrepreneur of the Year' Award PITTSBURGH, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wombat Security Technologies (Wombat), the leading provider of cyber security awareness and training, today announces its CEO Joe Ferrara has been named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by Carnegie Science Center. Joe receives this coveted award for leading Wombat's mission to reduce security risk among organizations of all sizes through comprehensive security awareness training and assessment programs. The formal awards celebration was held Friday night at Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland, Pa. "Under Joe's leadership, Wombat has quickly become an industry leader in security awareness and training products, while also becoming a shining example of Pittsburgh's strength in entrepreneurship, technological innovation and research excellence," said president & CEO of one of the nation's most active early-stage investors, Innovation Works, Richard Lunak, who nominated Ferrara for Entrepreneur of the Year. "Congratulations goes to Joe and the entire Wombat team for achieving such impressive growth and receiving this well-deserved recognition." Earlier this year, Wombat reported 100 percent growth compared to the previous year, exceeding its order, revenue and customer targets in 2016. The company's growth has continued to accelerate in the first few months of 2017 due to rapid new customer adoption of its proven product platform. Wombat will host customers and security awareness professionals later this year in Pittsburgh at their 3rd annual a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.wombatsecurity.com/wisdom/conference" rel="nofollow">Wombat Wisdom Conference September 13-14, 2017. "The Carnegie Science Awards spotlight some of the most innovative minds today, such as Joe and the Wombat team," said Ron Baillie, The Henry Buhl, Jr., co-director of Carnegie Science Center. "These individuals are making a global impact starting with our own region. We know they are already inspiring a new generation of leaders. One of our central missions is to promote education in science, technology, engineering, and math or STEM. The Carnegie Science Awards winners exemplify the highest levels of success in STEM fields and in STEM education. We are proud to recognize these outstanding awardees and look forward to their continued contributions." Carnegie Science Center established the Carnegie Science Awards program in 1997 to recognize and promote outstanding science and technology achievements in western Pennsylvania. Celebrating more than two decades, the Carnegie Science Awards have honored the accomplishments of more than 500 individuals and organizations that have improved lives through their commitment and contributions in science and technology. "It's an honor for the entire Wombat team to receive this award by such a highly respected organization as the Carnegie Science Center whose central mission is to promote entrepreneurial innovation and education in STEM," said Ferrara. We are proud to call Pittsburgh home and are dedicated to helping grow the region's technology influence on a national scale," " About Wombat Security Technologies Wombat Security Technologies provides information security awareness and training software to help organizations teach their employees secure behavior. Their SaaS-based cyber security education solution includes a platform of integrated broad assessments, as well as a library of simulated attacks and brief interactive training modules. Wombat's solutions help organizations reduce successful phishing attacks and malware infections up to 90%. Wombat, recognized by Gartner as a leader in the Magic Quadrant for Security Awareness Computer-Based Training Vendors, is helping Fortune 1000 and Global 2000 customer in industry segments such as finance and banking, energy, technology, higher education, retail and consumer packaged goods to strengthen their cyber security defenses. About Carnegie Science Center Carnegie Science Center is dedicated to inspiring learning and curiosity by connecting science and technology with everyday life. By making science both relevant and fun, the Science Center's goal is to increase science literacy in the region and motivate young people to seek careers in science and technology. One of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Science Center is Pittsburgh's premier science exploration destination, reaching more than 700,000 people annually through its hands-on exhibits, camps, classes, and off-site education programs. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/carnegie-science-center-honors-ceo-of-wombat-security-technologies-with-entrepreneur-of-the-year-award-300457604.html SOURCE Wombat Security Technologies [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Kagan Releases First Quarter U.S. Multichannel Subscriber Report MONTEREY, Calif., May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Traditional multichannel defections picked up speed in the first quarter with an estimated loss of 802,000 subscriptions, according to Kagan, a group within S&P Global Market Intelligence. The 0.8% decline in a single quarter occurred in the historically strong first three months of the year. The impact of new streaming options suggests an important component of the loss comes from a shift in platforms within the familiar subscription construct rather than outright cord cutting. The estimated total traditional multichannel subscriptions fell to 97.0 million in the first quarter. Adding estimated subscribers from virtual services including Sling TV, DirecTV Now and Playstation Vue, lifts the combined total subscriptions to a package of live linear channels and on-demand content to 99.2 million. Additional takeaways from Kagan's 1st-quarter U.S. Multichannel Subscriber report: Cable operators lost188,000 total video customers. It was a smaller loss than posted by Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) and telecommunications (telco) competitors, but it was cable's worst first-quarter performance since 2013. The DBS segment stumbled in Q1 after full-year gains in 2016. The two providers, which both have launched virtual service provider (VSP) alternatives, lost a combined 291,000 subscribers in the quarter. The telcos lost further ground behind several prominent retreats from the multichannel business. Combined, the telcos lost 324,000 subscribers in the first three months of the year. The combined residential subscriptions for cable, DBS and telco services accounted for 76.7% of the potential residential universe, using figures compiled from U.S. Census reports. About S&P Global Market Intelligence At S&P Global Market Intelligence, we know that not all information is importantsome of it is vital. Accurate, deep and insightful. We integrate financial and industry data, research and news into tools that help track performance, generate alpha, identify investment ideas, understand competitive and industry dynamics, perform valuations and assess credit risk. Investment professionals, government agencies, corporations and universities globally can gain the intelligence essential to making business and financial decisions with conviction. S&P Global Market Intelligence a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), provides essential intelligence for individuals, companies and governments to make decisions with confidence. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kagan-releases-first-quarter-us-multichannel-subscriber-report-300458087.html SOURCE S&P Global Market Intelligence [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Verizon Adds Ensemble to Its Virtual Network Services uCPE Solution Zero Touch Capabilities of Ensemble Connector Deliver Key Agility and Scalability Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. May 16, 2017. Ensemble, a division of ADVA Optical Networking, announced today that Verizon has selected its Ensemble Connector as part of the deployment of the service provider's universal customer premises equipment (uCPE) solution. Verizon is using the Ensemble Connector as its network functions virtualization infrastructure (NFVI) on commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) white box servers. Ensemble Connector's zero touch provisioning enables Verizon to drop-ship servers directly from the COTS supplier to the end customer - dramatically simplifying supply chain logistics. Ensemble Connector further simplifies operational processes with access to the industry's largest collection of virtual network functions (VNFs). "As we expand the number and scope of SDN/NFV-based transformations with our customers, we see significant demand for solutions based on COTS hardware," said Shawn Hakl, vice president, Business Networking and Security Solutions, Verizon. "The demand to move from hardware-based services to software-based, cloud-enabled solutions is growing by the day and is only going to accelerate. Ensemble Connector is an important enabling technology for us to bring these solutions to market. This approach allows us to provide our customers with a simple, rapid installation experience and allows them to securely deploy multiple sotware-based services on a single uCPE installation." Verizon's uCPE solution has been built from the ground up to provide end customers with greater agility, functionality and scalability. Ensemble Connector improves OpenStack scalability and manageability by embedding local controllers in each COTS white box. This is something no other NFVI technology on the market offers. Ensemble Connector is also unique in that it provides support for wired and LTE connections. This enables the Ensemble Connector to "call home" using the most suitable access available and automatically configure customers' virtualized services without any need for pre-configuration or onsite visits. "What we're announcing here is more than an agreement between Verizon and ADVA Optical Networking; it's a dramatic shift in how companies build next-generation networking solutions," commented James Buchanan, general manager, Ensemble Division, ADVA Optical Networking. "Adding our Ensemble Connector to its VNS uCPE solution will provide Verizon's customers with more choice, more services and more flexibility. Ensemble Connector's capabilities help solve deployment, operational and runtime challenges." Watch this video for more information on Ensemble Connector: https://youtu.be/pCmZV7mxDRc. Further details on the announcement are also available in these slides: http://adva.li/verizon-vns-ucpe. # # # About ADVA Optical Networking ADVA Optical Networking is a company founded on innovation and driven to help our customers succeed. For over two decades, our technology has empowered networks across the globe. We're continually developing breakthrough hardware and software that leads the networking industry and creates new business opportunities. It's these open connectivity solutions that enable our customers to deliver the cloud and mobile services that are vital to today's society and for imagining new tomorrows. Together, we're building a truly connected and sustainable future. For more information on how we can help you, please visit us at: www.advaoptical.com. Published By: ADVA Optical Networking SE, Munich, Germany www.advaoptical.com For Press: Gareth Spence t +44 1904 699 358 public-relations(at)advaoptical.com For Investors: Stephan Rettenberger t +49 89 890 665 854 investor-relations(at)advaoptical.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Rookie City Councilman Bennie Shobe, and incumbents Leirion Gaylor Baird and Roy Christensen started their four-year terms Monday after being elected by voters almost two weeks ago. Shobe pointed out that 19,000 of the 38,000 people who voted checked his name. So half the people voted for him and half didnt. "But I represent them all, he said. We are all in this together, he said of the almost 300,000 Lincoln residents, each with different perspectives and attitudes. Shobe (the e is silent), Gaylor Baird and Christensen are at-large representatives on the Lincoln City Council, meaning they represent the entire city. The other four council members (Carl Eskridge, Jane Raybould, Jon Camp, Cyndi Lamm) represent specific geographic districts. Their four-year terms end in 2019. Camp, who represents southeast Lincoln, began his 19th year on the council, serving the longest time of any council member in history. The council elected Christensen as chair and Raybould as vice chair for the next year. The council generally rotates the chairmanship by party affiliation. Christensen is a Republic and Raybould is a Democrat. Though race was not an issue during the campaign, Shobe, who is the fifth African-American in council history, says he feels he'll be a voice for people who have less voice in political situations, the working-class people of all races. Few African-American Lincolnites have run for office and city voters have shown no hesitation in electing them, Shobe said. As the city gets more diverse, Shobe said he expects more diversity on the council. Shobe says he'll first try to get to know the other council members and build relationships with them. I have a lot of learning. Im the rookie," he said. Shobe, 56, a Democrat, replaces Trent Fellers, a Republican, who did not run for re-election. Shobe's election gives Democrats a 4-3 edge on the council, making it easier for Mayor Chris Beutler, a Democrat, to get his policies and budget plans approved. Shobe, a data analyst for the Nebraska Department of Labor, says he hopes to build cooperative relationships across party lines as Fellers did. [May 16, 2017] Titan Regulation and Eventus Systems Announce Strategic Partnership AUSTIN, Texas and SAN FRANCISCO, May 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Titan Regulation (Titan), a provider of compliance solutions to the financial services industry, and Eventus Systems, Inc. (Eventus), a leading national provider of real-time analytics and risk mitigation systems to the financial services industry, have entered a strategic partnership to provide customers with an end to end solution for their compliance and risk management needs. Validus, which was launched over a year ago, offers both Enterprise and Cloud versions and is installed at Tier 1 banks, future commission merchants (FCMs), brokers, proprietary trading firms as well as alternative trading systems (ATS) spanning equities, futures and equity options. The Validus system provides a real time, centralized dashboard that spans trading, operations, surveillance, compliance and risk management for both buy- and sell-side firms enabling them to make key regulatory and risk decisions faster and with better intelligence. Validus promotes compliance and risk transparency across the organization. Eventus Validus is the onlyrun-time enterprise risk and compliance platform on the market capable of spanning the front-, middle-, and back-office, enabling sophisticated risk management and surveillance. After an extensive search, we found Validus to be the best risk and surveillance technology we have seen and it will enable us to better support our existing customer base as well as expand into new verticals, said Julie Dixon, founder and CEO of Titan. Partnering with Eventus and implementing Validus dramatically increases Titans ability to perform very precise risk analysis and to further differentiate Titans service offering. Financial firms continue to be under constant scrutiny by regulators as well as trying to cope with the ever-shifting regulatory landscape. The goal of this partnership is to provide customers with a unified solution to both their technology and consulting needs as well as expand the precision of the audit services reducing overall compliance costs and reducing risk across the organization. "Titan has a strong five year track record of delivering high quality consulting services to regulated financial institutions. In a competitive field of players in the consulting space, we believed that Titans client satisfaction rates, strong growth curve and innovative consulting offerings made them a perfect fit, said Travis Schwab, CEO of Eventus. Were very excited to work alongside Titan as we continue to see strong adoption of the Validus platform across the financial services marketplace." To learn more, contact Eventus Systems at 844.438.3688 or visit www.eventussystems.com or Titan Regulation at 312.724.9026 or visit www.titanregulation.com. ABOUT TITAN REGULATION Titan Regulation is a leading regulatory consulting firm to hedge funds, broker dealers, CTA/CPO firms, banks, family offices, and PE and VC firms. Titans experienced team of compliance experts provides comprehensive regulatory services for SEC, CFTC, FINRA, and exchange-regulated businesses, including compliance program design, administration, regulatory registration services and audit prep. Based in San Francisco with offices in Chicago, Titan has been recognized for excellence in consulting services by HFMWeek, AltCredit Intelligence and CTA Intelligence. www.titanregulation.com ABOUT EVENTUS SYSTEMS, INC. Eventus Systems, Inc. is a financial software firm that helps clients solve pressing industry challenges using intelligent data. Led by a veteran management team, Eventus brings exceptional talent and pedigree in software development, with a particular expertise in capital markets and high-performance data management. Eventus Validus is the only run-time enterprise risk and compliance platform on the market capable of spanning the front-, middle-, and back-office, allowing for sophisticated risk management and surveillance. Through multi-stream data reconciliation and pipelining, Validus offers a high-performance, scalable platform that was built and battle-tested in the toughest market conditions. www.eventussystems.com CONTACT: Lauren Horning [email protected] 312.724.9036 Travis Schwab [email protected] 844.438.3688 [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] CTS Acquires European Piezoelectric Sensor & Component Manufacturer CTS (News - Alert) Corporation (NYSE: CTS) has announced the acquisition of Noliac A/S; a designer and manufacturer of tape cast and bulk piezoelectric components, sensors and transducers. Headquartered in Denmark with manufacturing facilities in Denmark and the Czech Republic, Noliac serves OEMs in the aerospace & defense, test & measurement, medical and industrial markets. Founded in 1997, Noliac leverages twenty years of experience in piezoelectric multi-layer tape cast manufacturing to produce stacked actuators and other components. Since its founding, Noliac has expanded operations to also include piezoelectric bulk manufacturing processes and in-house design and production capabilities for sensors and transducers. "The acquisition of Noliac demonstrates CTS' commitment to our strategy of investing in technologies that Sense, Connect and Move," stated Kieran O'Sullivan, CEO of CTS Corporation. "In 2016 we acuired single crystal production capabilities to strengthen our piezoelectric product portfolio. By acquiring Noliac, we expand our tape cast manufacturing capabilities. This enables us to provide a more complete range of piezoelectric solutions to our customers, while growing our European presence and further diversifying our end market profile." "On behalf of the team at Noliac, we are excited to join the CTS family," stated Bjrn Andersen, CEO and founder of Noliac A/S. "CTS' high volume production expertise for piezoelectric ceramics and single crystal products is a perfect fit for Noliac. This acquisition provides Noliac with the resources to continue to grow. We are looking forward to reaching the next level with CTS." About CTS CTS (NYSE: CTS) is a leading designer and manufacturer of products that Sense, Connect and Move. CTS manufactures sensors, actuators and electronic components in North America, Europe and Asia, and supplies these products to OEMs in the aerospace, communications, defense, industrial, information technology, medical and transportation markets. For more information, visit www.ctscorp.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170516005892/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Josh Levine of Cake & Arrow to Speak at IRCE with Bose's Brian Moore on the Evolving Landscape of Retail Web Design NEW YORK, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Cake & Arrow announced that Josh Levine, co-founder and Chief Design Officer at Cake & Arrow, will take the stage at IRCE 2017 with Brian Moore, Creative Director at Bose. This year, the annual ecommerce industry event will return to Chicago and will revolve around the rapidly changing nature of the ecommerce industry, with a focus on what retailers can do to keep pace. In their session How Have Retail Website Designs ChangedAnd What Changes Are Next?, Levine and Moore will discuss the evolving landscape of retail web design, and what they see as the emerging trends that will continue to shape the industry going forward. "As a creative professional who has been working in ecommerce for a long time, it's been amazing to see some of the huge steps forward the industry has taken just in the last 2 years," said Levine. "It's an exciting time to be both a designer and a customer, and I'm looking forward to sharing the stage with Brian to talk about what we think the future has in store." Brian Moore, who joined Bose in 2011 to lead the creative for the industry-leading headphone and speaker brand's website, social media and online advertising, has been a part of a variety of successful cutting-edge campaigns and site redesigns. Moore will be alking about what he has learned at Bose and throughout his 20 years working in advertising and user-experience design. "Customers are at the core of every experience we create at Bose, from products to communications. It's an exciting challenge to continually develop new and engaging site experiences that allow our customers to learn about our brand and products. We strive to meet and exceed their expectations and it impacts everything from how we're integrating omnichannel connections to elevating our product and lifestyle photography," said Moore. Levine has appeared as a featured speaker at IRCE events 6 times since 2009, most recently in 2015, when he discussed 20 tips to improve sales on your ecommerce site. To learn more about how you can attend the session, which takes place on Friday June 9th at 8:45 am, visit the IRCE website. About Cake & Arrow: Cake & Arrow is a customer-experience agency who partners with fashion brands and retailers to reinvent how they transact business. Cake & Arrow has lead digital initiatives for Saks Fifth Avenue, Catbird, Louis Vuitton, among others, to improve online and in-store conversion, cart size, awareness, and loyalty. About BOSE: Bose was founded in 1964 by Dr. Amar G. Bose, then a professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Today, the company is driven by its founding principles, investing in long-term research with one fundamental goal: to develop new technologies with real customer benefits. Bose innovations have spanned decades and industries, creating and transforming categories in audio and beyond. Bose is privately held. The company's spirit of invention, passion for excellence, and commitment to extraordinary experiences can be found around the world everywhere Bose does business. Media Contact: Emily Smith [email protected] 6467386179 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/josh-levine-of-cake--arrow-to-speak-at-irce-with-boses-brian-moore-on-the-evolving-landscape-of-retail-web-design-300458196.html SOURCE Cake & Arrow [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] HPE Unveils Computer Built for the Era of Big Data PALO ALTO, Calif., May 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hewlett Packard Enterprises (NYSE:HPE) today introduced the worlds largest single-memory computer, the latest milestone in The Machine research project (The Machine). The Machine, which is the largest R&D program in the history of the company, is aimed at delivering a new paradigm called Memory-Driven Computing an architecture custom-built for the Big Data era. The secrets to the next great scientific breakthrough, industry-changing innovation, or life-altering technology hide in plain sight behind the mountains of data we create every day, said Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise. To realize this promise, we cant rely on the technologies of the past, we need a computer built for the Big Data era. The prototype unveiled today contains 160 terabytes (TB) of memory, capable of simultaneously working with the data held in every book in the Library of Congress five times over or approximately 160 million books. It has never been possible to hold and manipulate whole data sets of this size in a single-memory system, and this is just a glimpse of the immense potential of Memory-Driven Computing.1 Scalability & Societal Implications Based on the current prototype, HPE expects the architecture could easily scale to an exabyte-scale single-memory system and, beyond that, to a nearly-limitless pool of memory 4,096 yottabytes. For context, that is 250,000 times the entire digital universe today. With that amount of memory, it will be possible to simultaneously work with every digital health record of every person on earth; every piece of data from Facebook; every trip of Googles autonomous vehicles; and every data set from space exploration all at the same time getting to answers and uncovering new opportunities at unprecedented speeds. We believe Memory-Driven Computing is the solution to move the technology industry forward in a way that can enable advancements across all aspects of society, said Mark Potter, CTO at HPE and Director, Hewlet Packard Labs. The architecture we have unveiled can be applied to every computing category from intelligent edge devices to supercomputers. Memory-Driven Computing puts memory, not the processor, at the center of the computing architecture. By eliminating the inefficiencies of how memory, storage and processors interact in traditional systems today, Memory-Driven Computing reduces the time needed to process complex problems from days to hours, hours to minutes, minutes to seconds to deliver real-time intelligence. Technical Specifications The new prototype builds on the achievements of The Machine research program, including: 160 TB of shared memory spread across 40 physical nodes, interconnected using a high-performance fabric protocol An optimized Linux-based operating system (OS) running on ThunderX2, Caviums flagship second generation dual socket capable ARMv8-A workload optimized System on a Chip. Photonics/Optical communication links, including the new X1 photonics module, are online and operational; and Software programming tools designed to take advantage of abundant persistent memory. Cavium shares HPEs vision for Memory-Driven Computing and is proud to collaborate with HPE on The Machine program, said Syed Ali, President & CEO of Cavium Inc. HPEs groundbreaking innovations in Memory-Driven Computing will enable a new compute paradigm for a variety of applications, including the next generation data center, cloud and high performance computing. To learn more about Memory-Driven Computing and The Machine research program, please visit: www.hpe.com/TheMachine. About Hewlett Packard Enterprise Hewlett Packard Enterprise is an industry-leading technology company that enables customers to go further, faster. With one of the industry's most comprehensive portfolios, spanning the cloud to the data center to workplace applications, our technology and services help customers around the world make IT more efficient, more productive and more secure. Forward-looking statements: The information included in this press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If the risks or uncertainties ever materialize or the assumptions prove incorrect, the results of Hewlett Packard Enterprise may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include the need to address the many challenges facing Hewlett Packard Enterprise's businesses; the competitive pressures faced by Hewlett Packard Enterprise's businesses; risks associated with executing Hewlett Packard Enterprise's strategy; the development and transition of new products and services and the enhancement of existing products and services to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by Hewlett Packard Enterprise and its suppliers, customers and partners; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; and other risks that are described in Hewlett Packard Enterprise's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Hewlett Packard Enterprise assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements. ____________________ 1 We qualify a single-memory system as one with a single address space. Editorial contact Simon Bowers [email protected] [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Alterra Power Announces Potential Sale of Blue Lagoon Interest Vancouver, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Alterra Power Corp. (TSX: AXY) announces that following several unsolicited expressions of interest, its subsidiary HS Orka hf will examine strategic alternatives for its 30% ownership interest in the Blue Lagoon tourist resort, up to and including a full sale. Ross Beaty, Alterra's Executive Chairman, said "The Blue Lagoon has grown substantially over the last several years, attracting significant investor attention from Iceland and elsewhere. Since the asset does not comprise a core part of our renewable power business, we think it's time to look at our options." Stoplar Advisory in Iceland (www.stoplar.com) has been engaged to communicate with potential investors and administer the process. About Alterra Power Corp. Alterra Power Corp. is a global renewable energy company that manages eight power plants totaling 825 MW of hydro, wind, geothermal and solar generation capacity in Canada, the USA and Iceland. Alterra owns a 385 MW share of this capacity, generating over 1,700 GWh of clean power annually. Alterra also has an extensive portfolio of development projects and a skilled team of developers, builders and operators to support its growth plans. Alterra trades o the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AXY. About HS Orka hf Alterra owns 66.6% of HS Orka, the largest privately owned energy company in Iceland. HS Orka supplies 7% of the country's power needs and approximately 11% of the country's heating needs. Installed geothermal power capacity is 174 MW from the Svartsengi and Reykjanes power plants. In addition, HS Orka generates 190 MW of thermal energy for district heating. The Blue Lagoon resort, 30%-owned by HS Orka, adjoins our Svartsengi power plant in Iceland. Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information Certain statements and information included in this news release are "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking information relates to future events or future performance and reflects management's expectations and beliefs regarding future events as of the date hereof. Examples of forward-looking information in this news release include the possibility of HS Orka hf effecting a full sale of the 30% Blue Lagoon interest. Forward-looking information is based on factors or assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection. Since forward-looking information relates to future events and conditions, by its very nature it requires making assumptions and involves inherent risks and uncertainties. Alterra cautions that although it is believed that the assumptions are reasonable in the circumstances, these risks and uncertainties give rise to the possibility that actual results may differ materially from the expectations set out in the forward-looking information. Material risk factors and assumptions include whether HS Orka hf will be successful in pursuing strategic alternatives around the Blue Lagoon interest, in addition to those set out in the management's discussion and analysis section of Alterra's most recent annual and quarterly reports and in Alterra's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2016. Although Alterra has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual actions, events or results to differ materially from forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate and undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information. Except as required by law, Alterra undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequently or otherwise. SOURCE Alterra Power Corp. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Xylem Highlights Practical Solutions to Increase Resilience of the World's Cities in New Publication As Infrastructure Week 2017 gets underway in the U.S., leading global water technology company Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL) has released a white paper outlining strategies to increase the resilience of cities around the world. According to the United Nations, 66 percent of the world's population will live in urban areas by 2050, posing a distinct and urgent need to create more resilient urban centers, capable of withstanding environmental challenges and natural disasters. Xylem's publication, entitled Building Resilience: Creating Strong and Sustainable Cities and Communities, identifies strengthening critical infrastructure as one of four core action areas to improve communities' ability to withstand these risks. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170516006048/en/ Four Actions to Build Urban Resilience (Graphic: Business Wire) "Increasing the resilience of cities is one of the most complex challenges facing public leaders around the world," said Patrick Decker, President and CEO of Xylem. "Many cities are confronting a "new normal" of weather volatility and aging infrastructure which threatens the critical networks upon which lives dpend. Among those threats is a risk to the supply of clean and safe drinking water as well as critical energy services. By creating robust, intelligent systems that are engineered to withstand variability, cities can proactively protect members of their growing populations for years to come." "We welcome the focus that Infrastructure Week activities bring to the critical issue of urban resilience and hope that our white paper will provide a platform for meaningful dialogue. At Xylem, we are committed to addressing the world's most pressing water challenges through partnership and collaboration. We stand ready to share our global experience with leaders around the world as they seek to build more resilient and sustainable cities." Xylem's white paper identifies four categories of actions to support resilience building: Ensuring water security - As one-third of the world's population experiences water scarcity at least one month per year, ensuing water security addresses the vital need for cities to supply clean water to the public continuously and reliably in all conditions. - As one-third of the world's population experiences water scarcity at least one month per year, ensuing water security addresses the vital need for cities to supply clean water to the public continuously and reliably in all conditions. Strengthening critical infrastructure - Urban infrastructure relies on multiple networks to supply city dwellers with vital necessities, including water, food, energy, transportation and other services. Investments in the resilience of these vital systems can help cities reduce losses, ensure operational continuity and save lives. - Urban infrastructure relies on multiple networks to supply city dwellers with vital necessities, including water, food, energy, transportation and other services. Investments in the resilience of these vital systems can help cities reduce losses, ensure operational continuity and save lives. Driving response and recovery - Taking action to drive response and recovery efforts can lessen the severe impacts of disasters. By responding quickly in the aftermath of disasters - through rapid dewatering, diligent emergency services, and innovative reconstruction efforts - communities can save lives, time, and money. - Taking action to drive response and recovery efforts can lessen the severe impacts of disasters. By responding quickly in the aftermath of disasters - through rapid dewatering, diligent emergency services, and innovative reconstruction efforts - communities can save lives, time, and money. Engaging community stakeholders - By involving the public in resiliency planning and decisions, communities are empowered to better withstand unexpected climate events that affect their livelihoods and access to water. Xylem's publication also features a selection of case studies, highlighting services and solutions that are contributing to resilience-building efforts in cities and communities around the globe. About Xylem Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to developing innovative technology solutions to the world's water challenges. The Company's products and services move, treat, analyze, monitor and return water to the environment in public utility, industrial, residential and commercial building services, and agricultural settings. With its October 2016 acquisition of Sensus, Xylem added smart metering, network technologies and advanced data analytics for water, gas and electric utilities to its portfolio of solutions. The combined Company's nearly 16,000 employees bring broad applications expertise with a strong focus on identifying comprehensive, sustainable solutions. Headquartered in Rye Brook, New York with 2016 revenue of $3.8 billion, Xylem does business in more than 150 countries through a number of market-leading product brands. The name Xylem is derived from classical Greek and is the tissue that transports water in plants, highlighting the engineering efficiency of our water-centric business by linking it with the best water transportation of all - that which occurs in nature. For more information, please visit us at www.xylem.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170516006048/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Tech Startup, Luvr, Brings Digital Video Capability To Mobile Dating PHILADELPHIA, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Luvr, a new video-based mobile dating application, is now available for download for iOS and Android devices, the company announced today. Combining video-centric features from social apps like Snapchat, Instagram, and Skype, Luvr offers users a familiar, yet unique digital matchmaking experience that stands apart from the biggest names in the online dating space. Unlike popular digital dating services such as Tinder and Bumble, Luvr's 3-tiered communication model allows users to find potential matches by viewing both pre-recorded video bios and pictures of each other, send Snapchat-like video snaps, and video chat right from the app. "One of the great things about video is that it allows you to pick up on subtle nuances about a person's personality, their mannerisms, their sense of humor, and other traits that tell you much more about who that person is and what they're actually like versus a static photo that might be several years old and not an accurate representation of who that person is today," said Luvr CEO Oliver Buckley. <>To ensure all uploaded video and photo content is up-to-date, Luvr incorporates an official timestamp feature that shows when the video or photo was taken. This also helps eliminate problems with catfishing -- those who create a false online identity or misrepresent themselves to lure would-be partners into a romantic relationship. Luvr's "Double Swipe Verification System" adds an extra layer onto the familiar swipe left/swipe right functionality. Swiping left lets users pass and continue searching for matches. Swiping right once lets users learn more information about a potential match, and swiping right again means they would consider meeting that person in real life to see. The company has developed an advanced filter process that allows users to narrow their search criteria by sexual preference, body type, and race and ethnicity, with plans to add religious preferences in the future. Users can also simply browse matches aggregated from the app's geo-location-based technology. When asked about what he saw as the future of online dating, Buckley said, "More and more, people are taking advantage of video as a go-to medium when it comes to interacting with their social groups. Whether that's on Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, you name it. With Luvr, we're simply applying that capability to the mobile dating scene to give people the added benefits it delivers over the limitations of today's photo-only alternatives." To get Luvr for iPhone, click here. To get Luvr for Android, click here. To learn more about Luvr, visit their website here. For more information about this story, contact: Oliver Buckley | CEO Luvr, Inc. [email protected] 215.399.9763 www.luvr.us To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tech-startup-luvr-brings-digital-video-capability-to-mobile-dating-300458235.html SOURCE Luvr [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Deloitte Consulting to launch initiative with SAP to accelerate next-generation digital offerings powered by SAP Leonardo ORLANDO, Fla., May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- To help clients rapidly develop capabilities for addressing some of tomorrow's most complex challenges, Deloitte Consulting today announced its intention to team with SAP America, Inc. to build a new suite of services for enabling digital transformation. Deloitte Consulting and SAP are expected to co-innovate on the development of offerings that will help organizations benefit from the expanded SAP Leonardo portfolioto automate processes, gain deeper insights for decision-making, and deliver innovation and value throughout the enterprise. SAP Leonardo is a Digital Innovation System that combines machine learning, Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities, blockchain technology, analytics, and big data on SAP Cloud Platform to enable rapid innovation that can scale across the entire organization. Deloitte Consulting and SAP also intend to create new "micro-services" that extend the capabilities of SAP Leonardo, with an initial plan to focus on offerings that address evolving machine learning, analytics, and IoT needs in finance and throughout the supply chain. "As businesses strive to adopt digital business models, they are seeking trusted technology that enables them to operate with more agility, to deliver more effective results and to simplify their operations," said Rob Enslin, member of the Executive Board of SAP SE and President of Cloud Business Group, SAP. "With SAP Leonardo, we are delivering industry-specific innovation capabilities and services that integrate with core business applications, so that customers can build a seamless bridge between operating and innovating. Working closely with Deloitte Consulting, we expect to develop truly innovative digital solutions." The first solutions planned to launch under the new co-innovation initiative will provide clients with "Lights Out Finance" and "Live Factory" capabilities. With Lights Out Finance, clients might deploy cognitive and robotic extensions to help automate financial processes, includng shared services. Live Factory will be aimed at helping organizations connect the shop floor through SAP Leonardo, enabling predictive decision-making to help improve throughput and reduce bottlenecks. "These solutions are just the beginning. Through this collaboration, we're building a foundationa set of co-innovation practices and processesthat will help position Deloitte Consulting to continuously develop and refine digital solutions for clients across industries," said Jim Moffatt, Deloitte Managing Partner, Global Consulting. "By working together to invent digital solutions that address tomorrow's finance and supply chain needs, SAP will gain Deloitte Consulting's in-depth business process knowledge and understanding of how organizations will use technologies in the future. In turn, we are gaining from SAP deeper insights into the art of the possible with the power of SAP Leonardo and upcoming enhancements to SAP S/4HANA." What's next? Additional offerings under the umbrellas of "Finance Innovation" and "Supply Chain Innovation" are planned for design and release in the future. Deloitte Consulting and SAP also plan to develop and release a series of industry-specific offerings to help organizations accelerate digital transformation with software as a service (SaaS), providing "SaaS Innovation for Digital Core" to industries. Finance, the supply chain, and SaaS represent potential hotbeds of activity when it comes to the future of digital. Many leaders seeking to gain an edge in tomorrow's economy understand that these are areas in which they will have to innovate if they want to simplify core functions, manage the bottom line, deliver new products and services, leverage the cloud to streamline business, generate new value, and remain competitive. "It's a terrific fit," Moffatt said. "SAP technology solutions such as SAP Leonardo and SAP S/4HANA Cloud allow organizations to 'run simple.' And Deloitte Consultingas a technology enabler and thought leadercan help organizations deploy those SAP solutions while also positioning them to realize new value in the rapidly evolving digital economy. Clients looking to gain an edge to compete in tomorrow's environment will want the kind of solutions Deloitte Consulting is bringing to market through this new collaboration." As used in this press release, "Deloitte Consulting" refers only to the Deloitte member firms' Consulting practices. About Deloitte Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee ("DTTL"), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as "Deloitte Global") does not provide services to clients. Please see www.deloitte.com/about to learn more about our global network of member firms. Deloitte provides audit, consulting, financial advisory, risk advisory, tax and related services to public and private clients spanning multiple industries. Deloitte serves four out of five Fortune Global 500 companies through a globally connected network of member firms in more than 150 countries bringing world-class capabilities, insights, and high-quality service to address clients' most complex business challenges. To learn more about how Deloitte's approximately 245,000 professionals make an impact that matters, please connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates. 2017 SAP SE. All rights reserved. SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP SE in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte-consulting-to-launch-initiative-with-sap-to-accelerate-next-generation-digital-offerings-powered-by-sap-leonardo-300458504.html SOURCE Deloitte [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Preferred Systems Solutions Named Private Company Deal Team of the Year at the 2017 Corporate Growth Awards Preferred Systems Solutions, Inc. (PSS) was recognized as the 2017 Private Company Deal Team of the Year by ACG National Capital. PSS was selected from a pool of the most accomplished and successful deal teams in the D.C. business community by the 2017 Corporate Growth Awards Committee. The award was presented at a black tie gala on May 11, 2017. "ACG National Capital Corporate Growth Award winners represent the very best in middle-market business management and innovation," said Shooter Starr, Client Advisor at Brown Advisory and the chair of the 2017 Corporate Growth Awards Committee. "The companies and business leaders selected for these prestigious awards are chosen specifically for their accomplishment and creativity in growing their businesses and in driving corporate growth." The ACG National Capital Corporate Growth Awards recognize the enterprises and individuals in the greater Washington, D.C. metro area's business community that have exhibited excellence in corporate growth and dealmaking over the past year. The PSS growth strategy focuses on developing and maintaining the necessary core capabilities to provide the latest technological developments to support our customers' missions. Our organic growth objectives are augmented by targeted acquisitions that significantly expand our professional services core capabilities and substantially increase our presence across a broad spectrum of critical national security programs. Successfully completing six acquisitions in less than 30 months, two f them in 2016, has been achieved by quickly integrating these companies through a coordinated financial and business-driven due diligence process and a parallel "cultural" due diligence process orchestrated by our PSS deal team. "I am extremely proud of what PSS has accomplished in creating an industry leading company through a purposeful acquisition program that seeks to expand our capabilities and positively impact our customer's missions" said Scott Goss, CEO, Preferred Systems Solutions. "Equally important our holistic approach to integration provides every employee the opportunity for personal and professional growth." About PSS PSS provides acquisition, financial management, program management, and IT support services to the Intelligence Community (IC), FBI, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, Defense Logistics Agency, U.S. Transportation Command, Department of Transportation, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). For more information, visit www.pssfed.com, or email [email protected]. About ACG National Capital ACG National Capital, a chapter of the international association, ACG (Association for Corporate Growth) that serves Washington, D.C., northern Virginia and southern Maryland, drives middle-market growth and increases deal flow. It provides unparalleled opportunities for networking, deal making and professional development for individuals involved in building corporate value through M&A, strategic partnerships, organic growth and capital funding. ACG National Capital's veteran leadership and its membership have participated in nearly every M&A transaction completed recently in the D.C. metro region with over 400 members. For more information, visit www.acgcapital.org or the ACG online publication at www.acgcapitalblog.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170516006432/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Local Media Consortium Members Address Digital Media in an Era of Change During Spring Meeting in Chicago, May 16-17 SARASOTA, Fla., May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Local Media Consortium (LMC), a strategic partnership of leading local media companies, today kicked off its spring 2017 meeting with opening remarks from Rusty Coats, executive director, LMC. More than 150 member representatives, partners and staff across print, digital and broadcast media are in attendance at the two-day event being held at the Hilton Chicago. The conference includes 18 sessions on topics ranging from ad blocking to local media audience extension. Keynote speakers include Mark Stoever, CEO of Monster.com on "Leading a Digital Media Company in an Era of Change;" Campbell Brown, head of news partnerships at Facebook, on "How Facebook is Partnering with News Publishers;" Richard Gingras, Google's vice president of news, on "Building a Better, Open Web;" and Amazon Alexa's Michael Francisco, head of Alexa skills kit partnerships, on "Reaching Local Audiences with Amazon Alexa and the Local Media Consortium." "We're pleased to welcome such a high caliber group of keynote speakers to our event, which we expect to be one of the LMC's most successful meetings ever," said Rusty Coats, executive director, LMC. "This setting and these topics enable us to have meaningful discussions about local media growth in the digital age, including how best to work with technology and marketing leaders like Amazon, Facebook Monster and Google." Day one of the event will wrap up with a reception sponsored by Monster.com, an LMC service provider partner since 2011. "Monster is honored to have our CEO Mark Stoever speak at the annual Local Media Consortium meeting," said Matt O'Connor, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Monster. "Monster's commitment to the newspaper industry goes hand-in-hand with our longstanding relationship with the LMC, and we highly value the great work this alliance has enabled us to do for and with the LMC's robust community of local newspapers and media companies." "I'm incredibly proud of the joint efforts the LMC and Monster make to provide innovative content and solutions to the Consortium's members, and to work with these outlets to deliver greater value for their customers and communities by connecting more people and job opportunities in the digital age," added Mark Stoever, Chief Executive Officer at Monster. "I am delighted to have the opportunity to expand on this topic and Monster's commitment to the LMC by speaking at their annual meeting among such an incredible list of fellow presenters." ABOUT THE LOCAL MEDIA CONSORTIUM: The Local Media Consortium is a strategic partnership of leading local media companies focused on increasing member companies' share of digital revenue and audience by pursuing new relationships with a variety of technology companies and service providers. The LMC was founded in 2013 to address the needs of advertisers seeking to reach high-quality audiences on brand safe local digital properties at scale. In addition, the LMC provides members with access to leading technology and content solutions by fostering key partnerships with companies including Google, Monster, Yahoo and others. LMC membership encompasses more than 75 local media companies in top markets across the United States and Puerto Rico, and includes more than 1,700 publications. The LMC audience footprint currently spans 155 million unique monthly visitors and its member companies serve more than four billion page views to readers. More information is available at www.localmediaconsortium.com. Or follow @LMConsortium on Twitter for #LMCSpring17 updates. For further information, contact: Thatcher+Co Christina Gilham, 917-825-6990 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/local-media-consortium-members-address-digital-media-in-an-era-of-change-during-spring-meeting-in-chicago-may-16-17-300458551.html SOURCE Local Media Consortium [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Ivanti Releases Free 90-Day Patch License Following WannaCrypt Attack SALT LAKE CITY, May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ivanti has released a free 90-day patch license in response to the global WannaCrypt ransomware attack. Until June 15, 2017, organizations can request the free license, available here, enabling IT teams to rapidly deploy patch management to all Windows workstations and servers in their environments, including legacy platforms such as Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Server 2003. The WannaCrypt attack, launched on May 12, 2017, is distributed via phishing emails that target end users. After users open and execute a malicious payload embedded in the email, the malware installs itself and starts encrypting files immediately. WannaCrypt then spreads within the network using the "Windows SMB Remote Code Execution Vulnerability," affecting all Windows versions from XP to Server 2016. Microsoft released an emergency security patch for unsupported Windows versions, including XP, Vista, Windows 8, and Server 2003 and 2008 editions on May 13, 2017. Initially the attack appeared isolated to the United Kingdommore specifically to the NHS (National Health Service)but within a few hours it was reported as a global incident. It is believed that 200,000 organizations have been affected in 150 countries, including Russia, Spain, and the United States. Although a "kill switch" was triggered n the day of the attack, the likelihood of further attacks is undisputed. Some security professionals are already claiming that a new variant without a kill switch, Uiwix, has been released. Ivanti's 90-day offer allows organizations to use the Ivanti patch management solution tailored to their Windows environment to remove the vulnerability WannaCrypt and the new variants it is exploiting. Organizations seeking the free patch license should go to https://go.ivanti.com/Ransomware-Get-Well-Quick.html and answer a few simple questions to receive a patch management solution that is tailored to their needs. The free solution will: Update Windows operating systems and third-party apps Easily patch legacy operating systems and third-party apps from the SCCM console with no added infrastructure or training Provide patches thoroughly tested by Ivanti's engineers to ensure proper patch compliance "At Ivanti, we believe that the worldwide technology community must band together to defeat global malicious phenomena like WannaCrypt. That's why we're providing this free 90-day offer," said Simon Townsend, EMEA Chief Technologist of Ivanti. "Moving forward we need to take a more preventative approach to fighting cyber-crime. Antivirus alone simply won't work. Organizations must adopt defense-in-depth strategies to protect networks and infrastructure, including patching the OS and applications, application whitelisting, and minimizing admin privileges." Ivanti also hosted a webinar on May 15, 2017, where 3,000 customers registered to listen to a panel of Ivanti experts discuss the current state of the WannaCrypt threat and what they could do to protect themselves against the malware and any variants that will follow. The webinar is now available for public use here. About Ivanti Ivanti is IT evolved. By integrating and automating critical IT tasks, Ivanti helps IT organizations secure the digital workplace. For more than three decades, Ivanti has helped IT professionals address security threats, manage devices, and optimize their user experience. From traditional PCs to mobile devices, virtual machines, and the data center, Ivanti helps discover and manage your IT assets wherever they are located, improving IT service delivery and reducing risk. Ivanti also ensures that supply chain and warehouse teams are effectively leveraging the most up-to-date technology to improve productivity throughout their operation. Ivanti is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has offices all over the world. For more information, visit www.ivanti.com. Copyright 2017, Ivanti. All rights reserved. Press Contacts Helen Carroll Ivanti +44 1344 407005 [email protected] Amberly Asay Method Communications +1 801-461-9776 [email protected] To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/ivanti-releases-free-90-day-patch-license-following-wannacrypt-attack-300458659.html SOURCE Ivanti [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Export Portal Responds To US Small Business Administration Linda McMahon's 1% Export Statistic At United Nations GLENDALE, Calif., May 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- At a recent gathering of American business leaders at the United Nations, US Small Business Administrator Linda McMahon stated that nearly 29 million small businesses in America are "The engine of our economy." However, McMahon continues that only 1% of all of America's small businesses are exporters. Export Portal & ExportPortal.com want Administrator McMahon to know that we feel the pain of this statistic. There is no script when it comes to being scammed by overseas buyers, but Export Portal has spent the past seven years putting togethr the best blockchain trade solution on the market to solve all the questions business people have about exporting goods. Export Portal's E-Commerce platform is rapidly expanding in international markets and US companies are well known for producing quality products. The United States cannot just turn on the hiring spigot and increase manufacturing without buyers and the "96% of the world's consumers and over three-quarters of the world's purchasing power" that are outside of the country. We hear you Administrator McMahon. We want the value or stock price of all US companies to go up, not down. What's best for all of America is best for business, and no one in America wants to ever hear the phrase, "You're fired." Export Portal invites small and medium sized businesses across America to increase this 1% exporting statistic by joining ExportPortal.com for free! Tap in to our ExportPortal.com ecosystem and tap out the fear of international expansion when you tag team with global businesses. Export Portal - The online trading website with buyer protection. For more information, visit ExportPortal.com or call at (800) 289-0015. To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/export-portal-responds-to-us-small-business-administration-linda-mcmahons-1-export-statistic-at-united-nations-300458693.html SOURCE ExportPortal.com [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] Green Bay Packer Jayrone Elliott, UnitedHealthcare Help Beautify Townsend Street School, Announce Second Year of "Blessings in a Backpack" Food Program Green Bay Packers linebacker Jayrone Elliott and UnitedHealthcare teamed up today for a volunteer service project at Milwaukee Public Schools' Townsend Street School in the Sherman Park neighborhood. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170516006735/en/ Redona Williams, Townsend Elementary School principal; Jayrone Elliott, Green Bay Packers linebacker; Dustin Hinton, CEO and president, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin; and Dr. Reginald Lawrence II, regional superintendent, Milwaukee Public Schools, announced UnitedHealthcare's $11,000 donation to Elliott's Dreambuilders program at Townsend Street School in Milwaukee. The donation will be used to fund Blessings in a Backpack, a national nonprofit that provides students with bags of nutritious food each weekend (Photo courtesy of UnitedHealthcare). Employee volunteers from UnitedHealthcare helped beautify the school by mulching and pulling weeds, painting walls, and reorganizing and restocking bookshelves in the school library. Elliott, the 2016 Green Bay Packers Walter Payton Man of the Year, joined the UnitedHealthcare employees at the school for the volunteer activity and to announce support of the Blessings in a Backpack program for another academic year. UnitedHealthcare donated $11,000 to Elliott's Dreambuilders program to fund Blessings in a Backpack, a national nonprofit that provides students with bags of nutritious food. Beginning with the new school year in August, more than 100 students will leave Townsend every Friday with healthy food and snacks for the weekend. During today's event, Elliott and UnitedHealthcare donated backpacks of healthy food to all of Townsend's 320 students. "Making sure children have healthy food available on the weekend is very important to me, and I'm excited to partner with UnitedHealthcare to ensre that takes place at Townsend Street School," said Elliott. "The food we give these kids each Friday during the school year through Blessings in a Backpack will make sure they get the nutrition they need." "UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to support Townsend Street School and partner with Jayrone Elliott's Dreambuilders to promote healthy lifestyles and good eating habits," said Dustin Hinton, president and CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin. Last year, in addition to supporting Blessings in a Backpack, UnitedHealthcare granted funds to Townsend to renovate a student activity center. "We are fortunate to have partners who care deeply about the community they serve and the children who live in it," said Dr. Darienne Driver, superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools. "We hope the generosity of UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin and Jayrone Elliott's Dreambuilders program inspires others to action." This project is the latest in UnitedHealthcare's "Do Good. Live Well." employee volunteer initiative, whose mission is to prevent hunger and obesity, inspire service and encourage volunteerism. For more information about the benefits of volunteering and to find local opportunities to get involved, visit www.DoGoodLiveWell.org. Follow @DoGoodLiveWell on Twitter (News - Alert) or "like" Do Good. Live Well. on Facebook. About Blessings in a Backpack Hunger has both short- and long-term negative effects on children's health and ability to succeed in school. Blessings in a Backpack mobilizes communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for elementary school children across America who might otherwise go hungry. Blessings in a Backpack currently feeds more than 76,000 children in 44 states and the District of Columbia. For more information visit www.blessingsinabackpack.org. About Dreambuilders The Dreambuilders Foundation is a non-profit organization that works with pro athletes across the country to help financially, physically and mentally-challenged kids receive the items, opportunities and equipment they need to reach their dreams. About UnitedHealthcare UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with 1 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter. About Milwaukee Public Schools Milwaukee Public Schools is committed to accelerating student achievement, building positive relationships between youth and adults and cultivating leadership at all levels. The district's commitment to improvement continues to show results: More MPS students are taking college-level Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses; The MPS Class of 2015 earned $39+ million in scholarships; and MPS is home to seven of the state's top high schools according to U.S. News and World Report and the Washington Post. Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth Group. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170516006735/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] [May 16, 2017] NOWDiagnostics CEO Kevin Clark to Address Technology Conference NOWDiagnostics Inc. (NOWDx) CEO Kevin Clark has been selected to deliver one of two keynote addresses at the NWA TechFest regional technology conference on Thursday, May 18 in Fayetteville, Ark. Billed as "For Geeks By Geeks," TechFest brings together the tech community to learn from and interact with one another. The conference also promotes gender diversity in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), economic development opportunities for corporations, and education programs for students and teachers. Proceeds from the conference go to assist STEM-related initiatives in the Northwest Arkansas community. For 2017, NWA TechFest proudly introduces the event's second keynote speaker, Kevin Clark. Clark is a proven leader with extensive experience scaling diagnostics companies from inception to lucrative exit on a global scale. He will speak to the group of self-professed "Geeks" about the importance of technology, data and innovation in healthcare. NOWDx is a leader in innovative diagnostics testing. Its ADEXUSDx product line features a lab at your fingertip, using a single drop of blood to test for a variety of common conditions, illnesses and diseases with results in a matter of minutes. By eliminating the need to send tests to off-site laboratories, NOWDx has the potential to decrease the waiting period to determine test results by days. The company has been named by Talk Business & Politics | NWA Business Journal as one of the top startups to watch in 2017 and is a finalist for this year's Medical Design Excellence Awards (MDEA) competition. The company's Springdale, Ark., facility was officially registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2014. The company is currently offering an hCG (pregnancy) test in the United States and Europe as well as three cardiac (heart attack) tests and three toxicology tests in Europe. Additional tests are in the development pipeline, including sexually transmitted diseases, more cardiac tests, food intolerances, common infectious diseases and a variety of screening tests. Among his many accomplishments, Clark was the Executive VP and Founding Member of the Arkansas Biotechnology Association and has served on the Board for the University of Arkansas Technology Development Foundation and Arkansas BioVentures. NWA TechFest is a technology conference that brings together the tech community to learn from and interact with one another, as well as promote gender diversity in STEM, economic development opportunities for corporations, and education programs for students and teachers. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170516006782/en/ [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ] Proposed Kentucky constitutional amendment to end right to an abortion defeated in vote Rolanda Longoria grew up a Malone baby, her life revolving around the neighborhood center near 20th and Vine. She attended its daycare, worked there in high school, took part in its programs. She was happy when three of her own kids joined the Malone Centers youth groups. They found important peer support there, she said. Strong role models. But then, earlier this year, the center canceled the groups annual summer trip. Longorias kids were crushed, and she was struggling for the right words. The question I faced at home was, Mom, you told us to trust adults and do the right things and now look what the adults have done. As a parent, I had no way to answer that. That was the toughest part of it; it destroyed trust with adults that Id worked so hard to instill into them. Ahsan Naseem grew up in Islamabad, Pakistan, moved to Lincoln 16 years ago and knew nothing about the Malone Center or its canceled youth group trip until he read about it in the news. I knew probably some solution would come around and then I thought, maybe it wont. If it doesnt, wouldnt that be a shame? He also thought: What could other immigrants like himself do to help? What could other Muslims do? It would be a good opportunity to show, as people who have adopted the U.S. as our home, that we take it seriously. We want to own the problems here, and try to solve them as well. The problem: The Malone Center's youth groups -- the Talented Tenth for boys, and Strong and Courageous Girls -- were funded for the first time this year by roughly $24,000 in grants from the Nebraska Crime Commission's Community-based Juvenile Services Aid Program, administered by Lancaster County. The grant's rules all but prohibit out-of-state travel. The Malone Center's application would have had to request permission for the trip -- and it didn't. Also, the governor's travel ban announced last October would have prevented the teens from leaving Nebraska. By the time Malone Center director Larry Williams realized this, youth group members had spent much of the summer and school year raising more than $9,000 for their summer reward for good behavior. In late March, Williams killed the trip to save the grant, but the damage was done. Club coordinators Anthony and Evelyn Kelley were fired when they challenged the decision, Anthony Kelley said. And all of the youth group members quit the Malone Center, Kelley said, choosing to continue meeting with the Kelleys at Quinn Chapel on South Ninth Street. The relationships Ive built with some of these kids, it was difficult to tell them the programs not going to be there, Kelley said. I was like, No, we need to keep this going.' The clubs provide social and academic support, Kelley said. They help the teens become stronger members of their family and community. The summer trips serve as an incentive for good grades, school attendance, keeping out of trouble and staying active in the clubs. Theyve traveled to Kansas City, Minneapolis and Chicago. They were considering going to Florida or back to Chicago this year. The cancellation felt like another broken promise to the kids, whod held up their end of the deal. How many times should an underprivileged kid be told something and then it doesnt happen for them? Kelley said. Theyve been hearing this all of their life. Naseem thought the same thing when he learned about the teens: They worked hard. They should get what they earned. After contacting Kelley, Naseem helped start an online fundraiser to pay for the trip, so far raising more than $3,600. They need to reach $9,000 by mid-June. The psychiatrist moved to the United States for his residency at the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit. His arrival in Lincoln for a job at the VA Hospital was supposed to be temporary. The plan was to get my green card and move back to Detroit. But we fell in love with his town. We call ourselves Lincolnites. We call ourselves Nebraskans. Hell take donations from anyone, but hes been urging other new Americans, and other Muslims, to help the teens take their trip. And to send a deeper message. Immigrants are sometimes categorized in a broad way as being a liability or a strain on American society. That is far from the truth, he said. I want to show that people who are not born and raised in Nebraska are still part of the fabric, and we do our best to try to help. Longoria has helped, too. In April, she and her mother had a Mexican food sale -- rice and beans and dinner plates -- and raised more than $600. Shes sad her children are no longer affiliated with the Malone Center, she said, but pleased the groups are still meeting elsewhere. The support is critical. It gives them a chance to hang with kids their age. They cant always talk to mom and dad about things. This helps them find coping skills to get through their daily tasks. The trips help her. She couldnt afford to send her kids on a vacation to Florida or Chicago. But the summer trips are more than vacations, she said. They open her childrens eyes to a bigger world. They let them know there are experiences outside of Nebraska. They dont need to limit themselves to whats here. ZeniMax Media accused Samsung of using stolen technologies in Gear VR products built for the Oculus platform. The company said in a May 12 complaint to a U.S. District Court that Samsung "was aware, or reasonably should have been aware, that Oculus acquired its VR technology" by violating its intellectual property rights. ZeniMax said in the complaint that it's seeking damages and injunctive relief "that will fairly and fully compensate it" for Samsung's alleged usage of ZeniMax-developed technologies in the various Gear VR products that have debuted since 2015. This is just the latest of ZeniMax's lawsuits alleging that Oculus was built on the back of its research. ZeniMax said in a 2014 lawsuit that Oculus founder Palmer Luckey and CTO John Carmack, who previously co-founded iD Software, stole trade secrets to develop the VR technologies at Oculus' core. That suit wasn't resolved until February, when a jury ordered Oculus, Luckey, and CEO Brendan Iribe to pay $500 million. But it's important to note that the jury cleared Oculus and Facebook of misappropriating trade secrets. The $500 million was awarded for breaking NDAs. Shortly after the jury's decision, Carmack published a Facebook post taking issue with ZeniMax's expert, who he accused of "misdirection" and "selective omissions." Then, in March, he filed a lawsuit claiming that ZeniMax still owes him $22.5 million for the 2009 acquisition of iD Software. Carmack said that money hasn't been paid because of "sour grapes." Chances are good that a $500 million lawsuit is more than just "sour grapes," and ZeniMax's decision to file this suit against Samsung backs up that notion, but Carmack's complaint is tangential to the core dispute. That dispute isn't worth repeating again, but the top level is that ZeniMax made several "breakthroughs" in VR technology back in 2012. Carmack led the company's research efforts, and he has been accused of repeatedly sharing information with Luckey before joining Oculus in 2013. According to ZeniMax's complaint against Samsung, Carmack took "thousands of ZeniMax's confidential documents and millions of lines of confidential code" with him to Oculus. That's where Samsung comes in. Here's the crux of ZeniMax's complaint, which was published by Polygon (opens in new tab): The code and confidential documents stolen by Carmack from ZeniMax permitted Oculus to secretly develop a mobile software developer kit (Mobile SDK) and related software for the Samsung Gear VR. This Mobile SDK and related software obtained and utilized by Samsung from Oculus uses ZeniMaxs trade secrets and copyrighted code and was obtained by Oculus (and subsequently by Samsung) in violation of the contractual obligations owed by Oculus and Luckey to ZeniMax under the NDA and in violation of the contractual obligations owed by Carmack under his employment agreement with ZeniMax. Tom's Hardware reached out to ZeniMax to confirm that the suit is legitimate, but we have not yet received a response. We also reached out to Samsung, and a company spokesperson said that "We do not comment on pending litigation." That could be a confirmation of sorts--saying you don't comment on pending litigation is like saying you don't comment on the theft of baked goods when someone asks what happened to their cookie jar--but it could also be a boilerplate response. ZeniMax has demanded a jury trial for this suit, so we'll find out soon enough. It's clear that ZeniMax carefully decided when to follow this lawsuit. First is the fact that it follows its partial victory against Oculus, which is referenced several times in this complaint as evidence that its intellectual property was used in Oculus' products, even though the company was cleared of misappropriating trade secrets. Second is the release of new Gear VR products, including an updated headset and a new controller, in April. Both factors probably make it much easier to argue that Samsung's benefiting from ZeniMax's research on VR technologies. ZeniMax Media is something of a gaming juggernaut. It owns iD Software, Bethesda Game Studios, Arkane Studios, Escalation Studios, and others. The disputed tech was developed by iD Software after it was bought by ZeniMax, which would make it the parent company's intellectual property. May 11 marked the 36th anniversary of Bob Marleys death, and as a solemn tribute to all the great man achieved in his short lifetime, Ben & Jerrys are using his face to sell an ice cream flavour. Bob Marleys One Love is a limited-batch banana ice cream with caramel and graham cracker swirls and fudge peace signs. Jeff Furman, a board member at Ben & Jerrys, compares the multinational company to Marley a noted Rastafarian who rejected much of the systems in place in the Western world as evil and oppressive. I mean, the words, one love, one heart: that touches everybody in every language. Thats very connected to the kind of company we want to be. We dont do it through music, we do it through ice cream. Its worth noting that a portion of proceeds will benefit the One Love Camp in Jamaica, a youth education and empowerment camp. Its also worth noting that Ben & Jerrys is owned by Unilever, who own hundreds of household brands, and will benefit from this exploitation of Bob Marleys name far more than any camp. Then again, the ice cream has fudge peace signs in it, and Bob loved peace, so this is quite the moral quandary. SAN DIEGO -- Politicians speak for a living. So they should be especially careful with their words. When elected officials make inflammatory statements that exploit fears and drive people apart, they need to be called out and told to pipe down. Over the years, I have often pummeled Rep. Steve King. The Iowa Republican recently said that whites needn't worry about becoming the statistical minority in America because their saving grace will be a race war between Latinos and African-Americans. But, as one of the few Latino columnists with a national soapbox, I have a special duty to speak up when the loudmouth elected official is one of ours. And so, Kevin de Leon, this pummeling is for you. The president pro tempore of the California Senate is vying to be the state's chief antagonist to President Trump. This is nice work if you can get it. Hillary Clinton beat Trump in California by 4.3 million votes. Besides, since Trump often uses Latino immigrants as his foil, who better to shepherd the resistance on the Left Coast than the first Latino to lead the California state Senate in more than 130 years? It's poetry. De Leon's bid to be the anti-Trump began the morning after the election when he released -- with Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon -- a joint statement calling the election results "clearly inconsistent with the values of the people of California." Even for a Never Trumper like me, the level of defiance was stunning. De Leon then authored a bill, SB 54, that would make California into a so-called "sanctuary state" for people who are in the country illegally. The legislation would bar state and local law enforcement agencies from using their resources -- including police officers -- to help with immigration enforcement. No matter what conservatives say, this isn't sanctuary. Federal immigration agents would still apprehend illegal immigrants in California. But the de Leon bill does foolishly play into the hands of Republicans who want to portray both Democrats and Latinos as supporting open borders. When the bill passed the state Senate last month, de Leon called the vote "a rejection of President Trump's false and cynical portrayal of undocumented residents as a lawless community." Right. Why would anyone consider illegal immigrants a lawless community? When the president threatened to withhold funds from those fabled sanctuary cities, de Leon called the threat "morally repugnant" and said that Trump's immigration enforcement was fueled by "white supremacy." It warms the heart to see a unifier in action. Here's what I've learned after many years of writing about immigration: Much of white America is skittish about the changing demographics of our country, and California is no exception. So, if you're part of the Latino community -- which makes up 39 percent of the state's population -- why kick white folks in the teeth? You'll only create more Trump voters. Now for the worst part. Looking at de Leon's record in the Legislature -- particularly during the eight years of the Obama administration -- I don't think he believes his own rants. His conversion from Democratic loyalist to racial arsonist is a little too cute. He seems like a phony who would probably be much more compliant if Hillary Clinton were president and leading the crackdown on illegal immigration. I don't remember de Leon kicking up a ruckus when Barack Obama deported nearly 3 million people, divided hundreds of thousands of families, and dumped tens of thousands of U.S.-born children into foster care after kicking their parents out of the country. I do remember what the lawmaker said in the summer of 2014. That's when the Obama administration gave a rude reception to more than 80,000 Central American refugees, mostly women and children. About 575 children between the ages of 13 and 17 were held, in spartan quarters and without legal counsel, in a federal detention facility in Southern California. A group of Latino legislators, including de Leon, toured the compound. Then-state Sen. Norma Torres, a Democrat who hails from Guatemala and now serves in Congress, was moved and declared the situation a "humanitarian crisis." De Leon also appeared to have been moved, by the political expediency of not criticizing a Democratic president. After the visit, in a conference call with reporters, de Leon played the good soldier. "Collectively, we came to the conclusion that we are quite satisfied with the conditions," he said. You see, in the Trump era, if Kevin de Leon seems clumsy in defending immigrants and refugees, you should cut him some slack. It's all new to him. "The Hickman Mills School District in Kansas City, Missouri, is trying to recapture the stability and success it enjoyed decades ago. It's new superintendent, Yolanda Cargile, is a big part of that effort. She grew up poor and wants to serve as a role model for today's students." Better than any other local news outlet, our blog community has followed the misadventures of Hickman Mills amid School Board musical chairs, behind the scenes power plays and phony accreditation schemes.A recent public TV clip attempts to look for a bright side . . .Check the description:You decide: "Alleges that he was raped by an HIV-infected inmate in the jails medical pod in September. The lawsuit said he was lying on the floor, teeth knocked out, and crying when the guard walked in. Rather than help, she allegedly handed a white substance to the attacker. The victim lawsuit said he later determined the substance was cocaine." Snow & Co. has opened their new frozen craft cocktail bar in Westport, just in time to bring chilly comfort from the rising temps outside. Owners, Jerry Nevins, Andy Talbert and Lauren Cloud moved their frozen cocktail lounge from its... SHAME OF THE KANSAS CITY AIRPORT BLOCKING TKC FROM WIFI WHILST BURNS & MAC ATTEMPT TO WIN AN EPIC $2-BILLION NO BID CONTRACT!!! Actually, we've been annoying airport dude Joe McBride with our complaints over this for about 10 years and he has been rather helpful and patient with denizens ofTo wit . . .It's not really that big of a deal given that our website is optimized for mobile and readers from Bangladesh to South Africa have been able to enjoy our content amid much harsher bandwidth limitations than stingy American telcoms.Still, the censorship practice is somewhat annoying in light of our blog community's currentregarding theunderway when hottie lingerie and unfiltered opinions are the crucial to the discussion and a rush vote pushed forward by Mayor Sly.Again the block has been lifted and reinforced and then foist back upon us constantly . . . Yet we remain consistent about all of the sketchy airport schemes whilst more than a few regimes and power players have crashed and burned.Developing . . . Trump's Tax Plan Sends Shivers Down Trumpland's Spine Back in April, Donald Trump sent out a pair of Goldman Sachs alums to unveil his grand tax plan. Essentially, it was "tax cuts!" written over and over again in 14-point font that was, amazingly, not Comic Sans. Tax cuts for corporations. Tax cuts for the wealthy. At the very least, this Vanity Fair hit piece features much more writing talent and vivid description than so many hacks pounding away into the social media echo chamber. Checkit: CONGRESSMAN CLEAVER CALLS FOR AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION INTO PREZ TRUMP SHARING U.S. INTELLIGENCE WITH THE RUSSIANS!!! Congressman Cleavers Statement Regarding Leaks of Classified Information This report that President Trump may have provided highly classified information to senior Russian officials is beyond disturbing. Congress must immediately be briefed on what, if anything, was provided to Russian senior officials, and whether it could impact the national security interest of the United States. Additionally, the seriousness of these allegations cannot be understated. Its past time for an independent commission. President Trump says he had thebut the latest political misstep has emboldened Democratic Party leaders.Accordingly . . .Here's the word . . .######And whilst the Congressman is choosing his words carefully, the Prez offers a rabid defense of his actions andthat he shared info with Russian officials per his authority as Prez.Developing . . . LOOK FOR POLITICOS TO START TALKING ABOUT KANSAS CITY POLICE "CULTURE" AMID A PUSH TO SEEK NEW LEADERSHIP FROM OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT!!! But the reality is that the selection of a new Kansas City Chief of Police is a secretive, byzantine and highly political process with community participation put on mostly for show. SHOULD THE NEW KCPD CHIEF COME FROM WITHIN OR OUTSIDE THE DEPARTMENT??? Right now the Police Board is on the cusp of a groundbreaking move that would recommend the appointment of the first female Chief of Police in Kansas City history. Opposition from within the department and throughout Missouri hopes to prevent this bit of leadership progress.To wit . . .Personally, most of the names being thrown around are all fine prospective leaders . . .Kansas City voters have absolutely no say in the matter and very little checks or balances against public officials who make this decision thanks to the state-run department - The selection of a Chief is actually one of the more apt arguments in favor of City Hall KCPD control.Still . . . The top cop audition wasn't as fun last night according to insiders and the real impact is that the Gov. and the Missouri GOP hegemony looking to make animpact here in Kansas City by way of tougher law enforcement and a departure from past administrations.And so we put the question to our blog community . . .You decide . . . The opening of the Aqua Gallery, the exciting new art space of Aqua Vista Hotels, which is housed in the Art Hotel at Pyrgos Santorini, took place with great success on Sunday 7 May. The exhibition entitled From Athens to Santorini: Greeks artists' trips is the first in a series of events which have been planned within the framework of the art platform #Rest@rt, and it was received with the highest critical acclaim. Aqua Gallery opened its doors for the first time on Sunday 7 May to present the group work From Athens to Santorini: Greeks artists' trips in collaboration with the Eos art gal-lery under the curation of art historian Marina Kanakaki. Twenty talented Greek artists submitted original work to the exhibition, giving everyone an opportunity to take a fascinating journey into the contemporary Greek art scene. Most of the contributing artists arrived for the opening of Aqua Gallery, which drew a great deal of attention not only from those staying at the Art Hotel, but also from visitors to the island of Santorini and its residents. Representatives of the regional authorities and the executives of Aqua Vista Hotels honoured the gallerys event with their presence, while the opening attracted immense interest amongst those attending, who enthused about the venue and the work on show. Many commented on the high standard and artistic kudos of the event, which was analogous to respective exhibitions in the capital of Athens. Referring to the opening of the Aqua Gallery, Mrs Sofia Matzourani, Business Develop-ment Manager of Aqua Vista Hotels stated; The opening of the Aqua Gallery demon-strates Aqua Vista Hotelsunique approach to hospitality in the most pragmatic manner possible. The guests of the Art Hotel and the general public will have the wonderful opportunity to familiarise themselves with the extensive scope of Greek hospitality by exploring the contemporary artistic identity of our country at the Aqua Gallery. More about Aqua Vista Hotels Aqua Vista Hotels wasfounded in 2005 and today manages a portfolio of more than 30 hotels in Greece on the islands of Santorini, Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Lesvos and Skia-thos. Managed by executives who have a great deal of experience in the hotel and tourism in-dustry, all of whom possess a passion for the hospitality sector, Aqua Vista Hotels is in-volved in the creation and curation of hotels with a unique identity. Handling everything from architectural aspects to the interior design, the group is also responsible for the over-all concept of the experience offered, as well as managing the bookings and the day to day functioning of all departments. A hotel with a healthy and profitable operation, first class amenities and facilities and the creation of an unforgettable guest experience are all factors which define the objectives of Aqua Vista Hotels when embarking on any venture or collaboration. 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 Deloitte is hosting VAT academies in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain this month to help equip businesses and keep clients abreast of all value added tax (VAT) developments in the GCC. This follows the recent publishing of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) VAT Treaty by Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Tax Authority has also published Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on its website announcing it will introduce VAT as of January 1, 2018. The Bahrain Ministry of Finance earlier this year confirmed that Bahrain has also signed the GCC VAT Treaty. The key question for businesses right now is how long will it take my business to get ready? If businesses have not already started, now is the time for them to start preparing and analyzing in detail what the implications of VAT implementation are, explains Nauman Ahmed, partner and Middle East tax leader at Deloitte. The VAT Academy in Saudi Arabia will be held on May 21 in Jeddah and May 22 in Riyadh. The VAT Academy for Bahrain, which will cover the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, will be held on May 23. The Deloitte VAT Academy is designed for legal, tax and finance experts who want to have a better understanding from experts on the VAT legal framework. The course is aimed at analysing the VAT framework and look further at the detailed consequences of the framework for a KSA and Bahraini business in its domestic dealings, and its business within the GCC and the wider world, explained Justin Whitehouse, Middle East indirect tax leader at Deloitte. TradeArabia News Service Chicago Pneumatic, a global construction equipment manufacturer, said it has secured a breakthrough sale of its LED (light emitting diode) light towers in Kuwait. Its authorised distributor General Transportation & Equipment Company (GTE) placed an order for 25 CPLT V15 LED models for a key project in the country. This represents the first sale of CPLT V15 LED light towers in the Middle East, said a statement from the US-based company. Chicago Pneumatic is a leading provider of a wide range of pneumatic, hydraulic and petrol-driven equipment, portable compressors and generators, light towers, rig-mounted attachments, and compaction equipment for the construction and demolition industry. These LED light towers will provide crucial illumination for a time-sensitive oilfield construction project being carried out by local contractor Al Yousifi Engineering and Construction Company, said the statement. GTE was originally asked to provide metal halide light towers by the contractor working on the project. However, due to the time and cost-sensitive nature of the development, GTE advised them to consider more modern LED models because of the greater efficiencies they offer, it stated. Ejazul Hassan, the equipment sales manager for GTE, said: "The CPLT V15 LED is highly efficient, making it ideal for projects requiring a large number of light towers. With this model, users can save on both fuel and maintenance costs." "For instance, the LEDs lifespan is 30,000 hours, compared to 6,000 hours provided by a metal halide bulb. This means the CPLT V15 LEDs bulbs dont need to be replaced for approximately three years," he added. To highlight the benefits, GTE carried out a live demonstration to compare a metal halide light tower and a CLPT V15 LED at its clients premises. During this exercise, the contractors technical team observed the features of both units, from the quality of illumination and compactness of the machines to noise levels, among others. "When we were doing the demonstration, one of the members of the team asked me if the light towers engine was running because he genuinely couldnt hear it. This is because it is very quiet, providing noise levels as low as 86 dBA (LwA)," remarked Hassan. Throughout the demonstration, the CPLT V15 LED also impressed the technical team with its low operational costs and light coverage, he added. Following the demonstration, the contractors technical team unanimously decided to retain the LED demo unit and raise a purchase order for 24 more light towers; with the first machines being delivered two months ago. Amjad Fallatah, the regional product manager for Chicago Pneumatic Construction Equipment in the Middle East, said: "We would like to congratulate GTE for closing this deal and recognise their wonderful performance during recent months, in which they have set trends and increased the awareness of our portfolio in Kuwait." "We are pleased to have them as partner because they are a strong company in the region and closely share our values and objectives," he added. Explaining its key features, Fallatah said because of the harsh conditions that the light towers are likely to operate in, the CPLT V15 LED features a polyethylene canopy that protects vital internal components. "This ensures peak performance and optimises the light towers lifespan and resale value. Not only is the canopy durable, it also features wide wing doors to allow easy maintenance access to the machine, including service components and drains. The light tower also has an environmentally friendly frame that prevents any excess fluid escaping," he added.-TradeArabia News Service A 19-year-old died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound as the Omaha Police Department's SWAT team executed a search warrant at his home Monday morning, according to police. Omaha police say the 14-member SWAT team got to 4814 N. 34th Ave. just after 7 a.m. As they got inside the home and were headed to the basement, they heard two gunshots coming from that area. A woman came up the basement stairs as officers heard several more gunshots coming from the basement, a news release said. Officers removed seven people, ages 17 to 47, from the home and retreated outside. The suspect inside the home was identified as Tyler Krebs-Johnson, who was the subject of an active investigation for illegal drugs and firearms distribution, the release said. Krebs-Johnson also had a misdemeanor warrant for his arrest. Omaha police crisis negotiators attempted to talk to Krebs-Johnson through text messages, a bull horn and phone but were unable to reach him. At 7:08 a.m., Krebs-Johnson posted a message on his Facebook that said, "Last post went out witta bang," the release said. About three hours later, a camera-equipped robot was sent into the home and showed a person lying on a bed in the basement bedroom. Officers went into the home and found Krebs-Johnson deceased with a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic handgun in his right hand, the release said. Omaha fire medics pronounced Krebs-Johnson dead at the scene. No Omaha police officers discharged their firearms, the release said. One witness told police she woke up to the sound of gunshots and heard loud commands of "Omaha police." Seven spent shell casings were found in the basement, and evidence shows that Krebs-Johnson allegedly fired the handgun up the stairs, the release said. One of the people removed from the home, Nicholas Paez, 20, was also a suspect in the investigation. Police found acid during the search and arrested Paez on suspicion of possession with the intent to deliver a controlled substance. Per state law, a grand jury will be convened to investigate the in-custody death. The Chinese government is set to pump in around $40 billion into big development projects in Egypt as part of its ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative, said a report. The investment will be made through Silk Road Fund, considered the largest investment fund in China, reported Daily News Egypt, citing a senior Chinese official. China's President Xi Jinping has pledged $124 billion for the OBOR initiative, stated Jin Qi, the chairperson of the Silk Road Fund, on the sidelines of a major forum in Beijing. Chinese government will look into ways Egypt can benefit from the financial opportunities offered by the fund to the states on the Silk Road within the initiative to reactivate it, remarked Qi during his meeting with Minister of Investment and International Co-operation Sahar Nasr. They also discussed the possibility of cooperating with several international financing institutions to support projects and establish joint projects between the private and public sectors. Nasr lauded the strategic and developmental relations between Egypt and China, expressing their readiness to enhance Chinas position among the countries investing in Egypt. There are 1,300 Chinese companies working in Egypt, stated the Daily News Egypt report. The Egyptian minister has presented several economic and development projects that are considered the governments priority during this period. They included the new Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) and several transportation projects, it stated. During the meeting, both of them agreed to carry out cooperation between the ministry and the fund to finance Chinese investments in Egypt in the field of infrastructure, construction, and joint projects between the private and public sectors through injecting Chinese investments to activate projects, increase entrepreneur incubators, and develop the skills of young people in emerging projects in investment zones. Nasr also invited Qi to visit Egypt or send a delegation to personally see the progress of its projects. Aleris Corporation, a leader in the production of rolled aluminium for critical surface applications, said it has signed an agency agreement with UAE-based MJ Building Materials Trading DMCC. As per the deal, the Dubai company will be the exclusive deal for Aleris 55HX, a premium aluminium for architectural applications, in the Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE. On the new tieup, Johan Petry, the VP of Aleris Industrial Products, said: "Our 55HX is already a well-known brand in the European advanced architecture market, and it will grow further in the Gulf region thanks to this partnership." "By combining MJ Building Materials experience in the region and Aleris know-how in architectural applications, we will strengthen our position in the Middle-East," he stated. The 55HX is a premium material that has been developed to meet the requirements of the architectural space, said the company based in Ohio, US. It can be used for inside and outside applications, including facades, wall cladding, ceilings and roofs. One of the projects where this material was selected is the facade of the eye-catching Rezo building in Paris, thanks to the following unique properties: Flexibility: 55HX can be creatively shaped to adapt to almost any design High surface quality, further improved after anodization to obtain superior UV, scratch and corrosion resistance while keeping its unique metal look Colour uniformity across various batches, which provides consistency in color and gloss. Modar Al Mekdad, the chairman of MJ Building Materials Trading DMCC, said: "Many ambitious high-end projects are currently being developed in our region and we see a lot of potential in the use of aluminium for architectural applications." "Therefore, it is obvious for us to collaborate with Aleris, which provides high quality material. In particular, its 55HX meets all essential criteria for construction in the GCC region," he stated. According to him, the 55HX is currently the only plain aluminium that meets the stringent fire requirements of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA 285). A global aluminium rolling company with 14 manufacturing sites in North America, Europe and China, Aleris has become the supplier of choice for aerospace, automotive and high-end industrial applications, he noted. With an extensive range of innovative aluminum solutions, Aleris has been recently involved in a few major international architectural projects, such as the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York City, the Grand Egyptian Museum or the new Riyadh bridge (still under construction), he added.-TradeArabia News Service Iran plans to attract $50 billion in foreign investment for the mining sector by 2022 within the framework of its Sixth Five-Year Development Pan (2017-22), said a senior Iranian official. Iran looks forward to the cooperation of Latin American countries in mine and mineral development projects, Mehdi Karbasian, deputy minister of industry, mine and trade, was quoted as saying in an Iran Daily News report, citing Irna. He added that the country will boost its gross domestic product by developing mines, and Latin American companies are expected to expand cooperation in this field. Karbasian further stated that according to exploratory studies, Iran has 37 billion tonnes of proven mineral reserves worth $770 billion. Equate Petrochemical Company, Kuwait's first international joint-venture in this industry, was recognised by the United Nations (UN) and Kuwaits Secretariat General of the Supreme Council for Planning & Development (SCPD) in appreciation of the companys support for the Public Authority for Manpower (PAM). Equate played a critical role in the SCPD and UN driven joint programme for the support of PAM. The programme aims to develop work effectiveness, and implement mechanisms to measure performance that aims to realie accomplishments within a short-time frame, said a statement from the company. Having commenced its cooperation with PAM in 2014, Equate collaborated with the authority to develop a key performance indicators (KPIs) dashboard to establish an evaluation system, develop talents and support the human capital, it said. Speaking on this occasion, Equates president and CEO Mohammad Husain, said: Partnerships and teamwork are the main pillars of our corporate culture and we believe that human capital is the cornerstone for sustainability, innovation and successful business development. Realising the innovative potential of the human capital represents successful partnerships for us. We are very proud to have such partnerships with PAM and other organisations as Partners in Success, he said. A specialise team from Equate provided Six Sigma training to the employees of PAM with the objective of improving quality and daily business practices. Six Sigma methodology is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement to deliver the best possible results while minimising cost, time and effort. Equate is the first Kuwaiti organisation to adopt Six Sigma methodology. The companys human capital has proven their innovative capabilities, admirable dedication and global achievements. The Public Authority of Manpower is partnering with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the International Labor Organization (ILO) within the context of UNDP Country Program Document (CPD) for 2015 2018. The programme will support the achievement of national strategic objectives of economic growth for the state of Kuwait, supporting human and social development, and improving demographic policies to support development and effective government administration. PAM plans will improve the labour conditions and management system by analysing the demographic imbalance, making sound decisions based on enhanced reporting mechanisms and upgrading its services quality for all economic and social actors. This joint programme aims to support PAM in its efforts to develop its internal capacity in reporting on its own performance, on labour movement and on its compliance with international labour standards, it stated. TradeArabia News Service Occidental Oman Incorporated (Oxy Oman) and Al Khazaen Company have signed an agreement for rig drilling and logistics services in Muscat, Oman, a report said. The agreement was signed by Steve Kelly, president, general manager of Oxy Oman and Sheikh Al Abd al Harsoosi, chairman of Al Khazaen Company, reported Oman News Agency (ONA). Al Khazaen Company will be responsible for the management, operation, maintenance and inspection of wells service rigs and related equipment, as well as providing qualified personnel to implement wells and maintenance service programmes, according to the report. Saudi Aramco, China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) and Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group, have signed the joint development agreement and held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Saudi Aramco-Norinco- Refining, Petrochemical and Retail Project in Panjin, in northeast Chinas Liaoning province. The idea for this project received a major boost during the visit by King Salman Bin Abdulaziz to China in March 2017, when Saudi Aramco and Norinco signed the project memorandum of understanding (MoU). Khalid Al-Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources, who was in Beijing to participate in the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, attended the ceremony where Saudi Aramco and Norinco signed an agreement to pave the way for a joint development agreement to build a refining, chemicals, and retail network in Panjin. Later on site in Panjin, Abdulaziz M Al-Judaimi, senior vice president downstream at Saudi Aramco, attended a groundbreaking event, which was also attended by Yin Jiaxu, chairman of Norinco Group; and Zhang Lei, Liaoning executive deputy governor; Nabil Al Nuaim, president of Aramco Asia; and Gao Ke, Panjin Municipal Party Secretary. Al-Judaimi said: Norinco and the government of Liaoning province are amongst the best partners to be in this project considering the great value proposition they are bringing to the table. There might be some challenges that we may face in the journey of implementing this project in the future, as in any worthy endeavour, but I am confident that we will be able to overcome them taking into consideration first Saudi Aramcos proven record of project management skills while executing mega projects and second the strong commitment shown by all the stakeholders to work together as one team to make sure this project is a big success. The governor of Liaoning province Chen Qiufa announced the project commencement and the joint development agreement was signed by Abdulaziz M. Al-Judaimi and Zhao Gang, deputy general manager of Norinco Group. The project is a key element in Chinas petrochemical industry forward planning and the revitalisation drive for the old industrial base in northeast China. It is a major project in Norincos drive to develop the industrial value chain, facilitating overseas oil exploration and trade, as well as growth in the petrochemical, final chemicals and specialty chemical sectors. Having completed the environmental impact assessment and won 23 project supporting documents in less than three years, the project obtained final approval from Liaoning Provincial Development and Reform Commission. The goal of the project is to build a world-class refining and chemical integration base, with global best practice standards of cost-saving, sustainability, and advanced technology. The construction will be based on the principles of integration, clustering development, differentiation and scale up. The project will further promote the implementation of Chinas Belt & Road initiative and the safe, efficient, and sustainable development of petrochemical industry in China in partnership with the globally recognized enterprise working in this field. The project will significantly expand Saudi Aramcos footprint in Chinas downstream industry considering the paramount importance of the Chinese economy for Saudi and Saudi Aramcos future investments. It will also enhance the competitiveness of Norincos petrochemical and value-added chemical divisions, and promote the overall economic revitalisation in Liaoning and Panjin. The project will also significantly expand Saudi Aramcos footprint in Chinas downstream industry, said the statement. "This project will potentially become a key building block in both companies portfolios and a new landmark in the industry since it has all ingredients for integration, optimization, capital efficiency and located in a very promising region. Both partners will bring their best practices in project management and execution and operations to add value to this project," said the statement. - TradeArabia News Service Nine financial institutions from Europe and Asia have expressed their readiness to fund Iran's purchases of planes from Airbus and Boeing, a report said. According to deputy minister of Roads and Urban Development for International Affairs, Asghar Fakhrieh Kashan, institutions from Norway, Denmark, Ireland, Britain, China and Japan have already approached Iran to fund the purchases, said a report in Iran Daily. Arragements are being made to hold a tender to choose the winning financier. "Iran Air is preparing the tender documents so that they would be sent to all credible financers worldwide," Fakhrieh Kashan told IRNA. "We are in conditions that permit us to choose our desired financers in a competitive atmosphere that a tender creates," he said. As a part of the very exciting Qatar Airways Qatar Stopover Program, the Marriott Marquis City Center Doha Hotel welcomed the first transit guests to discover the exciting sights, sounds, and tastes of the sultanate. Earlier this month, Qatar Airways - in partnership with the Qatar Tourism Authority - launched the Qatar Stopover Program offering its transit passengers a range of stopover options to explore the culture and attractions of the sultanate, including a free hotel stay and two-night stay offers at various five-star hotels from May 7 to September 30, 2017. We are proud to participate in this prestigious programme by the fastest-growing airline in the world Qatar Airways, said Andreas Wissdorf, general manager of Marriott Marquis City Center Doha. It provides an exciting opportunity for transit passengers whether travelling for business or leisure to discover the exciting sights, sounds, and tastes of Qatar and truly experience and enjoy Arabian hospitality while on their way to another destination," said Wissdorf. Qatar boasts of attractive facilities and activities for everyone - from desert safaris, shopping excursions, museum visits to the lively night lights of Doha. - TradeArabia News Service ON THE MOVE: ITG Hires a Pair; Nomura Hires EMEA Head Execution broker ITG hired a pair of traders. First, John Emmert will join the firm this week as a Director on the Global Portfolio Trading team, based in New York. Emmert is a 20-year trading veteran with strong client relationships, most recently working for 10 years as a Director in the Global Program Sales & Trading group at Deutsche Bank Securities. Prior to Deutsche Bank, Emmert worked in program sales trading roles at Societe Generale, Susquehanna International Group, BNP Paribas and Bankers Trust, all based in New York. Also onboarding is Sean OMeara as a Director of ETF Trading. OMeara is a 14-year trading veteran with deep industry knowledge and charged with growing the US ETF team and sales effort. He worked most recently in ETF trading at Abel Noser and also spent 9 years at J.P. Morgan, including as Executive Director of marketing making U.S. listed ETFs. OMeara started his career at Morgan Stanley before moving on to J.P. Morgan where he helped build their ETF business. He is based in New York and joined ITG at the end of March. If you have a new job or promotion to report, let me know at jdantona@marketsmedia.com AQMetrics reported that Breige Tinnelly has joined the firm as Head of Sales, U.K. Tinnelly oversees AQMetrics newest office based in London as the firm takes the next step in its ongoing strategic growth initiative. With over 20 years of experience, he was Senior Vice President at U.S. Bank and as Vice President of BNY Mellon. Tinnelly was previously a Managing Partner at Carlingford Capital Ltd, an advisory firm providing consulting services to private equity funds and asset managers. LiquidityBook announced the addition of Les Vital as Head of Technical Sales. Vital, who brings over 15 years of capital markets experience, will work hand-in-hand with LiquidityBooks sales, onboarding, product management and development teams. Vital joins from Broadridge Financial, where he spent six years as a project manager in its investment management solutions business. Prior to that he served in Eze Softwares business consulting group. He began his career at Morgan Stanley, working as both an operations and trading analyst. He reports to Sean Sullivan, Chief Revenue Officer. Nomura has hired Fred Jallot as head of its global markets division in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, according to people familiar with the matter. He will join in the summer, one of the people said. Jallot spent the past decade with Citi, where he was most recently head of credit trading for EMEA. 1 2 3 next For more information on related topics, visit the following channels: Omgeo Provides Post Trade Processing to China's Private Funds The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), the post-trade market infrastructure for the global financial services industry, announced that Omgeo Central Trade Manager (Omgeo CTM), its strategic platform for the central matching of cross-border transactions and which is a part of DTCCs Institutional Trade Processing Product Suite, now enables Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprises (WFOEs) in providing Private Fund Manager (PFM) services in China. Last year, the Asset Management Association of China (AMAC) unveiled new rules allowing WFOEs to register as PFMs, thereby giving foreign institutional investors the opportunity to provide local PFM services through an established 100%-owned entity in China. The mandate creates opportunities for both foreign and domestic institutional investors that operate in the country, solidifying an important next step to providing new ways to access China the worlds second largest stock market. Omgeo CTM provides seamless connectivity from trade execution to settlement, including direct connectivity via FIX from front-to-middle office trade processing as well as via the SWIFT network to a full community of custodian banks for the purposes of settlement notification. And, when used in conjunction with Omgeo ALERT, the industrys standing settlement instruction utility (SSI Utility), users can automatically enrich trades with SSIs, ensuring account information is accurate. DTCC is proud to have supported and provided solutions to the global community and industry participants in China for the last decade, said George Jia, Country Manager for China, DTCC. We will continue to partner with our global clients as new local reforms are implemented to assist foreign investors in their efforts to access the market. Omgeo CTM supports the WFOE policy by enabling global institutions to match A-shares with their Chinese counterparts. Following the launch of its first investment fund into international markets, Chinese investment manager, China Southern, pioneered the introduction of automated cross-border trading in China by adopting Omgeo CTM. Omgeo CTM has helped us to achieve automation and reduce operational risks, said Wenge Bao, Chief Compliance Officer, China Southern. When investors ask us to take on more volume, we can confidently say yes because we know Omgeo CTM can handle the workload efficiently. Speaking on the impact of the WFOE policy, Bao added, Asset managers in China rely on Omgeo CTMs post-trade processing capabilities to assist them when trading across borders and asset classes. As more international firms leverage the solution for cross-border trading into China in order to capitalize on new opportunities, like us, they will find Omgeo CTM to be an important partner. For more information on related topics, visit the following channels: United Way and Community Health Charities supporters who gathered April 24 at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel were ready to celebrate. The annual campaign raised $6,894,855 to support 61 community agencies that provide essential services to those in need in Lincoln and nearly 150 programs that focus on education, income and health. Campaign co-chairs Todd and Connie Duncan said they were proud of the great individuals and organizations that provided leadership, which resulted in a positive conclusion to the campaign. Connie Duncan, a former teacher and current member of Lincoln Public Schools board of education, said she was thrilled that a new Community Learning Center and Jump Start to Kindergarten will begin at Campbell Elementary as a result of the campaign. That is a big plus for those children, she said. More than 400 organizations supported the United Way/Community Health Charities campaign in 2016. The top supporters were Ameritas for its overall employee campaign and Union Bank & Trust for its support of the United Way Impact Fund and initiatives. Among individuals who received special recognition was Linda Robinson Rutz, who received the 2016 Spirit of United Way Award. Rutz wrote her first check to United Way in 1977 and has been advocating for United Way ever since. The 2016 United Way Presidents Award went to Duncan Aviation for outstanding dedication to the mission of United Way through its leadership, resources and time spent to solve community issues. Scott Young, executive director of the Food Bank of Lincoln, received the United Way Speaker of the Year Award. Brad Anderson, who represented the Alzheimers Association-Nebraska Chapter, was honored for the second year in a row as Speaker of the Year for Community Health Charities. Outgoing president of the United Way board of directors, Nick Cusick, noted that The business landscape in Lincoln is ever-changing, but we cannot use that as an excuse to do less for those that need us most. The people that our dollars support are our neighbors. They are our friends and family. Dr. Steve Joel, superintendent of Lincoln Public Schools, was introduced as the incoming board chair. The Lincoln YMCAs Northeast branch, 2601 N. 70th St., raised $4,200 for the Lincoln YMCA's annual Campaign-Strong Kids via a silent auction April 3-22. The auction featured Easter baskets and numerous fun-themed experiences, gift cards and more. With bidding open to the community, funds were raised by the Ys members and community supporters. The staff of the Northeast YMCA sends a special thank you to the 8:15 a.m. Water Exercise class. Led by Eike Marthaler and Diane Peirce, class members were key organizers of the auction, contributing over 70 baskets to the event. "Without this groups tireless work, the auction would not have been as successful," said Geoff Weller, executive director of the Northeast Y. "A thank you also goes out to our community businesses for their generous donations." ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN The Lincoln YMCAs Annual Campaign-Strong Kids raises funds so that every child and family in need throughout our community has the opportunity to take swim lessons, play Youth Sports, enroll in YMCA afterschool programs, experience Camp Kitaki and more. Donations to the campaign allow the YMCA to offer reduced rates on programs, services and memberships that work to build a stronger community by building up Lincolns youth and families. The Lincoln YMCA offers more than $1 million a year in financial assistance on Y programs. ABOUT THE LINCOLN YMCA One of Lincolns largest nonprofit youth-serving organizations, the Lincoln YMCA has served the community for 146 years promoting positive values through programs that build spirit, mind and body for all. Today, the YMCA serves over 82,000 people each year with facilities in all quadrants of Lincoln through programs including swim lessons, Youth Sports, Camp Kitaki, afterschool programs, disease management and more. Everyone is welcome, and Open Doors Financial Assistance is available to those in need. For more information, visit YmcaLincoln.org. Coco Palm and Coco Bodu Hithi invite Herbert Nitsch, the current freediving world record holder, to conducts talks and practical sessions in the Maldives to celebrate World Oceans Day. (TRAVPR.COM) MALDIVES - May 16th, 2017 - Keeping up with Coco Collections constant efforts to collaborate with like-minded individuals, this June sees the arrival of Herbert Nitsch to Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu and Coco Bodu Hithi. An Austrian individual, Herbert is the current freediving world record holder and The Deepest Man on Earth, a prestigious title that was given to him when set the world record for freediving at an incredible depth of 702 feet in 2007 and 830.8 feet in 2012. Self-taught, Herbert is a pioneer in terms of developing his own techniques over the years and has set a total of 33 freediving world records so far. During Herberts time at the resorts, he will take guests through interactive talks and practical sessions. The program starts with The Deepest Man on Earth, a talk with Herbert sharing his story about free diving as a discipline and hobby. He is able to relate how free diving can be enjoyed by anyone of any age and he touches on his passion to conserve the seven seas. Day 2 will see Herbert take guests through a multimedia talk to efficiently prepare the body to free dive at shallow depths, followed by a hands-on in-water session. A screening of Back from the Abyss follows on the same evening, the award-winning documentary about his world record dive, and the aftermath of decompression sickness and the unbelievable way back to free diving again. The final day of the program takes guests through Free diving with Marine Life, a multimedia talk together with the marine biologist on the island to touch on marine life and ocean preservation, highlighting some more advanced free diving tips. After the talk, Herbert and the resident marine biologist will take guests out on a dive in deeper waters. The final bit of the program ends with a screening of The Last Frontier, a documentary broadcast in over a dozen countries about Herbert, his free diving competitions and the adaptation of the body to severe depths. During one of the days at Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu, Herbert will be joined by school children from the nearby local island of Thulhaadhoo, ready to pick up some first hands tips on free diving. Over at Coco Bodu Hithi, a group of seasoned Maldivian free divers will gather for a day to join Herbert for a talk and a dive, sharing the Maldivian side of free diving with him. The Maldives is an amazing place and I am very excited to be coming back; this time to collaborate with a renowned local brand for World Oceans Day, a cause close to my heart. I am eager to explore the vibrant life around both islands, and what I am most looking forward is to share my journey with guests and join them in the water to test their limits. Another interesting aspect of this visit will be the day spent with some local free diving enthusiasts, definitely a highlight I am going to enjoy! Herbert Nitsch comments on his upcoming stay at Coco Palm and Coco Bodu Hithi. This year, The Ocean Project has announced a theme of Our Oceans, Our Future for World Oceans Day. Taking part in this global day of ocean celebration, Coco Collection takes it a step further to raise awareness by collaborating with Herbert Nitsch, joined by the portfolios resident marine biologist who will incorporate the marine conservation program the resorts are a part of. ### MOUNT PLEASANT Promotions Unlimited, the former company that closed Jan. 27 without paying employees for their last work week or accrued vacation, must now pay a total of $203,933 to 52 former employees or face action by the Wisconsin Department of Justice. In a letter dated last Thursday, state Labor Standards Investigator Brian Buchanan wrote to Lorraine Greenberg of Roosevelt Capital LLC, the company that did business as Promotions Unlimited, telling her the findings of his two-pronged investigation. On Jan. 27, Promotions Unlimited, 7601 Durand Ave., discharged its last 48 employees after laying off about 30 others in the preceding several weeks for a total of 77 jobs lost. Employees said the family-owned company, which was a local distributor to independent pharmacies, did not pay them for their last week of work, nor for earned but unused vacation time. The closing was also a highly charged matter because the payroll company Roosevelt was using, but failed to pay, tried to claw back the pay of employees who had been using direct deposit of their paychecks, sending ex-employees into panic mode. Moreover, vendors that had been doing business with Promotions had a freight company coming at them for shipping charges theyd previously been charged for by Roosevelt, but that Roosevelt had evidently not paid the trucking company for. Buchanan was investigating, for the Department of Workforce Development, two types of complaints employees had filed with the state: that they were owed for unpaid wages and vacation pay; and that Roosevelt violated the Warn Act by failing to provide 60 days notice to employees of the shutdown. On the latter complaint, Buchanan concluded that Roosevelt did not violate the law because the company was pursuing a new line of credit an attempt that failed and that denial of the funding was not foreseeable at the time notice would have been required 60 days prior to closing. He ordered that case be dismissed. Unpaid wages, vacation time However, Buchanan found that employees who provided records to DWD were indeed owed money by Roosevelt for unpaid wages and earned vacation time. Roosevelt did not dispute those points, he wrote. But Roosevelt was unable to provide relevant records because of its failure to pay its payroll processor, Buchanan wrote. When an employer fails to provide records, this department must rely upon the best available information when making its determination, he wrote. In this case, the reasonable records of the complainants are the best available information and are the basis for the unpaid wage determination. He found that Roosevelt owes $77,031 in unpaid wages to 52 former employees. Buchanan made the same statement regarding unpaid but earned vacation and found Roosevelt owes those former employees $126,902 for that. Additional money may be owed to employees who have not yet filed a complaint, he added. Individual paychecks A spreadsheet attached to Buchanans letter shows the employees names and total amounts each must be paid by Roosevelt. Those amounts range from $640 to $10,000. Buchanan ordered Roosevelt to make out individual checks in the correct amounts to those employees and send them to DWD, minus any legally required deductions, and with pay stubs. The agency will forward the checks to each person. I dont feel confident that were going to get it, commented a discouraged Michelle Humburg on Monday, a 14-year employee of Promotions Unlimited who had been the sales and customer service lead. Ill believe it when I see it. I know the states doing what it can. Im so over it; whatever we get, we get, Humburg added. Roosevelt has until May 26 to get the checks to DWD. If I do not receive payment for wages due by (May 26), I will prepare the case file on this matter for litigation, Buchanan wrote to Greenberg. Any referral to court will include a request for the maximum penalty for the late payment of wages. Its worth noting that liens were filed in early February as DWD asked the state Department of Justice to take proactive steps to pursue whatever action is available to secure owed wages, agency spokesman John Dipko said Monday. Those liens cover all real and personal property that Roosevelt has in the state of Wisconsin. The Greenbergs have been unavailable for comment. Chris Drosner Follow Chris Drosner Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today Its taken a lot of practice, but Ive learned to take big beer companies acquisitions of legitimate craft breweries in stride. A Breckenridge here, a Revolver there, a mega-merger over here ... they were interesting stories, both individually and in aggregate, but honestly theres only so much I can say about them. None of them have involved Wisconsin breweries, and hardly any have even sold their beer here. Generally, I think its a natural evolution of a sector of business that has been largely immune to normal business forces for going on a decade now. I think there are ill effects on small brewers when the largest brewers try to win back the business theyve lost to small brewers. And yeah, the playing field is uneven, in the same sense that Wal-Mart has advantages over mom-and-pop stores. So, I think these brewery sales are generally bad news, though I dont fault either party that makes them happen. But this latest one hit harder than all the others. Anheuser-Busch InBev the maker of Budweiser, Rolling Rock, Stella Artois, Shock Top, Bass, Labatt, Goose Island and many, many other beers on May 3 announced it had purchased Wicked Weed Brewing of Asheville, North Carolina. Wicked Weed had been a rapidly rising star in the craft beer world, taking just five years to build a national name around deftly made hoppy beers and, in particular, sour and wild-fermented beers made with traditional barrel-aging techniques. It was a key member of a robust brewing scene that made Asheville, a city of less than 90,000, consistently mentioned among the top beer cities in America. Wicked Weeds reputation led a road-tripping Wisconsinite to schedule a lunchtime pit stop there with his family last summer, en route from the Great Smoky Mountains to the South Carolina shore. What I found surpassed my expectations and, to be honest, stole a little bit of my heart. Wicked Weeds pub in downtown Asheville had everything that has endeared the craft beer scene to me and its legion other devotees. There was great beer, of course, but also a sense of craft, passion and authenticity. I felt that I was surrounded by people staff and patrons who appreciated the same things I did. There was a very good salad. All of it was tied together with an unmistakable sense of place, with a mural of King Henry VIII alluded to in the brewerys name for his quote labeling hops a wicked and pernicious weed presiding over it all. In short, it was cool. And this, all of it, is what ABI bought. And that made me a little sad, being reminded of the (likely significant) commercial value on that afternoons experience. Its possible that Wicked Weeds new owner will maintain or even enhance that experience, but I wont be returning when Im in that neck of the woods again. It makes a difference to me if something is bought or made. Weve been through this before ABI alone purchased 10 craft breweries since Goose Island in 2011. The strategy from ABI seems clear. Its targeting regional breweries in the 50,000-barrel-a-year ballpark that have either been long established in their home markets but may have owners edging toward retirement or young breweries that have grown quickly into that profile. Goose Islands 312, IPA and Belgian and barrel-aged beers were scaled up for national distribution, but ABI seems content to have most of its other acquisitions fill out roles in a network of regional breweries. But the craft beer world seemed to gnash its teeth more over Wicked Weed than any ABI acquisition since Goose. And that makes sense, because from a beer and culture perspective, Wicked Weed is a different kind of brewery. The emphasis on modern American sours a somewhat exclusive class of beer with limited appeal puts it in rarefied air nationally. Most of these breweries took issue not with their friends business being sold, but being sold to Anheuser-Busch InBev. We have deep and serious issues with many of ABInBevs business strategies, mission, and overall ethics as they relate to craft beer in America, Black Project said in its statement about the Wicked Weed sale, citing highly aggressive, predatory and what we consider to be unethical practices. We truly believe that ABInBev intends to systematically destroy American craft beer as we know it. ABI wholly or partially owns several of the companies that distribute its beer in various markets, and its high-volume brands like Bud Light are the franchise for nearly every distributorship that carries ABI products. That means ABI exerts what independent breweries decry as undue influence in a sector of the beer business that most breweries of significant size are legally required to work with. The fear is that ABI uses its distributor networks to push its own products onto crowded beer shelves at the expense of smaller breweries who draw less water with distributors. None other than the U.S. Department of Justice has taken notice of ABIs distributor dealings, placing related restrictions on the merger of ABI and SABMiller, and promising extra scrutiny of further acquisitions of American craft breweries. Weve seen evidence of ABIs craft buying spree and distribution right here in Wisconsin. Beginning last fall a handful of beers from Golden Road, 10 Barrel and Elysian began hitting bottle shop and grocery store shelves. Im not sure how much the Wisconsin market was demanding more good but not particularly distinctive West Coast IPAs, but there they were. Wicked Weed, though, holds a different niche in ABIs now fully fleshed-out beer portfolio. While I could see its hoppy offerings such as Pernicious IPA and Freak of Nature imperial IPA competing on a national level, the smart money is on ABIs Wicked Weed play being about its sour-beer program. Last year Wicked Weed opened its fourth production facility and its second dedicated exclusively to producing sours. This had been a gap in ABIs portfolio, and you can almost hear the pitch to a bar or bottle shop owner. Need a great bourbon barrel stout? Heres Goose Islands Bourbon County Brand Stout. Why are you still carrying Samuel Adams Boston Lager? Your customers will love Devils Backbone Vienna Lager. Lagunitas IPA? No, take this 10 Barrel Joe. You dont need Pliny the Elder, we have Elysian Space Dust. And on and on. Tribune News Service Amritsar, May 15 In a major seizure, the CIA staff of the city police have confiscated as many as 235 boxes of liquor, containing over 2,800 bottles of liquor of different brands, which were being smuggled to Jagraon near Ludhiana. The CIA staff impounded the vehicle and arrested two persons who were travelling in the truck. They were identified as Lakhbir Singh alias Bitta of Agarwarh Khowaja Baju in Jagraon and Jaswinder Singh alias Shander of Sherpura Kalan village in Jagraon. A case under Sections 61, 1 and 14 of the Excise Act has been registered against them. They were produced in the court which sent them to one-day police remand. Sushil Kumar, investigating officer, revealed that the police had also taken Ravinder Kumar, circle in charge, into custody for further interrogation. He said a preliminary probe revealed that the accused brought the liquor boxes from a godown in the Bhagtanwala area. Karnail Kumar, a Himachal Pradesh resident, was the head of the godown. He said the police received a tip-off that the accused used to purchase liquor from the city area at lesser rates and later sold it in Jagaon at a higher price. They had loaded the liquor boxes on a truck and were travelling by it. He said immediately after nakas were laid and strict vehicular checking was done. During patrolling, the police intercepted the goods carrier and made the seizure. He said the police recovered 150 boxes containing 1,800 bottles of Respberry brand, 10 boxes (120 bottles) each of Royal Stag, RC, Imperial Blue, five boxes (60 bottles) of Blenders Pride and 50 boxes (600 bottles) of Thunderbolt beer. The accused could not produce any documents regarding the liquor. He said further investigations were under progress to identify the person to whom the liquor was to be delivered. Girja Shankar Kaura Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 16 Prime Minister Narendra Modis ambitious diplomatic outreach towards Indias new found strategic partner Israel by starting a direct Air India flight to Tel Aviv from New Delhi is facing trouble due to viability of the route. Air India had planned a non-stop flight to Tel Aviv three times a week starting mid-May, with inaugural flight initially planned for May 16, connecting Tel Aviv with New Delhi ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Israel later this year. However, it has now emerged that operating such a flight would not be commercially viable till the time India gets permission from the Islamic countries, which fall on the way, to fly in their air space to reach the Israeli city. Since most of the Islamic and Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, which lie between Mumbai and Tel Aviv, do not allow planes to fly to Israeli cities from its airspace, Air India pilots would have had to take a very circuitous route to avoid overflying countries that have such restrictions for Israel-bound planes. At present, Israels El Al Airlines flies between Tel Aviv and Mumbai, but the flight takes longer time due to the restrictions by the countries in between that include Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. An El Al flight taking off from Tel Aviv for Mumbai goes to the southern tip of the country, fly over Red Sea completely avoiding Saudi and then turn east from the horn of Africa in the Arabian Sea coming straight to the countrys financial capital, making it the most circuitous route. As a result, the distance of 4,057 km between Mumbai and Tel Aviv is covered in eight hours almost the time taken to fly the 6,700-km distance between Delhi and London. This long circuitous route, sources said, makes the flight unviable commercially and as such it has been put on a hold as of now. Reports suggested that India was working on the diplomatic front to get the Islamic countries around. Apparently, the earlier plans were to start the Mumbai-Tel Aviv flight but Delhi was added later due to an apparent prod from the top. New Delhi, May 16 Budget carrier IndiGo has allegedly made attempts to poach pilots and technical staff from airlines operating ATR aircraft after announcing plans to procure 50 turboprop planes with an aim to serve tier-2 and tier-3 cities. According to Alliance Air CEO CS Subbiah, several of its senior officers have been approached with open offers asking them to quote a price. Those who were made the offers include head of three teams at the Alliance Air, an Air India subsidiary. According to industry sources TruJet pilots have also been made lucrative offers. IndiGo has, however, rubbished the allegations. We havent approached anyone yet, said IndiGo spokesperson Ajay Jasra. Yes, there has been a spate of approaches to many of our technical staff, engineers and pilots, which is not a very ethical step for any carrier to take. They should enter the market on their own strength and not on the strengths of their competitors, Subbiah told PTI. Last week, IndiGo had announced it will procure 50 ATR 72-600 planes, 20 of which are likely to be inducted by December 2018. The carrier also hopes to launch its turboprop operation by December 2017. Alliance Air, too, has plans to expand its fleet in order to participate in the governments UDAN scheme that seeks to connect tier-2 and tier-3 cities. The airline plans to triple its fleet of 10 ATRs by the end of this fiscal. It has nearly 100 pilots in its team. The CEO of Alliance Air said attempts by IndiGo to poach its staff is a threat to PM Modis regional connectivity scheme. It has taken us more than three years to build a resource-based airline and we are progressing on that front because we are sure the regional connectivity will be a success. If by poaching from other carriers it (IndiGo) disrupts the whole regional connectivity scheme, then it needs to stop, Subbiah said. The CEO also added that regulatory authorities were seized of the matter. It takes nearly four months and costs approximately Rs 24-25 lakh per pilot for ATR-type rating training. With readily available trained pilots, IndiGo will save on both time and money needed to equip them and other technical staff with skills to operate the ATR planes. IndiGo so far has a single configuration fleet comprising A320s. PTI Ramkrishan Upadhyay Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 16 In a major relief to residents of Mani Majra and nearby areas, the Administration has decided to withdraw the order of a former Finance Secretary-cum-Chief Administrator for the closure of the Mani Majra cremation ground. The order had evoked a strong protest from the residents as the cremation ground caters to the Mani Majra, Mauli Jagran, Panchkula and Western Command areas. The issue was highlighted in these columns on May 8. Sources said the former Chief Administrator, while rejecting the resolution of the General House of the Municipal Corporation passed in 2016 for the regularisation of the cremation ground, asked the MC to review the decision and denotify the same. The House had sent the resolution to the Administration stating that the MC land being used as the cremation ground be regularised and had approved further extension of land for the storage of wood. It was also recommended that the drawings of the cremation ground be obtained from the Department of Urban Planning of the Administration. However, the Chief Administrator, citing the Master Plan-2031, stated that the existing cremation ground in Mani Majra fell on the Chandigarh-Kalka road, was highly urbanised and needed to be discontinued. It was also recommended that the area be developed as a green belt. Sources said the decision to withdraw the order was taken after approval from Punjab Governor-cum-UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore. The Administration is of the view that the decision to close the cremation ground without providing an alternative arrangement will cause problems to the residents. UNION GROVE Its not often that students working on big projects would completely start over if it wasnt at the level they wanted. Bill Wald, multimedia teacher at Union Grove High School, saw some of his students completely go back to the starting point on a project for the American Cancer Society. If a grade is tied to it, some students will say, Its good enough, Wald said. But they cared very much, they didnt want to have a bad product I had some students that started over. They said it wasnt worthy of the cause. For two weeks, after spring break, students at Union Grove High School worked on their own wooden chairs for the Relay for Life, sponsored by the American Cancer Society. The finished products will be auctioned off online from May 22-31, and a few in person on June 2 at the Racine County Fairgrounds for the Relay for Life event. Students affected by cancer Hanna Hall, senior, was one of those students who started over. I did a rocking chair and I painted it like Winnie the Pooh, Hall said. But I didnt like how the paint turned out and I started over and re-sanded the whole chair. For Hall, cancer was something shes had experience being around. My grandma is going through cancer right now; I see what shes going through, Hall said, adding that she hopes these chairs help people. I know theyre going through a hard time. Hall ended up creating two chairs a Paw Patrol chair and a Lion King chair in hopes of attracting high bidders. I hope it raises a lot of money, Hall said. Its going to go for a great cause. Wald said Hall wasnt the only student working on the project who has had cancer touch someone in their family. The ones that do talk about it, you hear them talk about how it reminded the about how they lost a grandma or grandpa, or an aunt or uncle, Wald said. You can hear them talking with their peers. Its not something they talked loud about they dont usually go into deep detail. But its usually to the point where they wanted you to know. For many students, this was their first time to really help out in a large way. There were some students working on the chairs that had a motivation that you dont see in them, Wald said. They never had an opportunity to do something like this. Proceeds go to research, programs Matthew Elmer, community manager for Relay for Life, said the organization often looks for ways to involve high school students and this is a creative way to get them interested. Theyre going through school and theyre not always focused on the community, Elmer said. New and interesting things like this is one way to really jump start that. Elmer said the money raised will go toward cancer research, resources and programs. The money that has been raised through our Relay for Life events have made an impact both worldwide and locally, Elmer said. Elmer said there are roughly 30 Relay for Life events that happen in southeastern Wisconsin. Aside from the event on June 2, there will be another event on June 9 at Caledonia/Mount Pleasant Memorial Park located 9416 Northwestern Ave. Throughout the two weeks the Union Grove students were building the chairs, the students kept them along a wall in the cafeteria. This is something that students in the school have seen them progress for the last couple of weeks, Wald said, adding that this sparked ideas for the future community events. Were hoping this could be the start of students thinking that way. Chandigarh, May 15 The MC is likely to shut down all seven primary schools meant for EWS students to convert them into one big school on the lines of the hi-tech Rajiv Gandhi e-learning school run by the Pune MC. Impressed by the Pune move, the local MC today tabled reports in this regard at a special House meeting. MC Commissioner B Purushartha said at the meeting, We run seven primary schools from a small space; there isnt much space to bring them into the e-learning process. Either we fix them or close them to convert them into one by arranging land at some other site. We will study it and bring a proposal. Councillors responded in the affirmative and suggested vacant land for the purpose. A councillor suggested land in Mauli Jagran. In case the land is far, we can ferry students in buses free of cost, said the Commissioner. The Pune school has students from BPL families and slum areas, who dont have to pay fees, while others have to pay. The school provides free uniform, books, breakfast and lunch to the students. All learning is through interactive media. There is an annual budget of Rs 5 crore. The schools run by the local MC have around 1,800 students and the schools are in bad condition. The MC runs schools at Mauli Complex, Buterla, Sector 12, Railway Colony, Timber Market, Sector 26 and two in Mani Majra. For students of classes XI and XII, the Pune civic body has tied up with PACE Academy so that students can compete at the national level. A number of students get admission to the IITs and medical colleges every year and even children of senior officers study in this school. There is competition to get admission to the school, said an MC official. TNS Sandeep Rana Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 15 Those not paying property and commercial tax despite several reminders have a reason to worry as the Municipal Corporation is planning to play band baja in front of their premises to musically shame the defaulters. The MC is contemplating replicating the Pune Municipal Corporations move of hiring the services of music bands to recover dues from property owners. Councillors, after returning from study tours of Pune, Visakhapatnam and Mumbai last month, tabled their reports today at a special House meeting. Mayor Asha Kumari Jaswal told Chandigarh Tribune, This is a good mechanism. We will work on implementing it. We will fix a limit. Those who owe a big amount will be given this treatment. Former Mayor and councillor Arun Sood said the band company hired by the Pune civic body goes to the premises of defaulters and plays band baja while making announcements. The concept has also been proposed for Chandigarh to collect property tax. MC Commissioner B Purushartha, however, said they were discussing the matter and had invited suggestions. MC has to recover Rs 17 cr The MC has already announced that under the self-assessment scheme, it will give a rebate of 10 per cent to those paying commercial property tax between April 1 and May 31. This year, city residents will not get the huge rebate in house tax which they got in 2015-16 and 2016-17. The MC has scrapped the three rebate slabs -- 40 per cent, 30 per cent and 20 per cent -- and has kept only the 20 per cent slab. The MC has to recover around Rs 17 crore from property and commercial tax defaulters. Hasan Suroor WATCHING the outcome of the French presidential election, it was hard not to flinch at the memory of what happened in India this month three years ago when, faced with a similar choice, Indian voters opted for a version of Marine Le Pen. A choice they have since validated several times, most recently in UP. Well, democracy is all about being able to choose freely how one wishes to be governed, and by whom. But it is also about a peoples moral vision of the kind of society they want to live in. The biggest takeaway from the French election is that, whatever ones individual political preferences, an enlightened society will not compromise on its moral vision. France has sent out a message to other liberal democracies that true nationalism (BJP, take note) means defending the cherished ideals of the republic rather than fighting imaginary fifth columnists out of racial and sectarian prejudice. The French set aside their individual political differences in a collective defence of the countrys core values of liberty, egalitarianism and fraternity that a Marine Le Pen victory would have placed at risk. The people of France chose to place their nations destiny in the hands of a callow and inexperienced Emmanuel Macron, not because they necessarily believe that he is the best man to steer it out of its deep economic and political crisis but because the alternative surrendering to a far right populist demagogue was too horrible to comprehend for a people with a proud liberal tradition. After a long and bitter debate, they concluded that hate, racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism was not the French way; and voted against it. They were happy to take a punt on an untested politician and his hazy programme in order to protect the values that defined the republic. As Macron said in his post-victory speech: Tonight, France won. I wrote in these columns recently that despite the rise of the right, at its heart Europe remains fundamentally liberal I dare say more liberal than America. And France has confirmed this, the third European country after Austria and the Netherlands to give a bloody nose to the hard right. Austrian and Dutch voters decisively rejected candidates who threatened diversity and tolerance. And now Germany, which goes to the polls in the autumn, seems set to defy the popular narrative about the unstoppable march of the populist right. Angela Merkels front-runner rival is not a right-wing demagogue but a veteran Leftist: Martin Schulz of the Socialist Democratic Party, former president of the European Parliament. This is not to wish away the rise of the right but to underline that when it comes to the crunch, Europe still trusts its liberal instincts. At 39, Macron is the youngest occupant of the Elysee Palace sinceNapolean and brings a centrist message of hope and reform to a country seething with economic and social divisions. He has spoken of a new page being turned in French history. I want it to be a page of hope and renewed trust... Tonight you won, France won. Everyone told us it was impossible, but they dont know France, he said in a sober and reflective post-victory speech that had echoes of Barack Obamas audacity of hope flourish. Indeed, his victory has already been dubbed Frances Obama moment; and his telegenic looks, cerebral qualities, and third way version of politics are drawing comparisons with Justine Trudeau and Tony Blair (of yore). So far, so good. But what next? For, he is no Obama or Blair, and these breathless comparisons dont quite add up. They were professional politicians backed by highly-organised and well-oiled party machines. They had fought elections; people knew them; they didnt just get up one fine morning and pitched for the highest office in the land. Macron has no political background or experience apart from a brief and botched stint as a minister in Francois Hollandes government. He has no political party to boast of. His EnMarche! movement (renamed La Republique En Marche) launched last year has no coherent structure or grassroots organisation. It has no MP. Macrons immediate task will be to build a credible organisation and find some 500-odd winnable candidates for next months crucial parliamentary elections. And not just that. He must win a working majority in the National Assembly (French Parliament) in order to be able to push the reforms he has promised. And this, just to get his presidency off the ground. Then comes his policy programme. Its too vague even to give a sense of how it will translate into action. Ironically, his biggest difficulty is likely to be what he likes to promote as his USP namely, that he is neither left nor right and would do what is good for the people. The problem is that people want their leaders to have a clear policy vision; they have an instinctive suspicion of politicians who appear to be trying to please everyone. Macron is trusted neither on the left, nor on the right. He presents himself as an outsider, but in truth he is very much part of the Parisian elite widely viewed with suspicion by large swathes of French masses. A former high-flying investment banker, he comes from a privileged background with little connection to the real lives of millions of ordinary French men and women. Francess highly unionised workers see him as part of the problem rather than a solution. His plans to liberalise labour laws to cut unemployment have already provoked street protests. A previous attempt, when he was economy minister, led to such an angry backlash that he was forced to quit. On the right, on the other hand, they see him as a closet leftist because of his proximity to Hollande and socialist intellectuals. And although his election has sent a huge sigh of relief in the EU, not everyone is pleased over some of his proposals to reform this dysfunctional behemoth. Macron has his work cut out and, as Le Monde noted, the new optimistic President of this depressed country must very quickly show by concrete signs that he has received the message of this campaign. But, irrespective of how his presidency goes, it doesnt take away from the huge significance of his victory, and the way the French collectively responded to the threat to their notion of a civilised and tolerant society. Indeed, any other response would have been an affront to the French way of life. Some societies still care about such things. The writer is a London-based commentator Sushma Ramachandran THE information technology industry is passing through tumultuous times. The old comfortable scenario was of a set of companies that forged ahead in job creation, hiring thousands of young engineers as they graduated from colleges all over the country. Many of them were then trained specifically in these companies to take up technology jobs abroad, largely in the US through the largesse of the H-1B visa system. This was in addition to the large global software contracts that were bagged by this sunrise industry which ensured that Indias services exports became a booming segment of the economy. It has to be said that this system did not just benefit India. Other countries, notably the US, gained by having top-notch software personnel available for leading companies at a fraction of the cost it would have taken to hire an American for the same job. But good times do not always last long. The party may not be over, but certainly Indian IT companies are facing a new landscape. This is partly because of the protectionism of the Trump administration and also because the world has moved towards automation and artificial intelligence. The need for vast numbers of employees is slowly receding as these companies are trying to meet the needs of clients for greater digitisation of services. The level of hiring from engineering college campuses is thus declining, an alarming trend for those who expected to be snapped up at graduation. It is also dismaying for the many engineering colleges that mushroomed over the last two decades to meet the seemingly unending demand from the IT industry. The figures being given for employees to be laid off this year by the top seven IT companies range from 20,000 to 56,000. Nasscom has described recent media reports about the number of layoffs as being speculative and noted that industry continues to hire 1.5 lakh people annually. In any case, there is an annual performance-based system of planned exits in the industry which is about 1-2 per cent of the total estimated 45 lakh employees. This is expected to rise to about 4.5 per cent but even this projection is only a guesstimate for the time being. As for the reasons for the changing vistas in this sector, the most dramatic is the decision of the new US government to review the entire system of H-1B visas. President Trump has been vocal in his opposition to the existing system which he claims has led to the entry of low-level technology personnel into the country instead of highly qualified technical persons. This, it has been argued, has been to the detriment of equally qualified Americans who are being denied jobs in this sector. Infosys has already sought to mollify such job concerns by announcing that 10,000 people will be hired in the US. Other companies may follow soon with similar announcements. The net result will be a decline in jobs for qualified Indians in the IT sector. The other important factor behind the tumult in the software industry is the need to change direction in line with the global trend towards automation and use of artificial intelligence. In other words, where many people were needed for some tasks, now only a few will do. This will mean not just retrenchment, but also re-skilling of personnel to meet the needs of the new environment. Re-skilling is a massive task in an industry with lakhs of educated employees. The need for such re-training becomes obvious when one learns that digital revenues apparently account for only about a quarter of the total business in most companies. The IT industry is seeking to deny there is any turmoil but reports are multiplying not just of retrenchments but of delayed annual performance evaluations. This means delay in increments and promotions. There are some in industry who maintain that these upheavals have taken place in the past and are merely part of the growth process for the industry. It is also argued that the remuneration of many of those affected by the layoffs runs into tens of lakhs annually, so their fate should not be of much concern. The fact is that a layoff is traumatic for anyone and the process of finding another job is not always easy. Though the options now available for highly skilled persons are wider than before, there is a downturn in hiring in many sectors. This includes the burgeoning startup industry where exits are taking place as quickly as new venture launches. A major concern in this context is that layoffs should not cause social unrest. Fortunately, this is not a prospect that appears to loom large just now. But in case the situation worsens, it would be disastrous to find large numbers of highly qualified individuals languishing for want of jobs. One can only hope that the situation remains under control and that jobs in the IT sector continue to multiply, as is being assured by the industry association. The plus point is that the big players in industry are gearing up to meet the changes in the global environment. The largest Indian IT company, TCS, for instance, is not likely to be retrenching in a big way and continues hiring at the same pace as in the past. Last year alone, it hired 40,000 employees. Infosys seems to be slowing down but to put it in context, this could be due to its own internal tumult, based on a dispute with the founders over high payouts to top-level managers. Other major players are reported to be revamping strategies to meet the challenges of a new era. There may be criticism over their anxiety to maintain their bottom lines by cutting back on employee numbers but it is critical for these companies to remain highly profitable in the interests of the economy as a whole. Software exports are the major chunk of services exports currently and provide considerable foreign exchange inflows. Thus course corrections in the long- term strategies of Indian IT companies are inevitable. Otherwise they will not be able to survive in the altered world order. For the time being, the scenario is not so much a crisis but a turning point for industry. In the process, there may be some hardships. One can only hope that the change in strategies will work and these end up being only short term in nature. S.N. M Abdi AFTER criss-crossing West Bengal for three days, Amit Shah declared that he can sniff poriborton (Bengali for change) in the air prompting his lieutenants to announce that come 2019 and the BJP will capture 25-27 Lok Sabha seats out of 42 before bundling the Trinamool Congress out in the Assembly elections of 2021. Such projections reveal that when you build castles in the air, the bricks of fantasy are inevitably cemented by bravado. But, realistically speaking, the BJP's Bengal prospects are rather bleak for two reasons: Mamata Banerjee's record of good governance since 2011 and the Hindu Right's miserable post-Independence record in the state. The media coverage of Shah's visit itself revealed there is no love lost between the BJP and Bengal. Newspaper headlines were peppered with Dangabaaz the epithet hurled at the BJP supremo by the Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Congress. Media commentaries too gleefully recalled Shah's arrest in the Sheikh Sohrabuddin murder case and how Shah apparently got the Gujarat police to keep tabs on a young woman on "Saheb's" orders. With the probable exception of Kerala, in no other province are Sangh demigods treated with such contempt and derision as they are in Bengal. And therein lies the rub. The Bharatiya Jan Sangh (BJS), which metamorphosed into the BJP, was fathered in 1951 by none other than a Bengali Brahmin, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, as the political arm of the RSS. For the newborn BJS, the rivers of blood and mountains of corpses in post-Partition Bengal were like manna from heaven. Little wonder then that the first Lok Sabha (1952) had two BJS MPs from Bengal; Mookerjee won in Kolkata and Durga Charan Banerjee in Jhargram, while Hindu Mahasabha's Nirmal Chatterjee was elected from Hooghly. Moreover, nine BJS MLAs got elected. Thereafter, the Hindu Right was totally upstaged by the Communists who won over tens of lakhs of Hindu refugees pouring into Bengal from East Pakistan. Smart handling of refugee politics by Reds ensured that the BJS or Hindu Mahasabha didn't win a single Lok Sabha or state legislative assembly seat in Bengal for 25 years! For a quarter of a century no less Hindu refugees and West Bengal Hindus shunned Hindutva forces, reducing them to pariahs in the liberal-secular milieu. After the Emergency, BJS's Bijoy Mondal won from Bankura on a Janata Party ticket in the 1977 Lok Sabha polls. Then there was a drought for 21 years, which ended in 1998 when Tapan Sikdar won from Dum Dum on a BJP ticket. In subsequent parliamentary polls, the BJP has bagged one or two seats. At present, it has two MPs. In 1977, two BJS MLAs were also elected as Janata Party candidates. West Bengal got its first BJP MLA only in 2000. At present, there are three representing a miniscule 1.1 per cent in the 294-strong legislature. The biggest drawback of the BJP-RSS in West Bengal is its conspicuous failure to win over the intelligentsia. Without its endorsement it can't gain legitimacy. Shah's attempt to convene a meeting of intellectuals last month flopped. What happened in January is instructive. A BJP front, Swadhikar Bangla Foundation, wanted to organise a seminar on Kashmir and Balochistan on the lawns of the Calcutta Club. When realisation dawned that the real objective was to whip up communal passions by fielding right-wingers likes Tarek Fatah, GD Bakshi and Sushil Pandit, the Club called off the event. It informed the Foundation in writing that its booking had been cancelled because the Club wanted "to ensure a cordial atmosphere" on its premises. Obviously, Calcutta Club, a bastion of middle-class Bengali values, felt that the BJP seminar would vitiate the peace of not only the club but the entire city. In contrast, the acceptance of the Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is evident from its sweeping victory last year, bagging 210 seats out of 294 26 more than its 2011 tally. An ascendant Trinamool Congress is rapidly establishing itself as the natural party of governance, thanks to the fast-paced development of the state. Kolkata is today a cleaner, more liveable city than during the Left Front rule. Rural Bengal too is undergoing a seachange through road building. Performance of the Public Distribution System, which supplies subsidised food to the under-privileged, is exemplary. On the sanitation and drinking water front, Bengal's record is the nation's envy as Nadia was declared India's first open- defecation free" district. Significantly, two flagship programmes which pulled in plenty of votes, are Banerjee's own brainchild. Kanyashree ensured stipends to girls who kept studying and didn't marry until they turned 18. Sabooj Sathi provided bicycles to high school students of government-aided educational institutions. But Banerjee's biggest success story is the Jungle Mahal region. Once a Maoist stronghold, it has developed more in the last six years than since 1947. The eradication of Naxalism from Jungle Mahal, largely due to Banerjee's maternal approach, is in sharp contrast to the consolidation of Maoism in Chhattisgarh during 15 years of BJP rule. It is because of Banerjee that the Home Ministry can today afford to relocate central forces from Jungle Mahal to Sukna, where Maoists killed 37 CRPF soldiers in March-April. Narendra Modi is a key player in Shah's Mission Bengal but despite his aura of invincibility and clout as Prime Minister, Banerjee has run rings around him. She famously called Modi Danga Babu, or Mr Riot, during the 2014 poll campaign, declaring that she wouldn't hesitate to arrest him if he inflamed Hindu-Muslim passions in Bengal. "I will tie a rope around Modi's waist and send him to jail", she had warned. Not surprisingly, Modi started gunning for her after coming to power turning them into implacable foes. Their personal war climaxed during Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina's recent visit. Banerjee settled many a score with Modi by aborting the Teesta River water-sharing agreement. Modi wanted to clinch it to project himself as South Asia's elder statesman but Banerjee pulled the plug by announcing that the question of sharing the Teesta waters with Bangladesh doesn't arise as there isn't enough water in the Teesta to meet West Bengal's requirements. Period. She brutally demonstrated before the whole world her capacity to summarily dispose what Modi proposes! Interestingly, her popularity in West Bengal shot up for giving priority to the state's interest over bilateral relations. Mamata has even ingratiated herself with the business community Marwaris and Gujaratis entrenched in Kolkata which is vehemently opposed to the Teesta deal or any improvement in India-Bangladesh relations that would result in Bangladeshi products entering the Indian market without tariff. Clearly, Banerjee has the political will to take on the BJP. But as the battle for Bengal intensifies and BJP tries to polarise Hindus and Muslims for electoral gains as it did in Uttar Pradesh she must ensure that the police and civil administration don't succumb to the Sangh's charms. To keep the BJP at bay, the Trinamool Congress must police the police. The writer, a Kolkata-based journalist, is the former Deputy Editor, Outlook. London, May 16 The Italian Supreme Court has ruled against a Sikh who wanted to carry a kirpan in public saying migrants in the Western world must conform to the values of the society they had chosen to settle in. The Italian High Cassation Court on Monday ruled against the Sikh Indian migrant who wanted to carry a kirpan even as it was against the Italian law, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The court said migrants who chose to live in the Western world had an obligation to conform to the values of the society they had chosen to settle in, even if its values differed from their own. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) An attachment to ones own values, even if they are lawful in the country of origin, is intolerable when it violates the laws of the host country, the court said. The multi-ethnic society is a necessity, but it cant lead to the formation of conflicting cultural groups of islands according to the ethnicities theyre made up of, precluding the unity of the cultural and judicial fabric of our country, which identifies public safety as an asset to defend and as such bans carrying weapons and objects aimed at injury, the court said. The Sikh man, who has not been named, was appealing against another courts decision ordering him to pay 2,000 euros in fine because he had been caught leaving his home in Goito, northern Italy, armed with a knife measuring nearly 20 cm, the BBC reported, citing local media. PTI FROM Saharanpur to the old Dalit bashing belt of Rohtak-Gohana, atrocities and browbeating of the most vulnerable section of our society are on the rise. The traditional reasons for the ire against Dalits have been inter-caste marriages, ghurchari during weddings, refusal to work on upper caste-owned farms and abduction of their womenfolk. Now cows too have joined the list of reasons for the provocation that leads to belabouring and intimidation of Dalits. The powerful eddies of Hindutva politics where the insistence is on uniform cultural habits and intolerance towards divergence from the Sangh Parivar notified norms of cultural behaviour have made this section even more vulnerable. If the intention behind the atrocities before the brazen advent of the Hindutva brigade on the streets whether under Congress rule or by the so-called socialists was to remind Dalits about their place at the bottom of the social hierarchy, the intention now is to forcibly mould their eating habits. The irony is that most of the violence being perpetrated by the Hindutva brigade is led by the backward and other lower castes which in turn are being used by the upper castes to do their dirty work. In Haryana, there have been a series of outrages against Dalits that has regrettably led to counter-violence. But there has rarely been a word of sympathy from the political class except of the opportunist kind from the BSP and the Congress aimed more at earning Dalit sympathy and, later, their votes. The real reason for the rise in caste tensions over and above the usual average has been the growing religiosity of the Savarkar-defined Hindutva brand and consequent intolerance towards the different way of life of the other. It is, however, remarkable that the ire is focused more in belts where upper castes, having subsumed many backwards to the cause of political Hindutva, are a dominant force. In Kerala, for instance, the BJP candidate in the recent Mallapuram Lok Sabha elections promised halal beef if voted to power. The sad part is political reassurances that help restore social sanity and equilibrium have become rarer than before. INDIA appeared like an outlier when it chose to sit out Sundays One Belt One Road (OBOR) Summit in Beijing. Two reasons have been cited: sovereignty issues over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Chinas inability to properly explain the connectivity initiative. The first will remain a constant factor for all time to come. Neither will India give up its claim over PoK nor does it have the military strength to wrest it from Islamabad. As for the second, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will get enough opportunities this year when he comes across President Xi Jinping at the summits of the SCO, G20 and BRICS. As things stand, both India and China need each other. The CPEC will be financially unviable unless India lends its weight to it. China is also slipping into a position of weakness as its economy slows down and it will need the huge Indian market more than ever, especially when Narendra Modis developmental energies are directed towards road building, railways, ports and housing. Being astute businessmen, the Chinese have sensed this. That is why their envoy in India offered to rename the CPEC with a politically more palatable name. Indias unusual political trepidation may well be directed towards getting a better bargain from China than if it had shown school-boyish enthusiasm towards the OBOR. Credit Suisse and HSBC, both by no means Chinese surrogates, have suggested that India could be the biggest gainer from the OBOR which consists of six economic corridors. Three of them, and not just the CPEC, can boost Indias external trade where it has been a historical laggard. At the same time, the OBOR is a geopolitical project. India may well be speaking up for many other countries, including Russia, when it says the concept and purpose behind the OBOR remain opaque. In the short term, Indias flag-bearer status as an opponent of the OBOR may help it win concessions from the West. But it will be worthwhile to have a long-term strategy to avoid isolation. For, even the increasingly inward-looking US took a U-turn and sent a representative to Beijing. THE CBI raids on P Chidambaram and his son and the income-tax action against Lalu Prasad and sons would be all in order if these lead to convictions in court. That happens in the rarest of rare cases. In media coverage the distinction between fact and fiction often gets blurred. We are supposed to believe that a person as intelligent and clever as the former Finance Minister-cum-lawyer would keep self-incriminating documents at home for the CBI to come and collect. Two firms with whom his sons name is linked are under investigation for forex rule violations. The charge is Chidambaram as Finance Minister cleared foreign investment proposals without taking them to what the CBI says was the competent authority, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs. Chidambaram says the proposals were cleared in routine by the Foreign Investment Promotion Board consisting of five Secretary-level officers. The FIPB, he believes, was the competent authority. Whose version is right would be decided in court, provided the case reaches there. Raids lead to instant TV debates in which reputations get shredded. The rule that everyone is presumed innocent until declared guilty by court has become irrelevant. Chidambaram has pleaded victimhood in defence a columnist targeted for anti-government writings: The government's aim is to silence my voice and stop me from writing, as it has tried to do in the cases of leaders of Opposition parties, journalists, columnists, NGOs and civil society organisations. Lalu Prasad, however, has little intelligent to offer by way of defence. He and his offspring are linked to benami land deals worth Rs 1,000 crore. The BJP keeps provoking the Bihar Chief Minister for his silence on Lalu Prasad. Nitish Kumar has finally responded, wisely: If you think your allegations are true, you should move ahead and take legal recourse instead of just indulging in bayanbaji. All the sound and fury over the UPA scams and Vadra land deals has not produced any high-profile conviction. In 2014 Narendra Modi promised swift trial of MPs to have a taint-free Parliament in five years. As he completes three years in office, the lazy, unreformed criminal justice system mocks his government. Chandigarh, May 16 Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday claimed the BJP government in the state has unleashed "political vendetta" against its opponents to "divert" people's attention from its own failures. The CBI yesterday had questioned Hooda for nearly nine hours in connection with the Manesar land deal case in which land-owning farmers were allegedly caused a loss of about Rs 1,500 crore. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Asserting that he has done no wrong in the land deal case, the Congress leader said he too is a victim of "political vendetta". "People voted for the BJP with high hopes. But, as it has failed to meet their expectations, it is now unleashing political vendetta," he told reporters here. "This is vendetta and witch hunt. Nothing wrong has been done during my tenure (as the chief minister) and in every case rules were followed," he said. Read Manesar land deal: CBI grills Hooda for 9 hours Hooda claimed that the BJP government's agenda is to level accusations, defame, work with vendetta, slap false cases, start mudslinging campaign and try to muzzle opponents' voices. "The only credit which can be given to the state government is frequently transferring its officials, indulging in vendetta politics against opponents and changing names of existing schemes and cities," he said. The CBI had registered the case in September 2015 on allegations that private builders in collusion with unidentified officials of the Haryana government had purchased around 400 acres from farmers and land owners of village in Manesar, Naurangpur and Gurgaon at throwaway prices. The land was purchased allegedly on the threat of acquisition by the government, between August 27, 2004 and August 24, 2007. The CBI in its FIR claimed that in the said manner, about 400 acres land whose market value at that time was above Rs 4 crore per acre, totalling around Rs 1,600 crore, was allegedly purchased by private builders and others from land owners for only about Rs 100 crore. Truth will come out. I have not allotted the land to anyone. We did not acquire anything. As regards their allegation that private builders in conspiracy with unidentified officials of the Haryana government had purchased the land, let them make the names of the officials public," Hooda said. Claiming that the present BJP government in Haryana released 3,600 acres of land in Bawal that too after award for the land was announced, he said, "But they are silent on this." Asserting that the Khattar government has failed on all fronts, Hooda said, "Earlier, I used to give them a zero for their poor performance, but now, I am compelled to give them negative marks." On Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar's upcoming visit to Singapore and Hong Kong to attract investments, Hooda said, "It reminds me of King Bruce and the spider story. All I can say is that the chief minister must try, try and not give up. They may have failed to bring any investment for the state in the past, but if this time they are able to do so, I will be happy." He also alleged that the law-and-order situation in Haryana has worsened in the last two years and the gang rape and brutal murder of the 23-year-old woman from Sonepat has shaken everyone. People of the state, especially women, are feeling insecure. In this scenario, who will want to come here and invest," the Congress leader asked. Terming the Sutlej-Yamuna Link canal as the lifeline of Haryana, Hooda said the question of talks with Punjab does not rise and Haryana should put pressure on the Centre to get the canal completed at the earliest because the Supreme Court's verdict is clearly in its favour. "We must get our due share," he said. PTI CALEDONIA An overheated sprinkler caused an evacuation at Gifford School Monday morning, according to Caledonia Fire Department Battalion Chief Jeff Henningfeld. On Monday at 10:09 a.m., the Caledonia Fire Department was dispatched to Gifford School, 8332 Northwestern Ave., after the kitchen's sprinkler system went off. Children were then evacuated. Upon arrival, the fire department determined there was no fire or danger to students. "My belief is that a food service worker in the kitchen left the oven door open and the heat from the open doors activated the automatic sprinkler system," Henningfeld said. Children were allowed to return to their classrooms at approximately 10:25 a.m. The incident caused lunch to be a bit delayed for students and an alternative lunch menu to be served, Principal Mary Cline said. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 15 The CBI questioned former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for nearly nine hours at its office in Sector 30 here today in connection with a case pertaining to the Manesar land deal. Sources said Hooda entered in the CBI office around 11 am and his questioning continued till 8 pm. He refused to speak to media persons who were waiting outside the CBI office and those who went to his official residence at the MLA flats. The CBI had registered the case in September 2016 on allegations that private builders, in connivance with some public servants, had purchased around 400 acres from farmers and landowners in Manesar, Naurangpur and Gurgaon at throwaway prices. After registering the FIR, the CBI had carried out raids in Delhi, Gurgaon, Panchkula, Rohtak and Chandigarh last year. The premises raided included Hoodas residence and that of UPSC member Chattar Singh, who was Chief Ministers Additional Private Secretary during Hooda regime. The land was allegedly bought between August 2004 and August 2007 by private builders at throwaway prices from farmers who were threatened with acquisition of their land by the government. Being the Chief Minister, Hooda was HUDA chairman during this period. It was alleged that the then government had adopted the modus operandi of first issuing notifications with the intent to acquire land for public purpose, creating a sense of fear among farmers that they would end up getting low compensation. The builders had reportedly used this to trap farmers into selling their land at much lower rates than the market price. The notifications were reportedly cancelled soon after the land was acquired. The Manesar land deal was alleged to be the most conspicuous case with the government withdrawing two land acquisition notifications in August 2007 for 680 acres after almost completing the process. This was part of the 912 acres for which Hooda government had issued a land acquisition notification to set up a model industrial township. The notifications had been withdrawn just a day before the last date for completing all formalities. It was alleged that in several cases, private developers had made a windfall. Fearing low compensation rates from the state government, the landowners had sold their plots at rates much lower than market price. Swamy withdraws plea to summon ex-CM New Delhi: BJP MP Subramanian Swamy on Monday withdrew his plea seeking summoning of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as witness in the National Herald case filed against Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders. Swamy had earlier told the court that Hooda had been questioned by the CBI in the Panchkula plot allotment case and his deposition would help the National Herald case since both were related. Swamy told Metropolitan Magistrate Lovleen on Monday that the present case was not related to the one being investigated by the CBI. The court allowed his plea and posted the matter for further hearing on July 1. Swamy had accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying just Rs 50 lakh through which Young Indian Private Limited obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore which Associate Journals Limited owed to the Congress. The Gandhis and other accused Motilal Vora, Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey and Sam Pitroda had denied the allegations. On April 22, Swamy arrayed Hooda as a witness in support of his complaint. PTI Sumedha Sharma Tribune News service Gurugram, May 15 The Gurugram police have constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident of gang rape of a woman from the Northeast in a moving car on Sunday. The SIT, led by Sumit Kuhar, DCP (crime), has released a sketch of one of the accused and is looking for the Swift Dzire car used in the crime. CCTV footages from near the spot and the way the car reportedly took after the incident have been seized. The victims male friend, who was with her before the incident, has been identified and questioned. This man, who hailed from Shahdara, claimed that he had met the victim for the first time yesterday. They were in touch with each other on social media and WhatsApp and had fixed a meeting. They went for a movie and later, to a bar. The victim took some money from him claiming that she had no cash, said one of the investigators. In her statement to the police, the victim had stated that she returned from a bar with her friend at around 2 am in a cab. She left the cab near Sukhrali village. She was abducted while she was on the way to her Sector 17 accommodation and raped by three men before being dumped in Delhi. Court to decide on rape victim's MTP Rohtak: The matter pertaining to the medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) of 10 year-old girl who became pregnant after being raped by her stepfather will now be decided by the court. The authorities of the PGIMS and the District Child Welfare Committee said the law permitted abortion of foetus up to 20 weeks of pregnancy and the girl's period of pregnancy was on the borderline. TNS Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sandhu has directed all Commissioners of Police and Superintendents of Police (SPs) in all districts to constitute special investigation teams (SITs) at their own level and initiate legal action in case of any sensitive incident. The DGP was presiding over a videoconference regarding Operation Durga. He said in view of the overwhelming response received from people of the state, Operation Durga would be continued to ensure safety of women and provide them a secure environment. TNS Court to decide on rape victim's MTP Rohtak: The matter pertaining to the medical termination of pregnancy (MTP) of 10 year-old girl who became pregnant after being raped by her stepfather will now be decided by the court. The authorities of the PGIMS and the District Child Welfare Committee said the law permitted abortion of foetus up to 20 weeks of pregnancy and the girl's period of pregnancy was on the borderline. TNS Tribune News Service Karnal, May 16 Members of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Karnal chapter, met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar here today and sought modification in the newly introduced policy related to regularisation of nursing homes operating from residential premises. They requested him to exempt the existing nursing homes from the purview the new policy. IMA representatives, led by district president Dr Gagan Kaushal, handed over a memorandum to the CM, urging him to ensure welfare of doctors. Dr Kaushal said the new policy was not in favour of a large number of nursing homes running from residential premises and several of these would shut. These nursing homes were running for the last several years and at this stage it would be not possible for them to create facilities such as parking for four-wheelers equivalent to the number of beds. Dr Kaushal was accompanied by Dr Rohit Sadana, Dr Amit Bansal, Dr Deepak Parkash, Dr BK Thakur, Dr Satish Khattar and Dr Salil Gupta. They told the Chief Minister that the new policy should be applicable only to nursing homes that are established after its introduction. There is no need for regularisation of existing nursing homes as commercial units because these are providing professional medical services and are not trading in goods, said Dr Kaushal. He added a number of nursing homes were also being used as residence by doctors. In such a situation, the payment of high conversion charges seems unreasonable, he said. Municipal bodies had allowed some of these nursing homes to be used as residence and they had paid the due fee, he said. Paying conversion charges now would be extra burden on such units, he added Dr Thakur and Dr Khattar said a large number of nursing homes had been issued trade licences after payment of a fee proportionate to the number of beds. These units had also got the certificate of safety from the Fire Department hence these should be exempted from the condition of compulsory regularisation. Dr Sadana, Dr Bansal and Dr Gupta said the civil bodies had been charging house tax at commercial rates on the buildings of nursing homes, so these should be exempted from paying conversion charges. Also, these nursing homes had been paying electricity, water and sewerage charges at commercial rates. Area under horticulture to be doubled: CM Karnal: Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that the state government had set a target to increase the area under horticulture to 15 per cent from the existing 7.5 per cent. He said that cold stores would also be constructed to enable small farmers store their perishable vegetables and fruits. Chairing a meeting of the Farmers' Produce Organisation (FPO), Khattar said 72 groups, comprising 21,736 farmers, had been formed in the state for enhancing the income of growers. The Chief Minister said Haryana was the first state to identify 140 clusters comprising 340 horticulture villages. He maintained that the state government also launched a Crop Cluster Development Programme for the holistic development of the farmers under the Swarna Jayanti celebrations. The project aimed at ensuring suitable market for the farmers besides, providing them the facility of packaging, cold storage, pre-cooling chambers and others, the CM said. TNS Our Correspondent Sonepat, May 15 All-India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti (AIJASS) president Yashpal Malik today said the matter concerning reservation for Jats in the state was pending in the court as well as the Rajya Sabha. He was addressing a public meeting at Lath-Joli dhana site in the district today. Samiti general secretary Ashok Balhara and senior INLD leader KC Bangar were present in the meeting presided by AIJASS district president Azad Singh Lathwal. Malik said the process on the demands for giving compensation, government job and withdrawal of cases was under way. On June 1, Balhara would meet members of the committee formed by the government in this connection, he added. On June 2, we will hold meetings in the state to discuss on the progress made by the government on samitis demands, Malik said while announcing that a meeting of the samitis national executive would be held at the Jassia dharna site in Rohtak district on June 4 to decide the future course of action. Malik alleged that the government wanted to keep Jats away from the reservation demand by keeping them busy in court cases. Ambika Sharma Tribune News Service Solan, May 15 With an eye on the Vidhan Sabha elections the state government has once again initiated the move to convert Solan Municipal Committee (MC) into a Municipal Corporation. Since the town fell short of attaining the desired population of 50,000, an endeavour is being made to merge three nearby panchayats of Basal, Anji and Shamti. This move had been initiated in 2015 too but since the panchayats resented the proposal fearing imposition of regulations and high taxes, it could not materialize. Deputy Commissioner Rakesh Kanwar, while confirming the news, said the Municipal Committee has been directed to seek No Objection Certificates from the panchayats lying in the precincts of Solan following which the proposal would be sent to the state government. The towns population was pegged at around 39,256 as per the census figures of 2011 though a sizeable amount of the population had been left out as the census was conducted in December when schools face annual closure and people move go on vacation, said officials. The inclusion of 16 revenue villages lying in the precincts of Solan will enhance this figure by 14,363, thus attaining a population of 53,619. The grant of a corporation status will enable the town to get funding from various Centrally sponsored schemes and this will facilitate creation of added facilities like sewage treatment plants, etc. Executive Officer, Solan, MC, BR Negi, said he has sent letters to three panchayats - Anji, Shamti and Basal - to provide NOCs and has also requested the pradhans that he would be available to answer their queries in case they wanted any clarification on this issue. Since the villagers had opposed the move tooth and nail earlier, it remains to be seen if the local administration would manage to coax them to give their consent now. The MC, however, managed to fulfill the other criteria which included an annual revenue of more than Rs 2 crore as revenue generation was as high as Rs 7 crore. Though the town had witnessed the highest population growth of 56 per cent in the last decade in the state, the optimum figure of 50,000 could not be achieved. With the local MLA DR Shandil having failed to secure adequate votes from the MC area, the move has not found much favour from him. The Municipal Committee has been directed to seek NOC from the panchayats lying in the precincts of Solan following which the proposal will be sent to the state government. Rakesh Kanwar, Deputy Commissioner Tribune News Service Shimla, May 16 Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today said that neither he nor his government was shielding the controversial godman Baba Amardev of Kandaghat. Talking to media persons here today he denied having known the Baba, who is facing resentment from residents of 22 villages in the vicinity of his temple. It is completely false that me or anyone in my government is shielding the Baba, he said. He said it was the propaganda of the CPM to paint a picture that the Baba was getting shelter from the higher ups. Baba Amardev has been admitted to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) after a clash with the locals. Counter FIRs have been lodged by the Baba and the locals. The CM also lashed out at the BJP for creating a hype about winning the next Assembly elections in Himachal. Rather than holding big meetings and rallies, the Congress will concentrate on going door to door and apprising people about the development undertaken during the Congress regime, he said. Virbhadra also clarified that he was not in the race for becoming the state president of the Congress. I have apprised the high command about the political situation in the state and whether organizational elections should be held now or not is a decision to be taken by the Central leadership, he remarked. Taking a dig at the state Congress president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu without naming him, the Chief Minister said he might be lobbying hard to become the president once again but winning elections is a different game altogether. He also took strong exception to holding of religious functions in school premises and said that law had been enacted in the state with regard to conversion. It is wrong for the BJP to point fingers at us on the issue of conversions. Moreover, indulging in vandalism and causing damage to government school is just not acceptable, he said. Book Baba for a fair probe: Kisan sabha Shimla: Himachal Kisan Sabha (HKS) on Tuesday demand that the police and forest departments should book controversial Baba Amardev for an attempt to murder in view of the attack on a woman with sharp weapon under the Arms Act. He should further be booked under the Indian Forest Act and the Wildlife Protection Act for encroaching upon and cutting trees on the 4.5 bighas of government land in connection with the Romlok temple in Kandaghat. HKS president Kuldip Tanwar today stated that the forest department officials and policemen fear transfer in case they act and evict the controversial Baba from the encroached land. As many as 22 representatives of the panchayats sought action against him and a fair probe into the Ramlok temple incident, he demanded. Tanwar charged that Baba attacked Shanti Devi, a local village woman, with a weapon and he should be booked in an attempt to murder case and Arms Act. The government should start eviction proceedings against him as he has occupied 5.6 bigha of government land. TNS Dipender Manta Tribune News Service Manali, May 15 Tourists visiting Kullu and Manali are upset as there is no snow near Gulaba, while the Rohtang Pass is still not opened for tourist activity. Tourists visiting here from different parts of the country were hopeful to enjoy snow activity, but they were not aware that they will have to walk all the way from Gulaba to Rahla Fall to get a glimpse of snow. Narrow road added to their woes in the hill station, leading to traffic chaos in the area. People were stuck for hours in traffic jams due to huge influx of tourist vehicles from Manali to Gulaba and Solang valley. Sara Bai, a tourist from Indore, who arrived here two days ago along with her family, said: We had planned our trip to Manali to enjoy the snow, but after reaching Gulaba we found there was no snow near the spot. Ramesh Kanwar from Jodhpur said the government should improve the road condition, adding that roads leading to tourist points should be widened to avoid traffic jams. Due to poor road conditions and traffic jam, a lot of time was wasted. Due to traffic jam one can hardly visit one or two destinations a day, he said. However, hoteliers as well as taxi operators urged the district administration to open the Rohtang Pass for tourist activity, which would give impetus to the tourism industry. However, the district administration is busy making arrangements of parking and toilet facility at the Rohtang Pass before allowing tourist vehicles from Manali, which is likely to be opened soon. Tribune News Service Solan, May 15 Seeking an amicable settlement of their grievances pertaining to controversial godman Amardev at Rurra village in the Kandaghat sub-division, a delegation of villagers from the Tundal panchayat met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh in Shimla. The CM assured the villagers that various aspects of the case, including criminal cases slapped against the villagers, lack of action against Amardev, attack on 52-year-old woman Shanti Devi as well as the antecedents of the controversial godman, would be inquired into within a week and needful would be done to address their grievances. The villagers gave him a memorandum where they pleaded to debar the entry of Amardev in and around the under-construction Shri Ramlok Temple and also stressed that the state government should take over the reins of the temple. The villagers also demanded rollback of criminal cases slapped against them. Praveen Kumar, Pradhan, Tundal Panchayat, said they informed the CM that a mahapanchayat comprising locals from 22 panchayats was convened at Rurra village yesterday where they aired their grievances before the Deputy Commissioner. Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 15 Three police officials were injured after college students clashed with the police today. The trouble erupted after students of SP College here tried to take out a protest march on MA Road but were stopped by the police. Upset at being stopped, the students started throwing stones and bricks on the police, resulting in injuries to three police officials. The police used teargas shells to disperse the students. Eyewitnesses said the clashes initially started on the premises of SP Higher Secondary School which is within the campus of SP College. Later, the students also entered the Government College for Women located nearby and threw stones from there. The SHO of the Kralkhud police station sustained head injuries and was shifted to a hospital and SP (East) was hit by a stone on leg. Another policeman was also injured, said an official. The students clashes were triggered in the Valley after the April 15 incident when an Army vehicle entered the Degree College, Pulwama. Clashes after that left 54 students injured. Since then, protests have been continuing in various educational institutions in the Valley. Youth joins militancy For the past four days south Kashmirs volatile town of Shopian was observing a shutdown over the disappearance of a local youth, who had gone missing from police custody. On Sunday evening, the youth appeared in a video saying he was safe and joined militant ranks. A day after the video of missing Zubair Ahmad Turay surfaced on social media, life returned to normalcy in Shopian. Zubair had escaped from police custody in Keegam on May 1. Locals had alleged that disappearance of Zubair, who had been detained under the Public Safety Act for stone-throwing, was mysterious and sought his whereabouts. They had threatened that a strike would continue in Shopian till the authorities traced him. Amit Khajuria Tribune News Service Jammu, May 16 The Jammu and Kashmir transport system is in complete disarray as the state government has not been able to form any policy for parking of vehicles in the wake of increasing chaos on roads. Adding to this misery is the failure of the Transport Department to draft a proposal making it mandatory for all vehicle owners to have parking space prior to registration of their vehicles. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court has gone tough on illegal roadside parking wherein the seized vehicle could be released only on the directions of the court. The road length in Jammu city is just 704.22 km while the density of vehicles is 574 per km. One traffic police official controls around 1,700 vehicles on Jammu roads while the absence of traffic policemen from vital roundabouts make the situation more problematic and chaotic. The state government has already admitted on the floor of the Assembly that it had no plan in the pipeline to widen the critical roads of the city which generally remain jammed during working hours. According to sources, the Transport Department had discussed the proposal of making it mandatory for the vehicle owners to show the parking space available with them before registering the vehicle. But nothing has been done so far. A traffic official manning a critical point at the New Plot area said there was an order from the higher authorities to pick up vehicles parked randomly at the roadsides and move them to Gulshan Ground. When contacted, Sheikh Fayaz Ahmad, Transport Commissioner, dodged the question on the traffic chaos and refused to comment on the issue. STURTEVANT Despite a personal care worker shortage causing a crisis statewide, Racine County is one of the states hotbeds for those looking to start an assisted living facility for the elderly and mentally disabled, according to a head state regulator. When I went down the highway, I was expecting a sign or billboard saying, open up an adult family home here, said Alfred Johnson, director of the Bureau of Assisted Living of the State Department of Health Services, who spoke to about 100 local care providers Monday at the Gateway Technical College iMET campus, 2320 Renaissance Boulevard, in Sturtevant. Johnson said the latest data shows while the number of nursing homes has dropped, the number of adult family homes (AFHs) group homes with four or fewer residents has nearly doubled in a decade in the state. While the reason Racine is ripe for starting group homes is unclear, some industry watchers think the supply of affordable housing has an effect, as the AFHs are required to be in residential settings. People dont understand how difficult it is. They think its an easy way to have a business, said attendee Crystal Miller, president of Frontida, a company that runs eight community-based assisted living homes in five counties, including Racine. Complaints rising While Johnson said 82 percent of facilities operate without complaints statewide, the remaining get a lot of attention both from his agency and the media. Complaints are on the rise. We had 1,200 complaints last year and we are on pace this year for 1,500 complaints, Johnson said of complaints throughout the state. Suzanne Gitz, executive director of Home Harbor Assisted Living, a Racine-based residential care apartment complex at 1600 Ohio St., called on Johnson and the state to address the shortage of personal care workers, which she said is hurting their businesses on a regular basis. I think that no matter what license you have, the caregiver crisis and the quality of people in the market for these jobs just dont meet our standard, Gitz told Johnson. Gitz said caregiver organizations are competing against each other for workers who make an average of about $10.75 per hour. I have personal care workers who are making more than that but thats because I am willing and able to make it happen. Essentially, I am losing money, Gitz said. Worker shortage With about 100 elderly couples at Safe Harbor, workers help with laundry, housekeeping and medicine management needs, but as the residents age they become dependent on other services provided by staff personal care workers including bathing and toilet use. Gitz said with the estimated $4,000 to $7,000 it costs employers to fill a personal care vacancy, shes putting a lot more effort into making her workplace desirable for candidates. We care about our culture, and we want it to be such a great place to work those few people who put their whole heart and soul into it want to work for me, Gitz said. While some companies are able to meet the challenge of staff competition and are able to improve conditions, others are not and it can affect care. Johnson said that for example citations for supervision issues are one of the top cites for the first quarter of this year, meaning workers are too busy to avoid problems in care. While 2017 date has not been released publicly 2016 data shows the state required offending providers to forfeit a total of $51,000 last year for that Supervision citations alone. Alfred Johnson acknowledged a caregiver crisis and asked providers who attended the discussion their opinion on what was contributing to the caregiver shortage. Crystal Miller, president of Frontida, blamed new high-profile businesses in the area, such as Amazon, for raiding the pool of entry-level workers and paying them upwards of $18 an hour. I know this is a tremendous issue were dealing with in the state and around the country, Johnson said. Miller said the personal care workers who go out of the industry come back if their hearts are in the right place. We do really, really hard work, Miller said. You have to care about serving others. Worker public assistance Last year, 49 percent of personal care workers in Wisconsin relied on some form of public assistance to get by, according to the New York-based Paraprofessional Heathcare Institute. Ashley Wricks, human resources director of Home Harbor Assisted Living, said that number is higher in Racine County, as many of the job applicants shes seen are single mothers dependent on public assistance for health care, food assistance and day care funding. I would say that the majority, some 90 percent, are receiving public assistance, Wricks said. That is a bigger issue. We have to deal with the social side of it. If you want people to care for (your patients), they have their own issues affecting the job they do. Gitz said shes seeing workers with food insufficiency and their own housing insufficiency. They dont have reliable transportation, and health care schedules dont align with the bus routes, Gitz said. To add insult to injury is when workers get by and start getting on a good footing, they become ineligible for public assistance. When they work they cut back the benefits before any stabilization period. Its a big challenge for them, Gitz said. Gitz said her organization is not large enough to afford health insurance for workers. Johnson said the state is addressing the problem, but did not provide further details. He put it on the caregiver organizations to think outside the box and come together to solve the problem. Maybe there can be a grass-roots type thing. You could go into Case High School and you start talking about this as a classroom. Hopefully, they can meet a need and we can start working together, Johnson said. Tribune News Service Jammu, May 15 At least six students of a private school today fainted due to heat and humid conditions inside their classrooms, located on the top floor of the building, in the Janipura area of the city. The temperature was above 40C in Jammu today. All the students who fainted were rushed to the Sri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital and given first aid. The condition of the students was stated to be stable. The parents of children slammed the authorities of Indira Public Higher Secondary School, Shant Nagar, for inadequate cooling arrangements inside the classrooms and alleged that the school was playing with the health of their wards despite several complaints made to it on this account. According to the school management, at least six students of different standards (Class IV, V and VI) complained of some uneasiness and fainted. They were immediately hospitalised and provided treatment. The management, however, denied the allegations that there were no proper cooling arrangements inside the classrooms, saying that ceiling fans have been installed in each and every classroom and the children fainted because of the prevailing heatwave. The parents, however, criticised the school management for playing with the health of their wards, alleging classrooms on the top floor, having roofs of tin sheets, do not have proper cooling arrangements and even ceiling fans are lying defunct. Our child told us about the prevailing conditions in her classroom which is located on the top floor of the building. We apprised the school management of it but they left the students to suffer in the scorching heat. They have turned a blind eye to the hardships being faced by the children, a furious mother of a girl student complained. She alleged that they were never allowed to visit the classrooms of their child on the pretext that it would disrupt the studies of students. Immediately after receiving information from the school, we rushed to the hospital. No teacher was accompanying the students, which reflected the sorry state of affairs of the school, she said. Meanwhile, school principal Rishu Sharma countered the allegations saying the school has all arrangements for the children and anybody can visit the school to have assessment of the situation. She demanded that the Education Department should announce summer vacation in wake of hot weather conditions. Amir Karim Tantray Tribune News Service Jhangar (LoC), May 15 After a lull of almost 24 hours, the Pakistan army again provoked India by violating the truce pact and firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri district this evening. Although there was no official word from the Army over the fresh firing along the LoC but sources said the intermittent firing that started around 4 pm continued till the filing of last reports. Sources said Pakistan used small and automatic weapons to target the forward Indian posts and populated areas in four villages in the Nowshera sector. Meanwhile, the migration of fear-stricken people continued from border villages to camps and safer places. Three people have so far lost their lives in the recent heavy shelling by Pakistan along the LoC. This time, the Pakistan army has targeted villages of the Nowshera sector in Rajouri district. Nearly 2,500 people have been forced to migrate to safer places since the shelling began on May 10. Out of the 2500 people, 1,537 have been absorbed in migrant camps, which are being managed by the district administration. The situation was calm and there had been no firing for the past 24 hours but the Pakistan army resorted to fresh intermittent firing from automatic and small arms about 4 pm in Sarya, Khamba, Anwas and Bhandar villages. People are still reaching migrant camps to take shelter, said Deputy Commissioner, Rajouri, Shahid Iqbal Choudhary. As many as 457 villages with a population of 4,51,856 are located along the International Border and the LoC in Kathua, Samba, Jammu, Rajouri and Poonch districts in the Jammu region. Of them, over 1.50 lakh people are living near the 224.5-km-long LoC stretch, which is targeted by Pakistan whenever ceasefire violation takes place. Since the 1999 Kargil war, when people were promised bunkers in the border area, nothing has been done on the ground. During forced migration, besides battling problems like hot and humid weather, demand for hygienic food and safe drinking water, the non-availability of bunkers remains the main issue with border residents. The government is yet to fulfil its promise of constructing bunkers for border people. Had there been a bunker in our village, Tufail Hussain and his granddaughter might have been alive today, claimed Tufails neighbour Jagdish Kumar in this Jhangar village. The two were killed in shelling on Saturday. Tribune News Service Jammu, May 16 Pakistani Army resorted to indiscriminate firing of small arms, automatic weapons, 82 mm and 120 mm mortars along the Line of Control (LoC) in Naushera sector in Rajouri district on Tuesday evening. The firing started at 6.30 pm and was on presently. The Indian Army posts are retaliating strongly and effectively. Sumit Hakhoo Tribune News Service Jammu, May 15 The recent meeting of two BJP Union Ministers with the officials of the Election Commission of India (ECI) seeking the end to filling of the M-form by displaced Kashmiri Pandits before the next Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in J&K is aimed at bolstering its chances in the electoral politics of the Valley. Union Minister of State (MoS) in the PMO Jitendra Singh and Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi met ECI Commissioner Nasim Zaidi on May 11 urging it to simplify the process of registration and updating of electoral rolls of the Pandit community. The delegation included members of social organisation Vichar Manch. After the recent visit of BJP national president Amit Shah, the party is aggressively pursuing its agenda of expanding workers base in the Valley with major focus on consolidating displaced Hindus. To further consolidate its position in the Valley, the party has elected two Kashmiri Pandit MLCs in the upper house of the Assembly, Surinder Amberdar and GL Raina. As per the data, there are a total of 92,103 migrant electors who belong to the Valley. Srinagar Parliamentary constituency consists of Srinagar, Ganderbal and Budgam segments comprising 38,278 Pandit voters while the Anantnag segment comprised volatile south Kashmir districts of Pulwama, Shopian, Anantnag and Kulgam segments having 33,957 voters belonging to the minority community. A total of 72,235 Pandit voters are enrolled in the Election Commission data. Sources say the number of Pandit voters could increase if the registration process was simplified. Meanwhile, Pandits are also happy with the step taken by the BJP as they have been complaining about the cumbersome M-forms process and dispute the official figures that say thousands of community members are unregistered and their names have been deleted from the rolls in the Valley after the exodus of 3.50 lakh Hindus in 1989-90. There were 1.47 lakh Hindu voters in 1996. It went down to 71,000 in 2008. This slightly increased to 92,000 in 2014. The fall is due to the complicated procedure open to manipulation by vested interests. Migrant voters can be increased if the registration process is streamlined, said Dr TK Bhat, general secretary, All State Kashmiri Pandit Conference. M-form procedure As per the present system, each migrant family has to file an M-form ahead of every election and list the present address and other family details. Then submit the form to the Relief Organisation for verification, which sends it to the Election Commission. Electoral rolls are finalised only after clearance from Relief Commissioner. Samaan Lateef Tribune News Service Srinagar, May 16 At least 15 students were injured during clashes with security forces in north Kashmir after posters carrying the Hizbul Mujahideen stamp surfaced on the premises of educational institutes, asking students to protest. Hundreds of college and higher secondary school students came out on roads, chanting anti-India slogans and threw stones at the security forces personnel deployed at Pattan in Baramulla district, nearly 30 km north of Srinagar. Police officers said the students were asked to protest after the morning assembly while teachers were asked to remain silent and allow the students to protest. As soon as the morning assembly was over, the protesting students came out from Government Higher Secondary School, Pattan, and tried to block the Srinagar-Baramulla highway. However, the police and paramilitary resisted, triggering a daylong protest, which was joined in by local college students too. The security forces retaliated to the stone-throwing with teargas and pellet shelling. We received 15 injured students, and three of them with pellet injuries were shifted to Srinagar for specialised treatment, said Block Medical Officer, Pattan, Manzoor Hakeem. Police officers said the posters appeared to be fake and a conspiracy hatched by some local miscreants. They (posters) dont appear to be original Hizb posters. We are investigating whether they were pasted by the Hizb or by some local miscreants, said DSP Aamir Iqbal. Student protestswere witnessed at Hajin, the hub of counter-insurgents in the 1990s, in Bandipora district of north Kashmir. Students peltedsecurity men with stones, triggering protests. The protesters were dispersed after the security forces resorted to lathicharge. Protests were also witnessed in Srinagar and south Kashmir. Students of MultiPurpose Multi-Lateral Higher Secondary School and Government Gandhi College in Srinagar took out a protest march today.Security personnel tried to foil the march, triggering clashes. Security men fired teargas shells to disperse the students. A dozen students were arrested, police officers said. Clashes between students and security personnel also erupted at Degree College, Dooru, after security personnel allegedly thrashed students who were on their way to college. As soon as the news spread in the college, students took to the streets and staged a protest against the security personnel. Students have been holding protests since April 17 after at least 50 protesting students were injured in police action in Pulwama degree college on April 15. Nine held for posing with Pakistan flag Anantnag: Nine youth, most of them students, were arrested on Monday after they were found posing with a Pakistani flag for photographs at Pahalgam in Anantnag district. Pahalgam is a tourist resort and the arrested youth were apparently on a picnic. A senior police officer from Anantnag said: We received inputs that some youth were spotted posing with a Pakistani flag at different places across Pahalgam, he said. He said a team was dispatched and all nine had been arrested. oc Preetinder Kaur India is a country of farmers and villages, where more than 60 per cent population lives in the rural areas. These peoples cant take full advantage of the resources available in urban areas. To take care of the development of rural areas, education in rural development and management is much in demand. Government is hiring professional rural managers to assist villagers in the process of growth, improvement and expansion. As the term rural development encompasses overall development of rural areas with a view to improving the standard of living of rpeopel in these areas, its field includes the development of agriculture and its allied activities, village and cottage industries, handicrafts, socio-economic infrastructure, community services and facilities, and, above all the human resources in rural areas. Study in rural development and management has become one of the most soughtafter courses to study and research at postgraduate level. Courses and eligibility Interested candidates can go in for diploma or bachelors courses after Class XII. Some of the courses that you should check out are: Diploma courses Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Development Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Finance Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Marketing Bachelors courses Bachelor of Arts in Rural Development Bachelor of Rural Technology and Management Masters courses Master of Arts in Rural Development Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Rural Management Doctoral courses MPhil in Rural Development PhD in Rural Development Getting in Many institutions provide admission on the basis of an entrance test. To pursue Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management from the Institute of Rural Management Anand, the candidates are required to appear the CAT/XAT entrance examination. Admission to MBA programme in rural management is done on the basis of the following entrance exams: MAT CAT XAT ATMA Prospects With a number of institutes offering courses in this field professionally qualified workforce is available and is also in demand for various job openings. With the corporates paying more attention to CSR activities professionally qualified persons have a vast scope of employment. Companies like Tata, Arvind Mills, Reliance etc. have set up their exclusive rural development units. Apart from the learning within the four walls of classrooms, students of rural development courses also gets practical and hands on training through projects/visits to the field and in the operational areas of the voluntary organisations. Institute watch Students can go for rural management and development courses at the following institutions: Institute of Rural Management, Jaipur Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta Institute of Rural Management Anand Amity School of Rural Management, Noida Xavier Institute of Management,Bhubaneswar National Institute of Rural Development (NIRD), Hyderabad National Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad Job profiles Candidates with a related degree can take up positions as rural managers. Professionals of this field can apply in the government sector for the posts of Village Development Officer (VDO). Rural managers can also run their own NGOs or can work for an NGO. They can work in rural co-operative sector, agri-business enterprises, agricultural marketing and management of agro products. The Indian Institute of Rural Management, which is a government-run institution, also recruits candidates holding a degree in rural management . Usha Albuquerque The Indian healthcare sector is growing at a tremendous pace strengthening its reach and coverage as well as services in public and private hospitals, nursing homes, clinics - urban and rural, and diagnostics centres. With a requirement of 6,00,000 to 7,00,000 additional beds in the next five to six years it is predicted that the Indian healthcare market, will grow 23 per cent by 2020. Along with growth comes the need for providing enhanced medical services and care to an ever increasing population. However, most hospitals today are bursting at the seams known for their lack of sanitation and basic infrastructure like beds and medical facilities. Space is tight, lifts not working, clogged toilets, patients waiting for hours to see a doctor in unhygienic conditions, poorly stored medicines, unclean wards and torn beds. While private hospitals can boast better hygiene, with billions of dollars being invested annually in health care facilities, the facility design of the hospital, with its equipment and technology, has not often been considered with its impact on the quality and safety of patients. Courses The Institute of Hospital Engineering was set up to promote, develop and disseminate hospital engineering and technology and educate specialist hospital technologists. The purpose is to promote healthcare facility engineering/ management through the certification of qualified and experienced individuals at different levels. For this purpose IHE has developed two programmes to be conducted concurrently as companion courses, with content that may be common, but application and emphasis which will be different. The two proposed courses are : n Masters degree programme in Health Facilities Planning & Designing (MHFPD) with emphasis on architectural design, ergonomics, sustainability, patients environment etc. Eligibility: Bachelor's degree or equivalent in medicine, architecture, town planning, engineering, dentistry, nursing ect) n Masters degree programme in Health Facilities Engineering and Management (MHFEM) with emphasis on engineering services, asset management, infrastructure, and project/ construction management. Eligibility: Bachelors degree or equivalent in any branch of engineering/technology. These courses developed by the Institute of Hospital Engineering under the umbrella of the National Institute of Healthcare Engineering and Architecture (NIHEA) will assist health facilities planning and all aspects of infrastructure development. These will be joint degree programmes with faculties of medicine, planning, engineering and management, utilising their innate strengths. Students will study in a variety of campuses: Medical Architecture Research Unit (MARU) , now South Bank University, London; Health Design Centre (HDC) USA; International Federation of Hospital Engineering(IFHE), UK; the Centre for Health Assets Australasia(CHAA) Australia, and other foreign universities associated as knowledge partners. There will also be emphasis on regional research which it is hoped will lead to efficient and effective healthcare facilities infrastructure development models for rural and metro settings. In addition, a Health Engineering Polytechnic has been recommended for each state of India and such polytechnics to be established jointly with medical colleges. These polytechnics will train middle level hospital technologists ( 1 years training at post-diploma/ advanced diploma level including six-month practical training in hospitals and industries). Post-diploma courses in hospital engineering will be awarded with specialisations in: n Hospital Electrical Engineering Services n Hospital Planning & Design Services n Hospital Civil & Public Health Engineering n Hospital Mechanical Engineering services n Hospital Information & Computer Services n Hospital Instrumentation and Control Services n Hospital Biomedical and Clinical engineering services n Hospital Chemical/Environmental Engineering Services There are also advanced modules for technicians ( 6 months) focused on maintenance and repair of hospital buildings, plant, equipment and services, open to qualified graduates in electrical, mechanical, biomedical and other technical trades. With the imminent need for qualified technologists to handle the growing development of the healthcare sector, there is a need for such programmes to be widely available across the country. At present Punjab Engineering College and Chandigarh College of Architecture will offer the programmes, but it is hoped that there will be many more universities and medical schools coming forward to start these programmes. Every aspect of a hospital is crucial to the health and safety of the patient whether it is the design, functioning, facilities, or services. An understanding of the multi-dimensional systems at work in a hospital, and a cadre of qualified healthcare technologists to support the infrastructure is one way of achieving it. With ' Health for All'on India's national agenda there is an pressing need to develop heal-tech (healthcare technology) manpower well qualified with high order competencies to design, build and maintain the healthcare centres of the future. With inputs provided by Dr JC Mehta, National President, Institute of Hospital Engineering, India and pioneer of study of Hospital Engineering at PGIMER, Chandigarh Importance of design and architecture of hospitals The physical surroundings of a hospital have a direct impact on both staff and patients. The design of a facility/structure with its fixed and moveable components can have a significant impact on human performance, especially on the health and safety of employees, patients, and their families. In several studies conducted, researchers have found that there is a link between the physical environment (i.e. single-bed or multiple-bed patient rooms) and patient (e.g. fewer adverse events and better health care quality) and staff outcomes (e.g. reduced stress and fatigue and increased effectiveness in delivering care). Effective physical surroundings reduce staff stress and fatigue. It also improves patient safety and reduces stress. Findings show that patients too are responsive and expressive about their architectural environment. They appear to make significantly better progress in new properly designed hospital buildings. Hospitals are the most complex of building types. Each hospital comprises a wide range of services and functional units. These include diagnostic and treatment functions, such as clinical laboratories, imaging, emergency rooms, and surgery; hospitality functions, such as food service and housekeeping; and the fundamental inpatient care or bed-related function. This diversity is reflected in the breadth and specificity of regulations, codes, and oversight that govern hospital construction and operations. Each of the wide-ranging and constantly evolving functions of a hospital, including highly complicated mechanical, electrical, and telecommunications systems, requires specialised knowledge and expertise, which is why specialised consultants play an important role in hospital planning and design. India lacks in this vital area of expertise. India's healthcare industry with its over stretched and straining healthcare delivery systems is evidence of poor institutional environmental health standards and practices with limited emphasis being given to design and facility infrastructure. Architects designing hospital buildings are rarely knowledgeable about medical architecture, space standards, multiple use of space and environmental considerations. Engineers managing hospitals, medical machinery and biomedical equipment do not have the necessary knowledge in relevant subjects. There is, thus, a great need for integration of technical & healthcare education to deliver competencies on these new specialised and merging occupations. Nonika Singh For you and me, Hoshiarpur might be just another district in Punjab, but for actor Vicky Kaushal, its a go to place, an annual pilgrimage of sorts where he gets to catch up with friends, gorge on aloo ke paranthe and gur, and just while away time, doing nothing. As he puts it, its a complete detox. No airs about himself As he was only recently reveling in his Punjabi roots, we wonder whether he leaves the actor and stardom behind too. He says, Frankly the actor in me is sent packing the moment I step out of my sets. Not to take stardom seriously is a lesson he learnt early in life. Born in a chawl in Mumbai watching his father Shyam Kaushal, an action-director, climb the ropes; he saw the other side of glamour far before he could count its blessings. So though his very first film Masaan saw him walking the red carpet at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, he knows success and failure are two sides of the same coin. And though he chooses to speak in chaste Hindi, to express his thoughts on success and failure, he picks up Rudyard Kiplings poem...If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster. And treat those two impostors just the same. Not surprising, while Masaan picked up several international awards and his performance too was critically acclaimed, the praise only reinforced his desire to deliver his best. As he has just finished the shoot for his first rom.com, Love Per Square Foot, he doesnt think that any role is less or more challenging. Sure playing the dark shades of a delinquent cop in Raman Raghav 2.0 did require him to isolate himself from the rest of the world and for Masaan he lived in Benaras for three weeks to soak in the ambience, but none of these parts, he feels, are any tougher than playing a romantic lover boy. Right choice As an actor, his strategy of choosing parts is simple. His first task is to read the script, which by the way he judges not on the basis of the length of the character he gets to play. I imagine myself as an audience member and I say yes if the story rings a bell. On that count and many others, of course, Zubaan, which was the first film he signed after passing the grueling audition test, is very special to him. So is his mentor Anurag Kashyap, from whom he has learnt it all. In fact, prior to acting in Kashyaps home production Masaan, Vicky had worked as an assistant director in Gangs of Wasseypur. No he had no intentions of becoming a director, only wanted to understand the craft of cinema and acting from behind the camera. A few films old as an actor, he considers himself a mere beginner; only one who has been fortunate enough to be part of not only Kashyaps films but also Raj Kumar Hiranis. Soon to be seen in the biopic on Sanjay Dutt, he gets to play his friend. Working with both greats at such an early stage of his career, he can only sense many similarities between the two ace directors. Both believe in improvisation, only their cinema is different from each other. On rubbing shoulders with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Ranbir Kapoor, he can only bow his head to their tremendous acting prowess. But then the subtle and fine actor who believes in surrendering to the directors vision knows acting isnt about I, me, myself. Getting into the skin of a whole range of characters requires both giving some part of ones self as well as taking away something. In this give and take, Vickys performance usually is one of the best takeaways. A true Punjabi at heart The one thing truly Punjabi about Vicky Kaushal apart from his undying taste for aloo ke paranthe and safed makhan topped up with homemade aam ka aachar is how like most Punjabis he thinks from the heart. He laughs, The consequences may not always be positive, but as we Punjabis say dekha jaayega. Adeptly fluent in Punjabi, he shares how his mother-tongue is the language of conversation at home; yes even in aamchi Mumbai the family talks in khaalis Punjabi! Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 15 Dr Dilbagh Singh Athwal, a miracle plant breeder who was among those who laid the foundation of the Green Revolution in the 1960s, passed away in New Jersey (USA) last evening. He was 88. His family, including his two sons, were by his side when he breathed his last. Athwal, whose work was much appreciated by Nobel laureate and father of global Green Revolution, the late Dr Norman Borlaug, first developed hybrid bajra (millet) in the early 1960s and later segregated PV-18 and Kalayan-227, two high-yielding wheat varieties, from the material provided by Mexicos International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre, also known as CIMMYT. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Recipient of Padma Bhushan, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Memorial Award and several national and international honours, Athwal was bestowed with the highest honour in 1967, when a wheat variety Kalyan-227 was christened after his Kalyan village, located on the outskirts of Jalandhar city. The Kalyan variety, commercially released in 1967-68, not only provided the country salvation from hunger, but India also became wheat-surplus soon thereafter. In fact, the production in 1970s went up so rapidly that there was not enough space to stock wheat. As a temporary arrangement, the stock had to be kept on school premises. While Athwal was working on the wheat production improvement programme at Punjab Agricultural University, Borlaug visited him in Ludhiana. In 1967, he got an offer from the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), Philippines. Many state leaders and MLAs requested him to stay back at PAU. The then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi even wrote to the Punjab CM to persuade him not to leave India, but he had already made a commitment to the IRRI authorities. In 1977, he joined the International Agriculture Development Services created by the Rockefeller Foundation that later merged with Winrok International Institute. He retired as a senior vice-president of Winrok in 1991, but remained in touch with Borlaug. Both co-authored some research papers. New Delhi, May 16 Law enforcement agencies today raided the residences and properties of top Opposition leaders P Chidambaram of the Congress and Lalu Prasad Yadav of the RJD as well as businessmen in a multi-city crackdown on alleged corruption and benami properties. The searches by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Income Tax (I-T) Department were condemned by the Opposition as political vendetta, with the Congress saying it will not be cowed down by the politics of revenge which was in the DNA of the government. Edit: The Raid Raj However, the NDA government hit back, saying today was the day of accountability for the corrupt. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stoutly defended the searches, asserting that the day of reckoning has come for many and they will be held accountable for their misdeeds. The CBI searched the homes and offices of Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram, across four cities, including Chennai, for allegedly receiving money from media firm INX owned by Indrani and Peter Mukerjea to allegedly manipulate a tax probe. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Separately, the I-T Department raided at least 22 locations in Delhi and adjoining areas in connection with alleged benami deals stated to be worth Rs 1,000 crore linked to Lalu Prasad, who is the chief of Rashtriya Janata Dal, and some of his family members. RJD is a partner of the ruling alliance in Bihar. CBI sleuths fanned out across the Chidambarams properties in Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Gurugram early in the morning, a day after the agency filed an FIR against Karti, his company Chess Management Services, the Mukerjeas (currently in jail on charges of murdering their daughter Sheena Bora), INX Media, Advantage Strategic Consulting Services and its director Padma Vishwanathan. The FIR related to charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating, receiving illegal gratification, influencing public servants and criminal misconduct. The CBI, which searched Chidambarams home in Nugambakkam in Chennai, also carried out searches at the house of Peter Mukerjea, a former media baron, in Mumbai. It is alleged that Karti received money from INX Media, which was promoted by the Mukerjeas, for using his influence to manipulate a tax probe against it in a case of violation of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) conditions to receive investment from Mauritius. P Chidambaram said the government was using the CBI and other agencies to target his son to silence his voice. The FIPB approval was granted in hundreds of cases, the senior Congress leader said. The five secretaries who constitute the FIPB, the officials of the secretariat and the competent authority are public officials, Chidambaram said, adding that there was no allegation against any. There is no allegation against me, he added. Karti said he has not done anything wrong and alleged political vendetta. The Congress accused the BJP of being blinded by revenge to target its opponents. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also accused the Centre of unleashing political vendetta. IT officials said the department began raiding the premises of some prominent businessmen and real estate agents in Delhi, Gurgaon, Rewari and a few others since early morning in connection with alleged benami deals linked to Lalu Prasad. In the national capital, tax department teams visited posh localities in New Friends Colony, Sainik Farms and a few farmhouses in Bijwasan and South Delhi areas. Prasad, however, sought to put up a brave face, saying he was not scared at all and will continue to fight against the fascist forces. The IT officials said the searches are also being conducted at the premises of the son of RJD MP PC Gupta and a few other businessmen involved in the purchase and sale of real estate assets. PTI Revenge in BJPs DNA, says Cong New Delhi: Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala said "revenge was in the DNA of the BJP government". He asked why no action was taken in graft cases against BJP leaders. "Is Vyapam not corruption? Has the PM acted against MP CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan who was also the Medical Education Minister then? Under what circumstances did Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje submit an affidavit in favour of fugitive Lalit Modi? What action has the PM taken in the Rs 20,000 crore Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation scam which unfolded when he was the Chief Minister?" Surjewala asked. TNS BJP counters chidambaram New Delhi: Rejecting P Chidambaram's charge that he was being targeted for his columns critical of the government, Union Minister Piyush Goyal claimed the issue was why beneficiaries of the Foreign Investment Promotion Board gave "money to firms owned by his son". "The former Union Finance Minister's columns did not exactly set the Yamuna on fire," he said. TNS QUOTES "People in high positions acquiring assets through shell companies is not a small matter... day of reckoning has come for many, they will be held accountable... unless there is substantial basis, reason to suspect evasion or crime, depts dont act. Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister "Government is using the CBI and other agencies to target my son. Its aim is to silence my voice and stop me from writing, as it has tried to do in the cases of leaders of Opposition parties, journalists, NGOs and civil society organisations. P Chidambaram, Former FM "BJP does not have the courage to stifle my voice... if it tries to silence one Lalu, crores of Lalu will come forward. I am not scared of empty threats... BJP was sensing opportunity to destabilise Grand Alliance in Bihar, but alliance is intact. Lalu Prasad Yadav, RJD Chief Beijing, May 15 China today dismissed Indias concerns over the Belt and Road initiative, saying the mega venture has broad international support and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, which is a part of it, will not affect Beijings stand on Kashmir. Reacting to Indias reservations over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of Chinas prestigious One Belt, One Road (OBOR), the Chinese foreign ministry said over 100 countries and organisations were already involved in the venture. "The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor is an initiative on economic cooperation. It is not directed at any third party, not relevant to disputes over territorial sovereignty and does not affect China's position on the Kashmir issue", the Chinese foreign ministry said. The response came over the remarks of External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Gopal Baglay, who had asserted two days ago that India cannot accept a project that violates its sovereignty and territorial integrity. India skipped the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) due to its sovereignty concerns over the $50 billion CPEC, which passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The foreign ministry, however, was silent on Indias boycott of the Belt and Road Forum that ended today. The Chinese foreign ministry referred to President Xi Jinpings remarks after he inaugurating the BRF in which he had said that the Belt and Road should be built into a road for peace. PTI New Delhi, May 16 Ahead of his upcoming visit to Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday conveyed to Palestine President Mahmoud Abbas Indias unwavering support to the Palestinian cause. After holding extensive talks with Abbas, Modi said India hoped to see a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine, co-existing peacefully with Israel. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The two countries also inked five agreements following talks between Modi and Abbas. India has been unwavering in supporting the Palestinian cause, the Prime Minister said in his media statement. Modi also said that India hoped for an early resumption of talks between Palestinian and Israeli sides so as to move towards finding a comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian issue. PTI Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 16 China today made light of India skipping the two-day One Belt One Road (OBOR) Summit that was held in Beijing over the weekend and said Indias skipping was partly a show for domestic politics. China used its state-controlled media to deliver the message to India. An editorial carried in the Global Times (GT) pointed to the example of the US, which sent a top adviser to the summit, despite the many differences that exist between China and the US. In an advice that sounded caustic, the editorial said, If India sees itself as a big power, it should get accustomed to the many divergences with China, and try to manage these divergences with China. India refused to attend the summit due to sovereignty concerns. Indias main concern is with the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship project of the OBOR Summit. The GT editorial reiterated what China had recently said that it regarded the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan to be a bilateral one and had no intention of intervening. The CPEC is a cooperation project in a purely economic sense with no aim to stir up political trouble, the editorial said. The editorial also pointed out that New Delhi was upset with Beijing for blocking its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and for blocking the designation of Masood Azhar as terrorist at the United Nations. But in typical Chinese manner, the editorial stated, However, China does not do as it (India) wants. New Delhi, May 16 West Bengal CM and Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee today called for a broad consensus among Opposition parties on fielding a presidential candidate for the crucial July elections and also said the government should take a lead in the direction. We will work for a consensus candidate who will work for the country and will be better for the country, Banerjee said after meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi at the latters residence for over half an hour. Banerjee said no discussions took place today on a candidate and that consultations were an ongoing process. She didnt comment on the possibility of the Opposition rooting for a second term for Pranab Mukherjee. The Congress was also non-committal on Mukherjees re-election with partys media head Randeep Surjewala saying, As soon as we reach a consensus on a candidate, we will be happy to inform you. TNS New Delhi/Gurugram, May 15 The government today said there was no serious impact of the global ransomware cyber attack on the country, except for a few isolated incidents in Kerala and Andhra Pradesh, even as work came to a standstill at four sub-tehsils in Haryanas Gurugram district due to upgrading of the system network in view of the cyber attack. Information and Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said the systems run by the National Informatics Centre were secured and running smoothly. A cyber coordination centre will start operating from next month to take precautions against such attacks, he said. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The minister said India had started installing patches since March, besides sending advisories regularly to all stakeholders. A patch is a software used to correct any loophole in a programme, including security vulnerabilities. India is also coordinating with international agencies, cleaning up the malware and conducting cyber drills regularly to foil attacks. Asked about reports of networks of a few banks being compromised, the minister said he had no such information. India is on high alert against a possible cyber attack on its vital networks by the crippling global ransomware, WannaCry, which has disrupted networks in over 150 countries. Meanwhile, hundreds of those who visited Wazirabad, Kaadipur, Badhshahpur and Harsaru sub-tehsils in Gurugram were turned away with only two registries being done. Network upgrading hit work of the Haryana Government machinery. There was speculation that offices would remain closed for two days, but we have been assured of fully efficient systems from tomorrow, so the working would continue, said DRO Hari Om Attri. The government machinery was also hit in Mewat. Many MNCs stalled working for several hours to upgrade systems. Officials have been told not to access emails, except those coming from official accounts. TNS/PTI Putin blames USA for cyber attack Beijing: Russia had nothing to do with a massive global cyber attack, President Vladimir Putin said on Monday, criticising the US intelligence community for creating the original software. Hundreds of thousands of computers in more than 150 countries have been hit by the ransomware attack, that began on Friday, exploiting known vulnerabilities in older Microsoft computer operating systems. As for the source of these threats, Microsofts leadership said the source of the virus was the special services of the United States, Putin said. Tribune News Service Gurdaspur, May 15 Security was tightened in the twin border districts of Gurdaspur and Pathankot today after the Border Security Force shot dead a woman intruder near Bharial post number 2, falling in the jurisdiction of Behrampur police station of Gurdaspur district, in the wee hours. The 60-year-old Pakistani woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was gunned down around 3 am after she refused to pay heed to warnings of personnel of 120 Battalion of the BSF manning the International Border. Police officers, on the condition of anonymity, said the security forces shot her dead after suspecting her to be a human bomb. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Police sources said Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was trying to infiltrate boys in the age group of 10 to 15 years in the guise of inadvertent crossers for collecting information pertaining to security agencies, before actual infiltration was undertaken by terrorists. Todays incident cannot be viewed in isolation. It should be seen in a larger context, admitted an officer. Both the Gurdaspur and the Pathankot police went on an overdrive and security around vital installations was tightened. Meanwhile, after a lull of almost 24 hours, Pakistan again violated truce in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri in Jammu and Kashmir. Simran Sodhi Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 16 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is in India on a state visit, today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and was assured of Indias unwavering support to the Palestinian cause. President Abbass visit here gives India a great opportunity to reach out to an old, historical ally even as PM Modi heads to Israel on a stand-alone visit in July. President Abbas had visited Pakistan and Bangladesh in February this year, but had skipped India. This was seen by many as a sign of the Palestine leadership being miffed with India over its growing relationship with Israel and especially the fact that PM Modi will not be visiting Palestine when he travels to Israel. Till date, Indian Heads of States have always chosen to visit both Israel and Palestine together but PM Modis decision is the governments first significant pointer that for India, the Israel-Palestine relationship has now been de-hyphenated. PM Modi, in his remarks to the media after holding delegation-level talks with Abbas, said, We hope to see the realisation of a sovereign, independent, united and viable Palestine, co-existing peacefully with Israel. The PMs reaffirmation of Indias faith in a two-nation solution to the Middle East conflict would be welcome news to the Palestine leadership. India and Palestine also signed five agreements after talks between the two leaders. India also committed to assisting Palestine in developmental projects. PM Modi said, India is undertaking project assistance for a flagship techno-park project in Ramallah. Once completed, it will serve as an IT hub in Palestine offering a one-stop solution for all IT-related training and services. Earlier in the day, President Abbas was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 16 More than a year after the Prakash Singh committee noted that the Moonak canal breach case points to a grave internal security threat to Indias critical national infrastructure, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today quoted the report while ordering a CBI probe. The direction came even as Haryana attempted to undermine Prakash Singhs authority by refusing to allow the former DGP to head a special investigation team (SIT) being constituted to probe the Jat stir violence in February last year. The Moonak canal was breached during the stir, affecting water supply to Delhi. In all, four FIRs were registered (on February 21, Kharkhoda police station; February 22, Kundli police station; February 23, Ganaur police station and February 24, Kharkhoda). Investigations in all four stand transferred to the premier investigation agency, which has been told to submit a report by July 13. Trials in these four cases have, meanwhile, been stayed. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The Bench of Justices SS Saron and Darshan Singh observed that 3,000-4,000 persons were stated to be involved in arson and breach of the canal. Yet, police reports/challans were filed against only four or five, that too without arrests. Challans were filed in two cases, and untraced reports prepared in two. The Bench took note of CBIs apparent reluctance to probe the matter for want of manpower, but refused to accept its contention. Referring to the CBI probe in cases related to the attack on the Haryana Finance Ministers house, the Bench said: Why are you running away? You are already seized of five cases. You took them without objection. Thats also mob violence Cant let things go out of hand Cant allow water supply to the national capital be affected. The Bench said it was disheartening that the police had done nothing even after it asked the CBI counsel to seek instructions a month-and-a-half ago. The assertion came as Haryana Additional Advocate-General Pawan Girdhar suggested that the SIT, in the process of being set up, could look into the Moonak case too. Opposing the suggestion, amicus curiae Anupam Gupta argued: If a group of agitators could stop an important source of water supply to the national capital, what a determined group of terrorists could do is rather discomforting. A Republican U.S. congressman from Green Bay says the White House should give congressional committees the transcript of a meeting in which President Donald Trump reportedly leaked highly classified information to Russian officials. As of Tuesday morning, there was no comment on the matter from U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee. The Washington Post reported Monday afternoon that Trump had shared classified information with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak. The Post's sources told the newspaper the disclosures "jeopardized a critical source of intelligence on the Islamic State." White House officials initially denied the report. But Trump appeared to acknowledge it in a pair of tweets early Tuesday. "As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled W.H. meeting) which I have the absolute right to do ... facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism," Trump said. Gallagher wrote that "while (the president) possesses the authority to disclose classified, even top secret, information, theres a separate question of whether he should." "For the purpose of transparency, the White House should share a transcript of the meeting with the House and Senate intelligence committees," Gallagher wrote. Gallagher is a first-year congressman but has a deep resume in foreign relations and intelligence issues. Hes a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Iraq War, during which time he worked as a counterintelligence officer, and he went on to work in the U.S. intelligence community, including for the National Counterterrorism Center. Gallagher said last week that he was concerned by the timing of Trump's firing of FBI Director James Comey, who had overseen an investigation into Russian interference in last year's U.S. election. The scope of that investigation included whether Trump's campaign was linked to the Russian meddling. Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 16 The Congress on Tuesday attacked the ruling BJP for unleashing vendetta politics on opposition leaders, the latest being on former union minister P Chidambaram, saying revenge was in the BJPs DNA. Trashing all allegations of wrongdoing or corruption against the former finance minister, whose son Kartis houses and locations were raided by the CBI in Chennai and Delhi on Tuesday, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said, Revenge is in the DNA of the BJP government. Neither P Chidambaram nor any other Congress leader will be cowed down by the threats of probe agencies being unleashed by the BJP. Surjewala did not comment on the merits of the CBI raids and restricted his remarks to politics and the stature of leaders involved. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) He counter-attacked the BJP and Prime Minister Narenda Modi asking why no action had been taken in serious cases of corruption against top BJP leaders--Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan in the Vyapam scam, Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje for submitting an affidavit to help fugitive Lalit Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for helping Lalit Modi escape law. May we ask the BJP if Vyapam scam is not corruption? Has the PM acted against Chauhan who was also the medical education minister at the time. Under what circumstances did Vasundhara Raje submit an affidavit in favour of Lalit Modi? May we ask the PM what action he has taken in the Rs 20,000 crore Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation scam which unfolded when he was the state chief minister? Surjewala asked. The Congress and other opposition leaders, including RJDs Lalu Prasad Yadav, have been accusing the BJP of misusing the CBI and Enforcement Directorate for targeting its political rivals. The CBI recently moved against Himachal CM Virbhadra Singh in respect of his income probe and former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda in a case involving allocation of prime Gurgaon land to Associated Journals at much lower prices than the market rates. Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 16 Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and his party colleagues today launched a massive offensive against three years of BJP Government questioning the saffron legacy of broken promises. While Gandhi took to Twitter to criticise PM Modi-led NDA governments record at the Centre, Congress leaders Randeep Surjewala, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Sachin Pilot, Sushmita Dev and Divya Spandana gathered at the Congress headquarters to do the same. Officially, the Congress released a power point presentation titled Teen saal, 30 tigdam detailing 30 areas where it said the BJP had failed to keep its promises to the people. These areas included the elusive promise of good days, persisting Pakistan and Chinese aggression on the borders, the challenge of farmers suicide, unemployment and rising petrol and essential commodity prices; crimes against Dalits and women, rising vigilantism, intolerance and mounting buffalo meat exports under a government committed to cow safety, among others. Three years of broken promises, non-performance and betrayal of a mandate Youth are struggling to find jobs, farmers are committing suicide and soldiers are dying at the border. What exactly is the government celebrating? Rahul Gandhi asked of governments plans to celebrate MODI (Making of Developing India) Fest starting May 26, NDAs third anniversary. At the Congress office, Scindia cited UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths anti-Romeo squads to ask why the BJP was imposing regimentation to further its policy. RSS ideologues argue against reservations. Dalits and other marginalised are under threat. Anyone questioning the all-pervasive atmosphere of intolerance is called anti-national. The BJP has belied the hopes on which it rode to power in 2014 May, Scindia said. New Delhi, May 16 The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that triple talaq is a matter of faith being practiced by Muslims for the last 1,400 years and hence the question of constitutional morality and equity did not arise. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) The Muslim body also equated triple talaq with the Hindu belief that Lord Rama was born at Ayodhya. "Triple talaq is there since 637. Who are we to say that this is un-Islamic. Muslims are practicing it for last 1,400 years. It is a matter of faith. Hence, there was no question of constitutional morality and equity," former Union Law Minister and senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for AIMPLB, said. "If I have faith that Lord Rama was born at Ayodhya, then it's a matter of faith and there is no question of constitutional morality," Sibal told a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar. He also referred to the fact that the source of triple talaq can be found in Hadith and that it came into being after the time of Prophet Muhammad. The AIMPLB is advancing arguments before the bench which also comprises Justices Kurian Joseph, R F Nariman, U U Lalit and Abdul Nazeer. Read: Law panel to go slow on common code; await SC verdict on triple talaq Yesterday, the Centre had told the apex court that it will bring a new law to regulate marriage and divorce among the Muslim community if all forms of divorce including triple talaq are struck down. Today is the fourth day of the hearing on a clutch of petitions challenging triple talaq, polygamy and 'nikah halala' which is going on before a bench comprising members of different religious communities, including Sikh, Christian, Parsi, Hindu and Muslim. PTI Satya Prakash Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 16 All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) today defended the practice of triple talaq as a matter of faith, saying it was like the Hindus belief that Lord Ram was born at Ayodhya which cant be questioned on the basis of constitutional morality. Triple talaq is there since 637 AD. Who are we to say that this is un-Islamic? Muslims are practising it for the last 1,400 years. It is a matter of faith. You cant bring constitutional morality into it, senior counsel Kapil Sibal told a five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar on behalf of AIMPLB. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) Triple talaq is not a question of equity and good conscience but of faith, Sibal said, emphasising that Shariat i.e. Muslim Personal Law was not subject to fundamental rights as it was not law within the meaning of Article 13(3) of the Constitution. If I believe that Lord Rama was born at Ayodhya, then its a matter of faith and there is no question of constitutional morality, Sibal told the Bench. He added that striking down triple talaq would be like killing a man to save a cow. Very bad example, the CJI commented. Simran Sodhi Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 15 India and Pakistan today argued their case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague and, as expected, exchanged sharp words over Kulbhushan Jadhav, an Indian national sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court for allegedly being a spy. While New Delhi said the Vienna Convention on Consular Access had been violated as its envoys were not allowed to meet Jadhav, Islamabad claimed its provisions were not intended for a spy involved in terror activities. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) India got to make its observations first and was represented by senior lawyer Harish Salve, who harped on the urgency of the situation: The situation is grave, it is urgent and, hence, we approached this court at such short notice. India bases its claims solely on the Vienna Convention, which states that any arrest needs to be reported expeditiously to the country concerned. This is prima facie a case of violation of the convention, maintained Salve. India described Jadhavs trial as farcical and appealed that his death sentence be immediately suspended. India also argued that the 2008 bilateral agreement between the two neighbours for consular access was irrelevant. Refuting Pakistans charges of Jadhav being a spy, Salve said, Pakistan has claimed overwhelming evidence of covert/spying activities. But despite Indias repeated requests, it has not provided a single shred of evidence or documentation to prove its claim. Later in the day, Pakistan counsel Khawar Qureshi refuted Indias allegations of violating the Vienna Convention. It sought to draw attention to the 2008 pact between the two nations that India was referring to as irrelevant. Jurisdiction under the Vienna Convention is limited by the 2008 agreement Pakistan has no desire to waste the courts time and resources to score political points, said Qureshi. In statements that were caustic in their nature, Pakistan hit out at India, saying it had stuck to its position that Jadhav was indeed a spy and a terrorist arrested from the restive Baluchistan region in 2016. India has accepted that Jadhav was indeed a former Indian naval officer, but denied charges of espionage levelled against him. While India took over 90 minutes to present its case, the Pakistan team took less than an hour. The decision of the International Court of Justice could come in the next few days or may even take longer. Curt Namaskar sums up Indo-Pak chill Reflecting the chill in Indo-Pak ties, a curt namaskar was all that a senior Indian diplomat had to offer to an extended hand of a member of the Pakistani delegation at the International Court of Justice (in the Netherlands), hearing the Kulbhushan Jadhav case. Deepak Mittal, who heads the Pakistan division in the external affairs ministry and is representing India, ignored the handshake gesture by Mohammad Faisal, Pakistans DG for South Asia and SAARC, and offered a namaskar instead. Interestingly, Mittal shook hands with some of the Pakistan delegation members, including the attorney general, the main lawyer from the Pakistan government. PTI Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 16 Led by Vice President Rahul Gandhi, the Congress on Tuesday launched a no-holds-barred attack on the Modi government asking what the ruling dispensation was celebrating. The government is planning Modi (Making of Developing India) fest from May 26 to June 15 to highlight its achievements. While Gandhi tweeted asking what the government was celebrating after 3 years of broken promises, non-performance and betrayal of a mandate, the Congress fielded five young leaders to slam the governments record since 2014. The party also said it would hold a 24-month public campaign across India to expose the BJPs governance record. The Gandhis are personally supervising the campaign details, the party said. The youth is struggling to find jobs, farmers are committing suicides and soldiers are dying at the border. What exactly is the govt celebrating? Rahul Gandhi wrote. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd) At the Congress headquarters, partys chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, alongside MP Jyotiraditya Scindia, ex-MP Sachin Pilot, ex-minister RPN Singh and MP Sushmita Dev, asked a range of questions on the BJPs record. The party also screened a Teen Saal, 30 Tikdam clip designed to mark the three years of the BJP government saying the government had failed on 30 counts, including the promise of good days, Pakistan front, Chinese aggression, employment, MSP for farmers, promised state packages for Bihar and JK, petrol and pulse prices, and Dalit and womens safety among other areas. Asked why the BJP was going on winning elections if it was anti-Dalit, anti-poor, anti-farmer and anti-youth as the Congress was saying, Surjewala said, Electoral reverses are part of celebrations of democracy. The Congress is about ideas and ideology. We have learnt from our past mistakes and will present an alternative viewpoint to the people. We will hold a 24-month agitational plan against the BJP and show to people that the BJP is all about lies. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 16 The Lok Insaaf Party today appealed to all political parties to support them to move a private members Bill on the issue of water dispute with Haryana in the upcoming state Assembly session. In a press conference, Atam Nagar MLA Simarjit Singh Bains said the Speaker should allow them to move the Bill which would prove crucial to protect the states interests on the SYL canal issue. While sharing the details of the Bill, he said the Supreme Courts decision was not likely to go in favour of Punjab. The only way out for the state is to pass a Bill and seek presidential reference on the legality of Section 78 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, and Section 14 of the Inter-State Water Dispute Act, 1956, in the light of federal structure of the country, which the Constitution ensures, he said. He said both sections were against the 7th Schedule and Article 262 of the Constitution, respectively. It was thus important that all parties must unanimously pass the Bill, he added. Saurabh Malik Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 15 Nearly two years after Punjab Police found itself in the dock for allegedly helping an accused get default bail, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has called for a report on how Inspector Jagbir Singh, embroiled in the controversy, was still on duty and drawing his salary. The Bench had earlier directed the Tarn Taran SSP to explain why action had not been initiated in spite of administrative indictment of officers till date. The direction by Justice Fateh Deep Singh came after the Bench was told about the passing of punishment orders against four cops. The Inspector had also been identified as guilty official before being nominated as an accused in the pending FIR, the Bench was further told. As the case came up for hearing, Justice Singh asked the state counsel about the action taken. But the latter was totally unable to make any statement. He only submitted that they received a fax message the previous day for the arrest of the official. Admittedly, the official concerned is a regular employee, drawing salary from the state exchequer and on duty. Let the report to this effect be called by the next date of hearing, Justice Fateh Deep Singh added. The police found itself in trouble in August 2015, after it corroborated the alibi of an alleged smuggler that he was with cops in a hotel near Chandigarh. On the other hand, it recorded the statement of a cop claiming that the accused fled from Tarn Taran after being intercepted by a police party. The developments took place on a petition by Dharminder Singh for pre-arrest bail in a case under the NDPS Act registered on June 19, 2014, at Sarai Amanat Khan police station in Amritsar. The court was told that the FIR was registered on secret information that accused were smuggling heroin through the international border with Pakistan. A vehicle coming from Attari border was then intercepted. While Balkar Singh was apprehended, Davinder Singh, Swaran Singh and Dharminder Singh fled. As the police failed to submit challan within the prescribed period, Balkar Singh was granted bail. Departmental inquiry was ordered against officials responsible for the late presentation of challan. Besides, the petitioners alibi was accepted that on the day of occurrence he was in a hotel on Zirakpur-Shimla highway along with Inspector Jagbir Singh, Inspector Bhupinder Singh and DSP Tejinder Singh Virk. The bench had asserted, This court finds the stand of the investigating agency totally contradictory. Besides, it is inexplicable how on the day of occurrence, officials of the police were with Dharminder Singh, who is stated to be a criminal indulging in cross border smuggling. Conflicting statements The police found itself in trouble in August 2015 after it corroborated the alibi of an alleged smuggler that he was with cops in a hotel near Chandigarh. On the other hand, it recorded the statement of a cop claiming that the accused fled from Tarn Taran after being intercepted by a police party. The developments took place on a petition by Dharminder Singh for pre-arrest bail in a case under the NDPS Act registered on June 19, 2014, at Sarai Amanat Khan police station in Amritsar. Tribune News Service Muktsar, May 16 Nine persons, including a woman, were injured in a clash between Congress and SAD workers at Ennakhera village in Malout today. The Congress workers were admitted to the local Civil Hospital, while the SAD supporters were taken to the Community Health Centre at Alamwala village. The Sadar Malout police have started an investigation, even as a case was yet to be registered at the time of filing of this report. Jaswinder Singh, a Congress worker who was injured, alleged, I had lodged a complaint against SAD men who had encroached upon the village common land. In retaliation, about 20 persons today attacked us at my residence. He said his mother Jaswinder Kaur, son Lovedeep Singh, nephew Inderjit Singh and Jatinder Singh were also injured. When I pulled out my revolver, the attackers snatched it and fled, he alleged. The SAD workers, including Baj Singh and his son Jatinder Singh, alleged, We were carving out a water channel in our fields, but Jaswinder took away our bricks from there. When we confronted him, he attacked us. Sources blamed an old rivalry for the clash. The two groups reportedly fired shots into the air. Tribune News Service Chandigarh, May 16 The Finance Department of the Punjab Government has made it clear that government officials or employees can avail leave encashment equal to 10 days of earned leave even if they apply for leave travel concession (LTC) against a travel on their personal vehicle. An official spokesman said the employees had to submit substantial evidence along with the claim for LTC to prove their visit to the declared place. He said evidence such as proof of stay at that place on that date would be required to be presented with a bill. The spokesman said such evidence would be treated as correct only if it fully satisfied the competent authority and audit requirements. The spokesman said that in the absence of clear evidence of travel to the declared place of visit, the claim of leave encashment would not be accepted. San Francisco, May 16 Ramin Forouzandeh had applied to 13 PhD economics programmes in the United States, but after President Donald Trump signed his first travel ban in January, the 25-year-old Iranian turned to Canada for other options. He said he had focused on US schools because they hosted most of the worlds top 20 economics programmes. By late March, US courts had halted two versions of Trumps travel ban, yet Forouzandeh signed for University of Torontos Rotman School of Management and turned down the University of Minnesotas prestigious PhD programme. His countryman, Mahdi Ebrahimi Kahou, 30, was well into his first year of the Minnesota programme when he decided to transfer to the University of British Columbia because of Trumps executive orders that banned travel from seven and later six Muslim-majority countries, including Iran. I lost my motivation to work completely, he said. A survey of 19 Canadian universities showed a spike in international applications, most notably from Iran and India. Five top Canadian economics and business PhD programmes are getting at least half of their new Iranian students this fall because of the ban. Most of those, like Forouzandeh and Ebrahimi Kahou, are opting out of US programmes in a field where the US both dominates and relies on foreign talent. This strikes at the heart of what has made US higher education the envy of the world, said Mary Sue Coleman, chair of the Association of American Universities. Its this notion that the US is no longer a welcoming place for the best and the brightest. Iranians are by far the biggest group among students directly affected by the bans and form a small but notable part of the talent pool in areas such as engineering and economics, where US academic institutions excel. In 2015, at least 35 per cent of graduate students at US universities granting graduate degrees in science, engineering and health were foreigners. This year, about 60 per cent of graduating PhDs from the top 10 US economics departments come from other countries. Youve got an issued order thats been temporarily blocked that applies to six countries. But the destabilisation of the whole situation for international students and faculty could not be overstated, said Rice University President David Leebron. He said that for foreign students, everything from getting a visa on time to employment opportunities had been thrown into question. According to Rices dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies, this years PhD programmes will have slightly fewer Chinese, Indian and Middle Eastern students than expected. In British Columbia, the Simon Fraser University has admitted 20 per cent more international students for the fall term. The prestige of the US programmes remains a big draw, but those committed to a US career are more aware of risks. For example, Soheil Ghili, who is getting a PhD in economics from Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management this month and will start as a post-doctoral fellow at Yale this summer, is hedging his bets. Let me put it this way: I will be more careful to not miss networking opportunities with people from Toronto and London. Reuters New York, May 16 A gang member was sentenced to 49 years in prison on Monday for the murder of a transgender teen, in the first ever transgender hate crime prosecution in the United States. Joshua Vallum pleaded guilty last December to the 2015 murder of his former romantic partner, 17-year-old Mercedes Williamson because she was transgender. The 29-year-old man appeared in a Gulfport, Mississippi, courthouse before a federal judge who could have imposed a maximum sentence of life without parole. Harper Jean Tobin, spokeswoman for the National Center for Transgender Equality (NCTE), a Washington DC advocacy group, said the murder was part of an "epidemic of violence against transgender people" in the United States. "It's essential that biased crime against trans people be recognised as a serious national problem," she said in a phone interview. In 2009, the US Congress expanded a federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim's sexual orientation among other factors. Vallum, a member of the Latin Kings street gang, believed to the largest Hispanic gang in the United States, secretly dated Williamson during the summer of 2014, according to prosecutors. He decided to kill Williamson fearing that he could face retribution from other gang members if word spread she was a transgender woman, prosecutors said. After luring his former lover to his father's home in Mississippi, in the United States' Deep South, Vallum shocked Williamson with a stun gun before stabbing her repeatedly with a pocket knife. He struck deadly blows to Williamson's head with a hammer after she tried running away, prosecutors said. This was the first case where a victim had been targeted because of gender identity that had been prosecuted under the US federal hate crime law, the Department of Justice said in a statement. "Today's sentencing reflects the importance of holding individuals accountable when they commit violent acts against transgender individuals," said Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a statement. Vallum had previously been sentenced to life in prison in a state court for the same murder. But federal prosecutors brought an additional lawsuit for hate crime because Mississippi lacks a statute protecting people against hate crimes based on their gender identity, the Department of Justice said. According to a 2015 NCTE survey, nearly one in 10 US transgender people said they had been physically attacked because of being transgender in the year prior to completing the survey. Last week, a Virginia state court angered LGBT activists by ruling that attacks motivated by the victim's sexual orientation could not be prosecuted as hate crime under the state's law. Reuters London, May 16 Britains Opposition Labour Party has included the demand by some British Sikh groups for an independent inquiry into the UKs alleged involvement in the Operation Bluestar in 1984 as a manifesto pledge. The manifesto for the June 8 general election, released by party leader Jeremy Corbyn today, also makes a reference to working towards political negotiations in Kashmir. Labour remains committed to an independent inquiry into Britain's military role in the 1984 raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Diplomacy section of the manifesto states. A Labour government will immediately recognise the state of Palestine. We will also urge negotiations towards a political resolution in all regions currently experiencing conflict, including Kashmir, Libya, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen, and support those countries already working to end decades of division, including Colombia, Cyprus and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the section notes. The Sikh Federation UK, which has been lobbying for a public inquiry into Britains alleged involvement in the military action on the Golden Temple in 1984, welcomed the partys stand. We are delighted with the commitment shown by the Labour Party by making the pledge of an independent public inquiry in the manifesto. This pressures the Conservatives to revisit the issue and acknowledge the need for a fresh independent ptobe. We will be increasing legal pressure before June 8 and the British government will want to avoid the truth being dragged out in the courts, said Bhai Amrik Singh, the chair of the Sikh Federation UK. The group had written to the Labour Party earlier this year on the issue. Corbyn had then written to British PM Theresa May calling for a "fresh, independent investigation" into Britain's exact role in the Indian Army operation on the Golden Temple in 1984. PTI Seoul, May 15 North Korea said on Monday it had successfully conducted a mid-to-long-range missile test and would continue such launches any time, any place, defying UN Security Council resolutions and warnings from the US. North Korea, which regularly threatens to destroy the United States in a sea of flames, has accused Washington of pushing the Korean peninsula to the brink of nuclear war with recent military drills with South Korea and Japan. The Norths KCNA news agency said Sundays test launch verified the homing feature of the warhead that allowed it to survive under the worst re-entry situation and accurately detonate. It also tested the Norths capability to carry a large-size heavy N-warhead, KCNA said. The test-fire proved to the full all the technical specifications of the rocket ... like guidance and stabilisation systems ... and reconfirmed the reliability of new rocket engine under the practical flight circumstances, KCNA said. The test represents a level of performance never before seen from a North Korean missile, John Schilling, an aerospace expert, said in an analysis on the US-based 38 North website. It appears to have not only demonstrated an intermediate-range ballistic missile 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. The missile flew 787 km on a trajectory reaching an altitude of 2,111.5 km. North Korea has been developing a long-range missile capable of striking the mainland US mounted with a nuclear warhead. That would require a flight of 8,000 km or more and technology to ensure a warheads stable re-entry into the atmosphere. The test-firing of ICBMs will occur at any time and place, at the will of North Koreas highest leadership, North Koreas ambassador to China, Ji Jae Ryong, told reporters in Beijing on Monday, a day before the UN Security Council meets in New York to discuss the test. Reuters Beijing, May 15 Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that Moscow was opposed to any new countries acquiring nuclear weapons, but that the world should talk to North Korea rather than threaten it. Putin, speaking in Beijing, said nuclear tests of the type that Pyongyang had been carrying out in recent weeks were unacceptable, but that a peaceful solution to rising tensions on the Korean peninsula was needed. I want to confirm that we are categorically against the expansion of the club of nuclear powers, including with the Korean Peninsula and North Korea, said Putin, who said any such move would be harmful and dangerous. But at the same time, we understand that what we have observed in the world recently, and specifically flagrant violations of international law and incursions into the territory of foreign states, changes in regime, lead to such kinds of arms races. Putin did not specify what countries he had in mind, but he has in the past repeatedly criticised the US for military operations in Iraq, Libya and Syria. In this connection, we need to act in a joined-up way, (and) strengthen the system of international guarantees with the help of international law and with the help of the UN Charter, said Putin. Reuters Washington, May 16 US President Donald Trump on Tuesday defended having disclosed information to senior Russian officials last week, saying he had an absolute right to do so and had shared facts to get Moscow to step up its fight against the Islamic State. The President took to Twitter to counter a torrent of criticism, including from his fellow Republicans, after reports that during a White House meeting he had revealed highly classified information about a planned Islamic State operation. Two US officials said Trump shared the intelligence, supplied by an ally of the US in the fight against the militant group, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak during a meeting last Wednesday. The disclosures late on Monday roiled the administration as it struggled to move past the backlash over Trumps abrupt firing on May 9 of FBI Director James Comey, who was investigating potential ties between Russia and Trumps 2016 presidential campaign. The turmoil overshadowed Republican legislative priorities such as healthcare and tax reform and laid bare sharp divisions between the White House and US intelligence agencies, which concluded in January that Russia had tried to influence the election in Trumps favour. Russia has denied such meddling, and Trump bristles at any suggestion he owed his November 8 victory to Moscow. As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled WH meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety, Trump Tweeted. Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism. In a later tweet, Trump took aim at LEAKERS in the intelligence community, a frequent target of his months-old administration. The Kremlin also came to Trumps defense on Tuesday, calling reports that he had disclosed classified material complete nonsense. Trumps secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and national security adviser, HR McMaster, issued statements saying no sources, methods or military operations were discussed at the Russian meeting. McMaster said the story, initially reported by The Washington Post, was false. The US officials said while the President has the authority to disclose even the most highly classified information at will, in this case he did so without consulting the ally that provided it, which threatens to jeopardise a long-standing intelligence-sharing agreement. US allies, including Australia, New Zealand and Japan, cited the White House denials and said intelligence sharing would continue. Some analysts, however, said the reports could undermine trust between partners. The reports came days before Trump departs on Friday for his first overseas trip as President, to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy and Belgium. The two top Republicans in Congress, which is controlled by the party, House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, were muted in their response. Ryans office said he hoped for a full explanation, while McConnell told Bloomberg TV on Tuesday he wished for a little less drama from the White House. Other Republicans, however, expressed concern. Senator Susan Collins said on Tuesday even though the President has legal authority to disclose classified information, it would be very troubling if he did share such sensitive reporting with the Russians. She called for the Senate Intelligence Committee to be briefed on the matter. Reuters The info classification Confidential: Information that reasonably could be expected to cause damage to the national security if disclosed to unauthorised sources Secret: The same wording as mentioned above, except it substitutes serious damage Top secret: Again, the same wording except to substitute exceptionally grave damage Codeword: Adds a second level of clearance to top secret, so that only those cleared with the codeword can see it. The material discussed by Trump with the Russians was under a codeword, sources told The Washington Post I have the right to do so As President I wanted to share with Russia (at an openly scheduled WH meeting) which I have the absolute right to do, facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety. Donald Trump, US President London, May 16 Britain's Opposition Labour party has included the demand by some British Sikh groups for an independent inquiry into the UK's alleged involvement in the Operation Bluestar in 1984 as a manifesto pledge. The manifesto for the June 8 general election, released by party leader Jeremy Corbyn today, also makes a reference to working towards political negotiations in Kashmir. Labour remains committed to an independent inquiry into Britain's military role in the 1984 raid on the Golden Temple in Amritsar, the "Diplomacy" section of the manifesto states. "A Labour government will immediately recognise the state of Palestine. We will also urge negotiations towards a political resolution in all other regions currently experiencing conflict, including Kashmir, Libya, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Yemen, and give our strong support to those countries already working to end decades of division, including Colombia, Cyprus and the Democratic Republic of Congo," the section notes. The Sikh Federation UK, which has been lobbying for a public inquiry into Britain's alleged involvement in the military action on Golden Temple in 1984, welcomed the party's stand on the issue. "We are delighted with the commitment shown by the Labour Party by making the pledge of an independent public inquiry in the manifesto. This puts real pressure on the Conservatives to revisit the issue and acknowledge the need for a fresh independent investigation. "We will be increasing legal pressure before the 8 June and the British government will want to avoid the truth being dragged out in the courts," said Bhai Amrik Singh, the chair of the Sikh Federation UK. The group had made a written submission to the Labour party earlier this year on the issue. Corbyn had then written to British Prime Minister Theresa May calling for a "fresh, independent investigation" into Britain's exact role in the Indian Army operation on Golden Temple in 1984. Corbyn's letter to Downing Street, dated January 4, read: "Given concerns regarding the effectiveness and integrity of the January 2014 review, I believe we must consider a fresh, independent investigation into this episode in British history. "It is clear to me from my discussions with Sikh groups in the UK that there remains significant resentment that over the 30 years since this most appalling event, questions remain about the role which the United Kingdom played." In 2014, then Prime Minister David Cameron had ordered the Heywood Review into the exact nature of British involvement after documents released previously under the 30-year declassification rule had implied British SAS commanders had advised the Indian government as it drew up plans for the removal of militants from the Sikh shrine. The report concluded that the nature of the UK's assistance was "purely advisory" and provided to the Indian government at an early stage of planning. The Sikh Federation UK has since been pursuing the matter with the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and await a hearing on its Freedom of Information request for four Cabinet Office files they believe contain more details on the exact nature of Britain's alleged involvement in Operation Bluestar. PTI Max Fuller, co-founder of U.S. Xpress, is known for being on the leading edge of new trucking technology. After all, it was the logo of the Tennessee-based truckload giant that was emblazoned across the Nikola hydrogen-electric truck prototype unveiled last fall. But Nikola and Tesla arent the only companies bringing technology into trucking that dont have experience in the industry. Some of the hottest companies attracting venture capital these days deal with trucking apps, especially those that promise to do for trucking what Uber did for passengers. The problem, Fuller says, is these new entrants into the trucking tech arena dont know what they dont know which makes it tough for those in trucking to figure out what these apps are going to mean to the industry. And its not like there arent already enough apps out there to make your head spin, whether youre a trucking exec like Fuller or an independent owner-operator. You can find hundreds of trucker-oriented apps for smartphones and other mobile devices on the Google Play Store or Apple Store. Truckers can use apps to find parking, find the lowest priced fuel, bypass weigh stations, find freight the list seems endless. The term app is used all the time, but it actually can apply to a few different things: a computer application similar to those used on desktop computers; an application that allows access to a web-based platform (Facebook for instance), or a true mobile app designed specifically for mobile devices. Mobile apps tend to be task-specific finding a parking spot or checking the weather, for example. In a recent report, market research firm Frost & Sullivan outlined 70 apps widely used in trucking. It grouped them into three categories: Apps focused on the driver (truckstop locators, driving directions, social media, etc.) Apps that deal with freight (load matching and load boards, for instance) Apps focused on fleet needs (dispatching, tracking and tracing, etc.). Why are apps the buzz? Truckings growing use of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets is generating a bumper crop of apps, according to Ken Harper, marketing director at DAT Solutions, a longtime player in the freight-matching business. Most truck drivers estimates say upward of 90% carry at least one mobile device. Harper says his company has seen a big shift in mobile usage, reporting that 70-75% of the users of its services now access DATs website via a mobile device. Another thing thats relative here is the ratio of truckers to brokers using mobile devices, he says. We figure anywhere from 80-90% of the smart device users are carriers. DAT has seen technology morph from its start with truck stop load boards (its original name was Dial-A-Truck), to products available via the internet, to mobile apps. As the company has developed companion apps for its load board products, Harper says, There has been this seismic shift. We adapted to try to address that. The same is true for many trucking management system providers. Most large fleets have invested heavily in sophisticated TMS software and mobile communication systems over the years. With the increasing number of small technology providers offering lower-cost web and mobile apps, there has been a corresponding response from the more established vendors. A few examples: Users of PeopleNets onboard communication devices can use the ConnectedDriver app. This companion app to PeopleNets in-cab device lets drivers stay connected to dispatch and other information when they are away from the truck. TMW Systems new Parts Room app lets parts room workers use a smartphone to conduct inventories, scan bar codes, and other tasks. Much of that work had already been automated, but the ability to use a smartphone reduces costs for carriers, says Alan Tomlinson, director of key accounts. Many shops use handheld computers for inventory work, but these are bulky devices with a proprietary operating system, he explains. They are expensive and only run apps that are written for that device. Mobile apps offer an attractive alternative. I totally believe that mobile apps are the wave of the future. Why would companies buy several-thousand-dollar devices when you can switch to these much less expensive alternatives? Fleet management technology and telematics company Zonar recently introduced the GTC (Ground Traffic Control) FieldView app. It works on Android mobile devices and allows managers to keep track of vehicles and drivers in the field even when theyre out of the office. And then there are all the driver-focused apps. For instance, Trucker Path, launched in 2013, now boasts over 450,000 active users, or 30% of all Class 8 truckers, the company says. The app helps truck drivers plan their routes with updated information on parking availability, weigh station statuses, fuel prices, and other locations of interest. On average, a driver saves around 11 hours per month by using the app, according to CEO Ivan Tsybaev. A key element of the apps success is that it is crowdsourced, he says. Information is updated by users in real time. This helps deliver the best, most reliable results. Source: Frost & Sullivan, Mobile Apps Driving Trucking Industry Transformation in North America, 2016-2017, January 2017 Uber for trucking? The most buzz, however, is centered around apps that some have nicknamed Uber for trucking, and this is where a lot of the new players in the trucking app space are focused. Amazon reportedly is secretly building an Uber for trucking app. And Uber apparently is getting into the act itself, with a plan to eventually tie it to its autonomous truck technology. On a panel discussion at the American Trucking Associations annual management conference last fall, Ubers Anthony Levandowski outlined a vision for the future of transportation of liquidity and automation. Liquidity, he explained, is the ability to match carriers with shippers. If youre delivering people, as Uber does via its ride-sharing app, why not food, why not packages, and why not freight, he asked. However, the Uber for trucking moniker might not be the best analogy, except in terms of thinking about disruptive technologies. The ride-sharing app Uber and the trucking industry apps hoping to emulate its success address similar business problems: matching vehicles with passengers (in Ubers case) or freight. Of course, the freight market is nothing like the taxi market that Uber and similar companies, such as Lyft, have disrupted. The regulatory, contractual and other issues involved in moving freight are very different. However, using digital tools to help match freight with trucks is gaining traction. Armstrong & Associates, a marketing and research firm specializing in third-party logistics, suggested in a 2016 report that it makes more sense to describe these products as digital freight matching apps. Whatever you call them, Armstrong reports that the segment has attracted over $180 million in venture capital funding since 2011. Armstrong looked at 27 such offerings and categorized them as: Uber-like: Cutting out the middleman or broker, with GPS alerts, trace and track, and automated payments Load board plus: Mobile app extensions of existing load boards Broker plus: Proprietary apps that brokers make available to their customers Specialty apps: Focusing on specialized freight Last mile: Used for e-commerce fulfillment and local delivery. It bears noting that freight-matching services deal with spot freight. The majority of freight is moved under contract, but the spot market accounts for 15-25% of all freight, according to DATs Harper. That number can rise due to factors such as seasonal changes or weather disruptions, he says. During the severe snow storms in the Northeast a few years ago, for instance, the spot market jumped to about 40% of freight. A recently introduced product called Doft does bill itself as Uber for trucking. The company is here to disrupt one of the oldest businesses in the country, explains founder and CEO Dmitri Fedorchenko. The app matches freight with trucks, like Uber matches passengers with taxicabs, and it is designed to make these matches in less than 60 seconds. Another company, Loadsmart, also matches loads with carriers. Diego Urrutia, the companys chief commercial officer, says the founders wanted to add more value beyond listing loads and trucks. Noting that 90% of motor carriers operate fewer than 10 trucks, the company built a free fleet management platform that any company can use. Rather than have carriers go to the load board to pick freight, instead we are going to push targeted business to them, Urrutia explains. By analyzing how carriers use the service, they can streamline the process. For the carriers on the platform, we have an idea of what they like [in terms of freight], and where they go. We are only sending them relevant business loads they can actually pick up and want to pick up. One of the criticisms of the digital freight matching model is that, in some ways, it represents a negative auction the lowest rate wins. Loadsmart allows carriers to bid up a load, Urrutia says. There is an option of bidding it up or bidding it down the carriers dont have to feel compelled to accept a load. Trucker Path has also entered the digital load matching space with Truckloads. It is designed to connect shippers and carriers via both web-based and mobile applications. Carriers use custom searches that allow carriers to find loads that fit their specific needs. Other freight-matching startups in recent years have included Convoy, Cargo Chief, and others. Truckloads is a freight-matching app from Trucker Path. Photo: Trucker Path Easier said than done But some in the industry are skeptical about the ability of outsiders to come in and understand the complexities of matching freight and trucks, despite large amounts of investor funding. Bob Voltmann, president and CEO of the Transportation Intermediaries Association, has said publicly that these types of apps arent going to put brokers and 3PLs out of business. Theres plenty of room in the market, he contends, noting in a session at last falls TMW/PeopleNet In.Sight user conference that the third-party logistics industry has been growing two to three times faster than GDP. The lack of commonality of truck freight means its tough for an app to do it all, and Voltmann points out that 3PLs already are technology adopters. Photo: TMW Robert Nathan, CEO of Load Delivered, a 3PL that specializes in food and beverage, says such technology is great for our industry. But he notes that large 3PLs and brokers have been doing this sort of thing for some time. If you walk around the top 100 3PLs, all of us are doing in our own way what the new players are doing with freight matching algorithms. If you look under the hood of an Uber for trucking app, its the same as a pure 3PL or broker. They gave it a sexy name and suddenly their valuations [skyrocket]. These are intelligent investors who are unintelligently investing in basic brokerage. According to Richard Dick Metzler, chief marketing officer of uShip, another early online freight shipping marketplace, theres been a lot of venture capital that has poured into dozens of startups that aim to take the low-tech business of arranging cargo shipments online. Metzler, who had a long career at traditional logistics companies, such as FedEx Logistics and XPO Logistics, before moving into the high-tech marketplace, calls this the fear of missing out effect, and believes most of these companies are unlikely to continue to get financing. One early and high-profile Uber for trucking entrant, Cargomatic, launched in 2014, and in early 2015 announced $8 million in investor funding to help it expand its platform. But by September of last year, published reports indicated that the company was struggling, with the departure of key executives and insiders saying the company was running out of cash. (Cargomatic did not respond to our request for an update.) Trucker Path helps drivers plan their route, find trucking and other points of interest. Photo: Trucker Path Beyond the freight A number of apps aim to do more than just match loads and freight. For instance, SmartTruckRoute, a mobile GPS app, combines truck routing and mapping with the Trulos Load Board. Targeted at owner-operators, the app shows truckers available loads along their current route or a future route theyve mapped out on the system. The company says the app helps simplify obtaining backhauls, full or partial loads. FreightRover, a recently introduced app, is designed to connect carriers in a more efficient manner with their owner-operators, says Michael Pecchia, FreightRover CEO. The company found that being able to pick their own route was a major sticking point with owner-operators. The FreightRover app allows each owner-operator to self-dispatch. FreightRover is a load matching app designed to let leased owner-operators self-dispatch. It can run on multiple devices. Photo: FreightRover In a sense, it is similar to a load board, he says, but the app eliminates any phone calls the driver might have to make. We do that automatically. The app also features track and trace and geofencing functions. They began testing the app last April with a 30-truck unit at Indianapolis-based truckload fleet Celadon. In July, it was opened to all Celadon owner-operators. Pecchia says driver performance has improved with the app, such as a 1% increase in on-time percentage. Plus, the app relieves some of the pressure from dispatch. It interfaces with the companys TMS software so dispatchers receive updates on loads, but they dont have to assign those loads they only need to deal with the exceptions. The company is working on an open model, probably four to six months away, that will let them solicit loads directly from shippers and post them like a load board so drivers can pick the loads they need. Under this app, shippers control who sees their loads. Only their favorite carriers can see those loads, or they can open up to all carriers, Pecchia explains. FreightRovers goal is to connect everyone through one portal carriers, shippers, and drivers. The sheer number of mobile apps available for trucking can be overwhelming. But not to worry. According to the analysts at Frost & Sullivan, consolidation within this space is inevitable, with some companies acquiring others, and established vendors forging partnerships with new entrants or new entrants working with fleets such as Celadon and U.S. Xpress. Whether from a new startup or a long-time provider, in trucking there is definitely an app for that. Editor in Chief Deborah Lockridge contributed to this story. PAUL SCHNEIDEREIT: Treatment centre for PTSD in first responders, military opens in Nova Scotia Imagine its your job, every day, to be ready to rush to scenes where men, women or even children had been killed or badly injured, often in horrific circumstances. Really, consider what that might be like. If youre like most of us, the thought ... Bigotry and the failed fantasy of gun-control By Rob Morse. May 12th, 2017 Bigotry works for politicians. After the civil war, white Democrats promoted fear of newly freed blacks. Today, black Democrats promote fear of free blacks who will defend themselves and the people they love. Politicians always wrap themselves in the cloak of public safety. In fact, that cloak is usually the white sheet of bigotry directed against minorities and the poor. Democrat Congressman John Lewis said we need him so we can be safe. Lewis also said that honest gun owners are not welcome in Atlanta. "I must say to the NRA that you are not welcome here in the 5th district, you are not welcome here in Atlanta." That would have come as quite a shock to gun owner Martin Luther King Junior who was born in Atlanta. Last month Congressman Lewis said, "We need to make our cities, our states, our neighborhoods free of gun violence." Murder isn't a racial problem. Murder isn't a national problem. Murder is a local problem, and let's see if Democrat politicians actually keep us safe. Research by the Crime Prevention Research Center found out that here in the US only a few counties produce most of our homicides. These are populous counties, to be sure, but there remain large areas of peace and quiet even within our most violent counties. Los Angeles gives us a living example. California has strict statewide gun laws. In Los Angeles today, ordinary citizens can not get a permit to carry a concealed weapon in public. Those are the restrictions Congressman Lewis asked for, yet Los Angeles County had over 500 murders and thousands of assaults last year. ....... On May 1st we referred to the local/regional nature of homicides, something that Rob Morse also refers to here - murder is not a national problem but a local one. Indeed, to condemn the innocent (all the good guys) for the actions of the few is the classic approach from the bigotted anti-gun movement, who consistently paint the situation with the same broad brush of innaccuracy and distortion of facts for their own ends. "You don't have to be Jewish to fight by our side." 2017 JPFO All rights reserved. jpfo@jpfo.org 1-800-869-1884 Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership 12500 NE 10th Pl. Bellevue, WA 98005 USA "America's most aggressive defender of civil rights" We make the NRA look like moderates Join JPFO Back to Top Judge excuses juror for illness; black alternate joins jury One of the 12 jurors was excused for an undisclosed illness Monday. The woman was replaced with an alternate. Two alternates had been chosen from the pool of potential jurors to sit through the trial and be ready to fill in when someone in the jury box could no longer proceed. The alternate is the only black man in the jury. Race has been a major issue in the case, and the lack of black male jurors caused a number of complaints and concerns early in the trial. As of Monday evening, the jury consisted of nine white people and three black people. Spectators have to remove ribbons supporting Crutcher to enter Several spectators on the sixth day of the trial wore purple and green ribbons in support of Terence Crutcher, but they had to remove them before entering the courtroom. Beverly Scott, who attends church with the Crutcher family, said she made 35 ribbons to pass out to supporters before the start of testimony Monday morning. She said she chose those two colors because purple stands for royalty and signifies that the wearers are Gods people, while lime green is her ministers favorite color. She said the ribbons were a small way to show that the community is standing behind the Crutchers. Its a small gesture, but it means a lot, she said. A Tulsa County deputy instructed those in line to remove the ribbons if they wanted to enter the courtroom. Last week, Crutcher supporters wearing Black Lives Matter T-shirts were told to turn the shirts inside-out. After a request from Shelbys attorneys, the judge forbid items and attire that could improperly influence the jury. At least two women wore Shelby support bracelets Monday. They are easier to conceal than the ribbons, and one appeared to wear the bracelet into the courtroom. Jurors hear about Crutchers prior instances of resisting, obstruction Two officers testified Monday about previous contacts Crutcher had with law enforcement that resulted in his arrest on complaints of obstruction or resisting. Because prosecutors had introduced evidence of Crutchers character through their witnesses, District Judge Doug Drummond on Friday said he would allow testimony about four instances when Crutcher was accused of obstruction. Tulsa Police Lt. Michael Zenoni, who now works in the Homicide Unit, said he had to use force during a 1995 incident with Crutcher because he would not comply with orders. Oklahoma State University Police Officer Jack Robison, who is assigned to the Tulsa campus, discussed a 2012 encounter in which Crutcher was arrested for public intoxication and obstruction. Robison described Crutcher as very noncompliant and very defiant toward police, saying he had to use his Taser on him twice. He said Crutcher, who didnt have a weapon, appeared to be under the influence of some substance because he had a wild look in his eyes and was sweaty. But Assistant District Attorney Kevin Gray emphasized during cross-examination that Robison chose to use less-lethal force against Crutcher, despite him doing all of those behaviors. Shelby thought of training video during Crutcher encounter Shelby testified Monday that during her deadly confrontation with Crutcher, she recalled a training video in which an officer was fatally shot. During her six months at the police training academy, Shelby said she watched videos of real-life situations that served as lessons of what to do and not to do in the field. One involved an officer who pulled over a vehicle and was fatally shot by the driver. Shelby said that type of training impacted me so much that I saw the video in my head moments before pulling the trigger. She also testified about being taught to never let subjects who reach into their vehicle pull their arm back out because they could have a gun. A delay in decision time is deadly, she added. If you hesitate, if you delay, then you die, Shelby said. Kyle Hinchey and Samantha Vicent, Tulsa World OKLAHOMA CITY Apparently not satisfied with the progress on the state budget, the Senate amended a House bill with a Senate budget proposal Monday and sent it back to the lower chamber for consideration, Senate Pro Tem Mike Schulz said. But House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, said the Senate proposal contains a poison pill an increase in the fuel tax. Senate Minority Leader John Sparks, D-Norman, who voted against the bill, said, I fear this bill is dead on arrival on the other side. He noted that the proposal includes raising the cigarette tax by $1.50 to generate $215 million. The $1.50 tax increase failed Monday on the House floor but was held on a motion to reconsider the vote. It can be brought up again. Even if that is approved by the House, the Senate plan also includes raising the tax on gasoline and diesel by 6 cents a gallon to generate $125 million. Tax increases must garner at least three-fourths support in both chambers of the Legislature or go to a vote of the people, and the Senate already knows that the fuel tax is a poison pill to any bill, McCall said. By introducing that, it guarantees failure in the House. McCall issued a statement later Monday, saying: The Senate budget plan has already been proposed by House Republicans, and it was found to have no bipartisan support for the fuel tax. The Senate has known this for weeks, so what they proposed today is not a real solution to the budget problem. Per our constitution, revenue raising measures must start in the House. We have a bipartisan plan in place in the House that, with Senate approval, would unlock $436 million in revenue for the budget. The Senate Republican plan would also eliminate $43 million in oil and gas rebates and $16 million in manufacturing sales tax exemptions for the wind industry, Schulz said. All of those items combined would generate between $510 million and $515 million, Schulz said. Gov. Mary Fallin has already signed measures that should generate about $69 million, he said. Combined with some Rainy Day money, the measures would raise about $878 million, Schulz said. The plan would allow the state to hold education, corrections and the Department of Human Services harmless with minimal cuts of less than 5 percent to other agencies, he said. Schulz noted that the Legislature is 10 days away from the end of session, and the (state) constitution says we will balance a budget before we leave here. It is time to stop with gimmicks, he said. It is time to stop with political games. It is time to do the hard work that the voters of Oklahoma sent us up here to do, and that is to lead this state and put this state on a better path forward. The amended version of House Bill 2360 passed the Senate by a vote of 36-10. But McCall said the House already has a budget plan. The Senate knows what that consists of, McCall said. If they will take up that measure and move that forward, we will have the necessary revenue in this years budget to ensure that education common education, public education is held harmless, that we have a teacher pay raise, that the Department of Public Safety, corrections, health care and transportation are all held harmless. We are excited about the House plan to address the budget this year. Key planks of the House budget plan have yet to pass the House. House Democrats support increasing the gross production tax, and at this time, there is not a consensus in the House of Representatives on that measure, McCall said. Good lord, Rep. Ritze! Rep. Mike Ritze, long known as one of the most conservative Republicans in a very conservative, very Republican state House, has topped himself for dreadful ideas. The Broken Arrow Republican suggested to KWTV in Oklahoma City last week that the state could save money by asking federal immigration authorities to consider deporting Oklahoma public school students who dont speak English. No, really. Thats what he said. He went on to suggest that the state might not be responsible for educating children who arent in the country legally and that there might be as many as 82,000 kids in Oklahoma schools who dont speak English. All of that is, in a word, wrong. Factually and morally. First, the state certainly certainly is responsible for educating children who are in the nation illegally. The U.S. Supreme Court cleared up that issue 35 years ago. Second, the state has nowhere close to 82,000 students who dont speak English. The state Department of Education puts the number of English learners at 49,536. When an Associated Press reporter tried to check out Ritzes 82,000 claim the only way he could come close was by including 32,000 bilingual students. But most important, refusing to educate students who dont speak English and suggesting that we would seek their deportation is just outrageous. If the students were born in the United States, they are U.S. citizens. In the United States, we dont deport our own citizens. Even if they arent U.S. citizens and they arent in the nation legally, we still want them to be educated. Our nation is better and stronger if its children receive a quality education, regardless of their legal status. Denying children of any nationality an education doesnt make the children go away. It just makes them ignorant, less productive and more likely to turn to crime in the future. Good lord, Rep. Ritze! Youve suggested some doozies in your time in the Legislature, but this time youve really topped yourself. That said, we cant aim all of our outrage at you. We also have to shake our heads in wonder at the 13,000 Broken Arrow citizens who voted for you in November. Just 4 more episodes of The Leftovers remain before fans stare down the conclusion for Kevin Garvey and the cluster of characters deeply affected by the Sudden Departure of Season One. Based largely in Australia, Season Three is the culmination of Damon Lindelofs vision for his acclaimed HBO series. It was Australias new wave of cinema, Wake in Fright, Walkabout, The Next Wave, Picnic at Hanging Rock that drew producers down under. I felt Melbourne was the place. Producer / Director Mimi Leder says, I went on a scout all over Australia and landed on Melbourne. I went to Sydney, Broken Hill, Adelaide and to Melbourne with 2 of my other producers. Knowing what the story was going to be I felt Melbourne was the place. Filming took place in Melbourne, Broken Hill and the You Yangs south west of Melbourne. The first episode was exclusively in the outback and theres another that is exclusively in the city. So it feels like a completely different show, from Walkabout to Bourne Identity. Im not saying thats the tone of the scripts. Its all buildings as opposed to desert. Leder is full of praise for the Australian actors and crew who joined the series, notably Indigenous actors for scenes in Broken Hill. We always knew there was a great group of Australian actors who have come to the States but casting day players in Australia has been great because there are so many good choices. There are so many seasoned people. Working with the Indigenous people was truly inspiring, and a really soul-searching, learning experience for an American, she reflects. The Americans who come here dont know too much about the Indigenous culture and what happened here, compared to what happened with the native Americans. Weve seen it through your films and cinema, but its not something we learn in school. It was fantastic. Every Australian director I approached was unavailable Yet while Aussie Robert Humphries is one of the shows 2 Directors of Photography, Leder was unable to secure a local Director. Every Australian director I approached was unavailable, she reveals. I went to so many, especially female directors, but it just didnt happen. It was Damons choice to say This is where I want to end it. While she gives nothing away about the conclusion, Leder acknowledges it was a tough decision to wrap the series at just 3 seasons. Its smart to end a show where you think it should end and not extend it for numerous reasons (such as) everyone likes it, or you want to make money. It was Damons choice to say This is where I want to end it. This is the story I want to tell. Not many artists get to do that, or have the courage to do it, she continues. Im not thinking about the ending because I will start crying! It will be brutal. Well all be on our knees, but in a beautiful way. The Leftovers airs 8:30pm Thursdays on Showcase. A crew with the nonprofit MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) shuttle a group of people plucked from the Mediterranean to the Phoenix rescue vessel, November 2016. UNHCR/Giuseppe Carotenuto Reports emerging from the sea rescue effort between Italy and Libya suggest around 20 men, women and children are missing and feared dead after rescuers were able to pluck some 500 survivors from the Mediterranean Sea over the weekend. Information gathered by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Italy indicates that the survivors were rescued from four rubber boats on Sunday by the SeaEye NGO and a merchant vessel called Ohio in the Central Mediterranean Sea. UNHCR is gathering more information from those rescued and about the circumstances of the rescue efforts. Among the 20 feared dead it is reported that some were crushed by other people in the boat, while others drowned at sea. The victims include a child, women and some men mostly from Nigeria, Ivory Coast and reportedly from Bangladesh. Seven bodies were recovered and taken with the survivors to Trapani. With this latest incident, it is estimated more than 1,350 people are now missing or dead in the Mediterranean Sea. Over the past few weeks alone, over 95 people have lost their lives. UNHCR reiterates its call for credible alternatives to these dangerous crossings for people in need of international protection, including accessible and safe ways to reach Europe such as family reunification, resettlement and private sponsorship. Saving lives must be the top priority. With continued horrifying reports of smuggler abuse, action is needed before people are caught and exposed to horrendous abuses at the hands of smugglers and before they board unsafe boats to cross the Mediterranean Sea. This also means redoubling efforts to solve conflicts, especially in Africa; and making better use of development resources. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: A crew with the nonprofit MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) shuttle a group of people plucked from the Mediterranean to the Phoenix rescue vessel, November 2016. UNHCR/Giuseppe Carotenuto TRAPANI, Italy As the rubber boat packed with men, women and children started to take on water in the choppy seas off the coast of Sicily, some threw themselves into the water in a panicked attempt to save themselves. We could see people in the water slowly drifting away, it was terrible, one young survivor from Mali said. At some point we only saw life jackets, no more people, said another young man from Mali. The pair were among 500 people plucked from the Mediterranean Sea by rescuers last week, saved from an increasingly lethal route plied by smugglers profiting from the desperation of refugees and migrants. Reports emerging from the rescue effort between Italy and Libya suggest that around 20 men, women and children are missing and feared dead. Information gathered by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in Italy indicates that the survivors were rescued from four rubber boats on Sunday by nonprofit SeaEye and a merchant vessel called Ohio. Saving lives must be the top priority." Among the 20 feared dead it is reported that some were crushed by other people in the panic aboard the boats, while others drowned at sea. The victims include a child, women and some men mostly from Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Bangladesh. Seven bodies were recovered and taken with survivors to Trapani. The [Sea Eye] rescue crew stayed with us all day, one Sudanese survivor told UNHCR staff after disembarking at the Sicilian port of Trapani. They kept repeating: Stay united, rescue is on its way. With this latest incident, it is estimated that at least 1,364 people are now missing or dead in the Mediterranean Sea. Over the past few weeks alone, over 95 people have lost their lives. UNHCR reiterates its call for credible alternatives to these dangerous crossings for people in need of international protection, including accessible and safe ways to reach Europe such as family reunification, resettlement and private sponsorship. Saving lives must be the top priority, UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told reporters at a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, May 16. With continued horrifying reports of smuggler abuse, action is needed before people are caught and exposed to horrendous abuses at the hands of smugglers and before they board unsafe boats to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Spindler said the response also requires the redoubling efforts to solve conflicts, especially in Africa; and making better use of development resources. UNHCR assistance is distributed for more than 6,200 individuals in Taizz's embattled district of Mokha, one of the worst affected areas in the governorate. Since the beginning of the year UNHCR assistance to those displaced in Taizz has so far reached 69,857 individuals. UNHCR/Adem Shaqiri Hostilities in the Red Sea governorate of Taizz, south of Al Hudaydah, have displaced almost 50,000 people since the start of 2017. This is in addition to the three million who have been uprooted since the beginning of the conflict in Yemen, of whom two million remain displaced and one million have provisionally returned home to precarious conditions. UNHCR field teams have last week returned from emergency distributions in Taizzs embattled district of Mokha, one of the worst affected areas in the governorate where humanitarian access has been challenging due to ongoing clashes and movement restrictions imposed by parties to the conflict. UNHCR has managed to secure access to Mokha for the third time this year. The latest UNHCR aid distribution in Mokha will cover more than 6,200 people with emergency assistance, adding to the 69,857 already reached since the start of this year. Another 17,745 people have been reached in Hudaydah in the same period. Taizz governorate has been a flashpoint in the conflict, generating 27 per cent of internally displaced people in Yemen, and also hosting another 303,672 displaced people. Many who have attempted to flee hostilities in Taizz have been displaced elsewhere across the governorate. In Mokha, UNHCR teams observed worsening conditions for both those displaced by conflict and the local communities hosting them. Many people are living out in the open in harsh conditions and without adequate shelter, protection and material assistance. In Hudaydah, UNHCR field teams also observed a huge spike in humanitarian needs. Displaced people are now living on the streetswith some taking shelter on pavements, and others most vulnerable including female and child-headed households turning to negative coping strategies to enable their survival such as through begging and child labour, which is now rampant across the governorate. UNHCR has warned late last month an intensification of conflict in Al Hudaydah would lead to large-scale displacement of up to an additional half a million people, further increasing needs and vulnerabilities in an high-need area which is already host to a sizeable displaced and conflict affected population and suffering from critical levels of food insecurity. With Hudaydah host to more than 109,000 displaced individuals, many are reporting anxiety about reports of possible intensifications in hostilities in the governorate, unsure of how and where they would flee. In anticipation of any further intensification in hostilities, UNHCR is leading efforts with humanitarian partners to respond to additional displacement under different scenarios. UNHCR is pre-positioning supplies to respond to affected people and in the event of anticipated displacement, will help establish, multi-sector service hubs along major displacement routes to offer respite to people fleeing violence. UNHCR will also provide mobile core relief kits, essential protection services, emergency shelter and household assistance at the final destinations of the displaced in the form of shelter materials, vouchers, financial assistance or cash subsidies for rent, depending on needs. With UNHCRs current supplies at critical levels, millions remaining displaced across the country, UNHCR is appealing for urgent support to respond to current and anticipated displacement. UNHCRs response to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is only funded by less than a quarter to date. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Fatima Jaish Ali and her family are among millions of Yemenis facing hardship and hunger. UNHCR/Shabia Mantoo AL HUDAYDAH, Yemen When the fighting reached his doorstep last year in the city of Hajjah, 130 kilometres northwest of Yemens capital Sanaa, Mohammed Saeed and his four children fled to the neighbouring Hudaydah governorate in search of safety. The 60-year-old former electrical engineer had brought his children up alone since the death of his wife before the outbreak of conflict in 2015. But while they were able to escape the bullets and bombs, the terrible hardship that accompanied their forced displacement was to have tragic consequences for his youngest son, aged just 10. Because of the situation, I lost one of my children to malnutrition, Mohammed explained. We just dont have enough to eat. Sometimes we have food and sometimes we dont. We are very poor, we have no means to support ourselves and we just depend on whatever we get from humanitarian organizations. "I lost one of my children to malnutrition." Mohammeds plight is sadly all too common in a country where two million people are currently displaced and 17 million are considered food insecure as a result of the conflict, now in its third year. Hudaydah is currently host to more than 109,000 displaced Yemenis, who along with the conflict-affected local population are said to be facing critical levels of food insecurity. Amid warnings of a possible intensification of fighting in Hudaydah itself, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, recently warned that up to half a million people could be displaced by an increase in hostilities there. In response, the agency is leading efforts with humanitarian partners to respond to any fresh displacement. UNHCR is pre-positioning supplies to be able to respond in the event of mass displacement and will help establish humanitarian hubs along major displacement routes to offer respite to people fleeing violence, UNHCR spokesman William Spindler told a news briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, May 16. It will also provide mobile core relief kits, protection services, emergency shelter and household assistance at the final destinations of the displaced, in the form of shelter materials, vouchers, financial assistance or cash subsidies for rent, depending on needs. Fatima, a 35-year-old mother of five from Hajjah, fled to Hudaydah shortly after the start of the conflict in early 2015. Their escape followed an explosion near their home that left Fatima badly burned, and she still suffers severe pain from her injuries as a result of not being able to afford proper medical treatment. We just dont have enough to eat." With Fatimas husband a former construction worker unable to find work in Hudaydah, they are currently living in an unused building with 20 other families, and have had to resort to scavenging food from restaurants and sending their children to beg in the streets just to survive. Many of those displaced in Hudaydah like Fatima are anxious about possible intensifications in hostilities, unsure of how and where they would flee. We are scared by the situation but what are we supposed to do?, Fatima asked. Even where we live now, a bomb fell near our building. We are very afraid. With UNHCRs humanitarian supplies at critically low levels, the agency has appealed for US$99.6 million in order to respond to current and anticipated displacement in Yemen, but has so far received less than a quarter of the requested amount. Dispute delays Bharatpur vote count by more than 8 hours UML supporters stage a protest against the delay in counting of votes in front of Covered Hall in Bharatpur, Chitwan, on Monday. POST PHOTO: SHIVA PURI Following the huge downfall of Windows Phones in stocks, Microsoft made a long launch gap in its handset lineup. But, Microsoft fans will still have something to look forward to. Microsoft's highly anticipated Surface Phone is said to function like a laptop with complete support of Win32. Although there is no word on the Microsoft Surface Phone development, tech enthusiasts will still have something to look forward to. Reports are mounting up on the internet claiming that the Microsoft Surface Phone will work like a portable laptop, which is one thing that tech fans have always wanted to see in a Windows Phone. News about the Microsoft Surface Phone has been all around the internet. Recently, Microsoft's current CEO, Satya Nadella, made it known that the tech giant will be rolling out the Surface Phone soon. Nadella claimed that the upcoming Microsoft Surface Phone will be different from a typical handset that people uses every day, BGR reported. As Microsoft's Surface brand has already changed the way a person look at these devices, the radical change in the design of the Microsoft Surface Phone would match with the rest of Microsoft's Surface devices. Microsoft is said to launch an ultimate handset that would totally shake up the smartphone universe. Nonetheless, the Microsoft Surface Phone is expected to have a 5.5-inch AMOLED screen and a 4GB of RAM. The Microsoft Surface Phone will have a various storage options from 64GB to 128GB. The Microsoft Surface Phone will feature both a rear-view and a front-facing snapper with the former being 21MP and the latter being 8MP, Ledger Gazette reported. Microsoft is said to host an event in Shanghai on May 23. Tech fans and experts are expecting that the tech giant might make an official announcement about the Microsoft Surface Phone at the event. The tech giant is definitely looking for a huge comeback in the smartphone industry by rolling out its Surface Phone. Watch The Video Here: On Monday, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from launch pad 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center with Inmarsat satellite that will complete the latter's fifth-generation broadband network. This has been Falcon 9's second flight in two weeks. According to Space, Inmarsat planned to put its $250 million F4 satellite into orbit last year. However, the flight was delayed after a SpaceX Falcon 9 exploded on the launch pad while being fueled for a preflight engine test. The 23-story rocket has successfully flown six times since the accident. SpaceX is famous for introducing reusable rockets in the space exploration scene. So far, 10 Falcon 9 first stage boosters have returned intact after launching. Meanwhile, the same company owned by Elon Musk hopes to launch another second-hand rocket next month for Bulgaria Sat. For the record, this was the first time Inmarsat flew with SpaceX and probably not the last. Apparently, this mission is only the sixth in 20 projects Falcon 9 is set to take part in. The F4 communications satellite weighs about 13,400 lbs. (6,100 kg). It holds the record for the heaviest spacecraft to be pushed by a Falcon booster into a "geostationary" transfer orbit some 22,300 miles (35, 800 km) above the Earth's surface. The satellite separated from the second stage of the SpaceX Falcon 9 roughly 32 minutes after liftoff. Dubbed as the "End of the Beginning", the Inmarsat-5 F4 satellite completes the company's four-member broadband network worth $1.6 billion. That broadband network is named as the Global Xpress. Per Florida Today, it will provide worldwide mobile communications for airlines, ships, and government agencies. The package was built by Boeing and is set to deliver a downlink speed of up to 50 megabits per second. The uplink, on the other hand, reaches up to 5 megabits per second. To better illustrate, this is 100 times faster than Inmarsat's previous system. Customers for the in-flight Wi-Fi services from Global Xpress include Lufthansa Group and Austrian Airlines. The Boeing-built satellite makes Inmarsat's fleet big with 13 spacecraft. A 14th launch is set to happen this June. Global Xpress's final location is yet to be determined but is believed to move from Europe to India. Well, airline passengers could now watch a video on their phones or tablets while military services could enhance their high-bandwidth communication devices. Gurkhas kick off Everest season with summit success The Gurkha Everest Expedition reached the top of Everest on Monday, becoming the first to scale the worlds tallest peak this year. The 14 summiteers included soldiers serving with the Brigade of Gurkhas and high-altitude mountain guides. Large number of youngsters participate in Chitwan polls Chitwan witnessed a large number of young voters in Sundays local elections. Many of them were exercising their franchise for the first time while even those people who sat out the Constituent Assembly elections of 2008 and 2013 turned up to vote. Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in your country. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to your market. We continue to identify technical compliance solutions that will provide all readers with our award-winning journalism. Nepal proposes China for road, rail links Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Ramesh Lekhak proposed to Chinese Transport Minister to link Nepals border with road and railways connectivity. By: Koushan Das, Business Intelligence Associate at Dezan Shira & Associates According to the Vietnam Sea Culture Association, exports of marine aquaculture produce are predicted to reach US$12-13 billion (VND 276-299 trillion) by 2020 and US$30-35 billion (VND 690-805 trillion) by 2030. To achieve their goals, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) has approved a project to increase competitiveness in seafood sector with financial support from the State Budget and foreign businesses, to restructure the sector towards improving its value added products. Aqua farming in Vietnam Since 2012, Vietnam has been among the top 10 marine aqua farming countries with increasing exports. Marine fish output has increased from 15,700 tonnes in 2010 to 28,300 tonnes in 2016 with Khanh Hoa, Quang Ninh, Kien Giang and Ba Ria-Vung Tau emerging as the leading producers. The countrys long coastline of over 3,000 kilometers and numerous islands offer excellent opportunities for marine aquaculture farmers. With the growing global population, demand for seafood-based protein is expected to grow by 1.7 times by 2050, with farmed items accounting for 62 percent, which opens up opportunities for Vietnams farmers. Current challenges faced by the industry are the small scale of operations, lack of technology, lagging efficiency of supply chains, and inadequate policy support from government needed to attract investments. With the growing per capita consumption of major export markets such as US and China, Vietnam needs to increase food safety, sustainability, social compliance, and traceability standards if it wants to stay competitive. Government support for the seafood industry The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) recently approved a project to make seafood sector more competitive, with financial support worth US$4.47 million (VND 102 billion) from government and foreign businesses. The State Budget will provide US$1.75 million (VND 40 billion), while the remaining US$2.73 million (VND 62.2 billion), will be supported by international businesses. Along with the funding, the project will also be revising regulations for imports of seafood destined for export processing, certificates of origins rules, preservation methods, and custom policy as per international standards. In addition, regulations and checks on seafood breeding, feeding, processing, and export packaging will also increase. The overhauling of regulations is expected to increase foreign investment for development of the freshwater, brackish water, and saline water aquaculture sector leading to high-quality seafood breeds, probiotics, and feed. An increase in investments will also develop the offshore fishing capabilities with technology upgrades for existing vessels and introduction of modern equipment. Future prospects for aquaculture in Vietnam Going forward, as competition increases and international standards become more stringent, the government needs to be more aggressive in attracting investments and increasing quality of produce. Marine farms and activities should be made eligible for preferential credit to foster growth. Upgrading existing feed facilities and building large-scale breeding stock production units are imperative to increase production of value-based products. The government should also set up an effective marine environment monitoring and regulation program to ensure regeneration of marine eco-systems. These measures will increase the scale of production, develop value chains, and help in expanding exports and domestic markets. Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide. An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017 An Introduction to Doing Business in Vietnam 2017 will provide readers with an overview of the fundamentals of investing and conducting business in Vietnam. Compiled by Dezan Shira & Associates, a specialist foreign direct investment practice, this guide explains the basics of company establishment, annual compliance, taxation, human resources, payroll, and social insurance in this dynamic country. Managing Contracts and Severance in Vietnam In this issue of Vietnam Briefing, we discuss the prevailing state of labor pools in Vietnam and outline key considerations for those seeking to staff and retain workers in the country. We highlight the increasing demand for skilled labor, provide in depth coverage of existing contract options, and showcase severance liabilities that may arise if workers or employers choose to terminate their contracts. I- Conditions to arrest a ship A. Type of claims According to section 149 of the Cemac merchant Code, the maritime debts which may give rise to ship arrest are the same enumerated by section 1 of the Bruxelles convention : a) Loss or damages caused by exploitation of the vessel ; b) Death or corporal injuries arising, onshore or offshore, in direct relation with the exploitation of the ship ; c) Operations of rescue or assistance, as well as all contracts of rescue or assistance, including, as the case may be, for special indemnity concerning operations of rescue or assistance to a ship which, by itself or by its cargo, was running the risk of causing damage to the environment ; d) Damages caused or likely to be caused by the ship to the environment, to the coast or to connected interests ; measures taken to prevent, reduce or eliminate the damages ; indemnity for these damages ; cost of reasonable measures to repair which was effectively taken or to be taken ; Losses suffered or likely to be suffered by third parties in relation to these damages ; and damages, costs or losses of a similar nature to those which are indicated in this item d) ; e) Costs and expenses related to the retrieving, removing, recovery, destruction or neutralization of a sunk, wrecked, grounded or abandoned ship, including all what is found or was found on board the ship, and costs and expenses related to the conservation of an abandoned ship and the up keep of its crew ; f) Every contract related to the use or hire of a ship by chartering or otherwise ; g) Every contract related to the transportation of goods or passengers by ship, by chartering or otherwise ; h) Losses or damages suffered by, or in relation to, goods, including luggages transported by the ship ; I) General average ; j) Towing or piloting of a ship ; k) Goods, materials, supplies, oil-fuel tank, equipments, including containers supplied or services rendered to the ship for its exploitation, its management, its conservation or its maintenance ; l) Construction, reconstruction, repairs, transformation or equipment of a ship ; m) Port, canal, dock (dry-dock), anchoring and inland waterways duties and fees ; n) Wages and other sums of money payable to the captain, naval officers and other crew members, by virtue of their engagement on the ship, including repatriation fees and social insurance contributions payable on their behalf ; o) Payments made on behalf of the ship or its owners ; p) Insurance premiums, including annual insurance contributions, in relation to the ship, payable by the owner of the ship or by the charterer by devolution or on their behalf ; q) Agency fees or brokerage commissions or other in relation to the ship, payable by the owner of the ship or by the charterer by devolution or on their behalf ; r) Every dispute arising from the ownership or possession of a ship ; s) Every dispute between the co-owners of a ship in relation to its exploitation or the right to the proceeds of exploitation of the ship ; t) Mortgage or rights of a similar nature over a ship ; u) every dispute arising from a contract of sale of a ship. u) Every clash arising from a contract of sale of a ship. B. Conditions relating to the ship owner and the ship The CEMAC code indiscriminately states that, a ship can be arrested provided it is the ship to which the claim relates, or any other ship owned by the owner at the time when the claim arose. 1. The vessel/ship to which a claim is related, or arrest "in rem". According to the said code, an arrest order can be executed either on the vessel to which the claim relates, or any other vessel belonging to the owner at the time when the maritime claim originated, the vessel of the owner to which the claim emanates. Thus, in terms of the CEMAC code and the Bruxelles convention, an action against a ship is an action in rem. Also, an arrest can be executed even when ownership of the same vessel has been transferred by the initial owner. This simply necessitates that the debt to be recovered must be linked to the concerned vessel. 2. The ship-owners fleet to which the claim relates is the security of creditors. Article 144 (1) of the CEMAC Code provides that the creditor may arrest any vessel belonging to the owner at the time when the maritime claim arose, the ship owner which the claim relates, This provision highlights a cumulative application of the concepts, action in rem and in personam. It suffice to state the Bruxelles convention which extends the maritime claim to <